The search continues for a missing off-duty City of Arcadia firefighter in the back country north of Fillmore. Michael Herdman, age 36, was reported missing on the evening of June 15th. Numerous search & rescue resources have searched the rough terrain day and night during the past week.

Herdman was last seen by a hiking partner June 13th. Herdman's friend eventually returned to the starting point of the four-day backpacking loop. Many search & rescue resources have joined in the search, including teams from Ventura County Sheriff's Office, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Fresno County Sheriff's Department, Kern County Sheriff's Department, Orange County Sheriff's Department, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department, Civil Air Patrol, Department of Homeland Security Rapid Response Team, and Ventura County Sheriff's Aviation Unit and Search & Rescue K-9's. Search & Rescue teams are specially trained personnel that volunteer their time away from work and their families to train and participate in rescue operations. Up to 75 personnel are attached to this incident each day.

Air Search & Rescue operations also include the use of the Qube Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS). The Ventura County Sheriff's Office received a temporary emergency certificate of authorization to deploy the UAS in the search area. Simi Valley based Aeronvironment contributed a Puma UAS in the search. Aeronvironment is operating the Puma with a certificate of authorization under direction from the University of Alaska.

Search & Rescue teams have been working in rugged terrain during warm daytime temperatures. Thus far, there have been four search team members injured during the incident, ranging from a rattlesnake bite to heat exhaustion.
Hikers are discouraged from entering the search area as this operation continues.

Prepared by: Captain Don Aguilar

Update: Herdman’s dog Duke was found on Sunday at the trailhead, where Herdman and fellow hiker Tyler Byars began their hike.

City of Fillmore

06/03/14
Theft Identity
100 Blk. B St.
Keep the Peace
800 Blk. Oliver St.
200 Blk. B St.
Theft
1100 Blk. Oriole Cir.
Search Warrant
400 Blk. Main St.
Disturbance Fireworks
Blaine Ave./Central Ave.
Shots Fired
30 Blk. 4th St.
06/04/14
Surveillance
B St./Blaine Ave.
Vandalism
700 Blk. Walker Ln.
Keep the Peace
700 Blk. 5th St. CONTINUED »

SACRAMENTO – The first two human infections with West Nile virus this season have been reported by Contra Costa and San Joaquin Counties, announced Dr. Ron Chapman, director of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and state health officer. The patient from Contra Costa County has since recovered and been released from the hospital, and the patient from San Joaquin County has tested positive for the virus but is not showing symptoms at this time.

“These reported West Nile virus cases remind us that taking a few minutes to protect ourselves and our families from mosquito bites can make a big difference,” said Chapman. “West Nile virus activity is greatest during the summer.”

West Nile virus is transmitted to humans and animals by the bite of an infected mosquito. The risk of serious illness to most people is low. However, some individuals – less than 1 percent – can develop a serious neurologic illness such as encephalitis or meningitis. People 50 years of age and older have a higher chance of getting sick and are more likely to develop complications. Recent data also indicate that those with diabetes and/or hypertension are at greatest risk for serious illness.

To date in 2014, West Nile virus has been detected in mosquitoes and birds in 19 California counties.

CDPH recommends that individuals prevent exposure to mosquito bites and West Nile virus by practicing the “Three Ds”:

1. DEET – Apply insect repellent containing DEET, picaradin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR3535 according to label instructions. Repellents keep the mosquitoes from biting you. DEET can be used safely on infants and children 2 months of age and older.

2. DAWN AND DUSK – Mosquitoes bite in the early morning and evening so it is important to wear proper clothing and repellent if outside during these times. Make sure that your doors and windows have tight-fitting screens to keep out mosquitoes. Repair or replace screens with tears or holes.

3. DRAIN – Mosquitoes lay their eggs on standing water. Eliminate or drain all sources of standing water on your property, including buckets, old car tires, rain gutters, birdbaths, and pet bowls. If you know of a swimming pool that is not being properly maintained, please contact your local mosquito and vector control agency.

California’s West Nile virus website includes the latest information on West Nile virus activity in the state. Californians are encouraged to report all dead birds on the website or by calling toll-free 1-877-WNV-BIRD (968-2473).

www.cdph.ca.gov

Fillmore Unified School District

The June 17, 2014 Fillmore Unified School District (FUSD) Board Meeting was the final meeting for Interim Superintendent Dr. Alan Nishino and Assistant Superintendent Michael Johnson, and was standing room only. There were many heartfelt goodbyes by teachers and Board Members to both outgoing superintendents. Board Member Tony Prado expressed his gratitude to Nishino in holding those employees accountable that were not holding up their end and their accomplishments. He gave high marks in what both men had achieved during their three years with the District.

A public hearing item on the agenda, the use of Proposition 30 Education Protection Account, was discussed briefly with one person asking how much money the district received due to Prop. 30 and when it was received. Assistant Superintendent Business Services Deo Persaud responded, "Three and a half million this year...we receive one fourth of that amount every quarter. The law requires one hundred percent of the funds go to staff instruction (teachers)."

Nishino then commented CONTINUED »

A boat overturned on Lake Piru Sunday, causing the rescue of 14 people from the cold waters. Ventura Fire personnel rescued all the victims.

A call went out from a park ranger at 4:30pm, reporting a capsized boat in the north end of the popular recreational lake. It was reported that the 16-foot vessel was cited for having too many people on board and not enough life jackets. The Sheriff’s Department said rough waters and high winds also contributed to the incident.
Five adults, and nine children, ranging from infants to eight years old, were on board the overloaded boat. Most of the children were wearing life vests.

The Ventura County Fire Department responded with three engine companies, four ambulances and the Sheriff’s helicopter at the scene. The helicopter was cancelled when a medi-vac helicopter out of Los Angeles County was called to transport two patients to the hospital. Another seven patients were taken to local hospitals by ambulance. The rest were treated at the scene and released. Only minor injuries were reported.

City of Fillmore

05/27/14
Vandalism
D St./Ventura St.
400 Blk. Fillmore St.
Accident – Non Injury
Central Ave./Ventura St.
Disturbance Fireworks
400 Blk. Blaine Ave.
05/28/14
Battery
800 Blk. 3rd St.
Accident – Non Injury
Los Serenos Dr./Ventura St.
Theft Residential
300 Blk. Blaine Ave.
Surveillance
600 Blk. Saratoga St.
Hit & Run – Non Injury
N C St./Ventura St.
05/29/14
Vandalism
600 Blk. Lemon Way
300 Blk. 4th St.
Abandoned Vehicle
Mockingbird Ln./Oriole Cir.
Forgery
1100 Blk. Oriole Cir.
05/30/14
Search Warrant CONTINUED »

UPDATE: Mike Herdman's body was found on Friday, 2-weeks to the day he disappeared in the wood Sesoe backcountry.
A major search is underway for a missing off-duty Arcadia firefighter in the Los Padres National Forest north of Fillmore. Mike Herdman, 34, has been missing since Friday in the Tar Creek Trail area.

Herdman was hiking in the rugged terrain with a fellow firefighter, Taylor Byars. The two were sitting around a campfire Friday night when Herman’s dog ran off and he ran after it. He was barefoot and wearing only shorts and a T-shirt. Byars searched for Herdman but could not locate him.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department dispatched two helicopters and a Search and Rescue Team of approximately 15 on Monday, but was unable to locate Herdman. Rescue personnel were back out at first light on Tuesday to resume the search in the Dough Flat area, where a temporary command post has been set up.

Herdman is an experienced hiker but has no food or water with him. He is a seven year veteran of the Arcadia Fire Department.

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

On Saturday 06/07/2014, members of the Fillmore Police Department, Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, and Ventura County Probation Agency conducted multiple searches of residences of parolees and probationers in the City of Fillmore and the surrounding unincorporated areas. This operation was funded by a California state grant for supervising post-release and serious habitual offenders, due to state prison Realignment Act (AB 109).

Sheriff’s Deputies visited forty-two Fillmore area locations Saturday morning and conducted probation / parole searches, and served multiple felony arrest warrants. Of the probationers and parolees contacted, 19 subjects were arrested for a variety of charges, ranging from narcotics violations to felon in possession of ammunition charges. Six individuals were booked into the Ventura County Jail, while the remaining were cited and released.

Similar operations have been conducted in Camarillo, Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Ojai, and the Ventura/Oxnard unincorporated areas in recent months.

Unit(s) Responsible: Fillmore Police Department and multiple specialized units of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, and the Ventura County Probation Agency.

Prepared by: Sergeant Mario Aguilar

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).

Tuesday’s City Council meeting began with a Fillmore Fire Fighter Foundation Proclamation presented to Scott Beylik, Mike Bush, Mike Richardson, Bill Morris and Scott Klittich for the generous contributions to Fillmore's Fire Department. But the main focus of the June 10, 2014 Fillmore City Council Meeting was Fillmore's Financial Director Gaylynn Brien presentation of a balanced FY 2014-2015 Budget. Revenue (money in) has not exceeded expenditures (money out) for number of years, so having a balanced budget is very good news. The Budget can be found on the City's website and at the Fillmore Library.

The next year Fillmore expects 36 new residential building permits and 8,320 square feet of non-residential development that will generate $182,729 in permit revenue with the current year estimates of 16 residential projects generating an additional $76,800. This is a projected increase of 138% or by almost $106,000. Property taxes have increased 1.69% adding an additional increase of $20,000.

The biggest increase came as a result of the sales tax sharing agreement; where businesses, that moved to Fillmore because of the agreement, share tax rebates from the Board of Equalization (BOE) with Fillmore. A long court dispute over who should receive the funds was resolved in last year in Fillmore's favor and the BOE has released $14 million in "back taxes" but is still holding $5.2 million of previous taxes and $1.4 million of this year’s taxes, leaving a total of $6.8 million withheld. Of that $6.8 million, Fillmore is expected to receive $1.3 million as its share, and $1.58 million as sales tax revenue on an ongoing basis.

Fillmore, like other CONTINUED »

At the June 10, 2014 Fillmore Unified School District (FUSD) Board Meeting the Board approved the contract for two new employees. One was a new Fillmore High School Principal and the other an Assistant Superintendent of Education Services. The Board gave recognition to three presenters: the Migrant Speech and Debate Team that represented Fillmore at the State Competition, the Migrant Student of the Year and the parents who participated in the English-As-A-Second Language Class.

Mr. Tom Ito has been hired as the new Fillmore High School (FHS) Principal. Ito has experience as a high school science teacher and high school associate principal having worked at Los Angeles Unified School District and Oxnard Union High School District. His most recently was as Associate Principal at Adolfo Camarillo High School. He has a total of 29 years of experience as a teacher, coach and administrator in a wide range of uniquely different comprehensive high schools.

The second hire is Martha Hernandez as Assistant Superintendent of Education Services. Hernandez has served as Director of Curriculum and Instruction for the Ventura County Office of Education and most recently on the state committee as Co-Chair of the English Language Arts/English Language Development Curriculum Framework and Evaluation Criteria Committee. She is bi-lingual with a resume that includes special education teacher, principal, Coordinator of Professional Development and Director of Curriculum and Instruction and the district level.

The FUSD Migrant Student of the Year is Jesus Mendoza. Mendoza has worked hard to achieve his goals and made this education a priority, he maintained a GPA of 3.8 in AP and Honor classes while also participating in extracurricular activities and sports. Jesus has received many awards including the Golden State Seal Merit Diploma and is a CSF Member. He has also been an active student of the Migrant Education Program. He has worked in the homework centers, Migrant Summer School office and participated in the Family Conference, Computer Camp, UCLA Leadership Institute and Speech and Debate Tournament where he had the honor of winning State Champion in 2013.

In his busy CONTINUED »

City of Fillmore

05/20/14
Search Warrant
300 Blk. A St.
400 Blk. Fillmore St.
300 Blk. St.
300 Blk. Saratoga St.
Vandalism
600 Blk. Shiells Dr.
Fight
500 Blk. Central Ave.
Battery
600 Blk. Ventura St.
05/21/14
Fight
900 Blk. Ventura St.
Threats
1100 Blk. Meadowlark Dr.
Disturbance Fireworks
400 Blk. Sespe Ave.
Found Property
1300 Blk. Ventura St.
Accident – Non Injury
A St./Ventura St.
Vandalism CONTINUED »

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

On 06/05/14 at about 10:35 A.M. a Fillmore resident was home when a burglar forced entry into the home and surprised her. The burglar was surprised himself to find the resident inside and fled the residence.

The events unfolded when an adult female resident (victim) living in the 1400 block of Cottonwood Ln. was home. The victim heard a knock on her front door. As she made her way to answer the door, she saw a stranger (suspect) walk into the hallway of her home. The victim was surprised and screamed. The suspect saw her and ran out of the house. He was last seen getting into a dark gray 4-door sedan with tinted windows. Nothing was stolen and nobody was injured in the incident. A subsequent investigation revealed the suspect entered the residence by forcing open a bedroom window.

The suspect is described as a light skinned male Hispanic in his early to late teens. The public is urged to contact the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office with any information related to this case.

Nature of Incident: Residential Burglary
Report Number: 14-12851
Location: 1400 Block Cottonwood Ln. Fillmore, Ca. 93015
Date & Time: 06/05/2014 @ Approximately 10:35 A.M.
Unit(s) Responsible: Patrol / Detectives
(S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent City of Residence Age
(S) Unknown male Hispanic Unknown Unknown
Prepared by: Detective Taurino Almazan
Media Release Date: 06/06/2014
Follow-Up Contact: Detective Taurino Almazan @ (805) 524-2233
Approved by: Captain Mark Franke

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).

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

Sheriff’s investigators eradicated the first large scale marijuana cultivation of the 2014 season with the seizure of 50,280 marijuana plants.

During a marijuana reconnaissance flight in the canyons north of Lake Piru, narcotics investigators discovered a large scale marijuana cultivation site. The marijuana cultivation was located in a canyon approximately 10 miles north of Lake Piru in the Los Padres National Forest. The marijuana plants stretched for over a mile and occupied several smaller side canyons.

On May 23, Investigators from the Sheriff’s Narcotics Bureau West County Street Team, Sheriff’s Custody Bureau, Santa Paula Police Department, and California National Guard Multi-Functional Counter Drug Task Force, were flown to the site by the Sheriff’s Air Unit. 50,280 marijuana plants were eradicated with an estimated street value of over $201,000,000.

Detectives discovered that water had been diverted from several natural springs into hand dug reservoirs. Growers often add fertilizers to these reservoirs, using miles of irrigation hose to water multiple grow sites throughout the canyons. This exploitation of the water course prevents native plants from receiving water and is unsafe for animals or humans to drink. Several hundred pounds of fertilizer were found, along with herbicides, rat poisons, and mountains of trash. Multiple grower campsites were found, one containing a rifle. Investigators believe 6-8 suspects were living in the camps. The suspects fled upon the arrival of investigators.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office believes these large scale marijuana cultivations are connected to Mexican Cartels operating in California. We remind those using our county’s backcountry to be vigilant in watching for clandestine marijuana operations. If you see irrigation hose, fertilizers, rustic campsites, or hikers without equipment in secluded areas, you may be in danger. If you find yourself in an area and see this type of situation, quietly leave the area and notify law enforcement immediately. You can report your observations anonymously.

Nature of Incident: Marijuana Cultivation and Eradication
Report Number: 14-10615
Location: Piru Canyon

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). For full details, view this message on the web.

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office recently participated in a nationwide month-long action named “Operation Broken Heart.” The national crackdown targeted offenders who; possess, manufacture, and distribute child pornography, engage in online enticement of children for sexual purposes, engage in the commercial sexual exploitation of children (commonly referred to as child prostitution), engage in child sex tourism (traveling abroad for the purpose of sexually abusing foreign children) and checking registered sex offenders in the community.

The following people were arrested during this operation:

• Damian Maurice Villarreal Age 30, from the city of Thousand Oaks for Possession of Child Pornography
• Registered Sex Offender Manuel Rene Flores Age 59, from the city of Fillmore for Under the Influence of a Controlled Substance
• Registered Sex Offender Mark Swearingen Age 49 from Thousand Oaks for peeping and child annoying
• Registered Sex Offender Vicente Sosa Pedrito (aka Juan Martinez) Age 47 from the city of Moorpark for failing to register as a sex offender.

In addition to the four arrests above, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office served three Possession of Child Pornography search warrants in the cities of Fillmore, Oxnard, and Ventura. Arrests are pending the completion of computer forensic examinations by the Southern California High Tech Task Force.
.
Sixty one coordinated local task forces throughout the nation made arrests during the month of May, then collected and shared the arrest statistics with the Washington, D.C. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) who will release the statics at a later press conference this month.

Nature of Incident: Ventura County Sheriff’s Office participation in “Operation Broken Heart”
Report Number: N/A
Location: Ventura County
Date & Time: Month of May
Unit(s) Responsible: Ventura County Sheriff’s Office
Prepared by: Sgt. Anthony Aguirre
Media Release Date: June 2, 2014
Follow-Up Contact: Sgt. Anthony Aguirre 805-384-4721
anthony.aguirre@ventura.org
Approved by: Captain Chris Dunn

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).