A message from Detective Ray Dominguez:
Farm Watch readers, things have slowed down considerably since I last wrote about the agricultural burglary/theft series we had been experiencing over the past several months. I believe this is due in part to search warrants served in connection with the cases being investigated, and the incarceration of suspect(s) associated with this crime series on other unrelated cases.

As a reminder, these suspect(s) had been targeting storage facilities; particularly conex storage containers. They were stealing irrigation equipment, including brass sprinkler heads, valves, and aluminum irrigation pipe and taking it to recycling centers. I later discovered that these same suspects began targeting farm buildings and workshops where they stole various hand tools, power tools, and welding equipment.

While conducting follow-up investigation related to these cases, I successfully identified several victims and recovered some of their property. However, I still have property seized by way of a search warrant that has not been identified. Among the items seized are miscellaneous hand tools, power tools, and welding machines. Again, the problem is the items seized are not uniquely marked for identification and some victims had no record of the serial number information for their property.

If you have property that was stolen, but have not been contacted by the Sheriff's Office, please contact me directly at (805) 384-4726 to discuss this matter. These cases are still being investigated and evidence collected at the various crime scenes is being processed. I'm seeking arrest warrants for suspects linked to these cases and arrests are pending.

On another note, I'm pleased to announce that several arrests have been made by deputies working in the unincorporated areas surrounding Fillmore and Santa Paula. Deputies have been diligent in their efforts to stop avocado thefts and will continue to patrol these areas looking for suspicious subjects. Kudos to the deputies working at Fillmore PD!

The following advice is always wise if you suspect illegal activity on your property:
・ Call the Sheriff's Office immediately at 911.
・ Be a good witness
・ Note suspect descriptions such as age, height, weight, facial hair, clothing, and shoe type.
・ If a vehicle is involved, obtain a license plate number and note vehicle color, body damage, bumper stickers, camper shell, after market tires and wheels, etc.
・ Provide the dispatcher with information about the time and last known direction of travel.

If you are not sure of how to address the problem or would like additional crime prevention tips please contact your local Sheriff's Office substation or me directly at (805) 384-4726 or by email at ray.dominguez@ventura.org.

Contacts:
Camarillo Detective Gene Martinez gene.martinez@ventura.org
Fillmore Detective John Fox john.fox@ventura.org
Ventura Detective Dennis Smith dennis.smith@ventura.org
Agricultural Crimes Detective Ray Dominguez ray.dominguez@ventura.org
Be alert and stay safe! Ray
Geoff Dean - Sheriff
John Crombach and Gary Pentis - Assistant She