Roundup: Alleged DUI driver hits Ventura house, panga boat convictions, more news

Here's a roundup of recent incidents and announcements from Ventura County and regional agencies:

Alleged DUI driver hits house

VENTURA — Police in Ventura arrested a driver who reportedly hit a home while under the influence early Saturday.

The collision was reported around 1:10 a.m. in the 10000 block of Jamestown Street, according to the Ventura Police Department. The street is lined with single-family homes in an east Ventura neighborhood tucked between Highway 126 and Telephone Road, generally west of Saticoy Avenue.

When the driver, a 55-year-old Ventura man, reportedly crashed into one of the homes, an off-duty Ventura police officer heard the collision. The officer saw the driver run on foot from the scene.

No one in the house was injured, authorities said.

The off-duty officer helped responding police locate the man. After a short foot pursuit, he was taken into custody and reportedly tried to punch the arresting officer, according to police.

The driver was booked into Ventura County jail on suspicion of felony attempted assault on an officer and misdemeanor hit-and-run and alcohol-related DUI violations. He remained in custody in lieu of $60,000 bail Saturday night, jail records showed.

Grant will help off-highway patrol in backcountry

VENTURA COUNTY — The Ventura County Sheriff's Lockwood Valley station has received a state grant of nearly $73,000 to help patrol off-highway vehicle trails in the remote area.

The 2023 grant budget for the State Parks Department is expected to include about $7 million for law enforcement agencies. The local sheriff's office was awarded $72,957.

Lockwood Valley deputies patrol about 610 square miles in north Ventura County, including Los Padres National Forest land and the Hungry Valley State Vehicular Recreation Area. Some 300 miles of dedicated trails for recreational off-highway vehicles run through the patrol area.

Sheriff's deputies regularly patrol the OHV areas and respond to crashes and search-and-rescue calls.

The funds will help with patrols, education and enforcement, officials said.

Federal conviction in regional panga boat case

LOS ANGELES — The U.S. Attorney's office announced a recent conviction in a federal smuggling case involving a panga boat that landed in Santa Barbara County with drugs and undocumented travelers in 2021.

A federal jury in Los Angeles found two Mexican men guilty of drug and alien trafficking charges on Dec. 21 after a five-day trial, prosecutors said.

Panga boat landings have become more common along the coast of Ventura, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles counties in recent years, but prosecutions have been rare.

In September 2021, authorities saw a panga boat adrift off the Santa Barbara County coast. The vessel had been having engine trouble. It eventually made landfall at Arroyo Quemada Beach, located between Refugio and El Capitan state beaches west of Santa Barbara.

Authorities found 15 people on board, including several crew members, prosecutors said. All occupants were described as undocumented non-citizens.

Two black bags with 40 vacuum-sealed and plastic-wrapped bindles containing about 45 pounds of methamphetamine were thrown overboard by passengers at the direction of one of the defendants. The bags were later recovered by law enforcement.

Passengers included 11 undocumented non-citizens from Mexico. They had paid about $15,000 each to be smuggled into the U.S. after leaving from a beach in Ensenada, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

The defendants, Jorge Muñoz-Muñoz, 26, of Ensenada, and Roel Aranzubia-Álvarez, 43, of Sinaloa, were found guilty of one count of conspiracy to bring non-citizens into the U.S., 11 counts of alien smuggling, 11 counts of alien smuggling for private gain and one count of aiding and assisting an alien convicted of an aggravated felony to enter the U.S.

Both had been in federal custody since their arrest in September 2021. They are scheduled for sentencing on April 10. Muñoz-Muñoz, who was also convicted of drug-related charges, faces a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison. Aranzubia-Álvarez, who was found not guilty of drug charges, faces a maximum of 15 years in federal prison.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Assistance was provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office and the State Parks Department.

DA's office to change guard in Santa Barbara County

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY — The top prosecutor in neighboring Santa Barbara County is retiring Monday, with a new district attorney taking over Tuesday.

Joyce Dudley, who was first elected to the DA's post in 2010 and has served more than 32 years, previously announced she wouldn't seek a fourth term.

In a release Friday, Dudley described her decision as "bittersweet and somewhat scary." She plans a long ski trip in Colorado after she swears in her successor Tuesday.

The incoming district attorney, John Savrnoch, ran uncontested in the June primary and has been the agency's chief deputy DA since 2016.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Roundup: DUI driver hits Ventura house, panga boat convictions, more