SANTA BARBARA A Santa Barbara man was arrested Thursday and is accused of sexually assaulting juveniles and providing them with drugs and alcohol, authorities said.
On Feb. 3, Sheriff’s deputies received a report of suspicious activity occurring between Louie “Vincent” Peteque Jr. and teen-aged juveniles. An investigation revealed Mr. Peteque had befriended high school aged children and invited them to his residence in the unincorporated area of Santa Barbara and gave them alcohol and marijuana, said Raquel Zick, spokeswoman for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.
“The investigation revealed that on at least two occasions, the juvenile victims had become intoxicated and were sexually assaulted. These assaults occurred on separate occasions in late 2019,” Ms. Zick said.
Detectives have identified two juvenile victims, whose identities were withheld.
Mr. Peteque was booked into County Jail on suspicion of lewd and lascivious acts with a child and sexual battery, both felony charges. In addition, Mr. Peteque was booked on a misdemeanor charge of willful cruelty to a child. He is being held on $50,000 bail.The investigation is ongoing and authorities are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying additional victims and witnesses. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Nunez by calling 805-681-4150 or email aan4208@sbsheriff.org. To leave an anonymous tip, call 805-681-4171 or visit www.sbsheriff.org/anonymous-tip.
