Ventura County – The communities of Ojai and Casitas Springs, nestled in the foothills above Ventura are hardly a hotbed of crime. Neighbors know each other and visitors, while frequent, are easily distinguished from the “locals”. Aside from the occasional drug bust, crime is not what could remotely be defined as “rampant” or even frequent.
These are the communities where, it might be said, they truly do “roll up the sidewalks” when night falls, and with most people safe at home most evenings, nighttime residential burglaries are something of an anomaly. But even anomalies do occasionally transpire, as evidenced by the 4:00 a.m. report of a burglary and theft of multiple motor vehicles on January 29th. Not only was the fact of the crime out of character for a community known for friendly neighbors, but the alleged perpetrator of the burglary made a mistake not usually committed by those engaged in crimes of stealth.
According to Detective Joe Mulrooney, spokesman for the Ventura County Sheriff’s Ojai Patrol, the ensuing investigation indicated multiple victims in the Casitas Springs area, who reportedly “found an identification card on their property near the location of the burglary. Cursory investigation revealed that the card belonged to Mark Pulido, 45, a resident of nearby Ojai, who just happened to be the subject of an outstanding warrant on other charges.
Pursuant to that discovery, Ojai Patrol Officers went to Pulido’s known place of residence “and found him hiding in the attic,” Mulrooney reported. At the residence, deputies recovered multiple items of stolen property, including one of the recreational motor vehicles stolen the prior night. Pulido was promptly arrested on the warrant as well as for theft of a motor vehicle and residential burglary. He was transported to Ventura County Jail where he was booked and charged with the property crimes as well as for being under the influence of a controlled substance, with his bail set at $10,000.
Photo: Courtesy Ventura County Jail Booking
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