DNA evidence leads to arrest in 2013 Santa Paula sexual assault case

Leroy Chad Tracy

Ventura County deputies said they arrested a 38-year-old man Wednesday in Fillmore after DNA evidence connected him to a 2013 abduction and sexual assault near Santa Paula.

The incident occurred in May 2013 when the female victim was walking in the 15000 block of Santa Paula Street. 

The victim was grabbed by a knife-wielding male who forced her into a nearby orchard and sexually assaulted her, authorities said. The attacker fled and was not found by officers, according to authorities.

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DNA evidence from the incident was submitted for forensic investigation. However, the DNA did not match any samples in a database of crime suspects’ DNA until 2018, when investigators were notified of a match with Leroy Chad Tracy, 38, of Santa Paula. Tracy’s DNA had been added to the database after being collected in connection with an unrelated crime, deputies said.

Further investigation by detectives and scientists turned up additional evidence connecting Tracy with the case, according to authorities. At 8:10 a.m. Wednesday, Tracy was found in the 700 block of Sespe Avenue in Fillmore and arrested without incident, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.

Tracy was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping, rape, sexual battery and penetration by  a foreign object, according to authorities. He was booked into county jail, with bail set at $1 million, according to authorities.

On Friday, Tracy was arraigned in court and pleaded not guilty to all charges. The case will meet next for an early disposition conference at 1:30 p.m. April 30 at the Ventura Superior Courthouse.

Anyone with information on the incident or on Tracy is asked to contact Detective Cameron Henderson at 805-384-4722.