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.
Felony Hit & Run with Arrest
On January 14, at approximately 5:30pm, the Ventura Police Command Center received several 911 calls reporting a traffic collision on Valentine Rd. in front of Tommy’s Hamburgers. Moments later, callers reported a vehicle involved was leaving the scene. Arriving officers, along with Ventura City Fire and medical personnel, attended to the three occupants of the victim vehicle.
Officers located the suspect, 38 year old Ventura resident Tanisha Washington and her vehicle at her residence. A witness to the collision reported Washington was driving reckless at the time of the collision and had a small child in the vehicle. Officers confirmed there was a 3 year old child in Washington’s vehicle at the time of the collision and the child was found to be uninjured from the collision.
Officers suspected Washington was under the influence of alcohol and drugs and she was placed under arrest. Washington was arrested for felony hit and run causing injury, felony driving under the combined influence of alcohol and drugs, and child endangerment.
Residential Burglary with Arrest
On January 15, at approximately 5:30pm, the victim saw the suspect break into her residence through the window. The victim confronted the suspect, and the suspect fled. The responding officers searched the area and located the suspect, 19 year old vagrant from Ventura Christian Garcia, in the area of Montauk and Pierpont. The investigation confirmed the suspect had entered the residence and fled when confronted by the victim.
At the conclusion of the investigation, the suspect was arrested and booked into Ventura County Jail on the charge of residential burglary. No one was injured during this incident.
Trespassing, Felony Resisting Arrest
On January 15, at approximately 11pm, Ventura Police officers were dispatched to the Travelers Beach Inn to investigate a report of illegal lodging. Upon arrival, officers met with the property manager who informed them they had observed two subjects enter a room without paying, or obtaining a room key.
Investigating officers knocked on the hotel room in question and made contact with the suspect, 38 year old Ventura vagrant Brian Higbie. Officers informed Higbie he was trespassing in the room and requested he step outside. As officers were attempting to determine how Higbie gained access to the room, they were informed Higbie was on probation for violently resisting arrest. Officers attempted to check Higbie for weapons and he began to violently resist their efforts. A Ventura Police K9 was deployed and Higbie was eventually taken into custody after a lengthy struggle.
Arson and Vandalism Arrest
On January 20, at approximately 6am, the Ventura Police Department Command Center received a call of a subject setting fire to a bench on the Ventura Pier. Ventura City Fire personnel arrived and extinguished the fire quickly before it spread. Officers arrived and contacted 38 year old vagrant Elisabeth Vera, who was still on the Pier. Investigation revealed that Vera broke a portion of a sign on the pier and then set fire to a bench. She was also found to be in possession of drug paraphernalia. Vera was arrested and booked at the Ventura County Jail for arson, vandalism, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Recovered Stolen Vehicle Arrest
On January 23, at approximately 6:30am, the Ventura Police Department Command Center received a call from an employee of California Well Services, 1536 Eastman Ave., reporting that one of the company’s work trucks had been stolen during the night. Shortly after the initial call, the employee called back to advise he had located the vehicle with a tracking device and that another employee was following the vehicle on Johnson Dr. While officers were enroot it was reported the vehicle had stopped at Lark Ave. and Falcon St., and the employee following it had detained one of the occupants, later identified as 25 year old vagrant Aaron Pezzuto. Pezzuto was being uncooperative and attempting to flee from the employee. Officers arrived on scene and took custody of Pezzuto.
A second occupant of the vehicle, later identified as 24 year old vagrant Chance Daugherty, had fled on foot prior to officers arriving on scene. Officers began checking the area and located Daugherty several blocks away.
of a stolen vehicle.
Stolen Vehicle and Warrant Arrests
On January 23 at 3:30pm, Street Crimes Unit detectives saw a suspicious vehicle driving in the 9900 block of Las Cruces. The passenger in the vehicle, 50 year old Ventura resident Michael Holladay, had an outstanding felony warrant for violating his Post Release Offender Status. By the time the officers caught up to the vehicle, it had parked and Holladay had entered a nearby residence. Additional officers were called to assist and officers attempted to serve the arrest warrant at the house.
Holladay did not cooperate with officers and hid inside of the house. A Ventura Police K9 was used to assist with the warrant service, and prior to the K9 entering the house, Holladay surrendered to officers. The second person from the vehicle, 29 year old Ventura resident Charlotte Bauer, also came out of the house. She had an outstanding warrant for her arrest as well. Further investigation revealed the suspicious vehicle they had been initially seen in was reported stolen.
Assault with a Deadly Weapon
On January 24, at approximately 5:30pm, the Ventura Police Command Center received a call of a disturbance inside the Red Barn Liquor store. Officers arrived on scene and discovered that the suspect, 37 year old Ventura resident Elisabeth Vera, was in the store causing a disturbance. When a store employee approached her, Vera struck the employee on the head with a glass vodka bottle. As the employee moved away, Vera threw the bottle at the employee. A customer entering the store saw the incident and detained Vera until police arrived.
The store employee received minor injuries and refused medical attention. Vera was arrested and booked at Ventura County Jail for Assault with a Deadly Weapon.
Stolen Stuff for Sale on our Facebook
On January 25, at 7:30pm, Ventura Police Department Street Crimes Unit Detectives located two suspects who burglarized a Ventura residence on Christmas day. The detectives had been investigating this crime for several weeks and were able to identify some of the victim’s property being offered for sale online. Detectives also located stolen items that had been recently pawned by the suspects.
Detectives kept the two suspects under surveillance until their identities were confirmed at which time uniformed officers moved in and took the two suspects, identified as Torrey Stokes and Karyn Peterson (both of Ventura), into custody without incident.
Detectives searched Stokes’ truck and located additional stolen property from the Christmas day burglary. A search warrant was later executed at Peterson’s grandmother’s residence in the 1000 block of Portola Rd where she and Stokes had been storing some property.
Stokes, who has prior arrests for burglary, identity theft, and narcotic crimes, and Peterson, who has prior arrests for theft and is currently on probation for narcotic related offenses, were interrogated by detectives and later booked into the Ventura County Main Jail. Stokes was booked for felony residential burglary and Peterson was booked for felony possession of stolen property.
Mobile Trailer Fire in East Ventura
Ventura County, Ventura City, and Oxnard City Fire were dispatched to the area of North Bank Drive and Johnson Drive at 10:21 Wednesday night for a reported trailer on fire.
Although there was a large amount of smoke in the surrounding area, there was nothing visibly burning and firefighters searched businesses and parking lots to find the source. Approximately 7 minutes after fire crews were on scene, a 25’ travel trailer was located and had light smoke coming from the inside of the trailer.
Firefighters forced entry into the trailer and found light fire and dense smoke inside. They performed a search while mitigating the remaining fire, and found a male in his late 50’s unconscious and unresponsive. It was apparent that a ‘flash-over’ fire ignited and consumed many items and part of the structure of the trailer, but then became oxygen controlled based on the limited air available and smoldered until fire crews arrived.
Crews immediately pulled the man from the vehicle and fire paramedics initiated advanced cardiac life support. Fire crews and AMR personnel performed life-saving efforts for approximately 30 minutes with ultimately no success. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
