OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT

NEWS RELEASE

INCIDENT:	Criminal Threats, Elder Abuse and Brandishing a Deadly Weapon Arrest
DATE/TIME:	February 16, 2016, 9:40 a.m.
LOCATION:	3100 Samuel Avenue, Oxnard
VICTIM(S):	78 year old Hispanic male, Oxnard Resident, Name Witheld
SUSPECT(S):	Juan Soto, 55 year old Hispanic male, Oxnard Resident
WITNESS(ES):
SUSPECT VEHICLE(S):
LOSS:
PREPARED BY:	Alex Arnett, Sergeant (805) 385-7763; [email protected]
CONTACT PERSON & CONTACT INFO:	Detective Jon Ballow (805) 288-3289; [email protected]

DETAILS: On February 16, 2016 at approximately 9:40 a.m., an officer involved shooting incident occurred in the 3100 block of Saviers Road. The suspect in that case has been identified as 55 year old Oxnard resident Juan Soto. Soto was transported to the Ventura County Medical Center with a non-life threatening injury.

While investigating the officer involved shooting (OIS), investigators learned of an incident that preceded the OIS by approximately 10 minutes, which involved Soto. An elderly male victim was walking in the 3100 block of Samuel Avenue when Soto confronted him. According to the victim and witness statements, Soto aggressively approached the elderly male while brandishing a knife and made threatening statements towards the elderly male. The elderly male expressed fear for his life, and attempted to get away from Soto. The victim was able to seek shelter from a nearby resident in the area who notified police. Another resident in the area called 911 and alerted police that it appeared that Soto was throwing rocks at passing motorists.

Oxnard police officers arrived on scene and attempted to contact Soto. While attempting to investigate the original 911 call, an officer involved shooting occurred.

On February 17, 2016 at approximately 1030 hours, Soto was arrested for the actions he committed prior to the officer involved shooting. Soto was arrested for making criminal threats, elder abuse and for brandishing a deadly weapon. Soto was booked into Ventura County Jail.

The events surrounding the officer involved shooting are still being investigated.

Persons with information about this case are asked to contact Detective Jon Ballow at (805) 288-3289.

DATE / TIME PREPARED: February 17, 2016; 4:10 p.m.

OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT

PRESS RELEASE

INCIDENT:	Arrest of Homicide Suspect
DATE/TIME:	1-28-2008 / 1700 hours
LOCATION:	800 S. Victoria Ave. Ventura County Jail
VICTIM/S:	Octavio Lopez, 29 Years
SUSPECT/S:	Alejandro “Alex” Salas, 25 years, Oxnard Resident
PREPARED BY:	Sergeant Jim Seitz, Major Crimes Supervisor

DETAILS: Detectives from the Oxnard Police Department arrested a third suspect in the 2006 murder of Octavio Lopez and attempted murder of three additional individuals who suffered gunshot wounds during the September 4, 2006 attack. Twenty Five (25) year old Alejandro “Alex” Salas was arrested Monday afternoon at the Ventura County Jail where he was in custody for a Parole violation.

Salas is the third person who has been arrested for the murder of Lopez and attempted murder of the three other individuals who suffered gunshot wounds during the attack. Brothers Lino, 25 years, and Alvino Hernandez, 27 years were arrested for murder on January 18, 2008. Detectives have reason to believe that several additional people have conspired to try and create an alibi for Salas’s whereabouts at the time of the shooting. The investigation is continuing with the possibility of additional arrests of those people who continue to be untruthful with detectives.

OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT

PRESS RELEASE

INCIDENT:	Multi-Location Search Warrant Execution
DATE/TIME:	02-18-2009 / 0700 hrs
LOCATION:	15 locations throughout Oxnard
PREPARED BY:	Sergeant Jim Seitz, Homicide Supervisor

DETAILS: On February 18, 2009, 165 Law Enforcement Officers from 10 Local and Federal Agencies conducted Search Warrants at 15 locations in the cities of Oxnard and Port Hueneme. These search warrants were related to the two homicides in the Lemonwood area of Oxnard that took place in January.

The search warrant service began at 7:00 am and all 15 locations were hit simultaneously. No injuries were reported at any of the locations. Several guns were recovered during the warrant service including handguns, shotguns and rifles.

Oxnard Police utilized their SWAT Team for entry purposes at several of the locations. The purpose of the warrants was to further the investigation relating to the homicides and other gang crime in the Lemonwood area. No arrests have yet been made in connection with the murders. Those investigations are on-going. Two juveniles were arrested during the warrants for probation violations.

The Police Department has focused a significantly elevated level of gang suppression efforts in the Lemonwood area and throughout the City since the up spike of gang activity that occurred in January. There has only been one gang related assault reported to date in the City for the month of February.

The cooperation displayed in today’s operation by both Ventura and Santa Barbara criminal justice agencies is indicative of the outstanding working relationship that exists not only for operations such as this warrant service, but also in day to day operations and investigations.

Assisting agencies include;

Ventura County Sherriff’s Department, Ventura Police Department, Santa Barbara Sherriff’s Department, Santa Barbara Police Department, Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, FBI, Port Hueneme Police Department, California Highway Patrol and the Ventura County Probation Department.

An investigation is continuing.

DATE: 2-18-09

OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT

PRESS RELEASE

INCIDENT:	Five Arrested in Vehicle Crime Spree
DATE/TIME:	08-03-2009 at 0447 hours
LOCATION:	300 block of Orchard Place
SUSPECT/S:	Alejandro Exequiel Velasco, 18 years Female Juvenile, 16 years Male Juvenile, 13 years Male Juvenile, 13 years Male Juvenile, 14 years All suspects are residents of Oxnard
SUSPECT VEHICLE:	Stolen/Recovered Vehicle: Blue 1990 Toyota Camry 4-door
PREPARED BY:	Commander Tom Chronister

DETAILS:

An anonymous call to 9-1-1 early this morning led to the arrests of four juveniles and one adult for a variety of vehicle-related crimes.

At 4:47 a.m., Oxnard police received a call from an anonymous party of juveniles disturbing in apartment carports in the 300 block of Orchard Place. Upon arrival, officers went into foot pursuit of three suspects. Two were captured immediately without further incident; the third was located in the backyard of a nearby apartment.

While checking the area, officers locate two additional suspects hiding in a parked car. An investigation determined that vehicle was reported stolen earlier in the morning from the 300 block of Cuesta del Mar, Oxnard.

Stolen property from thefts from three unlocked vehicles, all in the City of Ventura, was also recovered.

The five suspects are facing a variety of charges including burglary, grand theft, possession of stolen property, vehicle tampering, and conspiracy. Velasco was also charged with contributing to the delinquency of the minor. He was booked into the Ventura County Jail on $20,000 bail. The four juveniles were booked into Juvenile Hall.

An investigation is continuing.

The Oxnard Police Department is urging the public to help keep the streets safe this Thanksgiving and upcoming holiday season. The number one killer on our highways is the impaired driver. In 2008, alcohol attributed to 1,029 deaths in California with more than 30,000 injured, many still suffering with life-long disabilities.

The Oxnard Police Department will begin its crackdown on DUI drivers this holiday season by conducting multi-location sobriety and driver’s license checkpoints on Thursday, November 19th, from 6:00 P.M. to 12:00 A.M. and on Saturday, November 21st, from 6:00 P.M. to 12:00 A.M. The checkpoints will be held at various locations throughout the City of Oxnard.

In addition to the checkpoints, officers from the Oxnard Police Department will also be out in force on Monday night, November 23rd, 2009, conducting a DUI saturation patrol. These officers will patrol the streets of Oxnard specifically searching for impaired drivers.

The added DUI enforcement on Halloween night this year was proven to be successful with 10 DUI arrests and no alcohol related crashes.

The DUI checkpoints and DUI saturation patrols are funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The Oxnard Police Department wants everyone to have a wonderful holiday season and if you choose to celebrate with alcohol, we recommend the following tips:

Plan a safe way home before your celebration begins
If you plan to get a ride home with someone else, designate a sober driver before any drinking begins
If you’re impaired, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation so you are sure to get home safely
If you happen to see a drunk driver on the road, don’t hesitate – Call 9-1-1
If you know someone who is about to drive his/her car or ride a motorcycle while impaired, take away the keys and help make other arrangements for a safe ride home

The Oxnard Police Department will continue conducting Sobriety and Driver’s License checkpoints and saturation patrols over the upcoming holiday season in an effort to reduce the number of alcohol related crashes and to make our roadways and community safer.

In addition to our DUI enforcement, The Oxnard Police Department is strictly enforcing seatbelt violations during our Click it or Ticket campaign that started November 17th and runs through November 30th.

For any questions related to DUI and traffic enforcement, please contact Senior Officer Brian Woolley at (805) 385-7749 or via e-mail at [email protected].

John Crombach
Chief of Police

Oxnard Police Department

R. Jason Benites
Assistant Chief

Scott Whitney
Assistant Chief

OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT

PRESS RELEASE

INCIDENT:	Robbery/Stabbing
DATE/TIME:	01/28/10 9:30 PM
LOCATION:	800 Block of Cedar Court
VICTIM(S):	40 year old Oxnard resident
SUSPECT(S):	H/M/20/5-8/200/shaved head/medium complexion/white shirt/dark pants/Spanish speaking
PREPARED BY:	Detective Paul Knapp
CONTACT PERSON & CONTACT INFO:	Detective Paul Knapp 805-385-7796

DETAILS:

On 1/28/10 at about 2130 hours, the victim was walking south through Durley Park towards the 800 block of Cedar Court. The victim was confronted by the suspect who was armed with a knife. The suspect told him that this was a robbery. The victim pulled out his wallet and told the suspect that he did not have anything.

The victim threw his wallet towards the suspect and turned to run away. The suspect reached out and stabbed the victim two times in the abdomen before fleeing the scene.

The victim sustained two stab wounds and is in stable condition.

The investigation is continuing. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Detective Paul Knapp at 805-385-7796 or Crime Stoppers at 805-385-8255.

John Crombach
Chief of Police

Oxnard Police Department

R. Jason Benites
Assistant Chief

Scott Whitney
Assistant Chief

OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT

PRESS RELEASE

INCIDENT:	Suspects arrested for Loaded Firearm in Vehicle
DATE/TIME:	February 10, 2010 4:00 PM
LOCATION:	Juanita Ave./Camino Del Sol
VICTIM(S):	State of California
SUSPECT(S):	Alex Cabrera, 20 year-old, Oxnard resident A 17-year-old, Oxnard resident
WITNESS(ES):	N/A
SUSPECT VEHICLE(S):	In Custody
LOSS:	N/A
PREPARED BY:	Det. Ed Baldwin
CONTACT PERSON & CONTACT INFO:	Det. Ed Baldwin (805) 486-7386

DETAILS:

On 2-10-10 at approximately 1600 hours Officers from the Oxnard Police Dept. were dispatched to the area of Juanita Avenue and Camino Del Sol after a citizen called to say there was a suspicious vehicle with several subjects inside the vehicle possibly smoking Marijuana. An Officer arrived soon after the call and observed a vehicle matching the description and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. The vehicle began to travel slowly and was failing to yield to the officer. The vehicle eventually stopped and two passengers fled from the vehicle. Officers detained the remaining passengers. A search of the area was conducted however officers were unable to locate the outstanding suspects.

The Driver, Alex Cabrera and the Juvenile passenger were on probation and a search of the vehicle was conducted. During the search a loaded, concealed firearm was located. Cabrera and the Juvenile were arrested for this offense.

The investigation is continuing. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Detective Ed Baldwin at 805-486-7386 or you may call the Oxnard Police Department Violent Crimes Hotline at 805-982-7070

John Crombach
Chief of Police

Oxnard Police Department

R. Jason Benites
Assistant Chief

Scott Whitney
Assistant Chief

OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT

PRESS RELEASE

INCIDENT:	Cultivation of marijuana for sales arrest.
DATE/TIME:	March 30, 2010 1000 hours
LOCATION:	1000 block of Denver Place
VICTIM(S):	State of California
SUSPECT(S):	Marissa Pech 21 year-old, Oxnard resident
WITNESS(ES):	N/A
SUSPECT VEHICLE(S):	N/A
LOSS:	N/A
PREPARED BY:	Violent Crimes Sergeant Terry Burr
CONTACT PERSON & CONTACT INFO:	Det. Mike Thomas (805) 385-7660

DETAILS:

On 3-30-10 during the early morning hours investigators assigned to the Violent Crimes Unit conducted a search warrant. This search warrant was to obtain tagging paraphernalia and additional associated items. During the search warrant investigators located a small grow of marijuana and evidence for sales paperwork.

The suspect Marissa Pech, 21 years of Oxnard was arrested for the cultivation of marijuana for sales and booked into the Ventura County jail. Investigators located additional items relating to the tagging investigation.

Tagging crimes in the city of Oxnard cost the city millions of dollars each year to clean up or abate. The city officials and police have a zero tolerance in dealing with taggers and the crimes they commit. Future arrests are pending.

John Crombach
Chief of Police

Oxnard Police Department

R. Jason Benites
Assistant Chief

Scott Whitney
Assistant Chief

OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT

PRESS RELEASE

INCIDENT:	Sobriety and Drivers License Checkpoint
DATE/TIME:	April 16, 2010 1800-0030
LOCATION:	City of Oxnard
CONTACT PERSON & CONTACT INFO:	Brian Woolley, Traffic Coordinator (805) 385-7749

DETAILS:

The Oxnard Police Department Traffic Division conducted two Sobriety and Drivers License checkpoints on April 16th, 2010, from 6:00 P.M. to 12:30 A.M.

The first checkpoint was conducted in the westbound lanes of Pleasant Valley Road @ C Street.

The second checkpoint was conducted in the westbound lanes of Channel Islands Boulevard @ M Street.

Officers screened 825 motorists who passed through the checkpoints. Officers conducted two DUI investigations that lead to the arrest of one driver for DUI. This driver’s blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit of .08.

21 drivers were issued citations for various drivers license violations. 19 drivers were issued citations for driving without a valid drivers license and two drivers were cited for driving with a suspended or revoked drivers license. Seven vehicles were towed from the checkpoints.

The Oxnard Police Department will conduct several additional DUI checkpoints and DUI saturation patrols this year. These DUI operations are an effort to reduce the number of alcohol related crashes and to make our roadways and community safer. We also remind people that if they see an impaired driver to dial 911. The checkpoints are funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) through the National Highway Transportation Administration.

For any questions related to DUI and traffic enforcement, please contact Senior Officer Brian Woolley at (805) 385-7749 or via e-mail at [email protected].

John Crombach
Chief of Police

Oxnard Police Department

R. Jason Benites
Assistant Chief

Scott Whitney
Assistant Chief

OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT

PRESS RELEASE

INCIDENT:	Arrest of a wanted subject in a vacant apartment
DATE/TIME:	4/23/10 3:00 p.m.
LOCATION:	4600 block of Cloyne St.
VICTIM(S):	Withheld
SUSPECT(S):	David Espinoza, 26 year-old Oxnard resident and 17 year-old juvenile (name withheld)
WITNESS(ES):	N/A
SUSPECT VEHICLE(S):	Stolen Honda Accord
LOSS:	N/A
PREPARED BY:	Marc Amon, Sergeant
CONTACT PERSON & CONTACT INFO:	Detective Lucy Buttell

DETAILS:

On 4/23/10 at approximately 3:00 p.m. Senior Officer Felice Thompson, Senior Officer Jose Silva and Officer Mike Wood were conducting a check of an unsecured vacant apartment complex in the 4600 block of Cloyne Street. While conducting their check they encountered two trespassers in one of the apartments. The subjects attempted to hide from officers inside the apartment but both were located and arrested.

The adult was later identified as 26 year-old Oxnard resident, David Espinoza. Espinoza was wanted for several domestic violence related offenses including domestic battery, criminal threats and kidnapping. It was also discovered that Espinoza was traveling in a stolen late 80’s model Honda Accord that was parked nearby.

The realtor representing the bank owned vacant apartment complex responded to the complex and immediately approved what is known as an “Agent Authorization” for the police department. The Agent Authorization form allows for police officers to act as the agent for the vacant property in order to enforce any trespassing laws in the absence of an owner since trespassing is normally a misdemeanor offense requiring a victim’s desire to make an arrest of a perpetrator. In other words, the Agent Authorization preauthorizes a misdemeanor arrest of a trespassing suspect.

Anyone with information about the domestic violence incident is asked to contact Detective Lucy Buttell at 805-385-3983. Inquiries about agent authorizations can be answered by your respective Beat Coordinator at www.oxnardpd.org.