Ventura County Sheriff's Department

Since November 2012, the Thousand Oaks Police Department has seen a series of thefts being committed from grocery stores. Women who place their purse in the child carrier portion of a shopping cart were being specifically targeted. The suspects, working in pairs of 2 would wait for the female shopper to become distracted and then one of the suspects would steal the wallet from the purse. A third suspect would impersonate the victims and use the stolen credit cards at various banks to withdraw cash advances from the victim’s account. Then the third suspect would use the stolen credit cards to purchase electronic devices from local retail stores.

The Thousand Oaks Police Department’s Detective Bureau began investigating these cases and were able to identify 2 suspects in this wallet theft ring. On 3/27/13, Pillar Abalos was arrested at the San Fernando Courthouse by detectives for identity theft, misuse of an access card, burglary and conspiracy to commit a crime. On 4/3/13, S- Darryl Kilgore was arrested in Los Angeles by detectives for burglary and conspiracy to commit a crime. This investigation is still ongoing and detectives are actively pursuing several leads in these cases.

The Thousand Oaks Police Department would like to remind all Ventura County residents to be aware of valuables, including purses, when shopping. The criminals in this case took advantage of shoppers who were distracted for mere seconds. The following are some tips to prevent this type of crime from occurring.

• KEEP YOUR PURSE CLOSE: Never leave your purse unattended while shopping or dining out. Whatever purse you carry, make sure you keep a strap in your hand.
• BE VIGILANT: Stay alert to suspicious people or circumstances. Be mindful of distraction techniques, often done by pairs of thieves to take your eyes off your purse so they can take your wallet. Be especially cautious in busy stores, as noise and confusion increase the opportunity for thieves and pickpockets.
• SECURITY: If you can’t keep your (closed and secured) purse over your shoulder, lock it in the cart with the child strap, or a carabineer. While this will not prevent your purse from being taken, it might deter some thieves. You should still not let the purse out of your sight.

Nature of Incident: Wallet Thefts
Report Number: 13-714, 13-5570, 13-1921, 12-23323, 12-27206
Location: Communities of Thousand Oaks and Moorpark
Date & Time: April 3rd , 2013
Unit Responsible: Thousand Oaks Police Department – Detective Bureau
(S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent City of Residence Age
S- Darryl Kilgore Los Angeles 51
S- Pillar Abalos Poway 42
S- Unknown Female 18-25
S- Unknown Female 30-35
S- Unknown Female 40
Prepared by: Senior Deputy Britt #3573
Media Release Date: April 4th, 2013
Follow-Up Contact: Senior Deputy Britt - 805-494-8232
Approved by: Captain Luis Obregon

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).