Roundup: Murder suspect arrested in separate robbery case, more news
Here's a roundup of recent incidents and announcements from Ventura County agencies:
Murder suspect arrested in robbery case
A man currently in jail on suspicion of murder was arrested this month on suspicion of a July robbery in Fillmore, authorities said Thursday.
Rotherie Foster, 37, of Camarillo, had previously been arrested and charged in January with the murder of Camarillo resident Jose Antonio Velasquez, 35. The high-profile case had garnered widespread attention as Velasquez had initially been reported missing in July, when Ventura County Sheriff’s authorities sought the public’s help as they searched for him. Velasquez’s body was found by hikers in October off Mulholland Highway in the Santa Monica Mountains.
Prosecutors have accused Foster of fatally shooting Velasquez on or around July 28 and using his credit cards and checkbook for purchases. Foster has pleaded not guilty to all charges and denied all special allegations in the murder case.
Thursday’s announcement by the sheriff’s office said Foster had been arrested in connection with a July 3 robbery at La Unica Mini Market in the 500 block of Old Telegraph Road in Fillmore. Two male suspects had reportedly brandished firearms at store employees and demanded money. Detectives subsequently identified Foster as a suspect and arrested him on suspicion of robbery on Feb. 8 at Todd Road Jail.
Sheriff’s officials are still investigating the Fillmore market incident and are seeking the public’s help identifying the second suspect. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Corey Stump at 805-384-4745 or corey.stump@ventura.org.
Charges filed in Newbury Park homicide
A Newbury Park man accused of fatally shooting his sister on Feb. 17 has been charged with murder.
The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office filed charges against Brennan Post, 33, on Wednesday. The complaint includes a special allegation that Post personally discharged a firearm.
Cassidy Snow, 25, died of multiple gunshot wounds in the homicide, according to the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Snow was shot at the home on Sandra Court in Newbury Park she shared with Post, their mother and Post’s stepfather, prosecutors said. She died at the scene of the early-morning shooting, which is being investigated by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.
No plea was entered during an arraignment in Ventura County Superior Court on Wednesday. The hearing was continued until March 22.
Post remained in custody at Ventura County’s main jail Friday, where he was not eligible for bail.
Jail sentence in vehicular manslaughter case
A Camarillo woman pleaded guilty Thursday to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated in connection with a fatal crash on Pacific Coast Highway when she was a teen.
Lindsey Shaver, now 21, was 19 at the time of the crash on March 18, 2021. She and her friend, Laney Zambri, 18, were driving southbound on PCH north of Mugu Rock. Zambri was filming a Snapchat video while standing through the sunroof of Shaver’s SUV and was thrown from the vehicle when Shaver lost control, authorities said. Zambri died of her injuries days later, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.
Shaver was under the influence of marijuana at the time, prosecutors said.
As part of probation terms in Thursday’s plea deal, Shaver will be required to speak at local high schools about the dangers of impaired and distracted driving, the DA’s office said. She was also sentenced to 90 days jail time and probation.
In a statement, prosecutor George Brietigam said Shaver’s decision to drive while impaired “tragically took the life of her best friend. We hope that high school students will learn about the real-life consequences of driving under the influence and will choose not to do so after hearing about the tragic circumstances of this case.”
Pursuit blocks freeway lanes
A standoff with a driver being pursued by authorities blocked lanes of Highway 101 on the Conejo Grade Thursday morning and brought a sheriff's helicopter and police dog to the scene.
California Highway Patrol officers had been called in around 8:30 a.m. regarding a possibly stolen Mazda Miata headed southbound on the 101 near Johnson Drive, the agency's office in Ventura reported. CHP personnel got in position and found the vehicle at Central Avenue.
An enforcement stop was initiated on the southbound freeway south of Camarillo Springs Road, where the driver pulled over but refused to comply with officers' demands to exit the vehicle, the CHP reported.
Ventura County Sheriff's Copter 3 was called to the scene and a K-9 police dog was deployed to eventually take the suspect into custody. The Santa Monica man, 25, was arrested on suspicion of vehicle theft, resisting and receiving stolen property. He remained in county jail Friday in lieu of $20,000 bail, jail records showed.
Items may be updated.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Roundup: Murder suspect arrested in separate robbery case, more news
