A Santa Barbara man was arrested after allegedly furnishing alcohol and cannabis to minors, and sexually assaulting them, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.
Louie “Vincent” Peteque Jr., 49, was booked into the Santa Barbara County Main Jail Thursday on suspicion of lewd and lascivious acts with a child, sexual battery and willful cruelty to a child, said Raquel Zick, a sheriff’s public information officer.
He was being held on $50,000 bail.
On Feb. 3, sheriff’s deputies received a report of “suspicious activity” occurring between an adult and teenagers, Zick said.
Detectives followed up their initial report and identified a suspect who had befriended two high school-aged children, Zick said.
“He (Peteque) allegedly invited the juveniles into his residence in the unincorporated area of Santa Barbara and furnished them with alcohol and marijuana,” Zick said. “The investigation revealed that on at least two occasions, the juvenile victims had become intoxicated and were sexually assaulted.”
The assaults occurred on separate occasions in late 2019, Zick said.
The investigation is ongoing, she added, and the Sheriff’s Department is requesting the public’s assistance in identifying any additional victims and witnesses.
Anyone with information about the case can contact investigators at 805.681.4150 or leave an anonymous tip by calling 805.681.4171 or using the website at https://www.sbsheriff.org/home/anonymous-tip/.
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.