Officers Have Possible Lead in 1996 Death of Teen

Who killed Jenniffer Vernals?

It’s been three years since the remains of the 15-year-old Ventura girl were found on an avocado ranch north of Ventura.

Today, the homicide book on the case is stored in a Sheriff’s Department closet but a picture of the teen still hangs on a wall in the major crimes division.

“You just kind of wait and hope that somebody who knows something will someday realize these things remain open forever and that they have an emotional and physical drain on everybody,” said Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Lt. Mike Burridge, who led the investigation.

Vernals was last seen March 30, 1996, in downtown Ventura, where her grandmother dropped her off to shop for jeans. Her remains were discovered five months later on Toro Canyon Road in Montecito.

The cause of death is unknown.

The cops now say they have a potential lead, from a man in prison for burglary and battery on a cop.

The man told detectives he spent a lot of time with her and that she was infatuated with him, but that he had nothing to do with her death.

Additionally, Burridge said, the man’s girlfriend allegedly asked detectives this hypothetical question: Would it be murder if someone gave Vernals drugs?

“I think he knows more than he is telling us and what that is, I don’t know. His girlfriend, in essence, tried to paint a story to us of a possible overdose,” Burridge said.

I wonder if we will ever know the truth.

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Thanks to a little luck and a little generosity, Santa Paula police officers are now able to get the drop on criminals in the dark.

Former Police Chief Walt Adair donated a pair of night-vision goggles to the underfunded department after recently winning the $2,000 prize at the annual California Peace Officers Assn. convention in Lake Tahoe.

“It was a door prize. Somebody reached into a fishbowl and pulled his name,” said Police Chief Bob Gonzales. “This is great, because I was going to try and put this in the budget and we might have gotten them on a prayer.”

Gonzales was so excited about the donation, he took the goggles home and spent an hour scoping out jack rabbits in a nearby orchard.

The chief said the goggles, which look like binoculars and allow objects and people to be seen in pitch dark, will help officers catch more criminals.

“If we are doing surveillance on a narcotics case or trying to catch taggers, we can sit in a dark area or under a bush and watch criminals as clear as day,” Gonzales said.

Adair, who works as a consultant to police departments since retiring earlier this year, attended the event with Cmdr. Mark Hansen, who also came home with a prize: A $200 rack that holds machine guns.

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School this fall in Ojai isn’t just for kids.

Following a successful first class earlier this year, sheriff’s officials will offer parents of out-of-control kids an opportunity to spot and stop bad, often illegal, activity in their homes.

“The Parent Project” is a 10-year-old national program that started in Ojai after several moms and dads went to local school officials and cops and said they were at wit’s end with their problem children.

It’s the only class like it in Ojai, said Deputy Arnold Andersen.

The same program is taught in Thousand Oaks.

“It’s geared toward parents that have no further resources and feel they can no longer handle their kids,” Andersen said. “There was a need for something here, and there just weren’t any resources.”

A majority of the 16 parents who signed up for the May class have children who had already been arrested. The remainder said their kids were only a step away from breaking the law.

In the next session, which starts Oct. 5, parents will learn communication and discipline skills and signs of drug use, such as red eyes, slurred speech and secret activities, like sneaking out at night.

“Some parents are in denial and don’t want to face these things and think maybe if they ignore it, it will go away.” Andersen said. “This is an effective tool that will teach them how to do everything within their power and the legal limits to stop the problems.”

The courts, probation department and social service agencies are so convinced of the program’s results that parents of problem kids who wind up in the justice system are being ordered to attend the classes.

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In an effort to keep loaded guns out of the hands of youngsters, Port Hueneme Police Department officers will hand out free gun locks, starting today.

“Every year you hear about kids who find their dad’s gun and bring it out to show someone and wind up shooting someone. If we can prevent that, we gotta try,” said Port Hueneme Police Cmdr. Jerry Beck.

The department was given the locks from Faith Connection, a group affiliated with the North Oxnard United Methodist Church. The church holds candlelight vigils for murder victims.

Anyone who comes into the police station on North Ventura Road or calls to ask questions about guns or gun safety will be told about the $5 locks, which will also be available at the church.

Holly J. Wolcott can be reached at holly.wolcott@latimes.com