OAK VIEW : Man to Be Charged in Molestation Case

A Ventura man who was identified as the suspect in an Oak View child molesting case through DNA testing is scheduled to be arraigned in Ventura County Municipal Court today on burglary and child molesting charges.

Dennis Fredman was returned to Ventura County on Tuesday following his extradition from New Jersey, where he fled to escape prosecution, said Sheriff’s Sgt. John Fitzgerald.

Fredman, 30, was arrested in May at his brother’s house in Dover Township, N.J., two months after a DNA test identified him as the suspect in a Dec. 20 break-in of an Oak View residence, Fitzgerald said. An arrest warrant for Fredman was issued March 17.

Fredman was sought as a suspect in a series of “hot prowl” burglaries in Ventura and Oak View, Fitzgerald said. Police describe burglars as hot prowlers when they break into residences when the residents are home.

In the Oak View case that led to his arrest, Fredman is accused of molesting a 10-year-old girl in her room while her parents slept nearby.

Investigators identified Fredman as the suspect when evidence found at the scene matched blood and saliva samples taken from him following a previous arrest for an attempted break-in in Ventura. No charges were filed in the Ventura case.

Fredman is being held in lieu of $108,100 bail.

Fitzgerald said it routinely takes two to three months to process an extradition.