Santa Barbara County DA Files New Charges in Father-Son Sexual Assault Case
SANTA MARIA, Calif. — The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office has filed new charges in a case involving a father and son from Santa Maria who were arrested Tuesday for lewd acts against a child.
On Friday, District Attorney John T. Savrnoch filed charges against the son, 34-year-old Allen Lee Pearse, for a series of sexual assaults that allegedly occurred between 2018 and 2024 involving three adult victims. He faces multiple counts of sexual assault of an unconscious person, including rape, sexual penetration, and sodomy.
No charges related to lewd acts against a child have been filed against Allen or his father, 64-year-old Mark Pearse.
Allen Pearse is scheduled for arraignment March 10 at the Santa Barbara County Superior Courthouse in Santa Maria. He and his father remain held without bail at the North County Branch Jail. Mark is being held for felonies related to lewd acts with a minor under 14. Allen is also being held for felonies including lewd acts with a minor under 14 in addition to digital penetration, rape, and sodomy of an unconscious person.
Santa Barbara County sheriff’s detectives began investigating the pair in January 2024 after receiving a report from an adult survivor who was a juvenile when the alleged crimes occurred.
Detectives say the crimes began around 2009 at the Los Pinos Apartments in Orcutt, near Winter Road and Orcutt Road. In January 2025, deputies identified another survivor who reported that Allen had raped her. In February 2025, detectives identified two more survivors who said Allen had raped them.
The Sheriff’s Office expects more survivors to come forward.
“We recognize that we are asking survivors to come forward about something that is difficult and happened a significant while ago,” sheriff’s spokeswoman Raquel Zick said. “We want to gather as much information as we can.”
“We want people to report, but it’s also very important for victims’ mental health that they do so without pressure,” said Sabrina Ross of the North County Rape Crisis Center.
Anyone with information about alleged crimes involving Mark or Allen Pearse is urged to contact Detective Brownlee at 805-681-4150. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling 805-681-4171 or visiting this website.
Support is available through the Victim-Witness Assistance Program at the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office at 805-568-2400 or through the North County Rape Crisis and Child Protection Center.
