Two Santa Barbara County Jail Workers Arrested for Sexual Assault

Two Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office employees were arrested on multiple felony sexual assault charges Friday, including forcible oral copulation, sexual activity with a person in custody, and forcible sexual penetration by a foreign object.

The charges involve at least two female victims — one per defendant — and prosecutor Jennifer Karapetian was unable to state if there were other known victims. The two confirmed victims were inmates at the Santa Barbara County Main Jail when Vargas and Castro were employees there.