An Orcutt man faces 17 felony criminal charges of inappropriate sexual contact with four young girls over several years at a daycare in his home.
Ernest J. Lattimer, 79, has been charged in Santa Barbara County Superior Court with four counts of sexual intercourse with a child under 10 years old, three counts of sexual penetration with a child under age 10, and 10 counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under age 14.
He also faces special allegations, or sentencing enhancements, because the case involves multiple victims and aggravating factors.
Lattimer, who was taken into custody last week, made his first court appearance Friday for an arraignment hearing where he pleaded not guilty and denied the special allegations
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office began investigating the allegations in 2019 after a then-19-year-old reported she had been raped between the ages of 7 and 12 at a daycare in Orcutt.
Another girl claimed he started touching her inappropriately when she was 5 years old and stopped when she was an eighth-grader.
The defendant and his wife reportedly were family friends and babysat multiple children, according to a declaration submitted by a detective.
The alleged inappropriate sexual contact occurred when he was alone with the children while his wife ran errands, the detective’s declaration said.
The interactions reportedly occurred while the defendant and each girl were alone in the residence.
One victim said the defendant “touched her ‘basically every day. It was a daily thing. It was routine.’”
The criminal complaint lists four young girls as the victims, with the alleged acts occurring between 1998 and 2010. Detectives say the incidents occurred between 1995 and 2012.
The girls all said the abuse stopped after they grew older, with one recalling him reportedly saying, “You’re not a little girl anymore.”
The alleged criminal acts occurred at an in-home childcare facility on the 800 block of Emerald Court.
Lattimer’s spouse ran the daycare where he perpetrated these crimes, but investigators don’t believe she was involved in the misconduct.
He was arrested Thursday after detectives served warrants at the man’s residence on the 3900 block of Chatham Way.
On Tuesday afternoon, Lattimer remained in the custody of the Santa Barbara County Jail, with bail set at $1 million.
Sheriff’s detectives believe there may be additional survivors who have not come forward and they are encouraging anyone with information to contact Detective Martha Sosa at 805.934.6170.
Anonymous tips can be submitted online at sbsheriff.org/home/anonymous-tip or by calling 805.681.4171.