Santa Barbara County sheriff’s detectives are searching for possible additional victims in a child-molestation case involving a local man.
Joshua Erik Valenzuela, 48, was arrested Oct. 10 at his workplace in Goleta, General Electric Intelligent Platforms, according to sheriff’s spokeswoman Kelly Hoover.
Authorities found evidence of digital home-made pornography on his home and work computers, including images of potential victims who may be minors, Hoover said.
Valenzuela was charged with multiple felonies in November, according to the complaint filed with the Santa Maria division of Santa Barbara County Superior Court.
He was charged with eight felony counts, including: continuous sexual abuse with a girl under the age of 14 (to whom the defendant had resided with or had recurring access); five counts of oral copulation of a person under the age of 16; forcible rape; and furnishing marijuana to a minor under the age of 14, the complaint states.
The alleged offenses occurred in 2010 and 2011, according to the complaint.
The case hasn’t yet gone to a preliminary hearing, according to Deputy District Attorney Lee Carter.
Valenzuela has ties to both Goleta and Buellton, and anyone with information related to this case is asked to call the North County Criminal Investigative Division at 805.934.6170.
— Noozhawk staff writer Giana Magnoli can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
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