Husband Who Offered Reward Held in Slaying : Investigation: Herbert Lee Brinkley is suspected in the 1991 killing of his wife. He had put up $5,000 for information in the case.

A Simi Valley man who had offered a $5,000 reward for information that would help catch his wife’s killer has been arrested in connection with her mysterious, brutal slaying last year, police said Saturday.

Herbert Lee Brinkley, 55, was arrested about 5 p.m. Friday without incident in front of his Cole Avenue house, which he once shared with his wife, Dorothy Mae, Lt. Neil Rein said. Brinkley was later booked into the Ventura County Jail, where he is being held on $250,000 bail, Rein said.

Police, who have been frustrated in their efforts to solve the case for more than a year, were reluctant to offer many details of events leading to Brinkley’s arrest.

Police said they had long suspected Brinkley, but indicated in a written statement that investigators remain uncertain that they have a strong case against him.

“The Simi Valley Police Department conducted an exhaustive investigation to develop all possible evidence prior to (the arrest),” the statement said. “The District Attorney’s Office will review the case and make a determination on what charges, if any, will be filed against Mr. Brinkley.”

Rein offered no additional information, and the detective assigned to the case was unavailable for comment.

The body of Dorothy Mae Brinkley, 44, was found slumped over in the front seat of her car in the parking lot of Valley Federal Savings and Loan, 2358 Tapo St., in Simi Valley on Jan. 15, 1991.

Her face was bludgeoned and her jugular veins slashed, according to the Ventura County coroner’s office. Although almost all of Brinkley’s blood was drained from her body, little was found in the car or the surrounding area, leading police to believe that she had been killed elsewhere.

She was fully clothed and there was no evidence of sexual assault, police said. Her purse, which contained jewelry, credit cards and $485 in cash, was found at the scene.

Police said that the Brinkleys were having marital difficulties and that Dorothy Mae, who worked as a legal secretary for a Simi Valley law firm, had been looking for an apartment. She had been living in a mobile home outside the Cole Avenue house she once shared with her second husband, Herbert, and her 24-year-old son, Chris Ladriene.

Ladriene, who could not be reached for comment Saturday, continued to live with his stepfather after his mother’s death, Brinkley said in an interview shortly after the killing.

A month after Dorothy Mae’s body was found, Brinkley offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of her killer.

“I just want police to find who did it because I don’t believe this crime should go unpunished,” he said at the time.

In April, police enlisted FBI forensics experts in an attempt to establish new leads. Also participating was the bureau’s National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crimes in Quantico, Va., which helped formulate a psychological profile of the killer.

Investigators concluded that “the nature of the injuries sustained by Dorothy Mae Brinkley suggest a great amount of personalized anger on the part of the killer and indicates the killer is someone who is known to her.” It was also someone, investigators said, who still lived in Simi Valley.

Brinkley’s neighbors, who described him as reserved, were shocked at the news of his arrest.

“It’s really hard for me to believe,” said Janet Harrigan, who lives across the street from Brinkley. “I am very shocked. He seemed like such a decent person.”

Harrigan added that Brinkley, who lived in the neighborhood for more than 17 years, rarely socialized with neighbors but seemed friendly.

“He always waved to us,” she said. “It just makes me very sad. I feel very sorry for the whole family.”

Moorpark resident Tom Bevington, who knew Brinkley for 15 years through their shared hobby as ham radio operators, said he was convinced that police had made a mistake. “I think the Police Department is just pulling straws. I don’t understand why they’ve waited until this late date to get into this.”

Bevington said he did not believe that Brinkley is capable of killing. “I just don’t feel he was involved in this. I’ve never even seen the man get mad.”

Bevington said Brinkley called him Friday afternoon to let him know that police planned to arrest him that evening. “He was pretty upset.” Police had apparently telephoned Brinkley at his job in Los Angeles, Bevington said, to inform him of his pending arrest.

He also said his longtime friend called him Saturday morning from jail but declined to disclose any details of their conversation.