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Two arrested for gang related witness intimidation
By Ventura County Sheriff Department — Monday, March 14th, 2011
 Ventura County Sheriff's Department In December of 2009, the Sheriff’s Gang Unit investigated a shooting that occurred in the unincorporated are of Nyeland Acres. Investigators quickly identified a gang member named Joseph Peralta as a possible suspect. During the investigation, they recovered photographs of Peralta holding a sawed off shotgun as well as witnesses who state Peralta was in possession of the shotgun. Peralta, who was a convicted felon, was prohibited from possessing a firearm. On 12-22-2009, investigators arrested Peralta for being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was booked into the Ventura County Jail and has remained in custody since that arrest. For the next 15 months, gang investigators uncovered numerous crimes they believed Peralta had participated in. They included an illegal gun transfer from one gang member to another that Peralta arranged while in custody. Gang investigators were able to intercept the transfer on 2-11-10 and recover the gun. On 9-23-2010, gang investigators had obtained enough evidence to arrest Peralta for the Nyeland Acres shooting. He was arrested and charged with assault with a firearm and street terrorism. During the 15 month investigation, investigators intercepted numerous communications between Peralta and his sister, Valerie Peralta, in an attempt to dissuade the many witnesses who were going to testify against him. Investigators found that Valerie contacted at least one of the witnesses and attempted to keep them from testifying. On 3-11-2011, gang investigators arrested Valerie Peralta at her residence for Witness Intimidation and Street Terrorism. She was booked into the Ventura County Jail and remains there on $100,000 bail. On 3-12-2011, investigators arrested Peralta at the Ventura County Jail for Witness Intimidation and Street Terrorism. He remains in custody on several cases with a bail of $650,000. Location: 3700 Blk Orange Drive, Oxnard |
