Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies arrested a man after he was accused of two incidents of sexual assault against the same alleged victim in Castaic.
The 36-year-old Palmdale bus driver was arrested after the second allegation around 2 a.m. Saturday in the 31400 block of Castaic Road, according to L.A. County Sheriff’s Department custody records.
Sgt. Joseph Mesa of the Special Victims Bureau, whose unit oversees the investigation, said when detectives contacted the victim, she also alleged an assault happened Oct. 1. He said the suspect and the victim knew each other from a dating relationship.
Mesa said detectives were investigating the allegations and that he expected any recommendation on charges to be brought forth by Tuesday. He confirmed the alleged assaults happened at a hotel at that address.
The suspect remains in the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station jail in lieu of $100,000 bail pending charges, according to custody records available online.
Local crime data indicates there’s been a more than 200% year-over-year increase in sexual assaults reported to the SCV Sheriff’s Station for the first eight months of this year compared to last. Sheriff’s officials have indicated the majority of allegations have involved domestic violence or dating relationships.
If anyone is experiencing domestic violence, they can contact the SCV Child & Family Center for more information and support services at 661-259-9439. Free and low-cost resources are available at BeTheDifferenceSCV.org.
