Public safety briefs – Staged robbery nets two arrests

CAMARILLO – Deputies arrested two people accused of staging a robbery to steal money from a business in Old Town Camarillo this month, authorities said Friday.

The robbery was reported at 9 p.m. on Oct. 5 in the 2100 block of East Ventura Boulevard, east of Fir Street, according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, which is contracted to provide police services in Camarillo.

Witnesses said they saw a man enter the business with a gun and demand cash and merchandise. He then reportedly fled with the stolen goods in a black vehicle.

The sheriff's major crimes bureau investigated, identifying the suspect as a 20-year-old Oxnard man. Deputies served a search warrant for his home and vehicle, where they seized evidence that tied him to the robbery, according to the sheriff's account.

Detectives learned the suspect was a former employee of the business. They later determined he allegedly conspired with a current employee, an 18-year-old Camarillo man, to stage the crime on a night when the 18-year-old was the only person working at the store.

Both suspects were arrested on suspicion of robbery and grand theft. The 18-year-old has since bailed out of custody, while the 20-year-old Oxnard man remained in county jail in lieu of $150,000 bail as of Saturday night, jail records showed.

T.O. man charged in $3.6 million workers' comp fraud case

THOUSAND OAKS – A Thousand Oaks resident was one of two men recently indicted in a felony insurance fraud case related to a car wash business, according to the California Department of Insurance.

The 67-year-old Thousand Oaks man is the chief executive officer of Waterdrops Express Car Wash. The regional chain, with a corporate office in Woodland Hills, operates car washes in Ventura, Kings and Tulare counties. The case is being prosecuted by the Tulare County District Attorney's Office.

The CEO and Waterdrops' chief financial officer, a 64-year-old Pacific Palisades man, are accused of underreporting more than $3.6 million in employee payroll to lower their company's workers' compensation insurance premium by $369,210, according to the insurance department.

The state insurance department launched an investigation in March 2020 after receiving a tip from an insurance company alleging the executives manipulated payroll records to reduce premiums. Detectives ultimately determined the men reportedly provided false records to two separate insurance companies during routine audits from 2014 to 2016, underreporting payroll costs by more than $3.6 million.

Prosecutors have charged each man with nine counts of felony insurance fraud. The next court hearing in Tulare County Superior Court is scheduled for Dec. 12.