Carpinteria Man Arrested in Assaults on 2 Women at Beach

Ventura County sheriff’s deputies have arrested a 45-year-old Carpinteria man on suspicion of sexually assaulting two women in separate incidents as they sunbathed on remote Ventura County beaches.

Chris Matson, general manager of Santa Barbara-based San Bar Air, was arrested at his air-conditioning company Tuesday on suspicion of attempted rape, robbery and other sexual battery charges, said Sgt. John Fitzgerald, supervisor of the sheriff’s sexual assault unit.

“There was not much of a reaction from him” when he was taken into custody, Fitzgerald said. “I think the people at the workplace were totally shocked over it.”

Fitzgerald said an oil worker came to the rescue of a 22-year-old Ventura woman who was struggling with a knife-wielding attacker about a week ago at Seacliff Beach.

“He went to help her and, in the process, he saw the guy fleeing the scene in a company vehicle,” Fitzgerald said.

Based on the description of the suspect and the truck bearing San Bar’s name, detectives spent about a week in surveillance before they served a search warrant Tuesday at Matson’s house and workplace, Fitzgerald said. They arrested Matson at the same time.

Investigators have also linked Matson to the sexual assault of a 25-year-old Thousand Oaks woman that occurred Jan. 3 at La Conchita Beach, Fitzgerald said.

In both instances, the assailant preyed on a young woman sunbathing alone in an isolated part of the beach, putting a knife to her throat, Fitzgerald said. Both assaults took place between noon and 1 p.m., Fitzgerald said, and Matson fit the description of the assailant in both incidents.

Matson was being held at Ventura County Jail on $220,000 bail. He was scheduled to be arraigned today.