Courtesy Brandy Hollis

Sandra Butts officially retired from Fillmore Unified School District, after 24 years, earlier this month. Sandra was also a longstanding and beloved member of Fillmore Women’s Service Club, which said goodbye to her as she and her husband Gary move to Arizona.

Sandra has a spunk and zest for life I personally adore. We joked about finding a way to house her during 4th of July so she can help in the club’s fireworks booth, the reason she first joined the club, according to her. I’m not sure if she was serious or not. Maybe she just loves to light them—said with a smile on my face.
Fillmore Women’s Service Club members wish them the best of luck in their future home, and hope retirement is blissful! Sandra, not only from the FWSC, but all of Fillmore and the lives you have touched, we wish you all the best and thank you for being of service to our community, which speaks volumes about your character. You will do well wherever you go, and will be sorely missed.

On a very personal note, you were my son’s 5th grade teacher at Mountain Vista for half a year. He came home at 10-years-old cracking up that his teacher’s name was Sandy Butts--such a great icebreaker! Thank you for caring for our kids. Thank you for teaching my son!

Though this article only touches on a small part of your impact on me and this community, I hope you enjoy it.
Note: Please follow Fillmore Women’s Service Club on social media. The club meets the 2nd Wednesday of the month. Send us a message and we can get you more information!

Crime prevention through environmental design techniques assisted Fillmore Patrol Station with capturing an out-of-county agricultural theft crew.

On February 24th, 2024, patrol deputies assigned to the Fillmore Patrol Station responded to a call for service in the 1400 block of San Cayetano Street reference an audible alarm from a residence. During their investigation, patrol deputies discovered a theft of smudge pot agricultural equipment had occurred, resulting in an estimated loss of approximately $2,500 to $3,500. Surveillance camera footage showed two unknown subjects on the property at the time of the theft.

In the early-morning hours of February 25th, 2024, deputies assigned to the Fillmore Patrol Station responded to an additional call for service in the 1400 block of San Cayetano Street reference an audible alarm from a residence. Utilizing remote access to surveillance cameras on the property, the ranch manager advised Sheriff’s Dispatch there was an unknown subject actively stealing agricultural equipment. Upon their arrival, patrol deputies detained Juan Carlos Leon and identified him as the suspect involved with the theft. During their investigation, patrol deputies found Juan Carlos Leon to be in possession of smudge pot agricultural equipment, with an estimated value of approximately $1,000. Juan Carlos Leon admitted to also being responsible for the theft occurring on February 24th, 2024. Juan Carlos Leon was subsequently arrested and booked into the Ventura County Main Jail for being in violation of Penal Code § 487 (a) – Grand Theft.

Fillmore Investigations Bureau conducted a follow-up investigation reference the theft of agriculture equipment occurring on February 24th, 2024. Utilizing various investigative techniques, investigators were able to identify Juan Carlos Leon’s co-conspirator as Juan Manuel Diaz. On February 27th, 2024, investigators contacted Juan Manuel Diaz in the 500 block of Sespe Avenue in the City of Fillmore. As a result of the contact, investigators arrested Juan Manuel Diaz and booked him into the Ventura County Main Jail for being in violation of Penal Code § 487 (a) – Grand Theft and Penal Code § 182 (a)(1) – Conspiracy. Investigators were also able to recover some of the stolen smudge pot agricultural equipment and return the property to the victim.

The Fillmore Patrol Station encourages the agricultural community to utilize “Farm Watch,” a partnership between the farming community and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. Farm Watch is a county-wide electronic neighborhood watch program that is distributed to more than several hundred farms, ranches, nurseries, and supply houses. This program provides information to ranchers on agriculture crime trends and on how to react and treat the crime scene so that potential evidence is preserved for immediate processing by deputies of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.

Report Number: 24-23424 and 24-23771
Location: 1400 block of San Cayetano Street, Unincorporated area of Fillmore
Date & Time: February 25th, 2024, at 0100 hours
Unit(s) Responsible: Fillmore Patrol, Fillmore Investigations Bureau
Suspects
(S) Juan Carlos Leon Lindsay, California 28
(S) Juan Manuel Diaz Lindsay, California 29

Prepared by: Detective Dustin Heersche
Approved by: Captain Eduardo Malagon, Fillmore Police Chief

The 2023 CIT Deputy of the Year Award ceremony celebrated the outstanding achievements of Ciara Hays, Cody Massengill, Andrea Rodriguez, and Allison Wallace.

These remarkable individuals were recognized for their exceptional work within the Ventura County Law Enforcement Crisis Intervention Team, a collaborative program involving various law enforcement agencies such as the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, Oxnard Police Department, Port Hueneme Police Department, Santa Paula Police Department, Simi Valley Police Department, and Ventura Police Department.

Nominated by their respective agency’s leadership, the awardees were commended for their significant contributions to law enforcement and their compassionate interactions with individuals facing mental health crises. The ceremony, graciously hosted by the Ventura County Behavioral Health Advisory Board, highlighted the dedication and commitment of these deputies in providing crucial support and assistance to those in need within the community. Their unwavering efforts exemplify the values of empathy, professionalism, and service, making them truly deserving of this prestigious recognition.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s office recently released the 2023 Crime Statistics for the County of Ventura. Above are the 2021–2023 Comparison of Reported Crimes. See more photos on page 10.
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Above is the remainder of the 2021–2023 Comparison of Reported Crimes for the City of Fillmore. Courtesy Ventura County Sheriff’s office.
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Sheriff Jim Fryhoff has released the 2023 crime statistics for all areas serviced by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office saw numerous crime trends throughout the year. While property crime saw a decrease overall, there was an increase in shoplift-type thefts (21% increase, 166 incidents), Theft-Grand (2%, 25 incidents), Burglary- Residential (25%, 42 incidents), and Arson (33%, 4 incidents). The largest percentage of thefts continue to be shoplifts, vehicle-related, and auto part-related thefts (accounting for 72% of the total thefts). Auto part-related thefts, including Catalytic Converter thefts, continued to be a crime problem for the Sheriff’s Office jurisdiction but saw a decrease (27%) between 2023 and 2022 (572 incidents in 2022, 418 in 2023). Vehicle-related thefts continue to contribute to the property crime totals with 19% (502 incidents); however, there was a decrease from 2022 offenses (596 incidents, 22% of total thefts).

Regarding violent crime, aggravated assaults saw the highest increase (133 incidents, 106%), with all categories showing increases (firearm, knife, other, hands/fist/feet related offenses). There were significant increases in firearm-related aggravated assaults and much of the increase was related to brandishing of firearms to multiple victims. Within some of the contract cities, there were gang-related violent crimes that also attributed to our increase in violent crime. Our agency has continued to use community awareness and engagement (social media, events, media releases, proactive communication), and proactive policing solutions to combat crime within the areas we serve. This spring, the Sheriff’s Office is launching a multi-agency task force to combat organized retail theft, cargo theft, and catalytic converter theft. There was a decrease in Homicide incidents for the Sheriff’s Office (six total incidents). Out of these six homicides, half involved family member-on-family member.

“In looking at violent crime statistics for 2023, you can see a significant jump in comparison to the previous year. We did see a noticeable decrease in violent crime during and following the global pandemic. However, the trend we are seeing now is that incidents involving violent crime have returned to pre-pandemic numbers. In a county our size, with as little crime as we do have in comparison to other jurisdictions across the nation, a few cases in a calendar year can result in a sizeable spike in crime statistics, evidence of which can be showcased by simply comparing the figures from 2022 to 2023,” said Sheriff Jim Fryhoff. He continued, “Overall, crime across the board is down, as we had nearly 100 fewer criminal offenses in 2023 than the previous year. My office will never take our foot off the gas when it comes to reducing crime. We will continue to focus our efforts on outreach, community engagement, education, and working closely with partners inside and outside of the criminal justice system, which is crucial for effective violence reduction.”
Note: Each geographical area in Ventura County is unique, and crime trends vary from city to city. For questions regarding each city’s reported crimes, the following people can be reached directly:

Commander Eric Tennessen – Camarillo (805) 797-7102
Commander Jeremy Paris -Thousand Oaks (805) 797-7105
Captain Darin Hendren – Moorpark (805) 797-7137
Captain Eduardo Malagon – Fillmore (805) 477-7108
Captain Trina Newman – Ojai (805) 477-7039

For more information, please visit us at venturasheriff.org. You can also link directly to a statement by Sheriff Fryhoff that details our mission, strategy, and vision as well as Sheriff Fryhoff’s Seven Pillars for providing law enforcement services in Ventura County. For information regarding recruitment and job opportunities, please visit applyventurasheriff.org.