VENTURA COUNTY
As part of “Operation Clean House,” teams of FBI agents, police officers, and deputy sheriffs allegedly arrested dozens of alleged felons wanted in Ventura County in May, officials stated.
This is an FBI-planned enforcement operation targeting fugitives with outstanding felony arrest warrants, with an emphasis on warrants related to violent crimes and unlawful firearm possession, according to officials.
The operation was carried out in two parts.
Over the past several months, the joint agencies have conducted records checks on existing felony warrant entries. Working with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI researched and assessed approximately 2,600 felony warrants issued by Ventura County over the past ten years.
According to authorities, the research flagged nearly 100 warrants for individuals who were either deceased or candidates for removal from warrant databases.
Following their research, the joint agency team selected and targeted subjects believed to be located within Ventura County who had active arrest warrants involving serious felony crimes, including violent felonies and firearms-related crimes, among others.
Secondly, the joint agencies carried out a week-long surveillance and arrest operation, focusing on the most violent fugitives at large within Ventura County.
In total, 26 individuals were arrested on outstanding felony warrants for alleged violations, including assault with a deadly weapon, crimes against children, corporal injury to a spouse or cohabitant, and various firearms-related felony crimes.
An additional nine people were arrested based on probable cause.
Various firearms and narcotics were recovered during the operation, and a large amount of intelligence was passed on to law enforcement outside of Ventura County for investigative follow-up.
The operation was carried out by six arrest teams from the FBI, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, the Oxnard Police Department, and the Ventura Police Department.
Within each of the participating agencies, the following entities assisted with the lead-up and execution of the operation:
- Ventura County Sheriff’s Office:
- Special Crimes Unit
- West County Special Enforcement Unit
- Thousand Oaks Special Enforcement Unit
- Camarillo Special Enforcement Unit
- Ventura County FOCUS
- Narcotics Street Team
- Organized Retail Theft Task Force
- Oxnard Police Department:
- Violent Crimes Unit
- Drug Enforcement Unit
- Special Enforcement Unit & SWAT
- Ventura Police Department:
- Street Crimes Unit
The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office will prosecute the Ventura County defendants. The Ventura County Office of Emergency Services also provided assistance during the operation.
The Oxnard Police Department, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, and the Ventura Police Department are all members of the FBI’s Ventura County Violent Crime Task Force, which oversaw Operation Clean House.
Law enforcement partners at the state, local, and federal levels continue to target violent crime and firearm-related violence within Ventura County as part of the FBI’s Safe Streets Initiative.
All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.