Suspects Sought in Theft of Pumpkins
Authorities arrested two suspects and are seeking others in the theft of hundreds of dollars worth of pumpkins in Ojai.
At 9 p.m. Tuesday, witnesses saw at least four vehicles leaving 3277 Ojai-Santa Paula Road, where the pumpkins had just been stolen, according to Ventura County Sheriff’s Sgt. Gregg Whitesell.
One witness tried to follow the vehicles while contacting deputies in Ojai on a cellular phone. The woman gave descriptions of the suspects, but the vehicles scattered in different directions when they reached town, Whitesell said.
Some of the pumpkins were thrown out of the moving vehicles. A few minutes later, Deputy James Adams spotted a suspect and pulled the car over. Oak View resident Ryan S. Atherton, 23, and an Oak View 16-year-old were taken into custody.
Atherton was booked on felony grand theft charges and taken to the Ventura County Jail, Det. Steve Lengyel said. Bail was set at $5,000.
Police have license plate numbers and descriptions of other suspects and expect to make more arrests soon, Whitesell said.
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