KVTA News Briefs

Thursday February 20, 2025

     Ventura County law enforcement agencies have seen a continued rise in vehicle thefts over the past year.

     And Oxnard police say in their city the three most favorite vehicles among auto thieves are Kia, Hyundai, and Infinity.

     During 2024 there were 181 of those those three brands of vehicles stolen in Oxnard.

     Oxnard wants to help the owners of these  vehicles from becoming a statistic on the list of stolen vehicles.

     So, owners of those vehicles can come to the Oxnard Police Headquarters at 251 South "C" Street and get a FREE Club Vehicle Theft Prevention Device.

     You'll need to show your registration or title to one of the three types of vehicles.

     Oxnard police say vehicle owners can also help by making sure a vehicle is locked and all valuables are removed from the vehicle.

     Also, park in a garage if you can or in a well lighted area.

     It also helps if there are video surveillance cameras in the area.

     Other ways to reduce the chance of theft or make it easier to locate a stolen vehicle would include a battery disconnect switch or placing a GPS location device in the vehicle such as an Apple Air Tag.

     Finally, police say that prior to 2022 Kia and Hyundai used a physical key to start the vehicle and you might be able to get a security upgrade from the dealer or manufacturer.

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     Two Ventura County cities plan to conduct impaired driver enforcement efforts Friday night.

     Ventura police plan a DUI/DL checkpoint somewhere in the city from 8 PM to 2 AM.

     In Oxnard, they plan to not only conduct a checkpoint from 6 PM to 1 AM but also saturation or roving patrols looking for impaired drivers.

     And remember these days impaired not only means alcohol but also cannabis and even prescription drugs, obtained legally or not.

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     One suspect is under arrest, two othersd were at large in connection with a residential burglary near Thousand Oaks Thursday afternoon.

     About 3:30 PM the Ventura County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call from a resident on Dumaine Avenue in the unincorporated area of Oak Park.

     The resident had heard the burglar alarm going off at a neighbor's home and he called the  people who lived there and determined they were not home.

     The neighbor then went to check on the alarm and saw the three suspects were still in the house.

     They fled in what the authorities believe were three vehicles.

     Deputies from Ventura and Los Angeles counties were alerted and deputies in Los Angeles spotted one of the suspect vehicles on the southbound 101 in the Calabasas area and made an enforcement stop.

     The adult male in that vehicle was arrested.

     The search for the other two suspects in the other vehicles continues.