Ventura County Sheriff's Department

Five juveniles from Fillmore were arrested for graffiti vandalism and conspiracy to commit a crime after they were caught defacing property at a local Fillmore park.

During the month of January, there was an increase in graffiti vandalisms throughout the city of Fillmore. On February 11th a resident called the police to report several juveniles loitering around Meadowlark Park, a frequent target area of the vandals. Deputies responded to the park and located graffiti and initiated an investigation.

The graffiti vandalism was witnessed by a diligent resident who relayed valuable information to responding deputies. The investigation revealed that the juveniles had spray painted graffiti on the tables, benches, and playground equipment which caused hundreds of dollars of damage to the city owned property.

The investigation resulted in five juveniles being arrested for vandalism along with felony conspiracy to commit a crime. All the arrestees were cited and released to their parents pending a future court date.

Graffiti vandalism is an eyesore that directly affects the quality of life in our communities. If left unchecked, graffiti can decrease property values and lead to the deterioration of entire neighborhoods. Gang graffiti may also be the catalyst for additional, more serious conflicts between rival gangs. The removal of graffiti costs homeowners, business owners and taxpayers thousands of dollars each year.

The Fillmore Police Department encourages citizens to immediately report suspicious people and vehicles, and to promptly report any graffiti they come across by calling (805) 524-2233 or (805) 654-9511. Once the police have investigated these crimes, all graffiti should be immediately removed.

Anyone with information pertaining to criminal activity in the Fillmore area are urged to contact the Fillmore Police Station at (805) 524-2233 or the below listed detective. The reporting party may remain anonymous.

Graffiti Removal
The city of Fillmore removes all graffiti by either painting over it or by using a power washer to wash it off, the method of removal depends on the location of the graffiti. If graffiti is on private property the city secures a signed agreement from the property owner giving them permission to do the work. Call the city of Fillmore Graffiti Removal at (805) 524-1500 if you see graffiti within the city and they will take steps to remove it.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office has established a secure database to log information about who has surveillance systems. If you would like to register your surveillance information and allow authorities to contact you, should a crime occur in/or near where your cameras are installed we kindly ask that you email the Fillmore Police Department at: fillmorePD.CameraShare@ventura.org.

Nature of Incident: Five Juveniles Arrested for Graffiti Vandalism
Report Number: 22-18608
Location: Meadowlark Park, Fillmore
Date & Time: February 11, 2022 @ 4:30 P.M.
Unit(s) Responsible: Fillmore Detective Bureau, Fillmore Patrol Services, and Fillmore School Resource Officer
(S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent City of Residence Age
Male Juvenile Fillmore 14
Male Juvenile Fillmore 15
Male Juvenile Fillmore 14
Male Juvenile Fillmore 14
Male Juvenile Fillmore 14
Prepared by: Detective Sergeant Will Hollowell
Approved by: Captain Garo Kuredjian

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).

Submitted by Jan Lee

After two years, the Fillmore Flower Show will return on April 9th and 10th, 2022. Plan to attend and enter your beautiful blooms, pretty plants, attractive arrangements and excellent essays.

Since 1919, the Fillmore Flower Show has been a Fillmore tradition. Children and adults share flowers and plants from their gardens with the community. There are several different categories which are explained in the brochure posted at fillmoreflowershow.org. There is an essay contest for students. There will be a table where children can plant a succulent to take home. There will be a plant sale. There is always music during public viewing hours of 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday, April 9th and 10th at 533 Santa Clara Street in Fillmore. Come and see what your neighbors have grown in their gardens. Share with the community what you can do with your flowers and plants. Everybody is welcome!

The theme for the Flower Show this year is, “Farie Tales and Flowers”. This theme opens the door for many whimsical entries. Use your imagination. Share your talent. Enjoy the beauty.

We are excited to again be able to gather for a community event. If you have felt isolated and separated, join the fun at the Flower Show this year. Flowers and plants show us the beauty of nature. If you are new in Fillmore, please come and meet some new friends. Participate in a 100 year old tradition. If you are a Fillmore native or a long time resident, be present at the Fillmore Flower Show.

Mark your calendar and plan to participate in the 2022 Fillmore Flower Show.

Constable J. P. "Jack" Trotter.
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J.P. Trotter's Stable circa. 1900.
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Men in front of Mack Wooldridge's Orange Leaf Café.
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Casner's Fillmore Stables.
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From “Old-Timers’ Tales of Fillmore” by Edith Moore Jarrett. Originally published in Ventura County Star-Free Press, January, 14, 1979

Crime and Punishment
Boxcars used to come in handy. Fillmore’s first depot was a boxcar. The second we used one for was a jail, and not the inside of it either. John Galvin, our city attorney for so long, used to say that the first thing he saw when he got off the train here was a fellow chained to a boxcar on the siding. No jail. The constable just hadn’t yet gotten around to taking the prisoner to the nearest one in Ventura. The third use we found for a boxcar is the 1953 model now parked on a bit of track to serve as the Museum annex [now used for storage for the Museum].

But back to the jail in this tale of early crime and punishment. Our first one, about 1902, was a shaky thing of wood, and any thirsty prisoner could rip off a board and escape. The handcuffs and leg irons Gerald Howard found under the family home on Ventura Street near the jail site are now a mystery item in the Museum, and it’s fun to think that maybe some escaping prisoner threw them there as he lit out for home and mother., Don’t ask how he got them off.

Our second jail, about 10’ by 10’, was of concrete and stood south of the Bungalow In site where the senior citizen’s housing complex is now [Fillmore and Santa Clara Streets]. The door swung open when it wasn’t occupied, and little boys would play in it. There was a window so sympathetic friends of the prisoner – usually picked up for being drunk in dry Fillmore – could pass him some hair of the dog that bit him.

When the jail, called the “cooler,” the “calaboose,” or the “skookum house,” acquired customers, their names might be casually mentioned in the next issue of the local weekly along with the society items. A drunk could get “$10 or 10 days” – or maybe 4 – and usually chose days because he had more day than dollars.

In 1916, our “new Marshal Cotton” made the Christmas edition by arresting “two bibulous men shooting it up at Mountain View and Main.” One of them, when he had done his days, “took the first Southern Pacific gondola that came by to get the quickest transportation out.”

We had one belligerent old settler who was jailed so often for fighting with his neighbors that Judge Barnes, who officiated from 1911 to 1927, made him post a peace bond of $500 to cool him off, since the “cooler” couldn’t seem to do it.

We tied our pre-auto horses to the hitching racks, where anyone could untie them, and walked away. Didn’t even have to take a key out of an ignition. One time in 1911 four teen-age boys wandered in from Los Angeles and were laughing about these “hayseeds” who rode in buggies instead of streetcars. It gave them an idea. They just selected a rig, untied the horse, and took off toward Santa Paula. Someone called Constable Jack Trotter, and with the fastest horse in his livery stable, he caught up with them out by the Rancho Sespe, gave them a little advice with his six-shooter, and took them to the state reformatory in Whittier on the next train.

If the constable wished, instead of arresting a stranger, he might give him a “floater” out of town for a year or warn him never to come back at all. The fellows running a “blind pig” up in the hills above the [former] Elkins Golf Course got the works. Somebody had found a long black hair in “his soothing syrup” and didn’t like it.

Besides the arrest for over-drinking, ourcars caused some adult delinquency, even if in 1916 the whole county had only 1,510 autos or “machines” as we called them. Those cars all had “cutouts” that disconnected the mufflers to give a bit more power, so it was a great temptation to use them. This was a no-no in town, and the price for a little cheerful noise was $5 or 5 days. When Mack Wooldridge of the Orange Leaf Café drove in 1915 Hupmobile down Central with the cutout open, he paid his $5 happily, remarking, to quote the Herald, “that sound is music to my ears and worth every cent of it,”

But when a city dad did it that same year, Judge Barnes decreed that the fine should be $7 instead of $5, “because a city lawmaker should set a good example for the rest of us.”

And when the high school’s “manual training” teacher rode his bike downtown after dark with no lights, the Daily Sun reported that it cost him $2.50. No choice of 2 ½ days instead. He had to be in school.

To be continued...

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

The Ventura County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to ratify and accept grant funding for the Gun Violence Reduction Program. The funds from the grant – which are provided by the California Department of Justice and total $652,575 – will support the efforts for the Sheriff’s Office’s ongoing Armed Prohibited Persons Program. The two-year grant will cover the salary and benefits for a full-time investigator dedicated to the program.

“We’re proud to partner with the California Department of Justice and support the efforts to keep our community safe,” said Sheriff Bill Ayub. “We’ve had great success in keeping firearms out of the hands of individuals who shouldn’t have them. The efforts to do so have contributed to Ventura County being one of the safest counties in the nation.”

The goal of the Sheriff’s Office APPS Program is to disarm prohibited persons within Ventura County. These prohibited individuals have been convicted of felonies, are subject to restraining orders, or have mental health prohibitions, amongst other prohibitions. The Sheriff’s Office detective will act as a liaison with the California Department of Justice and local police agencies in Ventura County to complete program goals. The program also enforces Gun Violence Restraining Orders to disarm individuals that have made threats of violence or are a danger to the community.

Over the past 30 months, VCSO deputies have completed 254 investigations and recovered 78 firearms. As a result, guns have been removed from the possession of 193 individuals who are prohibited to have firearms due to prior convictions or mental health issues. This funding will ensure the Sheriff’s Office can continue to work to remove firearms from individuals on the APPS list.