Ventura Police arrest man accused of trespassing, resisting arrest

VENTURA, Calif. - Ventura Police said they arrested a man Tuesday afternoon who was reported to have been waving a handgun.

37-year-old Jeffrey Wheelock is accused of brandishing a replica firearm, battery on a police dog, resisting arrest and trespassing.

A 911 caller reported a man near the intersection of Thompson Boulevard and Garden Street around 3 p.m., the department said.

Officers found Wheelock in a crawl space under the Highway 101 overpass. They said he refused to come out.

Officials used a police dog and hose to try to flush him out. They said he began hitting the dog on the head.

Officers trained in crisis negotiation tried for 30 minutes to get him to come out, but were not successful, the department said.

Eventually, the dog was able to get him to come out and officers took Wheelock into custody.

Ventura Police said they found Wheelock had two replica firearms.

He was taken to a local hospital for injuries resulting from the dog bite.

The police dog was not hurt, according to the police department.

A review of the Ventura County Superior Court website shows Wheelock has prior convictions for felony resisting arrest, burglary, battery, petty theft, trespassing, and possession of drug paraphernalia.