Ventura County

A California Highway Patrol officer was hospitalized with major injuries after a head-on crash involving an alleged DUI driver. The suspect, 34-year-old Derek Skinner of Santa Paula, crashed into the patrol car in the Grimes Canyon area of Ventura County while heading northbound on Grimes Canyon Road.

Leonardo Rodriguez, 21, was sentenced to five years and four months in prison for a high-speed crash that occurred on Oct. 31, 2024. The accident involved a 124-mph collision on the 101 Freeway in Ventura County, resulting in the deaths of two people.

A Ventura County chiropractor was sentenced to prison for committing sexual battery against multiple female patients. Fernando Juarez Gomez Jr., who owned Limitless Functional Therapy in Ventura, faced the charges after two female patients reported inappropriate behavior, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.

A Ventura County man named David Hoetzlein was found not guilty of murdering his mother, Tomoko Hoetzlein, by reason of insanity. Hoetzlein admitted to strangling and killing his mother in their Camarillo home in 2022.

A sexual assault case involving a former LAPD detective has been reopened in Ventura County. The original incident involved allegations of robbery and sexual assault that occurred in 1994. The victim has reported waiting more than three decades for justice regarding the matter.

Ventura County euthanized Bruce, a 3-year-old Great Pyrenees mix, which had been deemed vicious after bite incidents. This action occurred despite the filing of an emergency motion with the Supreme Court and failed appeals.

A mountain lion was spotted lounging in a backyard tree in Ventura County. Residents were surprised by the animal's appearance, leading to crowds of onlookers gathering nearby. Karla Menjivar reported that the feline showed up on Friday night.

A brush fire broke out near Holser Canyon on Saturday afternoon. The incident, which occurred in unincorporated Ventura County, prompted officials to issue evacuation orders and warnings.

A man in Ventura County was sentenced to prison for stabbing his girlfriend and killing her in front of her children. Ramon Joseph Rivas, 36, was sentenced to 51 years to life following the death of Jessica Marie Tinoco, 34.

A woman was caught on camera slamming into jagged rocks after losing control on a natural waterslide in Southern California. The incident occurred at Santa Paula Punch Bowls in Ventura County.

A 33-year-old Ventura man, Ignacio Rafael Anzaldo, was arrested for kidnapping and attempting to kill a woman in a remote area. The incident occurred on July 25 after they left a downtown Ventura bar together, according to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.

Leonel Galindo, a 37-year-old man from Santa Paula in Ventura County, was sentenced to 22 years in prison for molesting two young children over multiple years. The victims were under 14 years old when the offenses occurred, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.

A 64-year-old equestrian trainer in Simi Valley, Ventura County, was arrested after allegations of sexually assaulting a child. Investigators believe there may be additional victims, and the Thousand Oaks Police Department began the investigation in April 2025 following a report of an October assault.

A Ventura County man was sentenced to 22 years in prison for sexually assaulting a minor over two years. Matthew Gomez, 40, of Port Hueneme, pleaded guilty to the crimes on June 15.

A Ventura County teenager was arrested for allegedly igniting an illegal firework that caused a construction fire at Sierra High School, resulting in over $100,000 in damage. The fire occurred around 11:42 p.m. on July 4, affecting materials stored for a new gymnasium at Fillmore High School.

Gregory Lide, a 52-year-old man from Ventura, was charged with murder in the shooting death of 34-year-old Brittney Stark. The incident occurred on July 19 on the 700 block of Olive Street in Ventura around 3:24 a.m.

A man riding an e-bike was killed in a crash on a rural road in Ventura County early Saturday morning. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office reported the incident occurred on the 3900 block of Las Posas Road.

Two suspects were arrested for a $14,000 bank jugging theft in Thousand Oaks, Ventura County. The suspects are identified as Ricardo De Jesus Melendez Rodriguez, 37, and Francisco Javier Nieto Mosquera, 45, both Los Angeles County residents.

An unexploded Super Bazooka round washed ashore on a Ventura County beach and was detonated by authorities. The Sheriff’s Department, bomb squad, homeless outreach team, and explosive ordnance disposal unit responded to the incident, warning the public to avoid touching suspicious objects resembling bombs.

Southern California beaches face a high risk of dangerous rip currents and big waves this weekend due to elevated tides. Thunderstorms with lightning are possible in Los Angeles County and surrounding areas, increasing the risk of fires. Coastal flooding and extreme heat are also expected later in the week.

An evacuation warning was issued near Lake Piru as a brush fire broke out on the border of Ventura and Los Angeles counties. Over 100 firefighters are battling the fire amid high temperatures.

A brush fire erupted near Lake Piru on the border of Ventura and Los Angeles counties, prompting evacuation warnings as over 100 firefighters battled the blaze amid high temperatures.

CAL FIRE and Ventura County Fire crews are battling the Grande Fire, a 50-acre brush fire in steep terrain east of Piru and south of the 126 Freeway. Evacuation warnings have been issued, and over 100 firefighters are responding to the fire, which is spreading at a moderate rate.

A 16-year-old girl was hospitalized after being struck by a driver in Thousand Oaks, Ventura County, on July 5. The incident occurred around 11 p.m. on Potrero Road near Wendy Drive, with the driver stopping to drop off the girl as a passenger.

A woman has pled guilty to second-degree murder for selling a fentanyl-xylazine mixture that caused a man's death in Simi Valley, marking Ventura County's first fentanyl murder conviction. The district attorney announced the case, involving Charity Faith Wiley, a Reseda resident who sold the drug to the victim.

A grieving family in Southern California is seeking answers after their 30-year-old son was killed by a hit-and-run driver in Ventura County.

A single-engine airplane crash-landed in a Ventura County riverbed east of the Santa Paula airport on Saturday around 1 p.m. The pilot was the only person aboard, and firefighters accessed the scene from ground and air to assist.

A new California law, SB 707, effective July 1, requires cities and counties in Southern California with specific population thresholds to allow remote public participation in meetings. The law mandates remote comment options, meeting pauses during technical issues, and translation of agendas into commonly spoken languages to enhance civic engagement.

A 14-year-old boy was arrested in Simi Valley, California, for driving a stolen vehicle after police used a license plate reader camera to detect the car. The incident occurred around 7:45 p.m. when the stolen vehicle was identified through a FLOCK camera system.

A heat advisory has been issued for Southern California as temperatures are expected to rise above seasonal averages, peaking Tuesday through Thursday with Wednesday likely to be the warmest day. The National Weather Service warns that inland valleys in Los Angeles and Ventura counties will experience the hottest conditions.

Four suspects were arrested in Ventura County after authorities seized $1.4 million worth of illicit narcotics. The arrests occurred during a drug bust involving Simi Valley police and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in August 2025.

A 9-year-old Ventura County girl is working to walk again after a life-threatening spinal fracture, drawing strength from her family and a therapy dog that survived a similar injury.

A 23-year-old Ventura County man was sentenced to state prison after admitting to driving over 100 mph in a crash that killed two people. The crash occurred on West 5th Street in Oxnard.

Two bicyclists were killed and a third injured when a suspected drunk driver entered a bike lane on Pacific Coast Highway in Ventura County. The crash occurred around 7:08 p.m. near Solimar Beach Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.

A months-long investigation into a drug trafficking operation across Ventura and Los Angeles counties led to the arrest of 11 people and the seizure of narcotics, firearms, and drug money, authorities announced.

California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials tranquilized and removed a black bear from a Ventura County neighborhood. Santa Paula Police Department responded to a bear sighting on Main Street in Santa Paula, cautioning residents to stay indoors.

A 72-year-old man from Oxnard, California, was sentenced to three years and four months in prison for a hate crime against a Black couple. He was convicted of felony criminal threats, attempted second-degree commercial burglary, and exhibiting a deadly weapon.

A 3.5-magnitude earthquake struck the Fillmore area in Ventura County. The U.S. Geological Survey reported the event on Saturday.

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 3.5 occurred in the mountains of Ventura County on Saturday afternoon, according to officials. The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake struck at 12:21 p.m., with an epicenter 9.4 miles northwest of Fillmore at a depth of 14.9 miles, and there were no initial reports of damage.

A Southern California driver escaped unharmed after crashing into a bear on a Ventura County freeway, causing the bear to be fatally wounded. The incident occurred as the bear was crossing the highway.