Casey Schmelz
VENTURA COUNTY — On March 15th, Ventura County Sheriff’s Department representative Sgt. John Wright announced to the media the resolution of a case that began on the morning of February 18th, when a car carrying four individuals was stopped by VCSD patrol deputies pursuant to a Motor Vehicle Code violation.
Inside the vehicle were Ventura residents Kenneth Jaggli, 44, Anthony Frederico, 31, and Lindsey Boyle, 32, and Camarillo resident Casey Schmelz, 33.
Kenneth Jaggli
During the traffic stop, deputies observed what Wright described as “a significant amount of copper wire,” leading to an investigation which soon indicated that the wire had been the object of a significant theft from commercial premises in the City of Moorpark some time earlier.
At the suspected crime scene the investigation into the report of stolen copper wire led to the discovery of “an additional large amount of copper wire and high-end electrical circuit breakers” which had been removed from the building with a total loss estimated at more than $500,000.
All four suspects were taken into custody at the time and booked on suspicion of commercial burglary.
The ensuing investigation into the activities of Jaggli, Frederico, Boyle, and Schmelz conducted by a joint task force from the Moorpark Police Department, Thousand Oaks Police Department, Camarillo Police Department, the VCSD Special Crimes Unit, and the Ventura Crime Analysis Unit led authorities to conclude that “several similar commercial burglaries” reported throughout the County of Ventura over the prior nine months had been perpetrated by the four suspects they had in custody, and that Jaggli was also responsible for the theft of a vehicle during that time.
For his recent entrepreneurial efforts, Jaggli—who has a prior record of residential burglary arrests—was arrested and booked into Ventura County Jail on multiple charges of burglary and a single count of auto theft. Frederico, Boyle, and Schmelz were all charged with burglary, and Schmelz earned an additional charge for possession of a controlled substance.
Photos: Courtesy Facebook
