Oxnard woman suffers drug overdose after allegedly stealing car from cemetery visitor

CAMARILLO, Calif. - Ventura County Sheriff's deputies arrested a woman on Sunday after she allegedly stole a vehicle from a gravesite visitor at a local cemetery and subsequently suffered from a drug overdose.

Deputies assigned to the Camarillo Police Department were dispatched to the 2000 block of Howard Road around 3:05 p.m. for reports of a stolen vehicle.

Fortunately, a resident had followed the stolen car and was able to relay the vehicle's location to sheriff's dispatchers while driving through the streets of Camarillo.

Additional deputies and a sheriff’s helicopter were requested after the suspect reportedly began driving recklessly.

Deputies said the stolen vehicle traveled south on Lewis Road and abruptly stopped on the 1900 block of Lewis Road along the right shoulder.

As deputies arrived at the location, the suspect, identified as a 27-year-old Oxnard woman, exited the stolen vehicle and entered a travel trailer that was parked on the side of the road attached to a pickup truck.

Deputies began ordering anyone who was inside the trailer to come out. One man complied and exited the trailer, however the Oxnard woman refused to leave.

Additional resources including a sheriff's helicopter and K9 Unit responded. After more than an hour of attempting to negotiate with the woman and de-escalate the situation, deputies said they forced entry into the trailer and found the woman under a blanket suffering from an apparent drug overdose.

A deputy immediately began providing medical aid to the woman and administered Naloxone, a medication that reverses the effects of opioid overdose. Deputies said the Naloxone helped and the woman was further treated by Ventura County Fire and AMR personnel before being transported to the hospital.

The woman was ultimately arrested and booked at the Ventura County Jail for vehicle theft and resisting a peace officer. Her bail was set at $50,000. She remains in custody at the Todd Road Jail.

The sheriff’s office said it began deploying Naloxone kits in every patrol vehicle in August 2019.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office would also like to remind residents not to leave keys in their vehicles and to always lock their cars. Deputies said motor vehicle theft has increased throughout the last year in the City of Camarillo and throughout the County of Ventura.