Rafael Martinez Vargas, a 45-year-old hairstylist from Salinas, California, has been convicted by a jury of sexually assaulting a male client during a haircut. The jury found Vargas guilty on Monday of sexual battery and forcible oral copulation. The court also determined that the crime involved planning, sophistication, or professionalism.
The victim, identified as John Doe 1, was a regular client of Vargas at the establishment Haircuts in Shape. According to the Monterey County District Attorney’s office, the assault occurred on March 3, 2024, when Vargas began touching the victim’s genitals without consent, then pulled down his pants and proceeded to assault him. The victim reported that he initially could not stop Vargas and that he "froze during the incident, a common response to trauma and fear."
Two other individuals also testified during the trial, alleging they were victims of sexual assault by Vargas. John Doe 2 stated that in 2017, while receiving a haircut, Vargas reached into his pants without consent and touched his groin. Like the first victim, John Doe 2 described freezing during the assault and being unable to resist physically. A third person, John Doe 3, recounted a similar assault in November 2019, where Vargas allegedly groped his genitals over his clothes multiple times without consent. John Doe 3 also explained that he did not physically resist because he "froze in response to the shock and trauma of the assault."
Vargas is scheduled to return to court in August for sentencing. The conviction carries a maximum sentence of 8.5 years in state prison, and he will be required to register as a sex offender.