VENTURA, Calif. – The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office announced today that Samuel William Lafond (DOB 04/01/88), of Santa Barbara, has been arraigned on one felony charge of luring after a sting operation by the Child Exploitation & Human Trafficking Task Force (CEHTTF). Lafond pled not guilty at his arraignment in Ventura County Superior Court.
During the week of November 27, 2023, the task force hosted an undercover operation focusing on identifying suspects who were actively engaging in sexual conversations with underage children in internet chatrooms and on social media. During the operation, it is alleged that Lafond engaged in sexual conversations with an undercover officer, he believed was a 14-year-old girl.
On December 5, 2023, Lafond allegedly traveled to Ventura County for the purposes of engaging in sex acts with a 14-year-old girl. When he arrived, he was arrested by the Oxnard Police Department’s Family Protection Unit with assistance from the CEHTTF. Lafond is a registered sex offender and had an outstanding felony warrant for his arrest.
Deputy District Attorney Michael Kern, a member of the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office Sexual Assault Unit, is the prosecutor assigned to the case.
Lafond’s next court appearance is set for December 12, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. in courtroom 13 for bail review. An early disposition conference date is set for December 19, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. in courtroom 11 of the Ventura County Superior Court. He is currently being held in Ventura County Jail with bail set at $500,000.
