Roundup: Parking lot near Mussel Shoals closed for work, more news

Staff reports
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Access to Oil Piers Beach and nearby Mussel Shoals will be more difficult for the next week due to work at the Punta Gorda parking lot, Caltrans officials said. The lot should reopen before Memorial Day weekend.
Access to Oil Piers Beach and nearby Mussel Shoals will be more difficult for the next week due to work at the Punta Gorda parking lot, Caltrans officials said. The lot should reopen before Memorial Day weekend.

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

Parking lot near Mussel Shoals closed for work

A large parking lot that allows pedestrian access to Mussel Shoals and other beach areas near La Conchita will be closed most of the week for upgrades meant to reduce illegal street racing, according to the California Department of Transportation, or Caltrans.

The Punta Gorda parking lot sits along the northbound side of Highway 101, north of the Seacliff interchange, at the north end of old Pacific Coast Highway. A pedestrian undercrossing below the freeway provides access to beach areas including Oil Piers.

The lot will be closed Friday and Saturday, then will close again on Monday through Friday. It should reopen in time for Memorial Day weekend, Caltrans officials said in a release.

About 155 concrete parking bumpers will be installed and spaces will be repainted. Sixteen speed bumps will also be put in.

The project came about after "numerous" requests to stop illegal street races in the parking lot. The races have caused damage and put stress on the pavement, Caltrans officials said, including many skid marks from tires.

A parking lot that provides pedestrian access to beach areas near Mussel Shoals will be mostly closed through Friday, May 26, for upgrades meant to prevent illegal street racing, Caltrans officials said.
A parking lot that provides pedestrian access to beach areas near Mussel Shoals will be mostly closed through Friday, May 26, for upgrades meant to prevent illegal street racing, Caltrans officials said.

Feds arrest New Jersey man in connection with TO fatal overdose

A fatal fentanyl overdose in Thousand Oaks led federal authorities to arrest a New Jersey man who allegedly supplied the drugs.

The 25-year-old Thousand Oaks man was found dead on Dec. 10 in the 200 block of Erbes Road, according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office. Detectives with the county's VC FOCUS task force, which stands for the fentanyl and overdose crimes unit, took over the investigation.

The detectives identified the New Jersey man, Kimber Brunfman, 26, as having allegedly sold the victim multiple drugs, including the fentanyl that caused the fatality. Brunfman reportedly mailed the substances from Philadelphia to the victim's residence in Thousand Oaks. The local detectives collaborated with federal Drug Enforcement Administration agents in Los Angeles.

The U.S. Attorney's Office indicted Brunfman, who was arrested in New Jersey on May 2, federal prosecutors said in a release.

As of Friday, Brunfman remained in custody in an East Coast facility, a sheriff's official said. He will be transported to California, where he is expected to be arraigned in Los Angeles. Federal sentencing guidelines indicate he would face at least 20 years in federal prison if convicted, sheriff's officials said.

Items may be updated.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Roundup: Parking lot near Mussel Shoals closed for work, more news