Armed Robbery
On Tuesday, December 1st, at 7:45 a.m., the VPD received a call from a victim in reference to an armed robbery. The victim was walking to her vehicle parked in the parking lot of her apartment complex. The suspect startled the victim and pointed a handgun at her. The suspect demanded the victim’s property, and she complied with the suspect’s demands. The victim was unharmed during the commission of this crime.
The suspect was described as a Hispanic male in his 20s, wearing a blue beanie and bandana. The investigation is ongoing.
Elder Abuse
In late October 2015, VPD Street Crimes Unit detectives began investigating a residential burglary in which a large amount of jewelry had been stolen from an elderly couple.
The wife of the 91 year old victim suspected that her husband’s caregiver may have been involved in the theft. The value of the items stolen was estimated at over $6,700.00.
Detectives followed up on the information provided by the victims and were able to identify the caregiver, Valerie Olmos, as the person who had pawned some of the stolen jewelry at a local business.
A search warrant for Olmos’ residence was obtained and on Thursday, December 3rd, in the 100 block of Leighton Drive, detectives served the warrant and took Olmos into custody for burglary and elder abuse. During the search of her residence no additional stolen jewelry was located, however detectives did locate a controlled substance and narcotic paraphernalia.
Olmos was later transported and booked into the VC Jail.
Shooting With Arrest
On Friday, December 4th, at 3:53pm, the Ventura Police Command Center received numerous calls regarding a shooting that had just occurred in the area of Hill Road and Telephone Road. Patrol officers and detectives responded to the area, however initially they did not locate any potential victims or the suspect. As the search continued in the surrounding neighborhoods, officers located the suspect running away from the scene on Swift Avenue south of Ralston Street. The suspect, Jonathan Sabalza, 19 years of Ventura was detained by the officers, and during the initial contact with him, a loaded handgun was found. The victim was never located.
The investigation revealed the suspect had been involved in an argument with the unknown victim. During the argument, the suspect pulled out the gun and fired one round in the direction of the victim. The suspect and the victim then fled the area. It does not appear that the victim was struck by the bullet. At the conclusion of the investigation, the suspect was booked into Ventura County Jail on the charges of assault with a deadly weapon, street terrorism, carrying a loaded firearm, prohibited person in possession of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance and a firearm and an unrelated no bail warrant for violation of his Post Release Offender status.
Armed Robbery
On Friday, December 4th, at 10pm the Ventura Police Command Center received a 911 call of a robbery that had just occurred at the Gasco Station on North Ventura Avenue. Officers arrived on scene and learned that an unknown male wearing a black ski mask, described as an Hispanic male 25-35 years of age entered the business and brandished a black semi-auto handgun pointing it at the clerk Alfredo Villagomez.
The suspect demanded the money from the register and the clerk’s cell phone. The clerk gave the suspect an undisclosed amount of money and his personal cell phone. The suspect fled northbound from the business on foot. Officers searched the area and were unable to located any suspects matching the description.
Assault With A Cane
On Saturday, December 5th, at noon the Ventura Police Command Center received several 911 calls of subjects physically fighting, one armed with a cane, at the Bus Depot, 3330 Telegraph Rd. Before officers arrived on scene, it was reported the subject with cane had hit a female in the head. Upon the arrival of officers, they contacted the victim, Kristen Kleider (36 years, vagrant).
Kleider told the officers that she had gotten into a verbal altercation with the suspect, later identified as Mark Lemmon( 55 years Ventura) Both were waiting for a bus at the bus depot. Several other witnesses reported that Kleider was causing a disturbing when she confronted Lemmon and got into an argument. Lemmon then struck Kleider in the head with his cane.
Kleider was checked on scene by Ventura City Fire, but only had a complaint of pain.
Lemmon was still at the scene and arrested. He was booked into the Ventura County Jail for assault with a deadly weapon. No one else was injured as a result of this incident.
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