A Carpinteria masseur was arrested Friday on suspicion of sexual battery in two separate incidents that allegedly took place at his massage business.
According to Santa Barbara County sheriff’s spokeswoman Raquel Zick, two individuals described similar crimes of sexual battery that allegedly occurred at Max Relax, at 1108 Casitas Pass Road in the Casitas Shopping Center.
She said they identified the owner, 46-year-old Xiaodong Mei of Oxnard, as the assailant.
As part of the ongoing investigation, Zick said, a sheriff’s detective posed as a customer and visited the massage business on Friday afternoon. The detective was attacked in a similar manner to the previously reported assaults, she added.
Mei was arrested and booked into County Jail on charges that included sexual battery and false imprisonment, Zick said. Bail was set at $100,000.
Zick said detectives believe there are other survivors of sexual assaults who have not yet come forward. Anyone with information about Mei or Max Relax is encouraged to contact Detective Cockrell at infosib@sbsheriff.org or by calling 805.681.4175. Anonymous tips can be made at sbsheriff.org/home/anonymous-tip or 805.681.4171.
The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office Victim-Witness Assistance Program provides advocates to keep sexual-assault survivors informed and supported throughout the criminal justice process, Zick said. Call 805.568.2400 for more information.
Survivors also can find support services through Standing Together to End Sexual Assault at 805.564.3696.
— Noozhawk staff writer Jade Martinez-Pogue can be reached at jmartinez-pogue@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
