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.
Residential Burglary and Battery Arrests
On November 4, at 1:45 pm, the Ventura Police Department received a call of a battery that had just occurred on the 5400 block of Ralston Street. The victim, an adult female, had been sitting in her parked vehicle with her teenage daughter, waiting for a scheduled appointment in a nearby office building when the suspect, 41 year old vagrant Seth Dees, approached the vehicle. They had their windows partially down and Dees shouted at them for no known reason. When the victim shouted at Dees, asking him to leave, Dees poured his beverage into the open window and onto the victim. Dees left the area on foot and the victim called police.
As police were responding to and investigating the battery, Dees committed a residential burglary at a home in the 5500 Block of Ralston Street. The residents had left the front door open while doing chores and were in a rear area of the home when they heard noises near the front door. They walked to the front of the residence and found Dees, a stranger, in their home. They confronted him and he left the residence. After Dees was gone, they noticed a wallet had been stolen. The victims called police and gave a description of Dees, who officers located nearby. Dees was identified as the person who battered the first victim and burglarized the residence. He was arrested for both crimes. The stolen wallet was in Dees’ possession at the time of his arrest.
Dees has a lengthy criminal history. The Ventura Police Department arrested him on 10/29/20 for a sexual battery on Victoria Avenue. He was released from the Ventura County Jail on 11/2/2020. A review of the Ventura County Superior Court public records website revealed Dees has over 25 other prior arrests since 2004. The arrests include but are limited to Criminal Threats, Possession of a Deadly Weapon, Possession of a Concealed Dirk or Dagger, Resisting Arrest, Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Vehicle Tampering, Trespassing, Engaging in Lewd Conduct, and Aggravated Trespassing.
Firearms and Narcotics Arrest
On November 8, at approximately 10:30 pm, a Ventura Police patrol officer pulled over a vehicle for a vehicle code violation. The officer determined that the driver, 35 year old Ventura resident Aaron Sheridan, was driving on a suspended license. During the course of the investigation, officers located a concealed and loaded handgun, methamphetamine, and additional ammunition inside the vehicle.
Sheridan has multiple prior felony convictions precluding him from owning or possessing firearms. He was arrested and booked at the Ventura County Jail for several felony firearms violations including possession of a controlled substance with a firearm.
Hot prowl residential burglary, vehicle theft, petty theft, hit and run arrest
On November 9, at approximately 2:00 am, officers responded to suspicious circumstances involving a hit and run that occurred when a reporting party saw their neighbor’s vehicle leave the victim’s home erratically and strike a parked car. The vehicle then fled the area.
Responding officers arrived and determined that the suspect in this case had entered the victim’s unlocked car parked in the lot adjacent to their home. The suspect removed a garage door opener from the unlocked car, opened their garage, and burglarized the home while the victims were inside sleeping. The suspect loaded property into a pickup truck that was parked in the garage and fled, committing the hit and run on a parked car in the process.
Shortly after, an unrelated reporting party called the Ventura Police Command Center to report a hit and run in the area of Telephone Rd and Wells Rd. The vehicle description matched the stolen truck. Officers searched the area but were unable to locate the vehicle initially.
While searching for the vehicle, an officer observed the stolen vehicle parked in an alley southeast of Telephone Rd and Portola Ave. Additional officers responded to assist. While standing by for additional officers, the suspect came out from a nearby apartment and entered the truck. Officers safely detained the suspect, 18 year old Ventura resident Joseph Key. Evidence linking the suspect to the burglary, vehicle theft, theft, and both hit and runs were obtained through the investigation. The suspect was booked for first degree residential burglary, vehicle theft, petty theft, and two counts of VC hit and run. The vehicle and property taken from the home were returned to the owner.
Additional garage door openers not related to the initial victim were located but their owners are currently unidentified.
Assault with a Deadly Weapon and Terrorist Threats Arrest
On November 10, at approximately 6:45 am, the Ventura Police Command Center received a 9-1-1 call reference the suspect throwing various items on his neighbor’s lawn. While officers were enroute, the suspect threw a hatchet at his neighbor, almost striking him in the head, while also verbally threatening to harm him.
When officers arrived on-scene, the suspect ran inside his residence and refused to exit. The suspect then began throwing items outside through open windows, and he could be heard breaking items inside. After negotiating with the suspect for almost an hour, he opened his garage door and was taken into custody. The suspect, 50 year old Jeffrey Karrh, was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon and terrorist threats. Nobody was injured as a result of this incident.
Felony DUI with injury, felony hit and run with injury
On November 10, at approximately 10:00 pm, VPD officers responded to a hit and run in the area of Webster St and Hill Rd. Officers located a victim who was retrieving items from his parked vehicle when a white sedan struck him as well as two parked cars. Fortunately, the victim sustained only minor injuries. The suspect vehicle sustained heavy damage as a result of the collision, but the driver was still able to flee in the vehicle.
Within a few minutes, VPD and CHP received a call of a possible collision in the area of Wells Rd and Citrus Dr. A CHP unit located a heavily damaged white sedan in the area of Carlos and Pajaro. VPD officers arrived and made contact with the driver of the vehicle, 44 year old Ventura resident Lamarvie Valentine.
Investigation on scene determined that this was the vehicle and driver involved with the collision on Webster St and Hill Rd. The driver was given field sobriety tests and determined to be driving impaired, with a BAC of over twice the legal limit of .08.
The driver was arrested for DUI causing injury, BAC over .08 causing injury, hit and run from an injury collision, and hit and run causing property damage.
The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information regarding the crime should contact the Ventura Police Watch Commander at (805) 339-4416.
Recovery of Stolen Property, Possession of Stolen Property Arrest, Possession of Controlled Substance Arrest
On November 12 at 11:00 am, the Ventura Police Department Street Crimes Detectives (SCU) and Detectives from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department were in the Santa Clara River Bottom on a stolen property investigation. The detectives located a vagrant camp belonging to 44 year old Jason Garner. Inside the camp were two stolen motorcycles, reported stolen from the city of Ventura. Garner was arrested for possession of the stolen vehicles and possession of narcotics. Garner was transported and booked at the Ventura County Jail.
Detectives continued searching the river bottom vagrant camps and located another stolen motorcycle, reported stolen from the city of Ventura. They also found a high-end stolen mountain bike taken from the harbor area and multiple industrial propane tanks stolen from a nearby business. All the stolen property was returned to the right rightful owners.
A review of the Ventura County Superior Court website shows that Garner has a prior arrest for assault with a deadly weapon and prior convictions for possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance, resisting arrest, petty theft, and possession of a dirk or dagger.
SCU would like to remind everyone to register their bicycles online, document any serial numbers on power tools, and take photographs of expensive property. Having a record of serial numbers helps VPD return any recovered stolen property to the owner. Please also remember to lock your vehicles and leave nothing valuable in your cars.
