OXNARD : Man Admits Making Threats to Witness

An Oxnard gang member has pleaded guilty to threatening a witness in a gang-related murder case.

Jaime Sanchez, 18, entered the guilty plea Monday in Ventura County Superior Court. He faces up to a year in Ventura County Jail when he is sentenced July 7 by Judge Charles R. McGrath. Sanchez has been in jail since April 1, with bail set at $50,000.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Donald C. Glynn said the case stemmed from the fatal gang-related shooting of Manuel Albis outside an Oxnard convenience store March 19.

One of the witnesses, a 14-year-old Oxnard boy, told investigators that Sanchez approached him 11 days after the shooting and asked him why he had talked to police, Glynn said. Sanchez later said he would get back at the 14-year-old at lunchtime or after school, the prosecutor said.

The youth took the threat seriously, left school immediately and has relocated to another town, Glynn said. Another witness moved to Mexico because his family feared gang retaliation, Glynn said.

“Threats to witnesses cause real problems when we try this kind of case,” Glynn said, adding that he was “just delighted” by Sanchez’s conviction. “I hope it sends a message to gang members that if they threaten a witness, they will pay the consequences.”

Robert Truitt, 19, whom Glynn described as a member of an Oxnard gang, has been charged with shooting Albis, who belonged to a rival gang, Glynn said. Truitt’s trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 6 in McGrath’s court.

Truitt is in jail with bail set at $250,000.