A member of a landscaping crew was arrested in the Mountain Fire evacuation zone after allegedly stealing from a victim of the blaze, authorities said.
The incident occurred on Friday when a man returned to his property to assess the damage. According to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, he parked an electric bicycle on the driveway before entering the yard, noticing a nearby landscaping crew in a neighbor’s yard.
After assessing the damage, the man returned to the spot where he parked the bicycle, but it was no longer there. He confronted the landscapers, when one of them admitted to taking it and returned it to the man.
On Saturday, deputies surveyed the area due to the evacuation orders, and found the man, who then reported the theft. Deputies investigated the matter and were able to identify the suspect as 37-year-old Ramon Avila Pacheco of Camarillo.
Pacheco was later found in Camarillo and arrested on suspicion of looting.
No additional details were immediately made available.
