NEWS RELEASE
DATE: MAY 23, 2020, 12:00 P.M.
SUBJECT: Man Arrested for Oral Copulation and Rape
SUSPECT: William Gallero, 52-year-old, Argentina Resident
LOCATION: 700 block North A Street, Oxnard
CONTACT: Scott Aaron, Sergeant
(805) 385-7756 | [email protected]
On May 22, 2020, at about 6:48 P.M., patrol officers from the Oxnard Police Department responded to the 200 block of Roderick Avenue regarding a sexual assault that just occurred. When officers arrived, they located a 41-year-old Hispanic female who reported that she had been sexually assaulted by William Gallero.
The victim reported Mr. Gallero forced sexual acts upon her through rape and forced oral copulation while she was in an abandoned business building in the 700 block of North A Street. Mr. Gallero was contacted by patrol officers at the location. He was squatting in the building until he could return to his home in Argentina.
The Oxnard Police Department’s Family Protection Unit was notified and responded to the scene and took over the investigation. The victim told investigators she learned about Mr. Gallero through an advertisement on a local radio station for spiritual cleansing. She made an appointment to meet him and she was instructed to bring a piece of material that had meaning to her wrapped in aluminum foil. Once she arrived, the spiritual cleansing began and Mr. Gallero gave the victim some water to drink. After consuming the water, the victim became dizzy. The victim was then sexually assaulted by Mr. Gallero.
The Family Protection Unit arrested Mr. Gallero for one count of oral copulation by force and one count of rape by force. Mr. Gallero was booked into the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility on a bail amount of $5,000,000. The Oxnard Police Department’s Fraud Unit was called to the location to investigate a possible scam involving a large amount of money found during a search warrant at the abandoned business building.
The Oxnard Police Department is conducting an ongoing investigation and believes there could possibly be other victims that have not reported similar incidents to the police. Anyone with information regarding this case or any similar incident with Mr. Gallero is asked to contact Detective Juanita Suarez (805) 385-7759.
Anyone with information regarding this case or other criminal activity is encouraged to contact the Oxnard Police Department at (805) 385-7600, or online via the Oxnard Police Department's website: www.oxnardpd.org, and clicking on Report Suspicious Activity. You can remain anonymous if you choose to do so. You can also remain anonymous by calling the Ventura County Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477. You can also visit this site: www.venturacountycrimestoppers.org to submit a tip via text or email.
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