Roundup: Crash victims named, 22 arrested over Target thefts, more

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

22 arrested for Target thefts during blitz

A recent law enforcement operation focused on thefts at Target stores in Moorpark and Simi Valley netted 22 arrests ranging from petty theft to conspiracy, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office reported.

The operation on Aug. 23 and 24 involved the Ventura County Organized Retail Theft Task Force, a grant-funded program overseen by the sheriff's office that includes law enforcement agencies around the county.

The effort recovered about $1,400 in stolen merchandise. Some methamphetamine was seized.

Nineteen adults and three minors were arrested. The suspects' ages ranged from 14 to 50. They included Simi Valley and Moorpark residents as well as out-of-county individuals.

The two-day blitz was a collaboration between law enforcement and Target Corp. and included sheriff's personnel along with the Simi Valley Police Department, the California Highway Patrol and a Ventura County Community College District police officer.

Motorcycle rider ID'd in Las Posas crash

Authorities on Tuesday named the motorcycle rider found dead Thursday morning after an earlier crash on the Oxnard Plain.

Camarillo resident Jesse Scott was 24, the Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office reported Tuesday.

Scott was found in a drainage ditch along Las Posas Road, north of the Revolon Slough, shortly before 7 a.m. Thursday, California Highway Patrol officials said. His body was found next to a yellow 2007 Suzuki.

CHP investigators determined he crashed between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. that morning while riding southbound on Las Posas, where he failed to negotiate a sweeping turn. The route cuts through agricultural land between Pacific Coast Highway and Hueneme Road. No other vehicles were believed to be involved.

Any witnesses were asked to contact the CHP's Ventura-area office at  805-662-2640.

Authorities name Highway 126 crash victim

The driver killed in a crash early Sunday on Highway 126 in the Santa Paula area has been identified by authorities.

Sergio Beltran, 30, was a Santa Paula resident, according to the Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office. The medical examiner determined the cause of death was blunt force head injuries.

The accident on the eastbound 126 was reported shortly before 3 a.m. west of Briggs Road. California Highway Patrol officials said Beltran had been alone in a Volkswagen sedan, reportedly going at high speeds, when for unknown reasons he went off the roadway and overturned. He died at the scene, authorities said.

Man suffers burns in Oxnard house fire

A man was taken to the hospital early Tuesday morning after suffering burns in an Oxnard house fire.

The Oxnard Fire Department responded to a fire in the 900 block of Douglas Avenue shortly before 1:30 a.m. The man, two other adult residents and a dog were inside the home at the time, said Battalion Chief John Ceceña. No other injuries were reported, he said.

Crews saw smoke as they arrived to the single-family home in Oxnard's Fremont North neighborhood. The fire was essentially out within about 15 minutes, but firefighters remained on scene for more than four hours to investigate the cause and origin of the fire, Ceceña said.

He did not believe the house was habitable after the blaze but the city's building and safety inspectors would have to formally decide about occupancy.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Roundup: Crash victims named, 22 arrested over Target thefts, more