Roundup: Teens rescued using new phone feature, more news
Here's a roundup of recent incidents and announcements from Ventura County agencies:
Teens rescued using phone's emergency feature
Ten teens were rescued from the rugged Santa Paula Canyon area Friday night after they sought help using a relatively new emergency feature on an iPhone, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office said in a release Tuesday evening.
Sheriff's dispatchers received a text around 8 p.m. through Apple's Emergency SOS feature, which allows communication via satellite when no cell phone or wifi connection is available. The feature, announced by Apple in November, is available on iPhone 14 models.
The male and female teens, age 16-18, weren't able to find their way back from the canyon's "Last Chance" area in Los Padres National Forest. The emergency communication provided a possible location and information about whether immediate medical aid was required.
The teens' guardians had also contacted sheriff's officials from near the trailhead to report them missing.
Thirteen volunteer members of the sheriff's Upper Ojai Search and Rescue team hiked in about 4 miles and found the hikers. The trek involved low visibility and multiple stream crossings in an area where heavy winter rains had damaged trails.
The SAR team members made contact around 11:15 p.m. Most of the teens weren't prepared for the outing and were given food, water and lighting equipment for the hike back down to the trailhead, sheriff's officials said. They were reunited with family around 2:40 a.m. Saturday. None needed medical aid.
Woman sentenced for violent attacks
A 36-year-old Ventura woman was sentenced to more than three years in prison after pleading guilty in cases involving physical attacks, the Ventura County District Attorney's Office reported.
Raquel Regina Villarreal had pleaded guilty last month to felony charges in three separate incidents.
In November 2021, she violated a restraining order and confronted her ex-husband at their daughter's school in Oxnard, prosecutors said, striking him several times in the arm with a cane and hitting the window frame of a truck. When two Oxnard police officers contacted her the next day and tried to arrest her for domestic violence and violating the restraining order, she struggled with the officers, kicking them in the lower body before they were able to handcuff her.
The following day while in custody and uncuffed for fingerprinting, she struck a processing deputy several times in the face.
In February, while in custody for the prior assaults, Villarreal attacked another inmate in an unprovoked assault, prosecutors said. She punched, stomped and slammed the inmate's head against the floor before deputies were able to remove her from the locked area.
On Tuesday, Villarreal was sentenced by Ventura County Superior Court Judge Bruce Young to three years, four months in state prison.
Butcher shop fined for false advertising
An Ojai butcher shop was ordered to pay $75,000 in a civil case involving false advertising, the Ventura County District Attorney's Office said.
The judgment Wednesday against Watkins Cattle Co. involved ads for beef described as "from our pasture to your plate," prosecutors said. The meat in many cases came from third parties outside the county and state. The company also misrepresented how many acres it owned or leased.
The $75,000 in civil penalties will be paid over three installments, with the last due by February 2025, according to the stipulated agreement. Of the total, $50,000 will go to the DA's consumer protection trust fund account to help enforce laws involving deceptive advertising and fraudulent business practices. The remaining $25,000 will be used to cover the DA's investigative costs in the case.
Simi police warn of scam calls
The Simi Valley Police Department on Wednesday warned of a phone scam where calls appear to come from the police agency.
Several residents have reported receiving the calls, which falsely appear to come from the department's number, officials said. A caller impersonating an officer has asked for money or to meet up at the police station regarding missed jury duty that has resulted in an arrest warrant.
The police department does not make such calls, the agency said.
Police officials reminded residents to never provide money, credit card information, bank account details or a Social Security number to someone you don't know.
If you believe you've been a victim of the scam, you can call the department's non-emergency line at 805-583-6950.
-- Items may be updated.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Roundup: Teens rescued from canyon using iPhone SOS feature, more news
