OXNARD : Drug Seller’s House Forfeited to State
A Ventura County judge has ordered that an Oxnard house be forfeited to the state government after police seized it while arresting its owner for selling crack cocaine last summer.
Superior Court Judge Richard D. Aldrich ruled Monday that the house at 2031 W. Birch St. could become state property after the district attorney’s office sued to acquire it under California drug laws.
Oxnard police seized the house in August after arresting its owner, Robert Carter Sr., and four others on suspicion of selling crack to people who drove up to the three-bedroom, two-bath house in a middle-class neighborhood.
“This had been going on for literally years” and neighbors complained to police and investigators about Carter’s drug sales, Deputy Dist. Atty. Maeve Fox said. “Without the cooperation of the neighbors, this probably would never have come to pass.” Carter was sentenced to 180 days in Ventura County Jail after pleading guilty to selling cocaine and conspiracy to sell cocaine.
The house will be sold at auction through the county’s Public Works Department and the proceeds will be distributed to local police agencies to fight drug abuse.
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