Ventura County – According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department Gang Unit Detective J. Foote, recently accelerated efforts to interdict the trafficking of weapons and drugs throughout the Oxnard, Fillmore, and El Rio areas of Ventura have delivered a cornucopia of arrests and seizures.
At the beginning of the month, VCSD Gang Unit deputies engaged in an up-tempo series of searches pursuant to warrants and probation enforcement activities upon individuals suspected of violating the terms of their freedom from custody.
The first probation search reported by Foote occurred on March 12th when Rolando Gallardo, 28, was contacted at an Oxnard residence where he was suspected to have been in “hiding”. According to Foote, Gallardo is “a known member of a criminal street gang”, and when he was found to be in possession of a handgun and a sufficient quantity of methamphetamine to be considered evidence of possession for sale was promptly arrested for those violations.
Just a week later, the VCSD Gang Unit contacted Joseph Lopez, 25, pursuant to a valid probation search. The search took place at a Fillmore residence where Lopez was found to “be in hiding”, according to Foote. Lopez, like Gallardo, is considered “a known member of a criminal street gang and a convicted felon.” His possession of a controlled substance and a handgun on the morning of his contact by Deputies was enough to bring him back into handcuffs with charges of drug and weapons violations.
The following day, March 13th, the same law enforcement team traveled to the El Rio section of Oxnard in pursuit of contact with Timothy Medina, 20, “a known documented member of a criminal street gang”. When Deputies located him, Medina—like the others before him—was holding drugs and a loaded handgun. Beyond his probation status, Medina was out on bail at the time awaiting adjudication of an earlier allegation of his involvement in a gang-related robbery, so any possession of weapons or contraband are reasonably considered an egregious no-no and earned him another arrest ticket with his bail now set at $750,000.
All three gentlemen currently reside at Ventura County Jail.
Photo Courtesy Ventura County Sheriff
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VCSTAR: Police arrest three during March warrant and probation searches
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