Photo: Ricardo Herrera
Ventura County – In the annals of property crime, one must give credit to Thousand Oaks resident Ricardo Herrera for reaching for the stars.
While the majority of those who steal personal property focus their attention on unlocked vehicles or houses where residents are absent, Herrera focused on commercial property targets with potentially high monetary value.
According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Detective Richard LaSecia, it was just after 7:30 on Sunday morning March 29th when Thousand Oaks Police Department Patrol Services received a break-in alarm report at a commercial establishment on Lawrence Drive.
Responding deputies discovered that the business had suffered the loss of “several items, including vehicle keys to the business owner’s vehicle.
It was quickly determined that the perpetrator had fled the scene in the victim’s vehicle. Approximately four hours later, deputies were called to Thousand Oaks’ Janss Marketplace Shopping Center where the stolen vehicle was observed in an attempt to steal an ATM machine “by utilizing a strap to connect the ATM to the vehicle.” As the theft was in progress, witnesses reported that “the strap broke” and the attempt to remove it failed.
Deputies responding to the shopping center location located the vehicle nearby and accessed video surveillance recordings which “identified the suspect as Ricardo Herrera.” A search issued for Herrera and his residence was served shortly thereafter, leading to the discovery and recovery of property stolen earlier in the day from the commercial establishment.
Herrera was transported to Ventura County Jail, where he was booked on charges of commercial burglary, attempted grand theft, and vehicle theft, with his bail set at $50,000.
Photo: courtesy Ventura County Jail Booking
