Ventura County Sheriff's Department

On 01/09/2023, a victim, driving her vehicle out of the extreme weather conditions in the unincorporated area of Ventura County at South Mountain Road / Balcom Canyon Road, became stranded in the mud and water. The victim was forced to evacuate and abandon her vehicle, leaving several personal items behind, including credit cards.

The next day, the victim’s bank alerted her to fraudulent credit card activity in excess of $1,800.00 made using the stolen credit cards at several businesses in the surrounding area. An unknown suspect had entered the abandoned vehicle, stole the victims credit cards, and made several fraudulent purchases at local businesses.

Detectives assigned to the Santa Clara Valley Station obtained video of the suspects making these fraudulent purchases. Detectives were able to visually identify both suspects as Fillmore resident Rodrigo Estrada aka Rodrigo Perez and Santa Paula resident Pedro Chavez.

On 01/25/2023, Pedro Chavez was contacted and arrested in the city of Fillmore without incident. On 01/30/2023, Rodrigo Estrada aka Rodrigo Perez was contacted in the city of Santa Paula and he was arrested without incident. A search warrant of the vehicle driven by the suspects was obtained and numerous items purchased with the stolen credit cards were recovered.

Both parties were arrested and booked into the Ventura County Pre-Trail Detention Facility for violations of California Penal Code 530.5 (a) / Identity Theft and 182 (a) (1) / Conspiracy to Commit a Crime and 496 (a) / Receiving Stolen Property.

Pedro Chavez remains in custody with his bail set at $50.000.00. His court date is 01/31/2023. Rodrigo Estrada aka Rodrigo Perez also remains in custody with his bail set at $50.000.00. His court date is 02/01/2023.

Anyone with information pertaining to crimes of this nature are urged to contact the Fillmore Police Department at (805) 524-2233, Detective Valdez, or Detective Lemar at the below listed numbers. The reporting party may remain anonymous.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office is committed to maintaining the safety of all residents by continued community partnerships. The Fillmore Police Department encourages citizens to immediately report suspicious people and vehicles, and to promptly report any crime they come across by calling 911. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank members of the public for their on-going support and due diligence in providing information to assist our agency in solving crimes.

Nature of Incident: Suspects Victimize Flood Evacuee
Report Number: 23-3952
Location: South Mountain Road / Balcom Canyon Road, Unincorporated area of Ventura County
Date & Time: January 10, 2023 @ 9:48 AM
Unit(s) Responsible: Santa Clara Valley Station Patrol, Santa Clara Valley Detectives
(S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent City of Residence Age
(S-1) Rodrigo Estrada aka Rodrigo Perez, Fillmore, 45
(S-2) Pedro Soria Chavez, Santa Paula, 26
Prepared by: Detective Sergeant Will Hollowell
Approved by: Captain Eduardo Malagon

Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).