Originally published as a Yolo County District Attorney’s Office press release –
(Woodland, CA) – October 26, 2021 – On October 26, 2021, 55-year-old Woodland man, Fermin Robles Perez, was found guilty, by a Yolo County Jury, of multiple felonies, including sexual penetration by fear or duress, sexual penetration of an unconscious person, sexual battery by fraud and sexual battery by restraint.
On July 1, 2020, a woman reported to the Woodland Police Department that she had been sexually assaulted during a massage with Mr. Perez. The Woodland Police Department opened an investigation and issued a press release urging more victims to come forward. Eight additional women reported similar stories of sexual assault during massages by Mr. Perez, both at his business and at his home in Woodland. The massages occurred between 2013 and 2020.
All nine women who came forward to the Woodland Police Department testified before the jury. Six of those women also testified before a Yolo County Grand Jury in April. The jury heard evidence over the course of a multiple week jury trial. They deliberated for approximately six and a half days before reaching their guilty verdicts on sixteen counts, for six of the nine women. The jury found Mr. Perez not guilty on four counts and were unable to reach verdicts on fifteen other counts.
District Attorney Jeff Reisig said: “Sexual assault is a traumatic experience, and to have to talk about it in a room full of strangers can be very intimidating. These brave women came forward and had the courage to share their stories, and, as a result, Mr. Perez was held accountable for taking advantage of his position as a massage therapist.”
Judge David W. Reed presided over the jury trial. Mr. Perez is scheduled to be sentenced on December 17, 2021, in Department 7. He is facing up to 16 years in state prison.
