Reward offered for information on shooter who gunned down 3 men

Oxnard police Thursday night announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a gunman who killed two men and wounded another in a burst of violence last year.

The shooting was reported on Sept. 29, 2012, when the three men were gunned down in an alley in the 300 block of Cuesta del Mar Drive in the south side of Oxnard.

Two of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene, and the wounded man was treated at a hospital for injuries that police described as minor. 

Anyone with information is asked to call Oxnard Police Department Det. Martin Perez at (805) 385-7680. 

Confidential tips can be left at (805) 982-7070.

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— Robert J. Lopez

twitter.com/LAJourno

Photo: Sketch of suspect. Credit: Oxnard Police Department

Man arrested in swastika painting at Simi Valley elementary school

 

A 23-year-old man was arrested for allegedly painting swastikas and "threatening comments" on a Simi Valley elementary school that prompted an early dismissal, authorities said.

Stephen Lazarus, of Simi Valley, was taken into custody Monday on felony suspicion of making terrorist threats, vandalism and tagging swastikas, according to the Simi Valley Police Department. Online jail records indicated he was held on $60,000 bail.

Faculty members found the "extensive graffiti" painted across several buildings and windows at Justin Elementary School on Monday morning, police said.

“It was inappropriate and threatening in nature,” Simi Valley police Sgt. Craig Dungan told The Times.

The school was placed on a "lock in," where students were required to stay in classrooms at all times. Officials also opted to release students early, asking parents to pick up their children about noon.

Students who could not be picked up were bused to a nearby elementary school.

Investigators believe Lazarus acted alone and do not think he had "the means to carry out any credible threat," a police statement said.

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Matthew Keys target of Draconian computer laws, attorney says

Reuters journalist Matthew Keys is being targeted by the Department of Justice because he was reporting on the “hacktivist” group Anonymous, Keys' attorney said Friday.

“It’s another one of these prosecutions that the government is using to turn heads and try to scare people away from reporting on Anonymous,” Jay Leiderman, a Ventura-based civil liberties attorney, said in an interview with The Times. “He wrote about his experience in kind of a private chat of Anonymous and that led to this.”

In a grand jury indictment filed Thursday in California’s Eastern District federal court, prosecutors accuse Reuters' deputy social media editor of giving an Anonymous-affiliated hacker access to the Tribune Co.'s servers in 2010.

Reuters suspended Keys with pay Thursday, a company spokesman confirmed.

According to the indictment, Keys, 26, once worked for the Tribune Co.'s Sacramento-based KTXL FOX 40 TV station. The court filing includes an excerpt of an alleged chat between Keys, who went by the pseudonym “AESCracked” and an Anonymous hacker named “sharpie.”

Prosecutors allege the chat shows Keys agreeing to give the hacker access to Tribune servers. The hacker gained access to The Times' website, where he changed a headline on a tax-cut related story to “Pressure builds in House to elect CHIPPY 1337."

Keys is charged with conspiracy to cause damage to a protected computer, transmission of malicious code and attempted transmission of a protected code. He faces up to 25 years in federal prison and $750,000 in fines.

Keys’ prosecution is an example of the government’s “draconian approach to computer crimes laws,” said his New York-based attorney, Tor Ekeland. “It’s fully our position he was merely a reporter doing a story on Anonymous and he happened to be in these chat rooms…. He did go in under that screen name to report on a story, but was that screen name always him? I don’t know at this point.”

Keys found out he was being charged through social media, he tweeted. Leiderman said they are waiting for him to receive his indictment in the mail so they can schedule a court appearance.

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Ventura police officers struck by vehicle, fatally shoot suspect

A man was shot and killed Thursday night after he hit two Ventura police officers with his truck in an attempt to flee, authorities said.

Although the officers were seriously hurt in the incident, their injuries were not life-threatening, according to Ventura Assistant Police Chief David Wilson.

The shooting occurred in the parking lot of the Motel 6 on Harbor Boulevard and Monmouth Way, Wilson said. The two officers had gone to the motel about 7 p.m. after someone called police about a man who was "disturbing the peace," he said. The man was a guest at the motel.

A short time later, the officers were escorting the man out of the motel when he ran off, got into a truck and attempted to escape, Wilson said. At that point, officers fired several gunshots at the vehicle coming toward them, he said. One officer was struck and another was run over, he said.

Police units arriving at the scene found the two injured officers on the ground. They also found the man dead inside the truck, Wilson said.

Police are not releasing any details about the two officers. The name of the suspect has not been released.

No other injuries were reported.

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Man hospitalized after swallowing meth, Oxnard police say

A 37-year-old man was arrested in Oxnard and then hospitalized after he swallowed methamphetamine, police said Monday night.

Daniel Ruiz was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of a controlled substance Monday morning, the Oxnard Police Department said.

Upon arriving at the police station, Ruiz told officers he wasn't feeling well. Police called an ambulance.

"Ruiz told emergency personnel that he had swallowed some methamphetamine," Det. Luis McArthur said. 

Ruiz was taken to St. John's Hospital in Oxnard and admitted for treatment. 

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Convicted rapist Andrew Luster's 124-year sentence vacated

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— Robert J. Lopez

twitter.com/LAJourno

Convicted rapist Andrew Luster's 124-year sentence vacated

A judge on Monday vacated the 124-year sentence received by convicted rapist Andrew Luster in 2003 and ordered an April 4 hearing to determine a new sentence.

Luster, a great-grandson of cosmetics giant Max Factor, was convicted on 86 counts of rape and drug charges after a jury viewed videotapes he made of himself engaging in sexual acts with three women rendered unconscious by GHB, a "date-rape" drug.

Although Judge Kathryne Ann Stoltz refused to grant Luster a new trial and expressed skepticism about most of the arguments made by Luster's attorneys in more than a week of hearings, she agreed that his unusually long sentence needs to be reconsidered.

The trial court did not state reasons, as required by law, for giving Luster maximum consecutive sentences on each count, ruled Stoltz, a retired Los Angeles Superior Court judge hired to hear the legal action in Ventura County. 

However, Stoltz also said an 8-to-12-year plea offer that was being discussed before Luster's trial is no longer valid. Prosecutors in the case have contended it was never a firm deal in the first place.

Luster's case drew global attention after he jumped his $1-million bail and fled to Mexico. He was later apprehended there by celebrity bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman.

Luster's current attorney argued that the flight to Mexico was choreographed for a fee by one of Luster's former attorneys. They said the now-deceased attorney deliberately frightened Luster into running for his life, repeatedly telling him he'd die in prison at the hands either of other inmates or of corrupt officers.   

Carpinteria youth pastor arrested in alleged rapes

A Carpinteria youth pastor is accused of raping two teenage girls he met through his church work, authorities said Thursday.

Louis Joseph Bristol, 28, is being held at Santa Barbara County Jail in lieu of $2 million bail, according to a news release from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office.

Authorities said the girls, both juveniles, received "inappropriate" texts and photos from Bristol this year and in 2012. He raped each of them in vacant rooms at the Holiday Inn Express where he worked as an assistant manager, according to the release.

Bristol was a high school pastor at Carpinteria Community Church.

He is charged with multiple counts of child molestation, child rape, and lewd acts upon a child. In addition, he is accused of providing marijuana to youth group members and charged with furnishing an illegal substance to minors.

Detectives said they suspect there may be additional victims.

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Andrew Luster testifies in bid to reduce sentence

Serving a 124-year sentence on rape and drug charges, Andrew Luster testified Wednesday that he was misled by tragically bad legal advice. 

Luster, the great-grandson of cosmetics giant Max Factor, said attorney Richard G. Sherman repeatedly urged him to flee to Mexico during his trial.  The legal system in Ventura County, where he was being tried in 2002 and 2003, was stacked against him, Sherman allegedly said, and in prison, the wealthy, handsome Luster would likely be murdered.

Sherman and investigator Bill Pavlik called Luster "dead man walking," he said as a judge heard his and his attorneys' plea to set aside his conviction or reduce his extraordinarily long sentence.

"I was traumatized," he said. "I was completely scared out of my wits."

Luster fled to Mexico in 2003 while out on bail. He was convicted in absentia, was apprehended in Mexico and ended up at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, Calif.

Luster was convicted on 86 counts involving three women he had given GHB, a powerful anesthetic known as a date-rape drug. At his trial, jurors saw the videotapes he made of himself committing sexual acts on the unconscious women at his beachfront Mussel Shoals home up the coast from Ventura.

Forecast for Oscar Sunday: Warm, sunny, windy

Southern California residents can expect sunny skies, warm temperatures and a high-wind advisory in place until late Sunday afternoon, according to forecasters.

The high-wind warning will be in effect from 10 p.m. Saturday until about 4 p.m. Sunday for mountain areas in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Northeast winds of 25 to 40 mph are expected with Santa Ana gusts of up to about 60 mph, said David Sweet, a weather service meteorologist in Oxnard.

The strong winds could blow down power lines, small trees and weakened branches.

During this same period, a wind advisory for northeast winds of 15 to 30 mph with gusts to between 35 and 50 mph will be in effect for the valleys and coastal areas of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, Sweet said.

The strongest Santa Anas will be found in the higher elevations of Ventura and Los Angeles counties, as well as in the Santa Monica Mountains, according to AccuWeather.com.

Similarly, on-shore winds will blow dust around along the Orange County coast and in mountains and foothills. Temperatures there will hover around 70 degrees, with the Inland Empire experiencing the mid-60s, said James Thomas, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Diego.

Across San Diego County and portions of the Inland Empire, strong northeast winds are expected to persist until Monday morning, with gusts exceeding 55 mph affecting travel on Interstate 15 and California 91. Interstate 10 will also be affected through the San Gorgonio Pass.

Anthony Sagliani, an AccuWeather.com meteorologist, said the Santa Anas should subside by Tuesday morning across most areas. Temperatures are expected to warm significantly throughout the week, with some spots reaching highs near the 80-degree mark by Friday.

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Legal team misled convicted rapist Andrew Luster, witnesses say

A great-grandson of cosmetics magnate Max Factor says he was misled by members of his legal team and is seeking a reduction in his 124-year rape sentence, as well as a new trial.

Andrew Luster says the attorneys urged him to flee the country rather than face rape charges, according to witnesses in a court hearing Wednesday.

The hearing, which is being held at the Ventura County Courthouse before retired Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Kathryne Ann Stoltz, is expected to last into next week. Luster left the country in 2003 while out on bail on charges related to videotaped sexual encounters he had with unconscious women. He was convicted in absentia.

Months later, bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman apprehended him at a taco stand in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Chapman went on to star in a TV reality show, while Luster went to Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, Calif.

A state appeals court last spring agreed that Luster's unusually long sentence should be reconsidered in light of claims that he had been poorly represented "in a textbook case of grasping lawyers seeking fame and fortune."

In a blue jail jumpsuit and orange T-shirt, the 49-year-old former surfer smiled at his old friend Darryl Genis, one of several witnesses who appeared Wednesday. A Santa Barbara attorney who specializes in drunk-driving cases, Genis recounted how the two met while surfing at Hollister Ranch.