A Santa Barbara man was arrested February 17 after his DNA was found to match evidence taken on scene after a female employee at a Goleta massage parlor was raped at work on November 17, 2015. Sheriff’s detectives took Saul Hernandez-Chavez, 22, into custody on rape charges last week at his home on the 200 block of Meigs Road, stated the Sheriff’s Office Tuesday press release.
Last November 17, a male client reportedly demanded sex during a massage from the employee at an Old Town massage parlor on the 5700 block of Hollister Avenue, said the Sheriff’s Office release. The suspect “overpowered her and forcibly raped her” before fleeing the scene. Law enforcement collected evidence on scene, and the employee took a rape kit — the DNA was sent to the state’s Department of Justice (DOJ) Crime Lab.
Law enforcement officials linked Hernandez-Chavez to the case on February 9, when the FBI’s Combined Index System (CODIS) matched his DNA to that collected at the crime scene. The database stores DNA samples of convicted sex offenders, as well as those of suspects arrested for felonies and some misdemeanors, but authorities haven’t released information on the arrest linking Hernandez-Chavez to the rape.
His physical description matched that given by the employee on the day of the rape, said the Sheriff’s Office. He is being held on $100,000 bail.