District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced that a guilty plea was entered by Juventino Reyes Guerrero (DOB 09/11/78), of Piru, for his role in working with an illegal wildlife poaching group, known as the “E-Bike Crew.”

Reyes Guerrero, the operator of Fish & Wildlife licensing equipment located at Lizette’s Market in Piru, pled guilty on Monday, January 30, 2023, to six felonies, including two counts of conspiracy to commit a crime and four counts of filing a false or forged document.

Reyes Guerrero is scheduled to be sentenced on March 15, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. in courtroom 12 of the Ventura County Superior Court, where he is expected to receive 180 days in the Ventura County Jail and a lifetime ban operating state computers, such as the one in Lizette’s Market for printing hunting tags.

“The defendant abused the licensing systems and helped to orchestrate illegal killings of local wildlife,” said District Attorney Erik Nasarenko. “His actions endangered our environment, and as a consequence of his guilty plea, he will have a lifetime ban from issuing hunting tags and licenses.”

Martin Bravo Sr. (DOB 04/14/63), of Oxnard, Martin M. Bravo (DOB 05/13/92), of Oxnard, Walfre Lopez y Lopez (DOB 06/14/84), of Oxnard, Gilberto Lopez Hernandez (DOB 02/15/88), of Thousand Oaks, Jaime Mendoza Avila (DOB 10/02/81), of Porterville, and Cristian Lopez Perez (DOB 02/11/91), of Los Angeles, are the six charged members of the “E-Bike Crew” wildlife trafficking organization (WTO).

California Department of Fish & Wildlife investigated the “E-Bike Crew” discovering that they worked with Reyes Guerrero to fraudulently reprint hunting licenses and tags.

“This guilty plea is a testament to the intensive and thorough investigation on the part of our wildlife officers in combination with support from the Ventura District Attorney’s Office investigators and prosecutors,” said David Bess, Chief of the Law Enforcement Division and Deputy Director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW).

An early disposition conference for the six WTO members is scheduled for April 6, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. in courtroom 12 of the Ventura County Superior Court.

Defendant Information:
Juventino Reyes Guerrero (DOB 09/11/78), Piru
Charges Pled Guilty to:
• (2 counts) PC 182 (a)(1) – Conspiracy to commit a crime
• (4 counts) PC 115(a) - Filing a false or forged document

Pictured (l-r) is President Elect Scott Beylik and Rotarian Ernie Villegas. Courtesy Rotarian Martha Richardson.
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The speaker was Fillmore Rotary’s own Ernie Villegas. He has recently been appointed to the Fillmore/Piru Memorial District Board. As you all know the Memorial Building and Youth Building are completely closed due to the many repairs needed. Ernie has been working diligently looking for funding and they have been approved for two grants totaling $2.1 million. While that is amazing it will not be enough for the entire renovation. After the complete inspection of the two buildings, a priority list was compiled, and the roof will be the first repair made. Ernie is now researching who can do the work. He has also been talking to the county about making the Memorial Building an Emergency Service Operation Center.

Applications are now being accepted from high school senior girls for the P.E.O. Education Award. Girls planning to attend an accredited undergraduate degree program or a vocational/skills training program may pick up an application in the career center at FHS. Applicants must live within the boundaries of Fillmore Unified School District but do not have to attend Fillmore High School. Potential candidates may also call (805) 625-0264 for information about how to obtain an application. Deadline
to return applications is February 17, 2023.

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

On 01/09/2023, a victim, driving her vehicle out of the extreme weather conditions in the unincorporated area of Ventura County at South Mountain Road / Balcom Canyon Road, became stranded in the mud and water. The victim was forced to evacuate and abandon her vehicle, leaving several personal items behind, including credit cards.

The next day, the victim’s bank alerted her to fraudulent credit card activity in excess of $1,800.00 made using the stolen credit cards at several businesses in the surrounding area. An unknown suspect had entered the abandoned vehicle, stole the victims credit cards, and made several fraudulent purchases at local businesses.

Detectives assigned to the Santa Clara Valley Station obtained video of the suspects making these fraudulent purchases. Detectives were able to visually identify both suspects as Fillmore resident Rodrigo Estrada aka Rodrigo Perez and Santa Paula resident Pedro Chavez.

On 01/25/2023, Pedro Chavez was contacted and arrested in the city of Fillmore without incident. On 01/30/2023, Rodrigo Estrada aka Rodrigo Perez was contacted in the city of Santa Paula and he was arrested without incident. A search warrant of the vehicle driven by the suspects was obtained and numerous items purchased with the stolen credit cards were recovered.

Both parties were arrested and booked into the Ventura County Pre-Trail Detention Facility for violations of California Penal Code 530.5 (a) / Identity Theft and 182 (a) (1) / Conspiracy to Commit a Crime and 496 (a) / Receiving Stolen Property.

Pedro Chavez remains in custody with his bail set at $50.000.00. His court date is 01/31/2023. Rodrigo Estrada aka Rodrigo Perez also remains in custody with his bail set at $50.000.00. His court date is 02/01/2023.

Anyone with information pertaining to crimes of this nature are urged to contact the Fillmore Police Department at (805) 524-2233, Detective Valdez, or Detective Lemar at the below listed numbers. The reporting party may remain anonymous.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office is committed to maintaining the safety of all residents by continued community partnerships. The Fillmore Police Department encourages citizens to immediately report suspicious people and vehicles, and to promptly report any crime they come across by calling 911. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank members of the public for their on-going support and due diligence in providing information to assist our agency in solving crimes.

Nature of Incident: Suspects Victimize Flood Evacuee
Report Number: 23-3952
Location: South Mountain Road / Balcom Canyon Road, Unincorporated area of Ventura County
Date & Time: January 10, 2023 @ 9:48 AM
Unit(s) Responsible: Santa Clara Valley Station Patrol, Santa Clara Valley Detectives
(S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent City of Residence Age
(S-1) Rodrigo Estrada aka Rodrigo Perez, Fillmore, 45
(S-2) Pedro Soria Chavez, Santa Paula, 26
Prepared by: Detective Sergeant Will Hollowell
Approved by: Captain Eduardo Malagon

Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).

Captain Eduardo “Lalo” Malagon, Fillmore’s New Chief of Police.

Sheriff Jim Fryhoff is pleased to announce the city of Fillmore has selected Captain Eduardo “Lalo” Malagon as its next police chief. Malagon has been selected to replace outgoing chief, Captain Garo Kuredjian after the announcement of his upcoming promotion to commander.

"I had an instant connection with Lalo, his diverse background and ability to speak Spanish will be a great asset. I am looking forward to working closely with him,” said Fillmore City Manager David Rowlands. Malagon is a 23-year veteran of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and a lifelong Ventura County resident. Lalo started his career with the Sheriff’s Office in 2000, where he worked as a Cadet and Sheriff’s Service Technician. After graduating the academy in 2003, Lalo worked a variety of assignments including Detention Services, Patrol Services, Special Enforcement Unit, Sheriff’s Gang Unit, and Special Crimes Unit/Intelligence. Lalo has served as a supervisor in Court Services, Narcotics Unit, Sheriff’s Gang Unit, and most recently as a Patrol Services Watch Commander. His collateral assignments have included the Tactical Response Team, SWAT Team operator, and SWAT Team supervisor. Lalo is happily married to his wife Carla of 20 years, and they are raising four children.

“I am excited for Captain Eduardo “Lalo” Malagon to continue the tradition of exemplary service to the city of Fillmore and the Santa Clara Valley,” said Sheriff Jim Fryhoff. “Lalo comes to Fillmore with a strong and diverse background of assignments which will serve him and the community well.”

Malagon will begin as Fillmore police chief on January 22, 2023. In speaking about the move, Malagon said, “I am blessed to have the opportunity to connect with the residents of Fillmore and provide the highest level of service possible.”

Prepared by: Captain Cameron Henderson
Approved by: Sheriff Jim Fryhoff

The City of Fillmore has partnered with Patrick Ibarra from The Mejorando Group, one of the nation’s leading experts on government succession and workforce planning for local governments, to facilitate a goal setting session with elected officials in developing forward-looking results based strategic plans to achieve superior performance while meeting the needs and expectations of the community of Fillmore.

Building for the future with a thoughtful purpose and keeping our most vulnerable on our minds, with clear communication to the residents and businesses were a top priority.
Key Results Areas included: Fiscal Management, Public Safety, Economic Development and Innovation, Natural Resources, Arts and Culture, Smart Growth, Community Affordability, Community Engagement and Communication, Infrastructure and Organizational Excellence. City Council and staff will be focusing on these areas over the next several years. “It was great to listen to city council discuss the future of Fillmore keeping the small town feel we all love while still moving forward in our ever-changing world” said David Rowlands, City Manager.

City Manager, David Rowlands, presented to City Council a 2023 Workplan focused on citywide initiatives and projects. The Work Plan is not intended to be comprehensive of all work underway by the City. This workplan is a foundation to achieve necessary goals. City Council was supportive of the provided workplan. Capturing highly visible projects and initiatives is an effective way to focus City attention and resources on the right priorities.

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On Tuesday morning, January 17, 2023, three male suspects were arrested after stealing a catalytic converter, assaulting a victim, and evading arrest in a vehicle pursuit. All three suspect were booked into Ventura County Jail with bail set at $250,000 each.

Santa Paula Police dispatch received a 9-1-1 call at about 3:00 a.m. A witness near the 600 block of Venus St. reported suspects removing the catalytic converter of a vehicle in front of a residence. The victim, who was awakened by a surveillance camera alert, walked out to the front of the residence to check the area and the was encountered by one suspect while the other suspects removed the catalytic converter from the victim’s vehicle using a portable electric saw.

While removing the catalytic converter, one of the suspects used the blade of the saw in an attempt to stab the victim as the victim tried to intervene. The suspects loaded the catalytic converter into a truck and drove away. The witness quickly provided suspect and vehicle information to the dispatcher. A broadcast was immediately announced and a Santa Paula Police Officer located the vehicle as it was leaving the city, eastbound on Highway 126. The vehicle failed to yield for a traffic stop and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Fillmore Station patrol deputies assisted in pursuing the vehicle.

The vehicle continued eastbound into Los Angeles County on Highway 126 and California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers deployed a spike strip in an attempt to disable the vehicle. The vehicle became disabled southbound on Interstate 5 near Rye Canyon Rd. All three suspects were taken into custody and were transported to the Santa Paula Police Station.

The victim did not sustain any injuries during the catalytic converter theft. The suspects were arrested for a variety of charges including conspiracy, robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, vandalism, evading arrest, and grand theft. All three suspects were arraigned in Ventura County Superior Court on January 19th. The suspects were identified as Victor Trujillo, Billy Nava, and Marcelo Ramirez, all from Los Angeles.

Arrests were able to be made due to an alert resident reporting suspicious activity, the quick broadcast announced by the dispatcher, and the actions of Santa Paula police officers, Ventura County Sheriff’s deputies, and CHP officers. The victim’s catalytic converter, another catalytic converter, and tools of the crime were recovered as evidence. Anyone who believes their vehicle had a catalytic converter removed can report it the Santa Paula Police Department by calling (805) 525-4474.

The Santa Paula Police Department would like to remind citizens that, for safety reasons, do not attempt to intervene with suspects during the commission of crimes. Our community can help us best by observing and reporting crimes in progress. Residents are encouraged to report suspicious activity by dialing 9-1-1. In reference to catalytic converter thefts, suspicious activity such as the sound of electric saws operating in the early morning hours should be reported to police immediately. Residents can safeguard catalytic converters on their vehicles by etching/marking them with unique numbers. For more information, please view the following video link: https://tinyurl.com/zsb9zpx3

Agencies Responsible: Santa Paula Police Department, Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, California, Highway Patrol
Press Release Prepared by: Don Aguilar, Interim Chief of Police