Roundup: Unreported elder abuse nets conviction, man shot in Oxnard, more news

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

Director who failed to report elder abuse sentenced

VENTURA COUNTY — A 55-year-old Oak Park woman was sentenced to 120 days in jail for failing to report suspected elder abuse — rape, in this case — when she was legally required to do so as a so-called mandated reporter, the Ventura County District Attorney's Office said Thursday.

In addition to the jail sentence, the woman was sentenced to 12 months probation after pleading guilty to the misdemeanor charge, authorities said.

The woman was the director of the Royal Gardens Assisted Living Facility in Camarillo. On Oct. 15, 2020, a 90-year-old dementia patient was raped by a caregiver at the facility, authorities allege, and an 82-year-old resident suffered an attempted rape by the same employee that night.

Two days later, the suspect, identified as Joel Gonzales, 26, allegedly strangled a 6-year-old girl in an unrelated attempted murder case. He remains in custody at Todd Road Jail with pending charges of elder abuse as well as attempted murder. Gonzales has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to all charges. His next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 19, according to online jail records.

Mandated reporters are required by law to report suspected abuse to law enforcement when they witness or learn of allegations involving anyone under their care.

The Oak Park woman "was aware of these alleged crimes near the time they occurred and failed to report Gonzales’ actions to law enforcement," the DA's office said in a release.

She was arrested shortly after Gonzales was detained.

Ventura County Superior Court Judge Gilbert Romero sentenced the woman after her guilty plea was entered Thursday.

Man shot in leg

OXNARD — One person was hospitalized after being shot in the leg in south Oxnard on Thursday night, according to the Oxnard Police Department.

The shooting occurred around 10:45 p.m. in the 200 block of Cuesta Del Mar.

According to Cmdr. Luis McArthur, the victim had been walking through the alley when he got into an argument with someone else. The other person fired multiple shots, hitting the victim in the leg. Police later found shell casings in the area.

The victim, a man in his mid-20s, was transported to Ventura County Medical Center where he remained in unknown condition as of Friday afternoon. No arrests had been made and the investigation was ongoing.

CFO sentenced for embezzlement

VENTURA COUNTY — The former chief finance officer of a Simi Valley business was sentenced to 12 years in prison for embezzling over $3.2 million, according to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.

Bill Lee Jones, 63, of Simi Valley, pled guilty in June to 12 counts of grand theft and admitted to the special allegation that his total theft was over $500,000.

Jones worked as an executive at Enderle Fuel Injection, a racing parts distributor based in Simi Valley. Investigators said Jones spent decades working for the company's founder, Kent Enderle, gaining his trust until he was placed in charge of the company's finances with no oversight.

After Enderle died in 2016, Jones began writing himself unauthorized company checks. He continued to do so for nearly five years until an audit found Jones had embezzled more than $3.2 million through writing himself 1,879 checks from the company, prosecutors said.

“It is gratifying to see Jones held accountable for such an aggravated fraud scheme," Ventura County DA Erik Nasarenko said in a statement. "This case is a stark reminder that businesses must protect themselves by putting in place systems of checks and balances to prevent trusted insiders from taking advantage of them.”

In addition to the prison sentence, Jones was ordered to pay $2.6 million in victim restitution. Before the criminal charges had been filed, the company filed a civil suit to recover $600,000 in stolen funds.

The investigation was conducted by the Simi Valley Police Department and prosecuted by the DA's fraud and technology crimes unit.

Home Depot robbery arrest

SIMI VALLEY — Simi Valley police arrested a 45-year-old Los Angeles man after he was suspected of robbing a Home Depot Thursday evening.

Authorities were contacted at 5:08 p.m. by a witness at the store's 575 E. Cochran St. location.

The witness said the man took power tools from the store and then brandished what looked like a Taser at employees, the Simi Valley Police Department reported.

The witness followed the suspect and gave police a description of his vehicle, a Dodge Charger, as the man fled the scene.

Simi Valley officers pulled the vehicle over near Highway 23 and Avenida De Los Arboles in Thousand Oaks. The suspect, a passenger in the car, was arrested on suspicion of the robbery, with evidence later surfacing connecting him to a separate theft at the same store on Aug. 2.

The driver, a 55-year-old man, was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor DUI.

Police recovered the stolen property and returned it to the store.

Items may be updated if new information becomes available.

Jeremy Childs is a breaking news and general assignment reporter for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at 805-437-0208, jeremy.childs@vcstar.com, and on Twitter @Jeremy_Childs.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Unreported elder abuse nets conviction, man shot in Oxnard, more