Message from Detective Ray Dominguez:

Folks, I’ve got just a couple things to report in this edition of Farm Watch. First, I want to mention a recent success story involving an arrest and recovery of stolen horses and tack. In March, Senior Deputy Marc Cargnel of the Camarillo Police Station worked with a victim who reported having his horses and tack stolen from a ranch located off Highway 118 in the Somis area. Marc received information from a diligent victim who had been conducting some follow-up investigation of his own. The victim reported that he had located what he believed to be his own stolen horses, and those of another victim he knew had horses stolen recently as well.

Through further investigation, Marc was able to establish there was sufficient probable cause to make an arrest. Marc arrested the suspect and recovered several horses, stolen saddles, and other tack from the location in the unincorporated area of Camarillo. It just goes to show how working together we can accomplish great things. Great job by all parties involved!

On a second note, it appears that thefts of fertilizer/pesticides have begun this season. I have already seen one report come in within the last couple of weeks. This case involved the theft of over $20,000 worth of various pesticides and fertilizers stolen from a ranch in the unincorporated area of Oxnard. There are no suspects identified in this case, and little in the way of physical evidence. Please take this as a reminder to not stockpile your supplies, and order only what you intend to apply. These steps will help you from becoming the next victim of such a theft. If you have questions about site security and need help, please don’t hesitate to give me a call at (805) 384-4726.

Anyone with information about the case mentioned above, or any other cases are encouraged to contact the Sheriff’s Office directly at 654-9511 or use the We-tip line at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact me directly at 384-4726 or by email at ray.dominguez@ventura.org.

The following advice is always wise if you suspect illegal activity on your property:

· Call the Sheriff’s Office immediately at 911.

· Be a good witness

· Note suspect descriptions such as age, height, weight, facial hair, clothing, and shoe type.

· If a vehicle is involved, obtain a license plate number and note vehicle color, body damage, bumper stickers, camper shell, after market tires and wheels, etc.

· Provide the dispatcher with information about the time and last known direction of travel.

If you are not sure of how to address the problem or would like additional crime prevention tips please contact your local Sheriff’s Office substation or Detective Ray Dominguez directly at (805) 384-4726 or by email at ray.dominguez@ventura.org.

Contacts:

Camarillo Detective Robert Arthur, robert.arthur@ventura.org

Fillmore Detective John Fox john.fox@ventura.org

Ventura Detective Dennis Smith dennis.smith@ventura.org

Agricultural Crimes Detective, Ray Dominguez at Ray.Dominguez@ventura.org

As always, we would like to thank Sheriff’s Crime Analyst Karen Brown and Det. Ray Dominguez, for this issue’s great crime and alert update.

Be alert and always safe!

Monica (797-6338)

Geoff Dean - Sheriff

John Crombach and Gary Pentis - Assistant Sheriffs