An investigation by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department’s rural crimes deputy has led to the arrest of two brothers in Ventura County.
In early June, the sheriff’s department received a report that someone had stolen farm equipment from a rural property on the 6400 block of Santa Rosa Road between Lompoc and Buellton. The missing equipment included a tractor, plows and discs.
Deputy John McCarthy’s investigation led to the identification of two suspects in Ventura County. With the help of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department, specifically its agricultural crimes Detective Ray Dominguez, McCarthy arrested Noe Ortiz, 32, and his brother, Sergio Ortiz, 37, on Tuesday.
The arrests took place near Santa Paula and Fillmore.
A search warrant led to the recovery of all the missing equipment stolen in the original case. The search warrant also led to the recovery of a $20,000 generator reported stolen in Montecito last year and a fertilizer pump value at $1,100 stolen near Lompoc in November 2008.
The Ortiz brothers were booked into the Ventura County Jail on $20,000 bail on charges of grand theft and conspiracy related to the June incident. They also face charges of possession of stolen property related to the recovery of the other equipment.
— Drew Sugars is a public information officer for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.