Charles Gaines of Colorado sentenced to 19 years in prison for the sexual assault of three women
VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. – On Tuesday, Charles Edward Gaines III was sentenced to 19 years for forcible sex crimes against three women and the attempted sexual assault of another.
On Feb. 25, 2025, a Ventura County jury convicted Gaines of forcible sodomy and the attempted rape of two people, but the jury deadlocked on the other charged counts stated the Ventura County District Attorney's Office in a press release Wednesday.
"Gaines preyed on vulnerable women, including a teenager and a person experiencing homelessness, using manipulation, violence, and threats to commit his crimes," said Senior Deputy District Attorney Brent Nibecker who prosecuted the case. "His 19-year prison sentence reflects the gravity of his actions and the lasting trauma he inflicted on his victims. I commend the courage of the survivors who came forward and the Simi Valley detectives and crime lab scientists who brought him to justice."
According to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office, Gaines perpetrated his crimes between February 2019 and May 2020 and his DNA was collected after some of the sexual assault survivors submitted to a sexual assault examination after the incident.
More details about Gaines' criminal activities between February of 2019 and May of 2020 in Los Angeles and Ventura counties can be found here.
Gaines was arrested on an unrelated matter in August of 2022, in Aurora, Colorado where his DNA was collected and uploaded to the Combined DNA Index System and a match to three of the sexual assaults was used to convict him in California shared the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
In October 2022, detectives with the Simi Valley Police Department arranged to have Gaines arrested in Aurora pursuant to a Ventura County arrest warrant and Gaines was extradited to Ventura County where he has remained in custody since his arrival explained the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
The Ventura County Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (VCSAKI) is a multi-agency countywide program to test every sexual assault kit for the presence of DNA and investigate unsolved sexual assault cases explained the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
Survivors of past sexual assaults can visit the VSAKI website for information on support services including free counseling and, in some cases, determine the status of their sexual assault kit noted the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
Funding for Senior Deputy District Attorney Nibecker's position prosecuting cold case sexual assaults are funded by a Sexual Assault Kit Initiative grant from the U.S. Department of Justice noted the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
