Roundup: Man sentenced in liquor store stabbing, other crimes; more news
Here's a roundup of recent incidents and announcements from Ventura County agencies:
Man sentenced for stabbing at liquor store, other crimes
An Oxnard man was sentenced to more than eight years in state prison Thursday for three separate felony cases from 2020 involving a stabbing, stolen motorcycles and a cache of weapons.
Jason Lyle Garner, 47, was sentenced to eight years, eight months in all, according to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
The stabbing took place on July 16, 2020, when witnesses saw Garner arguing with the victim outside a liquor store near Ventura Harbor. Garner followed the man into the store and stabbed him at least six times before fleeing, prosecutors said in a news release. The victim was treated for stab wounds to his arms and torso.
Ventura Police Department officers recognized surveillance images of Garner by his horn tattoos and from prior encounters, authorities said, leading to his arrest days later. The stabbing had been captured on surveillance video from several angles.
Garner pleaded guilty to one count of assault with a deadly weapon in September after opening statements had started in a jury trial, the DA's office said.
On Aug. 7, 2020, while out on bail for the stabbing, Garner was arrested for felony firearms violations when Ventura police responded to a storage facility for a welfare check. Officers found Garner in front of his storage unit and conducted a probation search. They found hundreds of rounds of live ammunition and two AR-15 lower receivers, prosecutors said. As a felon, Garner was barred from possessing guns or ammunition. Jurors convicted him of three firearms felonies in August.
On Nov. 12, 2020, authorities found Garner with stolen motorcycles in the Santa Clara River bottom near a trailer Garner was staying in. He pleaded guilty in September to possessing a stolen vehicle.
In the stabbing case, Garner was sentenced to six years in prison last month.
On Thursday, Garner was sentenced in the firearms and stolen motorcycle cases. The two year, eight month sentence in the gun case and a two year sentence in the motorcycle case will be served concurrently, making total sentencing for the three cases eight years and eight months.
Real estate agent sentenced in fraud case
A Camarillo man was sentenced Wednesday to jail time and ordered to pay restitution after previously pleading guilty in a felony real estate fraud case.
Daniel Montano, 29, a licensed real estate agent, had pleaded guilty in August to four felony counts of forgery, according to the Ventura District Attorney's Office. He also admitted to enhancements including that the crimes showed sophistication and planning and that he took advantage of a position of trust.
Montano had been employed by RE/MAX Gold Coast Realtors in Ventura in October 2020 when the victims chose him as their agent in two property transactions, the DA's office said in a news release.
During the course of that work, Montano forged victims’ signatures on multiple California Association of Realtors forms and sent the documents to escrow on the sale and purchase of residential properties in Ventura. The case was investigated by the DA's Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Senior Deputy DA Dominic Kardum.
On Wednesday, Montano was sentenced in Ventura County Superior Court to 180 days in jail and was placed on formal probation for two years. He was also ordered to pay $102,366 in victim restitution. Prior to sentencing, he paid $68,500 in restitution.
While on probation, he is barred from taking part in any work that requires a real estate license, prosecutors said.
17-year sentence for attempted burglary
A 31-year-old Long Beach man was sentenced to 17 years in prison Wednesday for an attempted residential burglary in Simi Valley.
Jurors in August convicted Shawn Otis Hernandez of attempted first-degree burglary and conspiracy, both felonies, according to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office. A judge also found true prior convictions and special allegations, including prior violent conduct and felony convictions.
During the early hours of Jan. 9, Hernandez and other unidentified suspects tried to burglarize a home on Township Avenue by shattering a sliding glass door at the rear of the woman's house, prosecutors said in a news release. The homeowner called 911.
As Simi Valley Police Department officers arrived, one of the suspects fled the neighborhood in a Dodge Charger, launching a short high-speed pursuit that ended in a single-car crash. The driver, now 19, who was alone in the car, pleaded guilty in June to attempted burglary and evading and was sentenced to a year and eight months in prison.
Officers searching the car after the pursuit found personal information belong to Hernandez. Authorities also found evidence at homes near the victim's residence, including a black ski mask, gloves and a bag in a neighbor's backyard, prosecutors said. DNA evidence connected Hernandez to the scene and his DNA was matched to a glove found in the neighbor's yard.
Uber records showed Hernandez used the service to get a ride from the Simi Valley neighborhood to South Los Angeles, according to the DA's office.
“Thanks to the dedicated work by Simi Valley Police detectives," Deputy DA Matthew Hovsepian said in a statement, "this conviction can start to restore the victim’s sense of security in her home."
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Roundup: Sentencing in Ventura liquor store stabbing, other crimes
