Possession of Stolen Property
On Thursday, December 17th, at 2:30 a.m., unknown suspects smashed a window of the Trek bike store, located at 4060 East Main Street, and stole five bicycles.
On December 21st, VPD Street Crimes Unit detectives received information that a local vagrant, Timothy Nelson, was in possession of one of the stolen bikes and that he frequented a camp below Telephone Road near the train tracks.
Detectives responded to this location and located Nelson along with a stolen Trek bike. Nelson was arrested for possession of stolen property and possession of narcotic paraphernalia.
Nelson was later booked at the VC Jail.
Two other vagrants were located in the camp and arrested for unrelated offenses.
Sandra Dillard was arrested for an outstanding parole warrant and Jose Capo was arrested for possession of narcotic paraphernalia.
The other stolen Trek bikes were not located.
Armed Robbery
On Saturday, December 26th, at 5:47 a.m., the VPD received a call of a robbery that had occurred at the USA gas station at 887 North Ventura Avenue. Officers learned that an unknown male wearing a black ski mask entered the business and brandished a silver handgun, pointing it at the clerk, Ivan Mejia.
The suspect, a white male, demanded the money from the register, and then fled from the business westbound towards Barnett Avenue. Officers searched the area and were unable to locate any suspects matching the description. Mejia was unharmed during the commission of this crime.
Commercial Burglary
On Saturday, December 26th, at 10:00 a.m., the VPD received a call of a commercial burglary at the Salzer’s Records store, at 5777 Valentine Road. The business owners reported that they had received a security alarm activation the previous day, when they were closed for business. They had checked the exterior of the business, found it to be secure, and thought it had been a false alarm.
On Saturday, employees discovered that a glass display case was shattered inside the business and numerous items of merchandise were missing.
An officer reviewed the video and got a good description of the suspect, who appeared to be a vagrant. The officer located Torin Davey at a nearby fast food establishment and recognized him as the suspect who was seen on video committing the burglary. Davey was also found to be in possession of several items that were taken during the burglary. Davey was arrested and booked at the VC Jail.
Resisting Arrest
On Saturday, December 26th, at 4:00 p.m., a VPD officer was patrolling the area of the Ventura Pier, 668 Harbor Boulevard, when he observed a subject he recognized as having felony warrants for his arrest. The subject, Michael Fiegel, was sitting with several other subjects underneath the pier.
The officer contacted Fiegel, who immediately became uncooperative. Once the officer’s back up arrived, they attempted to take him into custody, but he resisted. Fiegel tried to hit the officers and grabbed the officer’s bullet resistant vest, scratching the officer’s neck. He continued to resist until a taser was deployed, which allowed the officers to take him into custody.
After being cleared at VCMC for minor injuries he sustained during the arrest, Fiegel was booked into the VC Jail.
Arson Arrest
On Sunday, December 27th, at 8:21 a.m., the VPD received a call from William Skinner reporting that his ex-girlfriend, Jacqueline Zavala-Lopez, was disturbing his residence in the 5300 block of Basie Street and attempting to break his front window. Before officers arrived, Zavala-Lopez had left the area. Skinner received a message from Zavala-Lopez telling him to check his vehicle, which was parked in an apartment complex parking lot across the street. It was discovered Zavala-Lopez had intentionally set his vehicle on fire. The VC Fire Department was dispatched and extinguished the fire.
Officers worked with the Skinner, who convinced Zavala-Lopez to meet him in downtown Ventura. Zavala-Lopez was spotted by officers near the Starbucks, where she was taken into custody.
Zavala-Lopez was arrested and booked into the VC Jail.
The fire department personnel determined Skinner’s vehicle was a total loss.
Robbery
On Wednesday, December 30th, at 6:30 p.m., the VPD received a call reporting a robbery. The victim, Michael Hurtado, was approached by three suspects in front of Red Barn Liquor, located at 1285 North Ventura Avenue. The suspects confronted Hurtado and demanded money from him. Then, they physically attacked Hurtado by punching and kicking him. Hurtado sustained minor injuries but they were not life threatening.
All three suspects were described as Hispanic males, 25-30 years old. They were all wearing dark clothing, and fled in an unknown direction. The investigation is ongoing.
Vehicle Pursuit
On Thursday, December 31st, at 2:27 a.. the VPD received a call from the victim of a road rage incident, stemming from a disturbance at the Golden China Restaurant. Earlier in the evening, the victim asked the suspect, Adam Wareham, to leave the restaurant due to his behavior. As the restaurant was closing, Wareham returned to the restaurant and began following the victim. The victim felt threatened so he called 9-1-1.
Officers located Wareham in the area of Victoria and Ralston, and initiated a traffic stop. Rather than stopping his vehicle, he accelerated. The pursuit continued in the residential neighborhoods surrounding the Pacific View Mall. The vehicle was located abandoned near Grove Street and Foothill Road.
Wareham was found hiding in the barranca near Hall Canyon. He was taken into custody and booked at the VC Jail.
