KVTA NEWS RUNDOWN
Thursday May 16, 2024
A Santa Paula man is headed to prison for 25-years-to-life for a shooting that left his neighbor paralyzed.
45-year-old Richard Steven Valencia had earlier pleaded guilty to attempted murder, assault with a firearm, and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Prosecutors say that in October of 2020, Valencia got into an argument with his neighbor in front of their apartment complex.
Later that day Valencia ran into the neighbor again and they got into another argument but this time Valencia pulled out a gun and shot the neighbor in the face and neck.
Prosecutors say it was all captured on surveillance video.
The victim was rushed to the hospital and survived but he was paralyzed from the neck down.
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The Ventura County DA’s Office says a San Diego man has pleaded guilty to the extensive sexual abuse of his sister when they were children.
Stephen Delacruz is now 37.
The crimes came to light in 2019 when his sister reported what happened to the Oxnard Police Department.
She said back in 2001 and 2002, when she was eight years old and her brother, was 14 and 15, he isolated her in their Oxnard home where he threatened to kill her and committed the sexual abuse that one judge described as horrendous.
Because he was a juvenile at the time, the case landed in juvenile court but the DA got it transferred to adult court.
But then a new state law sent it back to juvenile court.
However the new judge sent it back to adult court.
Delacruz appealed but lost and so he decided to plead guilty.
He remains free on bail pending sentencing on June 27th and the DA will ask for 30 years in prison.
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The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office says a teenage girl who was the victim of human trafficking is safe now after she sent a “911” text message in a plea for help.
It happened in the middle of the night on May 9th.
The dispatch center was able to communicate with her via text and also allowed them to translate her messages in Spanish into English.
The 17-year-old said she had been trafficked from Mexico a couple of months ago.
The communications center was able to determine she was in the Casitas Springs area and deputies responded and rescued her.
Meanwhile, deputies were also able to find and arrest the man she said had forced her from Mexico to the United States where she was the victim of sex trafficking.
31-year-old Gerardo Cruz of Veracruz, Mexico was arrested and charged with a host of sexual abuse charges.
He has pleaded not guilty and denied the special allegations.
He remains in the Ventura County Jail on a half million dollars bail and is due back in court next week.
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The suspect in a stabbing in Somis earlier this month is due in court Friday after being caught during a massive search on Wednesday afternoon.
31-year-old Samuel Adolfo of Moorpark is facing attempted murder and other charges in connection with the May 6th stabbing of another man at a nursery near Highway 118 and Donlon Road.
Deputies say he had fled after the incident but was located on Wednesday in Moorpark.
When they tried to take him into custody he ran prompting the massive three-hour search involving two helicopters, two K-9 units, a drone, and several deputies on the ground.
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Oxnard PD is holding another two-pronged effort to get impaired drivers off the road.
They’re holding roving patrols and a DUI/DL checkpoint.
They will happen at the same time Saturday night from 7 PM to 2 AM.
And they remind people that there is now a long list of things that can make you an impaired driver.
It includes of course alcohol, but now also any cannabis product, and prescription medications whether obtained legally or not.
