Photo: Squatter’s location
Ventura – The collaborative efforts of an impressive range of law enforcement agencies were brought into play in the October 12th arrests of ten offenders suspected of being part of a “public nuisance” in a Ventura condominium complex.
According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Detective Tyler Ebell, the arrests were the culmination of “a two-month multi-agency investigation” involving suspected members of a criminal street gang. Hence, the agencies involved included:
• The City of Ventura Police Department Task Force
• California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
• Ventura County Animal Control
• Ventura County Child Protective Services
• California Post Release Offender Supervision Unit
• Ventura county Sheriff’s Department K9 Unit
• Ventura County Sheriff’s Gang Unit
The investigation progressed with the cooperation of the local community interested in a peaceful resolution of “a public neighborhood nuisance” in a large condominium complex within Ventura city limits.
Nuisance location
The property had reportedly been “overrun by squatters for the past year,” and had become “a safe haven for gang members, narcotics users, wanted felons, wanted parolees, and other known dangerous criminals.”
With that background, it was early on the morning of October 12th when deputies served a search warrant on the property and found evidence of drug use and sales, as well as multiple persons with felony warrants.
As a result, they “red-tagged” the property as unsafe to live in. Deputies rescued sixteen dogs from the premises and arrested the following individuals:
• Dustin Townley, 39 of Ventura
• Marcos Angula, 43 of Ventura
• Francisco Bobnifacio, 30 of Ventura
• Christine Loera, 33 of Port Hueneme
• John Anderson, 52 of Thousand Oaks
• Cesar Alvarez, 43 of Camarillo
• Marie Snyder, 33 of Oak View
• Clara Ashford, 23 of Santa Paula
• Rebecca Deleon, 32 of Ventura
• Deborah Fernow, 58 of Ojai
Finally, authorities booked all suspects on various charges including child endangerment, possession of a controlled substance, being under the influence of a controlled substance, and parole and probation violations.
Photos: Courtesy Ventura County Sheriff’s Department
