A Lompoc man has been arrested for alleged sex crimes against minors, and detectives are requesting the public’s assistance in locating additional survivors. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office received the initial report of sexual abuse by the suspect, 43-year-old Edward Norman Hill Lewis of Lompoc, on July 1.
The report triggered a months-long investigation that has resulted in the identification of several additional sexual assault survivors who have reported incidents occurring throughout Santa Barbara County and date back as far as the early 2000s.
On October 19, Sheriff’s Office detectives arrested Lewis on several charges, including forcible lewd act upon a child under 14 years, lewd act upon a child 14-15 years old, communication with a minor to solicit a sexual act, possession of child pornography, and sexual battery. Lewis is being held at Santa Barbara County Jail with $200,000 bail.
This investigation remains ongoing, and detectives have interviewed numerous survivors, but there may be others who have not been contacted. Detectives are releasing Lewis’s booking photo and encouraging anyone with information about these allegations or information that may lead to the discovery of other victims to contact Detective Roy at (805) 681-4150.
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