Connect with us

Los Angeles, Ca

4 busted with 'hundreds of pounds' of stolen avocados from Southern California farm

Published

on

4 busted with 'hundreds of pounds' of stolen avocados from Southern California farm

Four Los Angeles County residents were arrested and booked into jail on conspiracy charges after they were pulled over with hundreds of pounds of stolen avocados in their vehicle.

The arrests were made possible thanks to a county-wide neighborhood watch program called Farm Watch, a partnership with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and hundreds of local farms, ranches and nurseries.

On Sunday around 2:40 p.m., sheriff’s deputies from the FIllmore station responded to a ranch on the 3000 block of Telegraph Road that had reported a major avocado theft.

The victim was able to provide detailed information about the suspect vehicle, which was located by patrol officers as it attempted to flee the area.

Advertisement

A traffic stop was conducted which led to the identification of four suspects: David Melchor, 18; Jesus Pozos, 23; Valentin Pozos, 33; and Epifania Pozos, 37. All four are residents of Norwalk in L.A. County, officials said.

Inside the vehicle, deputies discovered “hundreds of pounds of stolen avocados,” which were returned to the rancher.

The four suspects are described as an agricultural theft group that may have targeted other businesses in the Santa Clara Valley, officials said.

All four were booked into the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility to await felony charges for agricultural theft and conspiracy, as well as misdemeanor trespassing charges.

They are due in court on June 11 and are being held on $10,000 bail each, jail records show.

Advertisement

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office encourages members of the agriculture community to join the Farm Watch program to receive electronic alerts and information about latest crime trends.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Los Angeles, Ca

Palisades Fire in Los Angeles scorches 2,921 acres; many homes burned

Published

on

Palisades Fire in Los Angeles scorches 2,921 acres; many homes burned

Tens of thousands of residents in the western Los Angeles area remain under mandatory evacuation orders Wednesday morning after a wind-driven wildfire exploded in size Tuesday and swept through communities in the Pacific Palisades.

The Palisades Fire was first reported around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in the 1100 block of North Piedra Morada Drive. By evening, the fire had exploded to more than 2,900 acres with no containment and was expected to keep spreading amid hurricane-force Santa Ana winds.

The latest CalFire updates can be found here.

There was no initial estimate for the number of structures damaged or destroyed. However, news footage showed dozens of homes and other structures ablaze.

  • Palisades Fire
  • Palisades Fire
  • Palisades Fire
  • Palisades Fire
  • Palisades Fire
  • Palisades Fire

Evacuations were ordered for the entire Palisades community down to the Pacific Ocean, according to CalFire. During a Tuesday afternoon press conference, officials said more than 10,000 homes in Pacific Palisades and Malibu were affected by the evacuation order. Evacuation warnings also extended into areas of Santa Monica and Calabasas.

An evacuation shelter for people and pets was established at the Westwood Recreation Center at 1350 S. Sepulveda Boulevard.

Advertisement

Dozens of Los Angeles County schools will be closed Wednesday due to the fire. A comprehensive list of closures can be found here.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Pacific Palisades is located about 10 miles from Malibu, where the Franklin Fire burned more than 4,000 acres and burned several homes after erupting during similar windy conditions in December.

Palisades Fire Resources: LAFD Alerts | CALFIRE Incident Page | LAFD on X

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Los Angeles, Ca

Palisades Fire threatens Southern California cultural touchstone

Published

on

Palisades Fire threatens Southern California cultural touchstone

As the more than 2,900-acre Palisades Fire rages, a Southern California cultural touchstone – the Getty Villa along Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades – is threatened. 

In a statement, President and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust Katherine E. Fleming said the villa was swiftly closed Tuesday morning to non-emergency staff and irrigation was deployed throughout the grounds. 

Fleming added that extensive measures to clear brush from the surrounding areas had taken place earlier in the year as part of the villa’s fire mitigation efforts, though some trees and vegetation on the grounds have burned. 

  • Sicilian Art Displayed At The Getty Villa

“Museum galleries and library archives were sealed off from smoke by state-of-the-art air handling systems,” the statement noted and added that the double-walled construction of the galleries provides significant protection to the priceless collections housed in the museum.  

Villa officials extended their gratitude for the tireless efforts of first responders. 

“We, of course, are very concerned for our neighbors in the Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and the surrounding areas,” the statement adds.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Los Angeles, Ca

L.A. officials announce preparedness measures ahead of ‘most significant windstorm in more than a decade’ 

Published

on

L.A. officials announce preparedness measures ahead of ‘most significant windstorm in more than a decade’ 

Wild weather – including rain, snow, high winds and dangerous fire conditions – is how Southern California is starting 2025, and officials in the L.A. are taking no chances ahead of the adverse conditions. 

The National Weather Service has described the windstorm hitting SoCal as “life-threatening,” “extreme” and “destructive,” and snow flurries were seen Tuesday morning in mountain communities; further inland, rain showers caused slick roadways. 

In L.A., Mayor Karen Bass announced Tuesday morning that the city has activated its Emergency Operations Center to a Level 2 to ensure the safety of all Angelenos.  

“Parts of the Los Angeles region will potentially face one of the most significant windstorms in more than a decade, and I urge Angelenos to continue monitoring the storm and stay vigilant and safe,” Mayor Bass said in a statement. “Power outages as a result of downed power lines, increased fire risk and falling trees and debris should be expected during this time and the impacts and dangers of a windstorm should be taken seriously.” 

Advertisement

The mayor’s office released a list of resources and helpful information for residents to use during the windstorm: 

  • Reporting and tracking power outages: Visit www.ladwp.com/outages or call 1-800-DIAL-DWP (1-800-342-5397)
  • Reporting blocked roadways: Service can be requested through www.lacity.gov/myla311 or by calling 311; Angelenos are also encouraged to download the MyLA311 mobile app
  • Red Flag Warning updates: Check www.lafd.org/redflag for the latest updates; Red Flag parking restrictions have been in place since 8 a.m. Tuesday and are set to last until further notice
  • Outage updates: LADWP will regularly update their X page to inform residents of power outages
  • Weather updates: Click here for the hyperlocal forecast for your community, or visit the National Weather Service for the regional forecast
  • In case of emergency: Dial 911

In addition to downing trees and causing power outages throughout the region early Tuesday morning, the dangerously high winds are already fueling brush fires in the area, including one that erupted and was later contained in the Santa Ana Riverbed in Colton around 5 a.m. 

A much larger and more rapidly spreading vegetation fire broke out around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in L.A.’s upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood. By noon, area residents were being told to prepare to evacuate as it spread to over 200 acres in about an hour. 

Continue Reading

Trending