OXNARD, California — A California man has been sentenced to 18 years and 8 months in state prison for the violent sexual assault of a female truck driver who was asleep inside her rig in 2020, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.

Jose Luis Meza Jr., 34, of Oxnard, pleaded guilty in September 2025 to assault with intent to commit rape and forcible oral copulation, admitting to prior convictions and being on parole at the time of the crime.

Investigators say the assault occurred on September 14, 2020, when Meza entered the victim’s parked truck in an industrial area of Oxnard. After demanding money, he climbed into the sleeper berth, where he restrained and sexually assaulted the truck driver. The woman managed to escape and ran to a nearby business for help as Meza fled.

Surveillance video from a nearby business captured Meza exiting the victim’s truck wearing a distinctive yellow sweatshirt and discarding a water bottle, which was later tested by forensic scientists. DNA found on the bottle matched Meza, linking him directly to the attack.

Police later confirmed that Meza had been stopped in unrelated incidents both before and after the assault — still wearing the same sweatshirt.

After a lengthy investigation led by the Oxnard Police Department and the Ventura County Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (VCSAKI) team, Meza was arrested on August 13, 2024.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Brent Nibecker praised the forensic work that solved the case, saying:

“Because of their commitment to the victim in this case, our community has been made safer.”

According to KTLA, Meza’s conviction and sentencing mark the end of a four-year investigation that relied on DNA evidence and video footage to deliver justice.

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