Photo: Doug Whitaker, Chris Hulin and Laird Nelson…..
Ventura County – Five males, including a 17-year-old juvenile, were arrested on the night of August 27th following what Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Det. Sgt. Eduardo Malagon reported as “proactive enforcement” targeting individuals suspected of involvement “in the sale of narcotics to minors” in the Newbury Park area.
During a fairly low-key investigation by deputies attached to the Moorpark Police Station and by VCSD Narcotics Detectives, information was gathered that pointed to 22-year-old Moorpark resident Douglas Whitaker’s “involvement” in a pattern of ongoing sales of controlled substances and marijuana to “underage minors” in the community.
…and Mike Nielson
With Whitaker in their sights, detectives established surveillance of his home and ultimately obtained a search warrant for his person, his vehicle, and his residence.
A vehicle being driven by 18-year-old Laird Nelson in which Whitaker was riding as a passenger was pulled over in a “routine traffic stop” on August 27th. Both young men were detained while a search of the vehicle was conducted. That search led to the discovery of “a small quantity of cocaine and MDMA (ecstasy)” and both Whitaker and Nelson were taken into custody and transported to the Moorpark Police Station for booking.
A subsequent search of Whitaker’s residence brought deputies into contact with 18-year-old Newbury Park resident Michael Nielson, who are arrested for being under the influence and for being in possession of Psilocybin mushrooms and cocaine.
Also at the residence were 18-year-old Moorpark resident Christopher Hulin and a 17-year-old juvenile male. Hulin was in possession of MDMA and a loaded firearm. Both he and the juvenile were determined to be under the influence of a controlled substance.
By the end of the evening, detectives seized “155 grams of Psilocybin mushrooms, 4.76 grams of cocaine, 26 grames of MDMAA, over 1000 grams of marijuana packaged for sale and an unregistered firearm.” Whitaker, Hulin, Nelson, and Nielsen were all transported to Ventura County Jail, where they were booked on a myriad of misdemeanor and felony narcotics and firearms charges; the male juvenile was transported to Ventura County Juvenile Justice Center.
Photos: Courtesy Ventura County Jail Booking
