Ventura County Sheriff's Department

On January 16-18th, 2015 the Fillmore Explorer Post #2958 attended the 2015 Law Enforcement Explorer Tactical Competition in Chandler, Arizona. The competition tested the explorers on their ability to effectively handle several different scenarios that Law Enforcement officers encounter on a daily basis, including marijuana field raid, crisis negotiation, hostage rescues, and officer down scenarios. The explorers also participated in physical fitness events that tested their strength and agility. Over 50 explorer posts from over 5 different states attended the competition, including Ventura County Sheriff Office’s: Fillmore, Headquarters, Camarillo, and Ojai explorer post’s in addition to the Simi Valley and Oxnard explorer posts.

In the end the Fillmore explorers returned home with several trophies which were: 2nd place in Marijuana Field Raid; 2nd place in Tactical Relay; 2nd place in 10 man TK4 pull. In addition to these team-oriented awards, special recognition was given to Explorer Matthew Hammond for receiving 4th place in the 3 mile run.

The Law Enforcement explorer program consists of young men and women ages 14-21 with an interest in learning more about careers in the field of Law Enforcement. The explorer program provides law enforcement career experiences, leadership opportunities, educational training, and community service activities. The primary goals of the program are to help young adults choose a career path within law enforcement and to challenge them to become responsible citizens in their communities and the nation.

If you would like more information about your local explorer program, please contact School Resource Officer, Deputy Leonardo Vazquez at Leonardo.vazquez@ventura.org or 805-947-8150

Nature of Incident: Explorer Tactical Competition
Location: Chandler, AZ
Date & Time: January 16-18, 2015
Unit(s) Responsible: Fillmore Police Department
Prepared by: Cadet J.Espinoza
News Release Date: January 28, 2014
Media Follow-Up Contact: Deputy Leonardo Vazquez / leonardo.vazquez@ventur.org or 805-947-8150
Approved by: Captain Dave Wareham

On Monday, February 2, Hannah Bartels won out over a talented field of five speakers at the Lions’ Club International Fillmore before a crowd of fifty people. The topic this year was ‘Water Conservation: How Can We Reduce, Recycle and Reclaim?’ Hannah won the first prize of $100 and will next compete at the Zone 8 competition against the winners of other local Lions’ Speech Contests on February 23rd at the Camarillo Boys and Girls Club at 6:00 sharp. The general public is welcome to attend. Hannah is a La Reina High School freshman living in Fillmore and is the daughter of Laura and Bill Bartels.

The other talented speakers in the contest were Jacob Brooks, Jene Torrango, Wesley Brecheen and Chris Berrington. Lauren Magdaleno and Bianca Rios also participated. Bill Edmonds, contest chairman stated, “This is the best field of speakers that we’ve had for many, many years.” The judges for this year’s contest were Dr. Cynthia King, The Right Reverend Doctor Harvey Guthrie and Susan Cuttriss.

The River Restoration Project was headed by Cynthia Frutos and pictured above Laura Todes.

The February 3, 2015 Fillmore Unified School District (FUSD) Board Meeting began with two Recognition of Achievement Awards presented to the Sheriff's Department Fillmore Explorers and to those participating in the River Restoration Project. There were also two agenda items and an emergency item.

FUSD continues to move forward with upgrading its infrastructure. One important upgrade with a huge price tag is Internet Technology (IT) which also includes wireless access. Eric Tilton founder of MJT Technologies gave a presentation explaining what upgrades FUSD needs to meet today's standards.

At present FUSD is behind in meeting those standards. What FUSD is using is at the end-of-life stage; a Cisco Exchange 2003 system. According to Tilton, using it could create a "Critical communications systems such as email and phone systems are at risk of near term failure and must be updated....the server room at Fillmore High has many areas of vulnerability. The equipment is old and prone to failure, and the power backup system only supports keeping the equipment running for maybe 20 minutes during a power outage" adding there is an increasing chance that they will crash and never come back online again.

Superintendent Dr. Adrian Palazuelos anticipates a $500,000 grant from E-rate Federal funding to help with the costs of upgrading to Office 365 and moving to a Cloud server. The move will improve such things as email, instant messaging, video conferencing and file storage. Another upgrade will be wireless connection at all FUSD schools. Today wireless access is available at Rio Vista, Sierra High School and only 2 or 3 rooms at Fillmore High School. Piru Elementary recently received the Apple ConnectED grant to upgrade their system.

Presently FUSD has CONTINUED »

The American Red Cross encourages eligible donors to help ensure a sufficient and diverse blood supply by giving blood this February.

Since the beginning of the year, widespread flu and inclement winter weather in some parts of the country have prevented many regular donors from making or keeping their blood donation appointments. Healthy and diverse blood donors are needed to help maintain a sufficient blood supply.

Diversity among blood donors is important because red blood cells carry markers that determine one's blood type, and certain blood types are unique to specific racial and ethnic groups. Blood must be matched very closely for those patients with rare blood types or for those who need repeated transfusions. Patients are less likely to have complications from blood donated by someone with a similar ethnicity.

All blood types are needed, especially types O negative, A negative and B negative. To learn more about donating blood and to schedule an appointment, download the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Upcoming blood donation opportunities

Simi Valley
2/21/15 9:00 AM - 3:15 PM Rancho Santa Suzanna Community Center,
5005-C Los Angeles Ave
2/27/15 1:00 PM - 7:15 PM Rancho Santa Suzanna Community Center,
5005-C Los Angeles Ave

Thousand Oaks
2/16/15 1:00 PM - 7:15 PM Thousand Oaks Inn, 75 W Thousand Oaks Blvd
2/18/15 1:00 PM - 7:15 PM Thousand Oaks Inn, 75 W Thousand Oaks Blvd
2/23/15 1:00 PM - 7:15 PM Thousand Oaks Inn, 75 W Thousand Oaks Blvd

Ventura
2/17/15 1:00 PM - 7:15 PM Ventura City Hall, 501 Poli Street

How to donate blood
Simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver's license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental consent in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood.

High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

About the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

VENTURA COUNTY, CA - Since mid-December, the State of California has confirmed 92 cases of measles as of Monday, February 2nd. Ventura County has now reported 10 cases. Despite the increase in number of cases, most people have immunity to measles. “Probably 95% of the population is immune to measles because they had 2 MMRs, their childhood measles shots,” said Dr. Robert Levin, Health Officer for Ventura County.

At this time, 91.6% of all children entering kindergarten in Ventura County have had 2 MMR shots and are thus immune to catching the disease. There are schools in the county with a particularly low rate of MMR immunization. One private school on the east end of the county has a measles immunization rate of 67%. Most public schools in Oxnard, on the other hand, have a measles immunization rate of 100%.

Symptoms of measles include cough, runny nose, reddened eyes, fever, a rash and often, tiny sores in the mouth. A person with measles may only have a few of these symptoms. “Most people with measles feel quite sick, as sick as someone feels with the flu,” said Dr. Levin. Measles is a very contagious disease and entirely preventable. While not as deadly as Ebola, for instance, it is 5 to 15 times more contagious. People who contract measles are contagious for 4 days before they develop the rash and for 4 more days after they develop the rash.

For information on a Public Health clinic near you if you are in need of immunizations, please call: 805-981-5221; for a Ventura County Health Care Agency Ambulatory Care clinic near you, please call: 805-677-5110.

SACRAMENTO – Dr. Gil Chavez, State Epidemiologist and Deputy Director, Center for Infectious Diseases, California Department of Public Health (CDPH) today confirmed that a patient admitted to Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento Medical Center on Wednesday evening who exhibited symptoms consistent with a viral illness including Ebola, and with a history of travel to an Ebola-affected country, has tested negative for the Ebola virus.

“State and local health officials have been working hard with California’s Ebola Treatment Centers to safely and effectively identify, isolate, diagnose and treat suspect Ebola patients. This recent case at Kaiser South illustrates that our hard work and partnership has paid off,” said Dr. Chavez.

The test for Ebola conducted by the Sacramento County Public Health Laboratory came back negative early this afternoon.

At this time, there have been no confirmed cases of Ebola in California and there is no threat to the general public. Ebola symptoms may appear anywhere between two to 21 days after exposure and include a fever, muscle pain, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain and lack of appetite. Travelers from Africa may experience flu-like or GI symptoms due to malaria or other non-Ebola associated diseases.

Whenever there is a person displaying symptoms that may be Ebola, who has recently traveled to Sierra Leone, Liberia or Guinea, certain precautions are taken including isolating the patient, ruling out other infectious diseases, and testing for Ebola if warranted. The California Department of Public Health, in coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Sacramento County Public Health and Kaiser South Sacramento, worked together to ensure protocols were in place to protect the public health.

For more information, visit http://cdph.ca.gov/programs/cder/Pages/Ebola.aspx.
www.cdph.ca.gov

Benjamin Fernandez Herbert

Over the years, as a school counselor, I have been blessed to be in a position to work with many, many young students from kindergarten through beyond high school. Their beautiful faces and unique expressions come to my mind as I recall good, sad and life-changing experiences that will be forever in my heart. Not one young man or young woman has ever been alike in their life story, personality or challenges.

Ben Fernández Herbert was a Fillmore High School Graduate of 2011. He lived in his beautiful Fillmore all his life. Ben tragically passed away in a car accident on Sunday, January 18, 2015.
Ben was born to Sara Abigail Herbert and Saul Fernandez. He is survived by his mother Sara A. Herbert, siblings Jorge Garcia Herbert, Claudina Luna Herbert, Carmen Aragón Herbert and Brenda Medina Herbert as well as nephew Derek Luna, and many aunts and uncles on both sides of family. Sadly, Ben’s father, Saul Fernandez, died in a bike-riding accident when Ben was three years old.

Ben was a handsome young man, physically, and from within; he had that special gift of being friendly, charismatic, having a happy demeanor with a megawatt smile that reminded you of what a decent young man and all that is good in the world was all about. Ben knew how to be a good, sincere friend and exuded a healthy outlook on life. He had such a positive influence on everyone he met. Those of us who knew Ben; his loving mother, Sara, lovely girlfriend Amanda, siblings, uncles and aunts, friends, co-workers and adults, whether for a moment or years, have felt the great loss and impact of his tragic passing. We also acknowledge how very blessed we all were to be touched by Ben.

He had set many goals in his life, and was able to reach some pretty serious ones by his young age of 21. That was how he was; he set his goals and met them head-on, one by one. He valued higher education and knew that by acquiring knowledge, he would be able to have a solid foundation for his future life.

He was a loving son. Ben’s nickname for his precious mom was “Pancha”, as he hugged and kissed her with great love. Ben would tease his sweet Grandmom “Cuca” María Fernández, who raised him alongside his mom, and make her laugh when he sang to her as he returned home from seeing his beautiful girlfriend Amanda. Mom Sara lovingly recalls how, as children, he and his nephew Derek loved to play with their Power Rangers and they used to switch and wear mismatched Power Rangers socks all the time. Ben would dress up in his Power Rangers suit and have a blast. Ben and Derek were 6 months apart, Ben being the eldest. Laughing, mom said that Ben loved his beloved pet gecko “Lilo” so much that once he desperately tore the house inside out until Lilo was found hidden behind the bathroom door. Mom said that Lilo would immediately come up to Ben’s shoulder when he laid his hand out, but Lilo would hide and not come out for anyone else.

Mom laughed as she said how much Ben loved BBQ pork ribs, piling up the BBQ sauce high on his plate! Mom recalls how much he ate and ate, but always remained slender. She remembered how he and his Derek signed up to play football when he was 8 years old. She loved watching him have fun and trying out new things.

Mom added, he and Derek had made a pact to team up to start working on a professional dream to be rescue firefighters in the mountainous areas. This past January 12th Ben and Derek started the Spring Semester at Ventura College. Mom Sara and Grandmom Cuca would see them both go off with their backpacks, as they did when they were little boys.

In remembering him, his older brother Jorge said, “Ben was an excellent person who never gave up on his goals. Despite tough obstacles in his young life, he remained strong and remained optimistic because he believed that through his own hard work and effort he would, and always did, figure a way to meet the latest challenge. Ben’s great love for his beautiful mother Sara, and his love, respect and fear for his loving God helped him in his struggles in life.”

Mrs. Isela Larin, FHS Career Center Counselor, stated that Ben was a very dedicated, highly motivated, polite young man who came into her office asking about the process to serve as a FHS Fire Department Cadet. He was approved and served as a Fillmore Fire Cadet in his FHS Junior year, 2010. He successfully completed the program and was a great asset to the Fillmore Fire Department.

Former Fillmore Starbucks Supervisor, Alberto Caceres, told me that Ben had recently been promoted as supervisor and had just opened the Santa Paula Starbucks store. His loving girlfriend Amanda Armstrong, hundreds of school and college friends, as well as Starbucks coworkers from the Fillmore and Santa Paula Starbucks, greatly miss him.

Jorge said, “Ben never accepted ‘I can’t’ as part of his vocabulary. Ben found God to be very present in his daily life, but also was very much aware of what God expected of him – no excuses! He had a lot of thoughts that he shared with many of his friends, words that gave life and encouragement to others dealing with hard moments in their lives. He was the kind of person that would share his time talking with friends and guide his friends and gave so much of his energy to serve others.”

Pastor Ernie Rangel, of Promesa de Jesús Church, spoke of Ernie with great love, “Ben, (and his mother, Sara) was a very active member of their church. Ben was in the youth group, church choir and band, playing his guitar for many years.”

As I remember Ben Fernández Herbert, the young man who left us too early in life, I pray that his young friends who have been touched by this tragedy remember him as he was. Ben was an excellent role model for all and I have learned a lot from him to be a better person. I wish we could have duplicated him a million times, because the world would have been a much better place, less violence, less bullying, good hearts around.

Mom Sara and Grandmom Cuca said they would always leave the outside light on for him, listening for his steps as he returned late at night. Mom said they still leave the light on, waiting for him to come home.

Norma Pérez-Sandford is a FUSD District K-12 Counselor

Fillmore City Councilmember Dianne McCall

Earlier this month, Deputy Oren Ryerson, a patrol deputy for the city of Fillmore, arrested a young man and brought him back to the station. As they spoke, the young man became emotional and explained his mother recently lost her job and was unable to buy food for the family, which includes four younger siblings. Deputy Ryerson explained the situation to Senior Deputy Cesar Salas and the two worked it out to buy food for the family, which Senior Deputy Salas delivered that morning. Later, Deputy Ryerson spoke to Fillmore City Councilwoman Dianne McCall about the family’s plight. Councilwoman McCall wanted to help by purchasing food for the family and finding work for the young man. Deputy Ryerson and Councilwoman McCall met at the family home the following day with food they had purchased. Councilwoman McCall told the mother that other members of the Fillmore community wanted to help as well.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office is proud to work in communities with dedicated and caring people such as Councilwoman Dianne McCall, Deputy Ryerson, and Senior Deputy Salas.