Roundup: Arrest made in stolen cockatoo case, more local news
Here's a roundup of recent incidents and announcements from Ventura County agencies:
Grand theft charge in stolen bird case
Authorities have arrested and charged a suspect in connection with the theft of a popular cockatoo from the Steckel Park aviary outside Santa Paula.
Julie, a 35-year-old male cockatoo initially thought to be female, was recovered safely after caretakers saw he was missing early on Jan. 4. The umbrella cockatoo, known for greeting visitors with phrases in English and Spanish, is worth an estimated $2,500, according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.
Caretakers John and Cathy Eckert previously told the Star they found an entire side of the aviary's thick wire cut open and the bird missing during a pre-dawn check. News of Julie's plight quickly spread in news accounts and social media.
An anonymous tip called into Ventura County Crime Stoppers provided a valuable lead that morning, sheriff's officials said.
By afternoon, detectives contacted the suspect, Santa Paula resident Michael Wear, 35, in the 400 block of Blanchard Avenue. Authorities found evidence allegedly confirming Wear had stolen the cockatoo.
The bird was later rescued from where it was being held by a nearby acquaintance after detectives developed more leads. Julie was soon returned, unharmed, to his Steckel Park caretakers.
An arrest warrant was issued Monday. On Tuesday night, Santa Paula Police Department detectives arrested Wear at his Blanchard Avenue residence.
The Ventura County District Attorney's Office has charged Wear with grand theft and grand theft of a domestic fowl, both felonies, along with several special allegations, including prior strikes. Wear was subsequently released from county jail on a $10,000 bail bond. No plea has yet been entered in the case.
Wear is slated for a bail hearing Friday afternoon in room 13 of Ventura County Superior Court.
Authorities ID motorcyclist killed on Hwy 33
The Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office released the name of a motorcycle rider who died in a crash on Highway 33 above Ojai on Friday.
Clyde Crone, 27, was an Oxnard resident, the agency said Wednesday.
Crone had been riding a 2014 Yamaha southbound on the rural highway near the north fork of Matilija Creek, according to the California Highway Patrol. At about 2:45 p.m., he reportedly crossed over solid double-yellow lines and hit a passenger car traveling northbound, the CHP reported. He was declared dead at the scene.
Two adults and two children in the car, all from Claremont, were not seriously injured, authorities said.
An online obituary for Crone says he was from Mechanicsville, Virginia and was a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. He had served for nearly six years after graduating from the Virginia Military Institute in 2017 and had recently been stationed at Naval Base Ventura County, Port Hueneme. The obituary said Crone had traveled across the U.S. with his father visiting national parks before starting the new post. A funeral service will be held in Virginia on Sunday.
The local base issued a statement on the fatality Thursday.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Crone family and our Navy teammates," said Cmdr. Jeremiah Daley of the Unmanned Surface Vessel Division One. "Clyde was one of our best officers, enabling our force to conduct highly complex and high-risk missions in the nation’s defense.”
Accident with motorcycle, horse slows Hwy 118
Highway 118 was slowed in both directions near Balcom Canyon Road Wednesday night after an apparent collision involving a motorcycle and a horse, according to initial California Highway Patrol reports.
The accident was reported 6:20 p.m. CHP log notes indicated the motorcycle rider was said to be down in traffic lanes. Both lanes were blocked for a time, but had reopened by 7:40 p.m. The site is west of Moorpark.
The horse was said to be loose at the time of the crash, log notes show.
The rider was transported to Los Robles Regional Medical Center, according to radio traffic. The CHP ultimately listed the accident as causing minor injuries.
The horse was euthanized, officials said. An update is available here.
Officials nab suspected cat burglar
A Burbank man has been arrested on suspicion of multiple burglaries at homes in Moorpark and Simi Valley, Ventura County Sheriff’s officials said.
Detectives suspect that the 28-year-old man burglarized six different homes in Moorpark within two blocks of each other in a two-week period in the latter part of December. He also is suspected of another burglary in Simi Valley’s Wood Ranch neighborhood, where local police arrested him Dec. 28.
He has been arrested in connection with three of the Moorpark burglaries and the heist in Simi Valley, although other potential charges are pending, Detective Sgt. Kevin Lynch said.
In several of the six burglaries in Moorpark, the victims’ credit cards were taken and used, Lynch said.
Lynch classifies the arrested man as a “cat burglar” because he allegedly entered the homes quietly without causing much of a disturbance, in contrast with obvious burglaries in which perpetrators smash sliding glass doors and ransack residences.
He has been booked into county jail and was being held Wednesday in lieu of $150,000 bond. He has pleaded not guilty to several charges filed so far by prosecutors.
Items may be updated.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Roundup: Arrest made in stolen cockatoo case, more news
