Petaluma Man Suspected Of Drugging, Sexually Assaulting Teenage Girl
PETALUMA (CBS SF) -- Petaluma police arrested a man Tuesday on suspicion of drugging and sexually assaulting a 16-year-old victim in his Petaluma home Saturday.
The victim reported the assault to police Aug. 1, Lt. Dan Fish said in a news release.
The victim met the man, identified as 38-year-old Brett Aaron Niebergall of Petaluma, on a social media application where they exchanged communications over a few days, Fish said.
The two agreed to meet Saturday at Niebergall's residence where the victim reported being drugged and sexually assaulted, Fish said.
Detective Lance Novello identified Niebergall as the suspect and obtained a warrant to search his home Tuesday. Detectives collected evidence supporting the victim's allegations, and during an interview, Niebergall gave statements indicating he had intimate contact with the victim, Fish said.
Niebergall was arrested for sexual assault with the use of a controlled substance, contacting a minor to commit a felony and furnishing a controlled substance to a minor. He was booked under $330,000 bail in the Sonoma County Jail but was released on bail, Fish said.
The investigation is continuing, Fish said. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call detective Novello at (707) 778-4334 or email lnovello@ci.petaluma.ca.us.
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