Ventura County – Even the most cursory review of the Handbook for Successful Criminal Behavior will inform the reader of the fundamental rule of thievery: If you’re committing one crime, it’s not a good idea to be in possession of evidence of yet another crime. Judging from the report of Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. John Wright, Woodland Hills resident David Rhodes, 58, failed to appreciate that basic concept of criminality on the morning of June 25th.
It was shortly after 9:00 a.m. that day when Moorpark Police received a 911 Emergency call reporting a theft at a local area gas station. Responding deputies were given what Wright described as “a detailed description” of the perpetrator’s vehicle, and it was only two hours later that a vehicle matching that description was observed in the same area. The ensuing traffic stop of the suspect car—with Rhodes behind the wheel—led deputies to conclude that he had indeed been involved in the gas station theft.
An immediate field inspection of Rhodes’ car revealed “a significant amount of illegal fireworks” inside, whereupon units of the Moorpark Special Enforcement Detail and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department Bomb Squad were summoned to the scene. It was soon determined that Rhodes was transporting the fireworks with the intent to illegally sell them in the city of Moorpark. Once the Bomb Squad inspected the fireworks and removed them safely from Rhodes’ car, he was arrested for felony possession of dangerous fireworks, theft, and being under the influence of a controlled substance.
Rhodes was transported to Ventura County Jail for booking on the aforementioned charges, with his bail set at $25,000.
Photo: Courtesy Ventura County Sheriff
