Ventura County Sheriff's Department

Location: Westlake Promenade 100 Promenade Way Thousand Oaks, Ca.
Date & Time/ RB#: Nov. 18, 2009 @ 7:10 p.m. / 09-27952
Unit Responsible: Thousand Oaks Police Department Internet Crimes Against Children Unit

(S)uspects, (V)ictims, (W)itnesses Address Age
(S) Hersel, Charles William Thousand Oaks, Ca. 39

Investigators arrested a 39-year-old Thousand Oaks man Wednesday evening after he had just paid a teenager $31.00 in cash to spit in his face.

Charles Hersel was arrested for one count of violating Penal Code section 647.6(a), child annoying, after an undercover investigation via text message led to the arrest. Hersel has been paying young male Westlake High School students in cash to yell profanities at him, slap him in the face, and spit in his face.

Several teenagers also reported to investigators that Hersel offered to pay them to urinate and defecate on him.

Hersel was booked into county jail and released on his promise to appear in court. Hersel’s apartment and computer were searched, and the investigation is continuing. Hersel contacted his first victims via the social Internet site MySpace, but it didn’t take long for word to spread among local teens that they could get paid to spit in a man’s face.

Anyone with additional information about Hersel’s activities is asked to contact Detective Anthony Aguirre at (805)371-8309.