Photo: Christian Gutierrez
November 29, 2020 – Ventura County, Ca.
With the current COVID pandemic sending more people on a search for safe and healthy recreation, Ventura County’s beaches, parks, and campgrounds have seen an increase in activity throughout the year. Along with that activity, the business of thievery has seen a significant increase in volume.
According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Beau Rodriguiez, “thieves have primarily targeted the property of campers” with “high-end bicycles and portable generators” as their most sought-after booty. As a response to those crimes, VCSD patrols have increased their law enforcement efforts throughout the county’s beach parks and campgrounds.
Those efforts produced results in the early pre-dawn hours of November 22 nd when a uniformed deputy patrolling the Rincon Parkway Campground along the Pacific Coast Highway spotted “an electric bicycle on the ground next to a cut bike rack cable.” Alighting from his patrol vehicle, the deputy soon discovered 34-year-old Ojai resident Christian Gutierrez “hiding under a nearby vehicle.”
Once Gutierrez was extracted from his hiding spot, he was found to be in possession of an undisclosed amount of methamphetamine as well as a pair of bolt cutters. The ensuing investigation indicated that Gutierrez was the driver of a nearby truck inside of which “two additional high-end bicycles” were found.
Gutierrez was taken into custody and transported to Ventura County Jail, where he was booked on charges of attempted grand theft, possession of burglary tools, vandalism, and possession of a controlled substance with his bail set at $50,000.
Photo: Courtesy Ventura County Jail Booking
