Photo: Stock Image
When someone is found guilty of a crime, a judge can decide to give them probation instead of jail time, as long as they agree to follow specific rules. One common requirement is that they submit to a search by law enforcement without the need for a court-issued warrant. These proactive searches by police officers who supervise probation and parole are meant to cut down on the chances that someone will reoffend and to make sure they stick to the rules set by the court. The idea behind these searches is that if probationers or parolees know they could be searched at any time, they’re less likely to have things like drugs or weapons, which can lead to crimes.
That notion apparently didn’t carry much weight with 50-year-old Thousand Oaks resident James Darpino on April 9th when he was riding his bicycle and was pulled over by members of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department Thousand Oaks Directed Enforcement Unit. According to VCSD spokesman Sr. Deputy Danny Lopez, Deputies conducted a search of his person during which Darpino was found to be in possession of “three ounces of methamphetamine, a large amount of U.S. currency” and other indicia of his ongoing activities selling controlled substances on the streets.
A subsequent search of the tent Darpino called home led to the discovery of “two ounces of methamphetamine, 15.3 grams of mushrooms, and 4.5 pounds of marijuana.”
Darpino was then taken into custody and transported to Ventura County Jail, where he was booked on charges of possession for sales of a controlled substance and sale and transport of a controlled substance. He remains in custody with his bail set at $200,000.
