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.
Officer Involved Shooting Update w/Arrest
On August 12 at approximately 11:30am, the Ventura Police Department Command Center received a call from the California Highway Patrol dispatch reporting that a California Highway Patrol motor officer was involved in an officer involved shooting in the 200 block of Comstock Dr. and were requesting assistance by our officers. Several officers with the Ventura Police Department responded to the area and located the involved CHP officer.
During the investigation it was learned the CHP officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Highway 101 for a moving violation when the vehicle exited onto the city streets. The driver of the vehicle attempted to evade the officer and drove onto Comstock St., which is a dead end street. After the driver made a U-turn, the driver drove at a high rate of speed towards the CHP officer and an officer involved shooting occurred. The suspect driver continued and fled the scene.
Approximately 2.5 hours later, the suspect vehicle was located unoccupied in the 2200 block of Katari Ave., which is approximately 2 miles from the scene of where the officer involved shooting occurred. There was evidence that confirmed the vehicle was involved in the incident. The suspect driver has not been located.
The California Highway Patrol officer was not injured.
VPD Detectives identified the suspect as 52 year old Santa Barbara resident Curt Carpenter due to evidence found in the vehicle and witnesses at the scene of the shooting. Carpenter is on Post Release Offender Supervision (PROS) in Santa Barbara County. VPD Detectives authored an arrest warrant for Carpenter and on 8/22/19; SBSO Detectives located Carpenter in Montecito and arrested him without incident. Carpenter was booked in the Santa Barbara County Jail for assault on a police officer and for violating his post release offender status, both felonies.
Prowling Arrest
On August 26, at approximately 3:00pm, the Ventura Police Department Command Center received a 911 call from a resident in the 3100 block of Armada Dr. reporting a subject seen looking into and entering the backyard of their residence. When the resident confronted the subject, later identified as 25 year old vagrant Sariah Cundiff, she left and got into an awaiting vehicle, which left the area. Officers responding to the call saw a vehicle matching the description several blocks away and conducted a traffic stop.
Cundiff, who was a passenger in the vehicle, was positively identified and arrested for prowling. The male driver of the vehicle was not arrested and released from the scene.
A review of the Ventura County Superior Court website shows that Cundiff has a prior conviction in 2018 for possession of a stolen vehicle and in 2017, she had eight convictions for charges of battery on a police officer, burglary, resisting arrest, possession of a controlled substance, under the influence of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia, identify theft, petty theft, trespassing and vandalism.
Stabbing
On Sept.7, at 5am, the Ventura Police Department Command Center received a call from a passerby that a stabbing victim was sitting at a bus stop on the north side of Mission Park. Officers responded and located the 64-year-old male victim who was suffering from a non-life-threatening injury to his torso. The victim was transported to Ventura County Medical Center for treatment.
The victim reported that a woman he had seen in the park on previous occasions approached him for no apparent reason and started a verbal altercation with him. As the victim walked away, the woman stabbed him in his torso and fled. Using suspect information provided by witnesses and the victim, the suspect, Maria Robles was identified and located several blocks away. Robles was arrested and booked for Assault with a Deadly weapon and an outstanding misdemeanor narcotics possession warrant.
