A Special Victims Unit sergeant confirmed his team is investigating a Canyon Country man on suspicion of sexual assault after his significant other filed a report Tuesday with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.
The suspect, a 34-year-old man who lives off Sierra Highway, was arrested by deputies at a residence off Soledad Canyon Road, according to Sgt. Joseph Mesa of the Special Victims Unit.
The couple had been having issues for several days, and the alleged assault occurred during that time, Mesa said Wednesday in a phone interview.
He said the report was taken by station deputies Tuesday and is still a part of an active investigation.
He expected charges to be presented Thursday for filing consideration by the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office, he added.
Custody records available online indicate the suspect is still being held at the station’s jail in lieu of $100,000 bail pending a scheduled appearance Thursday in San Fernando Superior Court.
Both locally and countywide, data indicate that the number of sexual assaults reported is on the rise.
Countywide, there has been a more than 20% increase in the number of rapes reported in the first eight months of 2025 compared to the previous year, in the most recent Sheriff’s Department data available.
In the Santa Clarita Valley, there’s been a more than 230% increase in reported incidents in a year-over-year comparison, with 44 recorded so far this year compared to 13 the previous year.
