OJAI : Arraignment Slated for Man Accused of Molesting 2 Girls

An Ojai man accused of molesting two 6-year-old girls who lived at the apartment house that he managed is scheduled to be arraigned today in Ventura Municipal Court on 47 counts of child molestation.

Michael Edward Bosteter, 57, will also face 10 special allegations that would lengthen his sentence if he is convicted, said Senior Deputy Dist. Atty. Lela Henke-Dobroth.

Bosteter was arrested July 6 after police found a toolbox containing a photograph of one of the girls, adult sexual toys and pornography in his apartment on West Summer Street, said Sheriff’s Sgt. John Fitzgerald.

The search was conducted after one of the victims told her mother about a series of incidents that allegedly occurred in a spare apartment that had been turned into a storeroom, Fitzgerald said.

During the investigation, a second girl also told of being sexually abused, he said.

Bosteter is accused of molesting one of the girls repeatedly over a period of nearly two years beginning in October, 1990, and the other girl over a six-month period starting in January, Fitzgerald said.

The 10 special allegations Bosteter faces charge him with molestations over a long period of time, befriending a child for the purpose of molestation, and using obscene materials.

Henke-Dobroth said Bosteter’s alleged crimes are especially serious because of the victims’ age and because, as an apartment manager, he was in a position of authority.