DETAILS: 

On December 17, 2009 at 2:32 PM, the Oxnard Police Department responded to the 1400 block of Magnolia Av reference a subject threatening his family with a gun. Officers, including members of the Special Weapons and Tactics team, responded to the home. The subject was taken into custody and detained for mental health issues. The individual’s name is not being released.

It was determined that no gun was involved in the incident, and no one was injured. Fremont Junior High School was locked down for approximately 20 minutes during the incident as a precautionary measure.

DETAILS:

On December 31, 2009, between the hours of 6:00 P.M. and 4:00 A.M., officers from the Oxnard Police Department Traffic Unit conducted a DUI saturation patrol. Officers patrolled the City of Oxnard with an emphasis on impaired drivers and traffic enforcement.

During the operation, officers conducted 70 traffic stops and conducted 12 DUI investigations leading to the arrest of 9 drivers for DUI. One additional driver was arrested for an outstanding warrant.

Officers also issued 26 traffic citations for various vehicle code violations. Eight of the drivers stopped were unlicensed and three of those drivers were driving with a suspended driver’s license. Officers towed six vehicles and the owners of the towed vehicles will face a minimum release fee of $494.00.

The Oxnard Police Department will continue conducting DUI saturation patrols on various nights of the week and holidays in an effort to reduce the number of alcohol related crashes and to make our community and roadways safer. These operations are funded through grants from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) though the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA).

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

DETAILS: 

On 1622 hours, Oxnard police received a call of a subject driving a black pick-up equipped with flashing red and blue lights and a siren in the 300 block of Vanderbilt Drive. The caller reported the pick-up driver attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the caller’s vehicle by illuminating the red and blue lights and sounding the siren. The caller believed the pick-up was an undercover police vehicle so he pulled to the right and stopped. The driver of the pick-up did not make direct contact with the caller but slowly passed by the caller’s vehicle.

Oxnard police located the black pick-up parked in the area. Officers could see the red and blue lights mounted in the cab of the pick-up. The vehicle was impounded as part of the investigation.

At 2037 hours, the owner of the pick-up, Brian Faber, contacted police to determine the whereabouts of his truck. After interviewing Mr. Faber, he was arrested without incident for impersonating a police officer.

A subsequent search of the vehicle recovered emergency vehicle equipment (red and blue lights and a siren) along with several hundred rounds of ammunition.

“Offenses like this are not taken lightly,” said Officer Jon Ballow of the Oxnard Police Department. “We are very concerned about the ultimate intent of someone driving around with their personal vehicle equipped with red lights and a siren.”

Faber was booked into the Ventura County Jail on misdemeanor charges of impersonating a police officer.

John Crombach Chief of Police

Oxnard Police Department R. Jason Benites Assistant Chief Scott Whitney Assistant Chief

OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT

PRESS RELEASE

DETAILS: 

On 4-26-10, officers were patrolling the 1600-block of South Oxnard Boulevard when they saw a silver 4 door vehicle that matched the description of a vehicle recently used in several robberies which occurred over the weekend. The suspects driving this silver vehicle were described as 2 African American males in their mid 20’s. Officers eventually contacted the solo driver, Dante Payne, and during the course of the investigation, officers located several large knives in Payne’s vehicle. Payne was later taken into custody for possessing a deadly weapon and the vehicle was impounded.

As the investigation continued, investigators discovered Payne associates with David Lumas, who also matched the description of the recent robbery suspects. Photographic line up’s were shown to the victims and witness and they were able to identify Payne and Lumas as the suspects in the robberies from over the weekend. Payne was charged with 2 counts of robbery and conspiracy while Lumas was charged with 1 count of robbery and conspiracy.

Both suspects were booked at Ventura County Main Jail Facility and their bail is set at $500,000.00.

Anyone with information regarding these incidents is asked to contact Detective Roger Garcia at 805-385-7688 or you may leave a message on the Violent Crimes Hotline at 805-982-7070. To give an anonymous tip, call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).

An investigation is continuing.

John Crombach Chief of Police

Oxnard Police Department R. Jason Benites Assistant Chief Scott Whitney Assistant Chief

OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT

PRESS RELEASE

DETAILS: 

On 4-30-10 at around 1:45 PM, Oxnard Police Officers were dispatched to Owl Towing, 2981 Ventura Bl. reference a subject standing in front of the business threatening employees and brandishing a shotgun. Investigation revealed the identity of the subject as 28-year old Juan Carlos Guerrero who fled prior to officers’ arrival in a brown Datsun 280z license: 1PIZ512.

Guerrero was at the towing company for the purpose of retrieving property from a vehicle that had previously been towed from him. He specifically told employees that he was there to retrieve a gun from the vehicle. When he was denied access, Guerrero became agitated and made threats that he would return at a later time to burn down the business. Guerrero then got inside his vehicle which was parked in front of the business. An employee exited the business and began writing down the license plate of Guerrero’s vehicle when Guerrero brandished a shotgun at employees of the business. Guerrero then fled the scene.

Oxnard Police Officers began searching for Guerrero. At about 2:45 PM, Guerrero was located at a storage facility in the 2700 block of Cawelti in Camarillo by Sergeant Terry Burr of the Oxnard Police Department’s Violent Crimes Unit. Deputies from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department responded to assist along with officers from the Oxnard Police Department. Guerrero initially refused to surrender himself to officers and refused to comply with the direction of officers. After a brief standoff at gunpoint, Guerrero was taken into custody without incident.

John Crombach Chief of Police

Oxnard Police Department R. Jason Benites Assistant Chief Scott Whitney Assistant Chief

OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT

PRESS RELEASE

DETAILS:

In response to several alcohol-related collisions that have occurred on Thursday nights over the past several months, The Oxnard Police Department conducted a multi-location sobriety and driver’s license checkpoint on Thursday, September 16th, from 6:00 P.M. to midnight. This checkpoint was held in the southbound lanes of Rose Avenue at Cesar Chavez Drive.

Officers screened 1,207 motorists who passed through the checkpoints. Officers conducted two DUI investigations with drivers who had been drinking alcohol and one of them was arrested for DUI with a blood alcohol level of .14. One additional driver was arrested for outstanding misdemeanor warrants from San Bernardino County.

Thirty-one drivers were issued citations for various driver’s license violations. Fourteen drivers were issued citations for driving without a valid driver’s license and two drivers were cited for driving with a suspended or revoked driver’s license. Nine vehicles were towed from the checkpoint.

These checkpoints are funded by grants from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) through the National Highway Transportation Administration (NHTSA). The Oxnard Police Department will be conducting two additional sobriety and driver’s license checkpoints before the end of this month.

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

DETAILS:

On September 23, 2010, the Oxnard Police Department’s Narcotics Unit served a search warrant on Janet Pecatoste at her residence in the 2700 block of Geronimo Drive in the City of Oxnard. The search warrant was the result of a 2 month investigation into Pecatoste for sales of methamphetamines.

Pecatoste was arrested at the residence without incident. A search of the residence revealed a small quantity of crystal methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. Pecatoste was booked into Ventura County Jail for possession of a controlled substance for sales and bail was set at $50,000.

Pecatoste was operating a “room and board” facility at the residence with many of the tenants being clients of Behavioral Health Services. Behavioral Health Services was contacted and will follow up with their own investigation into Pecatoste.

An investigation is ongoing.

Jeri Williams Chief of Police

Oxnard Police Department R. Jason Benites Assistant Chief Scott Whitney Assistant Chief

OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT

PRESS RELEASE

DETAILS: 

On January 31, 2011, a nine year old female Oxnard resident received unsolicited text messages on her cellular telephone from a person unknown to her. The text messages continued for several hours and the Suspect persuaded the Victim to send him a partially nude photograph of herself via text message. The Victim’s mother discovered the situation when she checked her daughter’s cell phone that night and reported the incident to the Oxnard Police Department. The Oxnard Police Department investigated the crime and detectives were able to identify the Suspect, who was an 18-year old Oxnard resident, Nicholas Ortega. Upon contact with the Suspect, he was found to be in possession of child pornographic images of a fourteen year old female Oxnard resident. The Suspect was arrested for several counts of child enticement and luring and possession of child pornography. The Suspect was booked into Ventura County Sheriff’s Department jail with a bail of $50,000.

Parents are reminded to monitor their children’s computer and cellular telephone usage. Children are reminded not to communicate with strangers online or on cellular telephones. Parents and children may find additional resources at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at www.missingkids.com or 1-800-843-5678. The investigation is continuing in relation to any other children who may have been persuaded to send the Suspect nude images of themselves with assistance from the local Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force members including investigators from the Oxnard Police Department, FBI, and Ventura County Sheriff’s Department. Contact Oxnard Police Department Detective Erica Escalante at (805) 385-7759.