by Cindy Summers
Police reports are provided to us by the Ventura Police Department and are not the opinions of the Ventura Breeze. All suspects mentioned are assumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Possession of a Controlled Substance with a Loaded Firearm Arrest
On March 3, at approximately 2:30am, a VPD officer conducted a traffic enforcement stop near the intersection of Palm and Main Street. The vehicle continued westbound and the driver later identified as 36 year old Ventura resident Rawls Amores appeared to be shuffling around in the vehicle. Amores yielded to the officer in the 200 block of Main Street. As the initial officer contacted Amores at the driver’s side window a secondary officer approached the passenger side window. The secondary officer observed a Glock Model 19 on the passenger floor board in plain view. The secondary officer alerted his partner and Amores was detained. Further investigation revealed the firearm in question was loaded and Amores was found to be in possession of methamphetamine.
Amores was arrested for being in possession of a controlled substance while in possession of a loaded firearm. He was transported to the Ventura County Main Jail where he was booked. The vehicle that Amores was driving was impounded as he was also driving on suspended license.
Violation of Parole and Felon in Possession of a Firearm Arrest
On March 3, at approximately 4:30pm, VPD Street Crimes Unit Detectives received information that a male subject was “live streaming” himself over a social media site while he handled a firearm and ingested narcotics.
The detectives were able to view this site and observed these actions and recognized the subject as 22 year old Ojai resident Ivan Reyes, a known convicted felon who had been paroled from state prison in the last year.
VPD Street Crimes Unit Detectives coordinated efforts with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department and responded to the Ojai neighborhood where Reyes lives. After a brief surveillance of his residence Reyes was observed outside holding an object concealed and wrapped in an article of clothing.
Uniformed officers moved in and detained Reyes and discovered the object he was holding was a .357 revolver, similar to the one he was seen handling on his social media site.
Reyes was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Ventura Police Department for questioning. The firearm that was recovered was determined to have been reported stolen from a residential burglary in Ventura that occurred in 2015.
Reyes was later transported to the Ventura County Main Jail where he was booked for a parole violation and a felon in possession of a firearm. The circumstances of how Reyes came to be in possession of the stolen firearm are still under investigation and may lead to additional charges being filed.
Possession of a Loaded and Concealed Firearm with a High Capacity Magazine, and Threats
On March 4, at approximately 6:30pm, the Ventura Police Department Command Center received a 911 call of subjects heard fighting inside of Barranca Vista Park, 7050 Ralston St. When officers arrived at the park, they observed two subjects, one of them later identified as 41 year old Temecula Gabriel Luna, physically fighting and detained them both. As an officer was conducting a search of Luna, a gun fell out the bottom of his pant leg and onto the ground. He was taken into custody.
During the investigation officers learned that while involved in the physical altercation, Luna made threats to harm the victim with the gun. The gun was never displayed.
Luna was arrested and later booked into the Ventura County Jail for possession of a loaded and concealed firearm with a high capacity magazine and threats.
Residential Burglary Arrest
On the March 5, at approximately 5:45am, the Ventura Police Department Command Center received a report call reference a residential burglary at a residence in the 100 block of Barry St. Officers arrived and during the investigation learned that while the victim was not home, an unknown suspect had broken a window and entered the residence sometime overnight. A large amount of alcohol was stolen.
Officers obtained information that the residents in a neighboring home may have been involved in the burglary and made contact with several subjects inside, including the suspect later identified as 18 year old Ventura resident Michael Owens. Owens was found hiding inside a bedroom.
During a search of the residence, officers located the stolen alcohol and found evidence to connect Owens to the crime. He was arrested without incident and booked into the Ventura County Jail for burglary.
A second 36-year-old male was also contacted inside the home and found to have several outstanding warrants for his arrest. He was arrested without incident and booked into the Ventura County Jail.
Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Resisting Arrest, Malicious Harm to Police Dog, Possession of Deadly Weapon
On March 8, at approximately 5pm, an alert citizen called the Ventura Police Department and reported that a male subject was in front of a residence cutting the grass with a handgun visible in the back of his pants.
Ventura Police patrol units were dispatched to the area, and further investigation revealed that the person in question was on active probation, and is a person prohibited from owning or possessing a firearm. Officers attempted to make verbal contact with the suspect, identified as 54 year old Ventura resident Lonnie Ellis, and an elderly female exited the residence and was cooperative with the investigation. Ellis initially came to the door but he refused to comply with the officers orders, was verbally combative and went back inside the residence.
After several additional attempts were made verbally to order Ellis from the residence, he exited the front door and came outside, but again refused to cooperate and was verbally combative. A Ventura Police K-9 was used to take Ellis into custody, during which Ellis attempted to physically and maliciously harm the K-9.
Ellis was ultimately taken into custody with the assistance of the K-9. During a search of the residence a handgun and metal knuckles were located. Ellis was transported to the Ventura County Medical Center for minor injuries he sustained, then transported to the Ventura County Jail and booked for the above mentioned charges.
Narcotic sales, Possession for sales, Identity Theft arrests
On March 9, at 7am, Ventura Police Department Street Crimes Unit Detectives concluded an investigation into the suspected sales of methamphetamine from a residence in the 1300 block of Mead Ave.
This morning VPD detectives and patrol officers served a search warrant and detained several subjects who were inside the residence. A search was conducted and detectives seized over and ounce of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of over $1,000.00.
A handgun and a small amount of heroin was also recovered from the residence. Three adult males were arrested: 52 year old Ventura resident Shaun Landy, 56 year old Ventura resident Clifford Landy and 27 year old Ventura resident Anthony Maxwell.
Shaun Landy was arrested for felony sales of methamphetamine and identity theft, his brother Clifford was arrested for felony possession of methamphetamine for sales, and Anthony Maxwell was arrested for five outstanding misdemeanor warrants for burglary, theft, and narcotic violations.
All three suspects were later transported to the Ventura County Main Jail and booked on the above listed charges.
City Code Enforcement responded to inspect the residence due to sub-standard living conditions.
Arson Arrest
On March 11, between the hours of 12:00am and 3:30am, Ventura City Fire personnel along with Ventura patrol officers responded to numerous fires throughout the city. The fires started in the area of Shenandoah Street and Portola Road at approximately 12:30am. At 1:45am, Ventura city fire and VPD responded to four additional fires in the 2400-2600 block of Main Street.
At approximately 3:30am, an alert citizen observed a female subject, later identified as 37 year old Ventura resident Elisabeth Hurtadovera, set a fire to a trash can and shopping cart in the area of Ventura Avenue and Prospect Road. The citizen contacted the Ventura Police Department Command Center and continued to watch Hurtadovera as she proceeded northbound on Ventura Avenue. Officers arrived on scene and contacted Hurtadovera in the area of Barnett and Ventura Avenue.
Hurtadovera admitted to setting the fires. She was arrested and booked at Ventura County Jail for Arson.
