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.
Lewd Acts with a Child Arrest
On September 9, at approximately 6pm, patrol officers responded to Golf n’ Stuff regarding a sexual battery that had just occurred. The female victim (12 years old) told the responding officers the suspect had touched her two times inappropriately (over her clothing) while she was playing a video game at the arcade. The victim told her parents, who then called 9-1-1. Prior to officers arriving, the suspect ran from the business. After the officers interviewed witnesses and reviewed the security camera footage, they identified the suspect as 23 year old Ventura resident David Sanchez. A records check confirmed that Sanchez is currently a registered sex offender, with multiple prior sex crime convictions in Ventura County.
VPD Detectives began investigating the incident and issued an arrest warrant for Sanchez reference 288(a) PC – Lewd acts with a child. On 9/11/17 at about 1530 hours, Detectives located Sanchez at a construction site in Goleta, and arrested him without incident. Sanchez was transported back to Ventura and booked at the main jail. Anyone that has further information on this investigation is asked to call Det. Mike Hibdon (805) 339-4443.
Safe and Clean Efforts
As part of the City of Ventura’s ongoing efforts to respond to concerns from the community as well as business merchants regarding drug use and drug paraphernalia in the parks and surrounding areas of the downtown corridor, the Ventura Police Department, partnered with allied agencies, conducted enhanced foot patrols in the downtown corridor on September 13, between the hours of 2pm and 7pm.
The goal of the City of Ventura’s Safe and Clean Initiative is to ensure safe and clean public places for the entire community to enjoy. One of the core elements of this effort is to direct and leverage limited resources to better address illegal and quality of life behaviors in public spaces.
As a result of this effort a total of 19 arrests were made in the downtown corridor:
- 13 arrests for being under the influence of a controlled substance (misdemeanor)
- 2 arrests for possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia (misdemeanor)
- 3 arrests for violation of probation
- 1 arrest for a robbery warrant out of Orange County (felony)
- The locations of these arrests included:
- 5 at Plaza Park, 600 E. Santa Clara St.
- 2 at Mission Park, 190 E. Main St.
- 2 at Promenade Park, 398 Figueroa St.
- 10 various locations in and around the downtown corridor
The City of Ventura is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for the community by making a concerted effort to support the Safe and Clean Initiative.
Possession for sales, Felon in possession of firearms, Felony warrants
On September 12 at 1:25pm, Ventura Police Department Street Crimes Unit Detectives concluded an investigation into the suspected sales of methamphetamine from a residence in the 100 block of E Barnett Street.
Detectives observed the suspect, 52 year old Ventura resident James Meeks, in a vehicle on E Simpson St and took him into custody for two outstanding felony warrants related to the sales and transportation of a controlled substance. At the time of his arrest, Meeks was found to be in possession of over an ounce of suspected methamphetamine.
Detectives then served a search warrant on Meeks’ residence in the 100 block of E Barnett Street. During the search, detectives seized an additional two and a half ounces of suspected methamphetamine, cash that was suspected of being profits from illicit narcotic sales, and over forty-six firearms which included rifles and handguns.
Other items of evidence indicating that sales of methamphetamine were occurring from this residence were also identified and seized.
A second resident at this location, 66 year old Ventura resident Charles Doyle, was found to be in possession of a small amount of suspected methamphetamine and had many of the firearms unsecured in his bedroom.
Both Meeks and Doyle were transported to VPD for interrogation and were later booked into the Ventura County Main Jail on several felony charges including Possession for sales, Felon in possession of firearms, Possession of a controlled substance and firearms, and Narcotic addict in possession of firearms.
City Code Enforcement responded to inspect substandard living conditions at this residence.
Stabbing
On September 14, at approximately 9:30am, the Ventura Police Command Center received a 911 call of a stabbing victim in the parking lot of the Chase Bank on Telegraph Rd. Officers, along with Ventura City Fire and AMR personnel, responded to the call and found the victim, later identified 23 year old Felipe Chandler, suffering from a single non-life threatening stab wound to his torso. He was immediately transported to VCMC for treatment of his injuries. After the incident, witnesses reported seeing the suspect board a Gold Coast Transit bus that left eastbound on Telegraph Rd.
Officers located the bus traveling in the area of Telegraph Rd. and Ashwood Ave. and boarded the bus. The suspect, later identified as Ivan Vera, was found inside and taken into custody without incident.
During the investigation officers learned that for unknown reasons Chandler and Vera, who did not know each other, got into verbal argument. It became physical, at which time the victim was stabbed. Vera got onto the bus and left the area.
At the conclusion of the investigation, Vera was arrested and booked into the Ventura County Jail for assault with a deadly weapon.
Conspiracy and Burglary Arrests
On September 13 at 10pm, the Ventura Police Department Command Center received a call from a Loss Prevention Officer at Target reporting that two male suspects were inside the store attempting to break a glass cabinet in an attempt to steal valuable electronic items. Officers arrived on scene and located one of the suspects still trying to break the glass cabinet. The suspect fled through Target to the rear of the store and got into a red sedan that was outside waiting for the suspects. The other suspect, later identified as 32 year old Bakersfiled resident Willie Christer, fled out of the front entrance.
As the red sedan was leaving Target, another officer saw the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop. The vehicle stopped and the suspect that was trying to break the glass cabinet ran away from the car and was not located. The driver of the car, 29 year old Bakersfield resident Kevin Davis, remained in the car along with an uninvolved female passenger. Officers searched the area for the outstanding suspects and located Christer nearby.
After further investigation, officers learned that this was a recent pattern of a group of thieves stealing from Targets in Southern California by working in concert with each other to break into glass cabinets and steal electronics. Due to the quick response by the police officers, the suspects were unable to take any electronics from Target during this incident.
Christer and Davis were both arrested for conspiracy and burglary and were later booked into the Ventura County Jail. The female was released at the scene. One suspect is still outstanding.
Recovered Stolen Vehicle and Arrest
On September 20, at approximately 4pm, the Ventura Police Department Command Center received a 911 call from the victim reporting that his vehicle was just stolen from the parking lot of Smart and Final, 2750 E. Thompson Blvd. The victim had left his vehicle running and the suspect, later identified as 37 year old vagrant from Northridge Robert Cox, entered the vehicle and drove off. The vehicle was last seen going westbound on Thompson Blvd.
Approx. 5 minutes later, a Ventura Police motor officer saw the vehicle entering northbound highway 101 from Seaward Ave. and followed the vehicle until other units arrived to assist. Once sufficient units arrived, officers conducted a high risk stop and stopped the vehicle in the parking lot of Motel 6 on Harbor Blvd.
Cox was removed from the vehicle and taken into custody without incident. He was later booked into Ventura County Jail for stolen vehicle, driving under the influence and for being a post release offender.
The vehicle was returned to the victim.
