Sonoma County Man Arrested, Accused Of Ongoing Sex Abuse Of Child

PETALUMA, CA — A 66-year-old Petaluma man and local chef was arrested Wednesday on multiple, suspected charges of sexual abuse of a child following an investigation that began in June, according to authorities.

Corey L. Basso was taken into custody, without incident, on the 400 block of 5th Street after leaving his home and taken to the station for questioning, the Petaluma Police Department said.

Basso is a chef at Seared restaurant in downtown Petaluma and had run Le Bistro for many years before it closed in 2017.

Detectives initially launched their investigation after learning a "young adult" confided in a confidant that she "was the victim of ongoing sexual abuse as a child," police said, adding that she named Basso as the perpetrator.

"After months of investigation, Detective (Matthew) Parnow determined that he had probable cause to arrest Basso for the alleged crimes," Sgt. Paul Gilman said.

Due to the nature of the alleged abuse and the victim's age, the department said no additional details on the female would be released.

After his interview with law enforcement, Basso was booked at the Sonoma County Jail in Santa Rosa for charges including suspected sexual acts with a child under 10, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 years of age and lewd and lascivious acts with a minor.

Anyone with more information on the case, or possible additional victims, can contact Petaluma Police Detective Parnow at (707) 778-4444.

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--Bay City News contributed to this post