Photo: Richard Paul Winans
February 6, 2021 – Ventura County, Ca.
Sneaking around in the dark of night while stealing the contents of mailboxes may not sound like a major crime, but Oxnard’s Hollywood Beach neighbors spotting such activity close to midnight on February 2 nd felt it serious enough to call the cops.
According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Beau Rodriguez, a witness report indicated that “a female subject” rifled through several mailboxes and then hopped into a waiting car “occupied by a male subject.” The reporting witness noted the vehicle license plate and provided a detailed description of the vehicle while on the phone with Ventura County Sheriff’s Dispatch operators.
Krystal Myong Lizotte
Just minutes later, VCSD patrol units spotted the suspect vehicle cruising along an Oxnard thoroughfare. By the time they caught up to the car, it was unoccupied. A quick search of the area lead to the discovery of 41-year-old Simi Valley resident Richard Paul Winans and 35-year- old Simi Valley resident Krystal Myong Lizotte who were “hiding in some bushes” nearby.
Once Winans and Lizotte were extracted from the bushes, Lizotte was determined to be on active probation for a prior drug offense conviction, with search terms attendant to her probation. Winans, the registered owner of the suspect vehicle, inexplicably “gave consent for a vehicle search,” whereupon the cops quickly found “a loaded .380 handgun” in the car’s glove box which proved to be unregistered.
Both Winans and Lizotte were trundled off to Ventura County Jail, where he was booked on charges of carrying a concealed and loaded firearm in a vehicle, and Lizotte was booked for possession of a controlled substance and for destroying evidence. Both Winans and Lizotte were cited and released on their own recognizance pending future court appearances.
Photos: Courtesy Ventura County Jail Booking
