Ventura County – When Thomas Ledbetter, a 22-year-old resident of Ventura, was out cruising around for a soft burglary target in the hours just before dawn on September 24th, it’s unlikely that he anticipated getting into a major scuffle with his victim that would result in a booking mugshot photo featuring his battered countenance.
But that’s exactly what Ledbetter found himself dealing with when he was in the process of burglarizing a parked car in the Silver Stand beachfront community west of Oxnard, and the vehicle’s owner—on his way to work just after 6:00 a.m. that morning—confronted him. According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Brian Richmond, the vehicle owner wasn’t too receptive to the notion of having his car burglarized right in front of his eyes, and “a physical altercation ensued” in which the burglary victim clearly prevailed to the point that he successfully “detained the suspect until deputies arrived on scene.”
Those deputies, responding to the victim’s initial report of a vehicle burglary in progress, promptly investigated the proceedings and discovered Ledbetter to be in possession of the victim’s property…as well as a significantly contused and bloodied face. Ledbetter was also found to be in possession of other stolen property “that belonged to additional victims,” and was summarily taken into custody, treated for his injuries, and then transported to Ventura County Jail where he was booked on charges of vehicle burglary, possession of stolen property, and felony battery, with his bail set at $40,000.
Ledbetter was also arrested in May and January of this year, as well as in December, June, March and February of 2014, mostly on drug and stolen property charges.
Photo: Courtesy Ventura County Jail Booking
