Photo: Joshiah Shephard and Kaleb Dixon
Ventura County – It was almost 4:00 in the afternoon on November 24th when neighbors spotted unusual activity in a Thousand Oaks backyard and reported it to police.
According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Det. Matt Theobald, the witness described in considerable detail “two males unknown to the neighborhood” as they entered a nearby backyard and shortly thereafter “entered a vehicle occupied by a third suspicious male.”
VCSD deputies attached to the Moorpark Police Station rolled up to the reported address and spotted the suspects’ vehicle driving away from the scene.
A traffic enforcement stop was promptly attempted, but the suspects failed to yield and drove away at a high rate of speed. The responding deputies gave brief pursuit, but “due to the dangers of the reckless driving” of the suspects, the chase was called off.
Shortly thereafter, deputies from the Thousand Oaks Police Station discovered the suspect vehicle abandoned on an area boulevard.
In the distance, the cops spotted three young men running toward a nearby park. At that point, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Air Unit was called to duty. With communication between airborne deputies and those on the ground, it didn’t take long for deputies to locate the three and take them into custody.
One of the suspects was a 15-year-old male juvenile. He was transported to Ventura County Juvenile Detention where he was charged with residential burglary, conspiracy, possession of a stolen vehicle, evading arrest, resisting and obstructing, and driving without a license.
His cohorts, both 18-year-old residents of Thousand Oaks, were identified as Joshiah Shephard and Kaleb Dixon. Both young men were transported to Ventura County Jail, where they were booked on charged of residential burglary, conspiracy, possession of a stolen vehicle, and resisting and obstructing.
Photos: Courtesy Ventura County Jail Booking
