Aaron Reid
VENTURA — What was once only discussed in whispers or was regarded as taboo subject matter and referenced only by innuendo and euphemism in the media is now part and parcel of public discussion: child sexual abuse.
Given such public awareness, the enforcement of laws against such crimes is now rigorous and widely publicized.
One who stands accused of such a crime—even if proven not guilty of such a moral offense—may experience permanent damage to reputation, social standing, and economic well being.
Whether or not that is the outcome of the allegations made against Ventura resident Aaron Reid on March 25th remains to be seen.
According to Ventura Police Department spokesman Det. Ed McCain, on that day the parents of a child under the age of 14 notified VPD 911 Emergency Dispatch that 25-year-old Reid, “a family acquaintance” had had illicit sexual contact with their child.
Considering the wide range of behaviors constituting sexual abuse under the law—which includes physically touching a child’s genitals for one’s own sexual pleasure, forcing a child to touch someone else’s genitals, placing any body parts into the body of a child, not to mention a number of non-physical acts including exposing one’s genitals to a child, showing them pornographic materials, or inappropriately observing a child using a bathroom—defending such an accusation would be a challenge for anyone so accused.
It was pursuant to investigation by detectives and interviews with the alleged victim, however, that police took certain evidence to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office who issued a warrant for Reid’s arrest.
With warrant in hand, VPD Detectives contacted Reid and placed him under arrest. He was then transported to Ventura County Jail, where he was booked on three felony counts of sexual abuse of a minor with three unspecified “special allegations,” and with his bail set at $750,000.
Photo: Courtesy Ventura County Jail Booking
