Thousand Oaks man arrested for allegedly molesting 2 young girls he met at Jehovah's Witnesses church

NEWBURY PARK, Calif. (KABC) -- A Thousand Oaks man was arrested last week after two female alleged victims accused him of sexual abuse that occurred over the span of several years, authorities announced Friday.

According to a statement from the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, the investigation began in September when deputies responded to a report of suspected child crimes in Newbury Park.

A 16-year-old girl "stated she was sexually abused between the ages of 5 and 11 years old by the suspect, Steven Skyler Abbott," the news release said, adding that incident was documented by investigators as a lewd act upon a child.

Detectives with the Thousand Oaks Police Department's Major Crimes Sexual Assault Unit later identified a second victim, the agency said. The 24-year-old woman told authorities that she had been sexually abused by Abbott when she was between the ages of 3 and 7.

Investigators learned that the woman, the teenager and their families had known Abbott through the Kingdom Hall Jehovah's Witnesses church in Newbury Park, according to the Sheriff's Department.

Detectives presented their findings to the county District Attorney's Office, which charged Abbott with two counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child and one count each of a lewd act upon a child and a forcible lewd act upon a child.

A warrant was issued for the suspect's arrest on Nov. 28. He was arrested at his Newbury Park home on Dec. 6.

Abbott was being held Friday on $250,000 bail. He is scheduled for arraignment Dec. 27.

Anyone with information about the case, or who believes they may be a victim of the suspect, is asked to call sheriff's Detective Darin Yanover at (805) 494-8229.