Crime & Courts Archives

Carpinteria homeowners’ class action lawsuit against cannabis grower gets legal green light

March 5, 2025 12:46 pm Andrew Gillies, Tracy Lehr

CARPINTERIA, Calif. — A Santa Barbara County Superior Court judge has certified a class-action lawsuit against a Carpinteria-based cannabis grower,…

Santa Barbara man arrested Wednesday in connection with December shooting

March 5, 2025 5:50 pm Andrew Gillies

PORT HUENEME, Calif. – On Wednesday, a 37-year-old Santa Barbara man was arrested in connection with a December 2024 shooting that hospitalized a…

Marcelino Arias Arca convicted of six felony counts of lewd acts on two children Wednesday

March 5, 2025 5:23 pm Andrew Gillies

OXNARD, Calif. – On Wednesday, Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced that Marcelino Arias Arca of Oxnard was convicted of six…

Father and son pair Mark and Allen Pearse arrested in connection with lewd acts on a child

March 5, 2025 4:14 pm Andrew Gillies

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – Sheriff’s Detectives arrested 64-year-old Mark Pearse and his 34-year-old son Allen Pearse for lewd acts on a child Tuesday.…

Man arrested for attacking a beached California sea lion with a stick at Ventura Beach Promenade

March 5, 2025 11:48 am Andrew Gillies

VENTURA, Calif. – A 32-year-old man is in custody after he was caught on camera attacking a beached California sea lion with a stick at the Ventura…

Three Oxnard teens treated for non-life-threatening injuries after being shot Tuesday

March 5, 2025 11:26 am Andrew Gillies

OXNARD, Calif. – Three teens were shot and transported to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries Tuesday evening. On March 4, around 7…

Claudia Portugal Cornejo of Fillmore sentenced to a year in jail for defrauding COVID-19 relief grants

March 4, 2025 5:38 pm Andrew Gillies

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. – Claudia Portugal Cornejo of Fillmore was sentenced to 12 months in jail for defrauding COVID-19 relief programs and…

Santa Maria investment advisor Julie Anne Darrah admits to stealing almost $2.25 million from clients in U.S. District Court Tuesday

March 4, 2025 12:42 pm Andrew Gillies

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Julie Anne Darrah, 52, of Santa Maria, pled guilty Tuesday to stealing about $2.25 million from elderly clients of her…

Ron Dolph Tutay sentenced to 50 years to life for the 2022 first-degree murder of Gerald Williams

March 3, 2025 5:12 pm Andrew Gillies

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – On Monday, Ron Dolph Tutay was sentenced to 50 years to life for the first degree murder of Gerald Williams in July of 2022.…

Murder Suspect Arrested After Woman’s Body Found In Garage

March 2, 2025 7:11 pm Christer Schmidt

OJAI, California-Ventura County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested a man suspected in the death of a woman in Ojai. The police found the woman dead in her…

Prosecutor says Craig Case grand theft case was a sophisticated con-style crime

February 28, 2025 6:11 pm John Palminteri

The prosecutor in the Craig Case grand theft trial reflects on evidence that went to the jury. Case will be sentenced in April after being found…

Two men involved in international criminal organization remain at large after posting bail

February 28, 2025 4:57 pm Andrew Gillies

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. – A two-year investigation by the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office Government Fraud Unit and the FBI’s Los Angeles…

Lompoc man on post-release community supervision arrested with 180 grams of heroin

February 28, 2025 2:00 pm Andrew Gillies

LOMPOC, Calif. – A 41-year-old Lompoc man was arrested while on post-release community supervision for possession of 180 grams of heroin Tuesday.…

Advanced Industrial Services Inc. reaches settlement after about 150 gallons of petroleum byproduct was dumped into local creek bed

February 28, 2025 12:31 pm Andrew Gillies

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. – On Friday, the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office announced that a $29,736 settlement was reached with Advanced…

Nipomo Woman Arrested for Forging Hundreds of Immigration Documents, DOJ Says

February 28, 2025 11:49 am Andrew Gillies

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – On Friday, the Department of Justice announced that Chantelle Lavergne Woods of Nipomo has been arrested on a federal…

Craig Case Found Guilty in $690K Montecito Elder Fraud and Theft Case

February 27, 2025 2:31 pm Andrew Gillies, John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – A Santa Barbara jury on Thursday found local security company owner and part-time TV host Craig Case guilty on 63 of 64…

Eugenio Lopez Ramirez of Oxnard identified as man who was fatally stabbed on Wilson Avenue

February 27, 2025 5:09 pm Andrew Gillies

OXNARD, Calif. – The man who was stabbed on Wilson Avenue Sunday and later died from his injuries has been identified as 26-year-old Eugenio Lopez…

Undocumented Santa Barbara Father Detained by ICE Remains in Custody After Arrest

February 26, 2025 9:51 pm Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — An undocumented Santa Barbara father detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers on Sunday morning…

Oxnard man charged with kidnapping, false imprisonment and domestic battery Monday

February 25, 2025 4:45 pm Andrew Gillies

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – A 21-year-old Oxnard man is facing multiple charges after he was arrested in connection with a Thousand Oaks kidnapping. On…

Caleb Dean DeBinion convicted for the May 2023 sexual assault of a woman in a hotel room

February 25, 2025 1:43 pm Andrew Gillies

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. – On Monday, Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced that Caleb Dean DeBinion of Thousand Oaks has been…