Roundup: Driver arrested in Highway 126 head-on crash, more news
Here's a roundup of recent incidents and announcements from Ventura County agencies:
Driver arrested after head-on Hwy 126 crash
A 60-year-old Ojai man was arrested on suspicion of a drug-related DUI after a head-on crash on Highway 126 west of Fillmore Monday that caused serious injuries to two Lancaster residents.
The collision was reported shortly before 2 p.m. east of Pyle Road, between Fillmore and Santa Paula, California Highway Patrol officials said.
The Ojai man had been driving a 2018 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck eastbound when he traveled into oncoming traffic, according to the CHP.
The Ojai driver's truck hit a 2006 Chevrolet pickup truck traveling westbound. The 43-year-old Lancaster man had been driving with a Lancaster woman, 49, in the passenger seat.
The woman was trapped after the head-on collision and Ventura County firefighters had to extricate her from the truck. Both of the Lancaster residents were taken to Ventura County Medical Center with major injuries.
On Tuesday, the two were said to be in stable condition, said CHP Officer Jorge Alfaro.
The Ojai driver suffered minor injuries, authorities said. He was arrested on suspicion of DUI, with CHP officials saying drug-related impairment was believed to be a factor in the crash.
A third vehicle, a Dodge ProMaster cargo van, had been traveling westbound and was hit by debris from the initial crash. The driver wasn't injured and his passenger suffered minor injuries. Both are from Ventura.
The incident fully closed the highway in both directions for about 30 minutes, Alfaro said. At least one lane in each direction was later opened, with traffic alternating at times, as the CHP's on-scene investigation continued for a couple hours.
The accident remains under investigation. Witnesses are asked to call the Ventura-area CHP office at 805-662-2640.
Santa Paula man accused of having drug lab in vehicle
A 24-year-old Santa Paula man was arrested in Goleta Friday after authorities found a suspected drug lab in his vehicle.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff's deputies had responded to the 5500 block of Hollister Avenue after a caller reported someone passed out in a vehicle in the parking lot of a business around 6:30 p.m. Deputies arrested the man on suspicion of DUI after determining he had driven to the business.
A subsequent search of the vehicle found what authorities called a clandestine drug manufacturing lab with methamphetamine, heroin, LSD, MDMA and psilocybin, sheriff's officials said, as well as evidence of drug sales and manufacturing.
The man was arrested on suspicion of felony drug-related violations and misdemeanor DUI and possession of burglary tools. He was later released on bail, the agency reported.
Former high school employee sentenced in sex crimes case
A former Westlake High School employee who sent explicit photos of himself to female students was sentenced last week to a year in county jail.
Thomas Charles Ballas, 34, will also be required to register as a sex offender, the Ventura County District Attorney's Office reported.
The Westlake Village resident had pleaded guilty in June to two felony counts of sending harmful matter to a minor. He also admitted to the special allegations of taking advantage of a position of trust and that the victim was vulnerable.
Ballas had been a former theater technical specialist at the school and had worked closely with the choir program, prosecutors said. In December, a student reported that Ballas was sending her explicit photos of himself via Snapchat, a social media app. Screenshots of the conversation show Ballas and the victim discussed that she was underage, according to the DA's office. He was arrested on Dec. 2 was fired by the Conejo Valley Unified School District after his arrest.
Ventura County Sheriff's detectives learned of a second victim who confirmed she had also received explicit photos of Ballas when she was in high school, prosecutors said. One of the felony counts pertains to the second victim.
Because of the crimes involved, Ballas's sex offender registration will be for his lifetime and his name will appear on the California Megan's Law website, according to the DA's office.
He is due to report to Ventura County jail on Aug. 7.
Thousands of pills seized, 16-year-old arrested
Police in Port Hueneme arrested a teen suspected of selling drugs as authorities confiscated thousands of pills and other evidence during a search last week.
At around 2 p.m. Friday, authorities executed a search warrant in the 2500 block of Spinnaker Avenue for suspected narcotics sales and weapons violations, the Port Hueneme Police Department said in a news release. The search was assisted by special enforcement investigators from the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.
Police found about 2,000 Farmapram pills, a version of Xanax made and sold in Mexico and believed to have been illegally smuggled into the U.S. They also seized about 1,500 counterfeit oxycodone pills suspected to contain fentanyl, a loaded, unregistered 9 mm handgun and more than $4,000 cash, officials said.
The department estimated the street value of the drugs at about $60,000.
The teen was arrested on suspicion of narcotics sales and firearms violations and booked into the county juvenile hall facility.
Items may be updated.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Roundup: Driver arrested in Highway 126 head-on crash, more news
