Santa Barbara County will pay $2 million to sexually abused inmate

Sheriff’s Office accused of “deliberate indifference” to employee behavior

The county has settled a federal lawsuit filed by a former female inmate at the Santa Barbara County Main Jail who was sexually assaulted by then-employee Salvador Vargas in 2018 (above) | Credit: Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office

A former Santa Barbara County Jail inmate who was sexually assaulted by a jail employee in 2018 will receive a $2 million settlement from Santa Barbara County after suing them in federal court over claims that the “policy of inaction” and “ deliberate indifference” by the Sheriff’s Office had cleared the case. manner in which her sexual assault could take place.

According to undisputed facts of the case, the accuser — identified as Jane Doe — was scheduled to be transferred from the main jail to a residential treatment center in 2018 to complete her sentence. During the transport, Salvador Vargas, who was then working as a discharge planner, forced Doe to orally copulate him while he stopped at a State Street pharmacy to pick up Doe’s prescription medications. Doe had been dealing with sexual advances and innuendos from Vargas for some time before the attack.

Vargas pleaded guilty to forcible oral copulation and sexual activity with a prisoner on the eve of his criminal trial in 2022. He is currently serving a three-year prison sentence.

“The question in this case was not whether or not the attack occurred, but whether the province can be held liable,” said Neil Gehlawat, Doe’s attorney. “This is not just a broken elbow that can heal on its own.”

Court records show three sexual misconduct complaints were filed against Vargas prior to the attack on Doe. In two cases, investigating officers did not interview the victims. In the third case, the victim was interviewed and believed, and two deputies took her complaint up the chain of command. The court found that one deputy was instructed by her sergeants to “ignore it,” and the other deputy “believed that they were instructed by the sergeants (Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office) to ‘bury’ the report.

An additional affidavit revealed that “Vargas allegedly groped and sexually assaulted a social worker who assisted inmates” the same year as Doe’s attack. This battery went unreported due to fear of retaliation and “(losing) access to the prisoners she was trying to protect.”

“We are pleased that our client can finally start on the path to healing from this preventable trauma,” Gehlawat said.