Ventura County roundup: Murder charges filed in Camarillo man's death, more news

Here's a roundup of recent incidents and announcements from Ventura County agencies:

Murder charges filed in Camarillo man's death

Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko's office filed murder charges Tuesday in the death of a Camarillo man who had been reported missing in July.

An arrest in the high-profile case had been announced Friday by the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, when authorities named Camarillo resident Rotherie Durell Foster, 37, as the suspect.

The body of victim Jose Antonio Velasquez, 35, of Camarillo, was ultimately found by hikers on Oct. 3 off Mulholland Highway in the Santa Monica Mountains. He died of multiple gunshot wounds, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner's Office found.

After Velasquez was reported missing, sheriff's officials had sought the public's help as they searched for him. His friends and family organized search parties and hired a private investigator.

The complaint filed by prosecutors Tuesday accused Foster of murdering Velasquez for financial gain. Foster was also charged with eight counts of identity theft, two counts of forgery and with firearms violations based on prior felony convictions.

The DA's office said in a release that Foster was a work acquaintance of the victim.

"Jose was an incredibly hard worker who was starting his own plumbing business when his life was viciously and cruelly cut short," Nasarenko said in the release.

Nasarenko and Sheriff Jim Fryhoff have scheduled a news conference at noon Wednesday prior to Foster's arraignment in Ventura County Superior Court later in the afternoon.

River bed death confirmed as drowning

The death of a homeless woman whose body was found in the Santa Clara River bed after last week's heavy rains was confirmed as a drowning incident, according to the Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office.

Christina Lorenzen, 35, had reportedly called out for help shortly after 9 p.m. on Jan. 9 as water levels rose, the Ventura Police Department previously said. A man described as her friend had called 911 seeking help. A swift-water rescue team aided by a county helicopter crew was unable to find her that night.

The following evening, the man reported finding Lorenzen in a makeshift wooden structure she apparently lived in, police said.

The medical examiner's office deemed the manner of death accidental.

Driver identified in Ventura crash

Authorities on Tuesday identified the driver in a single-vehicle fatality in Ventura late Friday afternoon.

Sheala Bruns, 34, was a Ventura resident, the Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office reported.

Bruns had been driving a pickup truck in the 7200 block of Bristol Road shortly before 5 p.m. Friday, according to the Ventura Police Department. Witnesses told officers she had been driving erratically at high speed before losing control while trying to pass vehicles on the wrong side of the road, the agency said. Her truck hit a tree and a block wall. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The accident remains under investigation by Ventura police. Witnesses are asked to call traffic investigator Kyle Halverson at 805-477-3767.

Woman found dead under pedestrian bridge

The California Highway Patrol is investigating the death of a woman found sitting under the Ash Street pedestrian bridge in Ventura Monday night.

Ventura Police Department officials had contacted the CHP to investigate the fatality around 9:15 p.m. The pedestrian bridge crosses over Highway 101 south of California Street, allowing passage between Harbor Boulevard and downtown Ventura. The woman was declared dead at the scene while in a seated position east of the highway's northbound lanes.

She was identified on Wednesday by the Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office as Cheyenne Crawford, 41, who was described as transient. The formal cause and manner had not yet been determined.

There was no immediate sign of foul play, officials said.

CHP Officer Jorge Alfaro said Wednesday the fatality is suspected to be an overdose. The body had been there at least five days, he said.

The highway patrol is investigating the death because the remains were found on state property, Alfaro said.

The incident is under investigation by the CHP's Ventura-area office. Anyone with information is asked to called the agency at 805-662-2640.

Matilija Canyon repairs to take months

Ventura County Public Works officials said some repairs to the storm-damaged Matilija Canyon community north of Ojai could take months to complete.

Clearing a single-lane access road to the community may take three weeks, the agency said in a joint release with sheriff's and aviation unit officials on Sunday. Other necessary repairs may take up to six months.

Residents of the remote area off Highway 33 were hit hard by heavy rain that fell on Jan. 9 and the following day, when more than 17 inches caused significant damage. Piles of mud and rocks reached more than 40 feet in some spots, county officials said, blocking access to roads and isolating residents.

The county's air unit and tactical response team have helped fly out more than 70 people, some with pets, with more than 10 helicopter flights to Nordhoff High School in Ojai. Some residents chose to stay at home even as sheriff's officials urged them to evacuate.

Affected residents have been offered county assistance, including free lodging and meals, officials said.

Emergency training offered in Simi

The Simi Valley Office of Emergency Services will host a six-week community training for residents and people who work in the city to learn to respond to emergencies.

The Community Emergency Response Team training will run 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. Wednesdays from Feb. 22 to March 29. The program teaches basic disaster response skills, such as extinguishing small fires, light search and rescue, team organization and medical dos and don'ts in a disaster, according to a news release from the city."CERT is a perfect fit for people who are interested in serving our community by assisting their family and neighbors during emergencies or other disaster situations," the release says.

Participants will learn how to build an emergency supply kit, including what supplies are necessary for a emergency. Simi Valley residents age 12 or older or people who work in the city are eligible to participate in the free training.

Each person will receive a student workbook, a CERT start-up kit that includes a helmet, work gloves, vest, safety goggles and flashlight, and a certificate upon completion of the entire course. Participants ages 12-17 can enroll with a parent or guardian and will perform required skills tasks only on their accompanying parent or guardian.Classes will be held at the city's Emergency Operations Center at the Simi Valley Police Department, 3901 Alamo St. A one-day disaster simulation wraps up the course. It will be held on a Saturday in April at the Ventura County Fire Department's Regional Training Center in Camarillo.For more information and to sign up, visit www.simivalley.org/CERT.

Items may be updated.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Ventura County DA files murder charges in Camarillo man's death