Ventura County man faces sex-slave charges
Shawn Barth, 46, is accused of holding a 13-year-old girl inside a recreational vehicle in a Moorpark orchard.
A Ventura County man is being arraigned today on charges he kept a 13-year-old girl as a sex slave inside a recreational vehicle parked in a remote Moorpark orchard.
Shawn Barth, 46, was arrested Monday by deputies who had been following him over the last few days, said Sheriff's Det. Eric Buschow. The girl, who was not named, was taken into protective custody late last week, Buschow said.
Barth is being held on $1-million bail pending his court appearance today.
Barth brought the girl to Moorpark from San Bernardino County in May, arranging to rent space from the orchard's landlord. The closest road was about a mile and a half away, authorities said.
The victim was permitted to attend a local public school, but Barth otherwise kept her isolated inside the 40-foot-long RV. Her life for at least the last few months was "horrific," Buschow told reporters at a news conference in Thousand Oaks.
"She was sexually assaulted repeatedly over three months in the orchard," he said. On one occasion, Barth assaulted her five or six times in one day, authorities said.
The girl's mother, who apparently stayed behind in San Bernardino County, is cooperating with authorities, as is a second adult female witness, Buschow said. The mother knew Barth, but their exact relationship is unclear.
Barth used coercion and fear with the girl, who didn't try to run away and never told anyone what was happening to her, Buschow said.
Officials said that when Moorpark Unified School District officials contacted her previous school to obtain records, they were tipped that there was a possible restraining order against Barth in connection with a previous allegation of molestation involving the victim.
Barth had no previous record for sexual offenses, Buschow said. But authorities believe there could be other victims. Barth kept the girl in a beige 40-foot-long Bounder recreational vehicle.
He also drove a white Toyota pickup that was filled with tables, patio umbrellas and other items he used at swap meets, where he apparently sold goods to support himself, law enforcement said.
Anyone with information about other contacts with Barth is asked to call the Ventura County Sheriff's Department at 805-494-8201.
catherine.saillant@latimes.com
