(This story has been updated to correct a typo concerning a date and to add an item from Oxnard Police.)
Here's a roundup of recent incidents and announcements from Ventura County and regional agencies:
Hiker's name released
A man who died while hiking Saturday morning in the Santa Monica Mountains has been named by authorities.
David Dick Jr., 45, was a resident of Ridgefield, Washington, the Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office said Wednesday. The cause of death was found to be hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiac disease with obesity as a contributing condition. The manner was natural, the medical examiner determined.
Dick had been about 2.5 miles up the Ray Miller Trail in Point Mugu State Park, according to Ventura County Sheriff's officials. He had been hiking alone. The trail is the western terminus of the Backbone Trail, which covers 67 miles through the Santa Monica Mountains.
Another hiker had passed Dick on the way up, officials said, then found him lying on the ground on the way back down. The incident was reported shortly before 9:30 a.m.
Ventura woman found guilty in $1.3M embezzlement case
Jurors in a federal district court in Los Angeles found a Ventura woman guilty of embezzling at least $1.3 million from the Beverly Hills-based publishing company where she worked, as well as from the business owner's personal bank account.
Kimberly Ann Miletta, 51, was found guilty Monday of three counts of wire fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles.
Her activities over a period of years included a fraudulent wire transfer of nearly $1 million from the owner's personal account to buy an ocean-view home in Ventura, prosecutors said in a news release. Miletta also used the company credit card, which she controlled, to buy hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of personal items, including spa treatments, veterinary bills, high-end clothes and designer handbags, then paid the credit card bills from the owner's personal account.
Miletta served as president of Phoenix Books, an independent book and audio publisher, from 2009 to 2018, jurors heard during the five-day trial. As president, she had full control over the business and its finances, prosecutors said, but only for legitimate business expenses.
The embezzlement was carried out between October 2013 to January 2018, according to the release. The jury found Miletta not guilty on two other counts of wire fraud.
The FBI investigated the case.
Sentencing is set for Jan. 10. Miletta faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each count, prosecutors said.
Oxnard police seek information in fatal shooting
Oxnard authorities are asking for the public's help with information concerning a fatal shooting Jan. 1 .
The victim, 34-year-old Jose Juarez , was shot shortly after midnight in the 2100 block of Sierra Way while returning home from a neighbor's New Year's Eve party, the Oxnard Police Department previously reported.
The department said Wednesday its major crimes unit has developed "new leads" in the investigation, although no details were provided.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Adam Aguilar at 805-385-7680 or adam.aguilar@oxnardpd.org.
The city offers a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of individuals responsible for carrying out homicides within city limits.
Anonymous tips can be provided through venturacountycrimestoppers.org.
DUI arrest in crash that sheared hydrant
An 18-year-old Simi Valley driver was arrested early Sunday after he allegedly crashed his vehicle and injured his passenger.
Simi Valley Police said a person following the vehicle called officers around 12:30 a.m. to report a possible DUI driver in the area of Los Angeles Avenue and Sycamore Drive. While the caller was on the phone, the vehicle crashed into a hydrant and electrical pole, police said.
An occupant of the vehicle was found trapped inside and was removed by Ventura County Fire Department crews. It was not clear how severely the person was injured.
The driver was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol with a blood alcohol concentration of more than 0.08% and causing his passenger to be injured, according to police. He was later released pending further investigation, police said.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Roundup: Authorities ID hiker, Ventura woman convicted of embezzlement, more
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