Thousand Oaks City Watch Update Regarding Recent Gang Related Arrests

Here is a "City Watch" update from Senior Deputy Tim Lohman of the Thousand Oaks Police Department. If you would like these updates directly from via email, click here for more information.

The Thousand Oaks Police Department is committed to keeping the City of Thousand Oaks a great place to live and work.  The following arrest is an example of our commitment to the community to keep it safe and free from fear of intimidation by these thugs who live within our community.    The Thousand Oaks Police Department takes a zero tolerance stand against gangs or their activity in this city.  

On April 19, 2013, at approximately 2:40 P.M., a male victim was parked and waiting to pick up his younger brother from Thousand Oaks High School.  The victim saw his brother walking east on Avenida De Las Flores and crossing Moorpark Road.  A male juvenile, 14 years old, approached the victim’s younger brother and challenged him to a fight.  The victim’s brother refused to fight.  S-Felipe, brother of the male juvenile, arrived and joined the conversation.  The victim exited his vehicle and went to his brother’s aide. S-Felipe threw a punch at the victim; the victim then punched S-Felipe in the face.  The male juvenile then pulled a switchblade type knife from his pants pocket, and chased the victim with the knife in his hand.   The victim and his brother were able to make their way back to their vehicle and leave the area.  The victim did not sustain any injuries.

On April 30, 2013, at approximately 3:00 P.M., a male juvenile victim and a female friend walked from Thousand Oaks High School to Acorn Acres Park.  While sitting on a park bench, the victim was approached by four subjects; two male juveniles, S-Felipe and S-Alvarez.  S-Alvarez and S-Felipe claimed their gang and told the victim to fight one of the juveniles one on one.  The victim refused to fight.  One of the male juveniles approached the victim, claimed his gang, and then punched the victim in the face.  S-Felipe and another male juvenile joined in and began punching the victim in the head and upper torso.  After several minutes S-Alvarez ordered the beating to be stopped.  The suspects stopped the beating, however, one of the male juvenile delivered one last kick to the victim’s rib cage. 

The victim and his female friend walked back to Thousand Oaks High School to seek help.  The victim did not seek medical attention.

On May 29, 2013, in the early morning hours, 20 law enforcement personnel from the City of Thousand Oaks Special Enforcement Unit, Detectives Bureau, and the Bike Patrol Unit executed search warrants at four residences in the City of Thousand Oaks. 

As a result of the investigation, 4 suspects were arrested for the attack at Acorn Acres Park and 1 male juvenile was arrested for the Assault with a Deadly Weapon in the street. 

The above suspects were arrested for a variety of charges that include; Ga

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Great News From Thousand Oaks Police Department Regarding Burglary Arrests

Recently, the city of Thousand Oaks has experienced an increase in residential and vehicle burglaries.  During this investigation, the Thousand Oaks Police Department engaged in a public awareness campaign, asking residents to call and report suspicious activity.  With the help of tips from our community members, several burglary suspects have been arrested over the past month.  These suspects are unknown to one another, and their crimes are not related.

On April 10th, 2013, Detectives and School Resource Officers from the Thousand Oaks Police Station arrested two juveniles for a rash of burglaries to storage lockers in the Thousand Oaks area.

On April 15th, 2013, a tip from the public led patrol officers to Madison McConnell (age 23).  McConnell was found in possession of stolen property and has been connected to at least one residential burglary in the city of Thousand Oaks.  Detectives are continuing to investigate the possibility he has been involved in more.

On April 26th, 2013, investigators from the Thousand Oaks Special Enforcement Unit arrested Sean Torbert (age 26) for residential burglaries that occurred in the city of Los Angeles.  Torbert is suspected of committing similar residential burglaries in Thousand Oaks, and investigators are investigating his connection to those crimes.

The identification and arrest of these suspects is the direct result of the partnership the Thousand Oaks Police Department has with our community, and the willingness of our community members to provide essential information regarding crime in our neighborhoods.  The Thousand Oaks Police Department would like to remind our community to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity.  

Report suspicious persons and/or vehicles in your neighborhoods at (805) 654-9511.

Source: Thousand Oaks Police Department www.toaks.org/government/depts/police/default.asp

Wendy Drive NB 101 Freeway On-Ramp Closure in Newbury Park for 6 Weeks

The northbound on-ramp along the 101 Freeway at Wendy Drive will be closed for up to six weeks beginning Thursday, March 28th to allow for the next phase of construction on the Wendy/101 Interchange Improvement Project. The onramp is expected to re-open in May.


Currently, the only bike and pedestrian access on the Wendy overpass is along the north side. To maintain a safe passage of travel for pedestrians, bicyclists, and the contractor, Caltrans and City staff agreed a six-week full on-ramp closure is needed. The closure will provide ample space for the contractor as well as pedestrians and bicyclists crossing.

During the six-week closure, motorists traveling south on Wendy Drive wishing to go northbound, will be directed southbound on the 101 Freeway to Borchard Road for the Borchard Road northbound 101 Freeway on-ramp.
City staff has notified Caltrans, law enforcement, and emergency responders of the planned closure.

View of the Wendy overpass from down below (southbound 101 Wendy offramp).

Motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists are requested to use caution when traveling though the construction zone for their own safety and the safety of construction workers, and allow extra time due to the temporary construction congestion.

The Wendy/101 Interchange Improvement Project is scheduled to be completed on-time in September 2013. To learn more about the project, view detour maps and road closures please visit www.toaks.org/wendy101.

Thousand Oaks Police Department Reminder to Be Aware of Suspicious Persons

Here is the latest "City Watch" alert from Senior Deputy Tim Lohman of the Thousand Oaks Police Department. If you would like these updates directly from via email, click here for more information.

The press release at the bottom of this post is an incident that occurred at The Oaks and Janss malls. This incident could have ended tragically for both women, but fortunately the suspect was apprehended, putting an end to his reign of terror.

This is a reminder to all residents be conscious of suspicious persons and to be aware of your surroundings. The following tips are provided to help keep you safe:

Be alert of your surroundings.

Look for vehicles that may have followed you into the parking lot. Make several turns in a parking lot to verify this.

If you believe you are being followed, do not get out of your vehicle. Doors should be locked.

Stay in a well-traveled and well-lit area. Call 9-1-1 from your cell phone or go to a convenience store, service station, etc., and call 9-1-1.

Look for strangers or suspicious persons sitting in vehicles, standing or walking in the parking lot that appear to be watching you.

Park as close to your destination as possible. Do not park near shrubbery, large vehicles, dumpsters, or anything that blocks your view or provides a place for someone to hide.

Remember where you parked so you do not spend a lot of time walking around the parking lot when you are ready to leave.

If the parking lot has area identifiers, take note of that area where you parked.

If it is night, park in a well-lit and well-traveled area. Do not park in an isolated area.

Look around your vehicle before you get out. Pay attention to the surroundings and any suspicious activity. 

Before leaving your vehicle, make sure ALL the doors are locked and that ALL the windows are rolled all the way up.

If possible, wait for other people to walk to your destination with you before you exit your vehicle.

Walking To Your Vehicle

If you are working after dark, try to move your vehicle closer to the building before it gets dark.

If you frequently work at night, consider a security system for your vehicle. Install one with a panic button which will sound either the horn or a siren. Also, consider carrying a whistle, mace or pepper spray.

If you have to work late, notify someone and give them a p

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Ventura County Deputies Seek Public's Help to Identify Suspect Who Robbed Newbury Park Smart & Final Store on March 19th

A man armed with a handgun robbed the Smart & Final store located at 2222 West Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks at approximately 8:40PM on March 19, 2013. The suspect approached the cashier clerk, displayed a handgun, and demanded money from the cash register. After getting an undisclosed amount of cash, the suspect ran through the parking lot and was last seen leaving the scene in a 1990’s white sedan.


Witnesses described the suspect as a Hispanic male about 35 years old, approximately 5’-11”, weighing approximately 275 lbs, and clean shaven. He was wearing a white or light colored baseball cap, a light colored long sleeve button down shirt, baggy blue jeans, and white tennis shoes.


Anyone with information about the robbery or the suspect is asked to contact Det Mike Ferguson with the East County Major Crimes Unit at (805) 494-8222/ e-mail mike.ferguson@ventura.org.

Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).

Ventura County Star Reports Conejo Valley's First Drive-Thru Starbucks Approved

Update 3/21/13: The Thousand Oaks Drive-Thru Starbucks on Thousand Oaks Boulevard at Rancho Road opened today at 1:30pm! Woo hoo! Their phone number is 805.379.1750.

Update 1/13/13: The new Thousand Oaks Drive-Thru Starbucks at the corner of Thousand Oaks Blvd and Rancho Road is coming right along. The structure is built and they continue working away on it. The photo below doesn't quite do it justice but hey, I was multitasking while maneuvering a left hand turn onto T.O. Blvd. :> No word on specific opening date but certainly looks like it

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County of Ventura Food Facility Closures January Through Mid-March 2013

The County of Ventura Environmental Health Division protect public health and the environment by ensuring conformance with State laws and County ordinances pertaining to food protection, hazardous materials, hazardous waste, individual sewage disposal systems, land use, medical waste, ocean water quality monitoring, recreational health, solid waste, underground fuel tanks and vector control.

The EHD publishes food facility closures at www.ventura.org/rma/envhealth/community-services/consumer-food/closures.html.

The following closures were noted for the period January 1, 2013 through March 15, 2013. Keep in mind when reviewing this that there are many possible reasons for the closures, most of which are very temporary issues.

MARCH 2013

Ameci Pizza & Pasta, 1941 N. Rose Ave. #660, Oxnard;
Cockroach infestation, unsanitary conditions;
Date closed - 03/14/13; Date reopened - 03/15/13

7-Eleven, 2099 E. Harbor Blvd., Ventura;
No water for hand washing, utensil & equipment cleaning, & employee toilets due to water main break;
Date closed - 03/13/13; Date reopened - 03/14/13

Los Tacos Locos, 1854 Cochran Street, Simi Valley;
No hot water for utensil and equipment cleaning or hand washing;
Date closed - 03/13/13; Date reopened - 03/13/13

Adar Chevron, 983 E. Harvard Blvd., Santa Paula;
No hot water for utensil and equipment cleanin

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Conejo Valley Unified School District Recycling Program Mascot is Selected!

A competition to select a mascot for the Conejo Valley Unified School District’s (CVUSD) recycling program has ended.  “Recyclops,” the recycling Cyclops was chosen to become the new green face of CVUSD recycling.


The competition took place across all middle and high schools in the district. Students were asked to vote for their favorite mascot, either by texting or through the program’s Facebook page. ReCyclops will be featured in an upcoming video to help promote and encourage bottle and can recycling at CVUSD campuses. Hundreds of votes were received over the three-week period the competition ran, and dozens of students won prizes for voting.

“The whole aim of the contest was to get the students engaged with the program,” says CVUSD Recycling Coordinator Joanie Burns. “We not only wanted to give them some ownership, by letting them select their mascot, we also wanted to draw attention to the new www.CVUSDRecycles.org website and Facebook page.

CVUSD Recycles is a joint effort between the Conejo Valley Unified School District and the City of Thousand Oaks. The program is funded through a grant from the State of California and provided recycling containers for all CVUSD campuses, allowing the schools to effectively collect California Redemption Value (CRV) containers. 

Additional information can be found at www.cvusdrecycles.org.