Carmel Restaurant Cook Arrested on Child Sexual Abuse, Rape Charges

Dexter Jo Salazar, 47, of Carmel, was arrested by Marina police on March 16 and booked into the Monterey County Jail on an outstanding warrant charging him with sexual abuse of a child, rape by force, false imprisonment, and kidnapping. He is being held on a no-bail warrant, and his defense attorney may argue for bail at an arraignment expected later this week.

Salazar has been identified in reports as both a cook at a local restaurant and manager at Edwins, a Carmel restaurant that was already under city scrutiny before his arrest. City planners sent a second notice of violation to Salazar the day before he was taken into custody, citing additional instances of loud music and the owner's failure to renew the business license.

That second notice followed an earlier city letter warning Edwins operators that they risked losing their business license and faced administrative penalties or fines if violations continued. Those initial violations included loud music past 10 p.m., operating as a nightclub, operating without a license, and allegedly serving alcohol to a minor on two occasions in November 2025. The violations continued regardless.

In a social media post, Marina police stated: "The survivors in this investigation were known to Salazar, and there is no active threat to the community concerning this investigation."

Until his arrest, Salazar had also been listed as a guest chef for the upcoming Pebble Beach Food and Wine event. His profile there described him in terms that now read starkly: "Dexter has built a reputation for crafting spaces that feel both welcoming and inspiring- where every dish tells a story."

Note: His middle name appears as "Pavatao" in one source and "Pabatao" in another; the correct legal spelling has not been confirmed by court records as of publication.