Heroin use is on the rise in Ventura County, with a spike of cases found in Simi Valley. The prevalence of heroin addiction is often connected to prescription pain medications. Due to easy access of obtaining a prescription for opiates such as OxyContin, we are seeing a higher demand for heroin on the streets, which offers the same high, only more intense and at a much cheaper price. 75% of heroin overdoses that occurred in Ventura county from January 2010-March 2012 were found to be white males between the ages of 16-30 years of age. Simi Valley residents have responded …

Soon to be a former deputy with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, 46 year old Kenneth Alexander just plead no contest to orally copulating an underage girl. He is set to be sentenced on August 29 when his punishment includes formal probation, 60 days in jail and one year of sex offender counseling. And, let us not forget that Mr. Alexander will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his living days. Sex offense registration under California Penal Code Section 290 is required when one is convicted of a specifically enumerated sex offense. The offenses …

The body of a dead woman was found recently at a Poway, California motel room. The body was found stuffed into a three foot suitcase which was left in a motel roomed. In case you were curious the woman was described by authorities as being 5′ 2″ inches tall, making the suitcase a potential hiding spot for the petite woman. The suspect in the crime, Joseph Dorsey, has been charged with killing his (now former) girlfriend, Christine Stewart. Steward, a 47 year old woman from Canyon Lake, California was thought by authorities to have been at Dorsey’s home prior to …

A joint task force of federal, state and local law enforcement just executed a parole sweep called “Operation Guardian” in Los Angeles County. The task force arrested 70 parolees and seized drugs, guns and found a bleeding parolee who officers took to the hospital to be treated for his wounds. The sweep was described by law enforcement as the largest parole sweep of its kind in county history. Officers knocked on the doors of around 400 parolees in search of any type of violation. Common parole violations are possessing firearms, narcotics, other dangerous weapons or hanging around with people one …

Many people are familiar with polygraph machines or polygraph examinations. Some people are even aware that their scientific value is sometimes questioned and the admissibility of examination results in court is highly limited. Why then would a criminal suspect or defendant submit to a polygraph examination? First, I would only submit a client to a polygraph under certain, very controlled circumstances. Second, I never submit any client to a law enforcement polygraph and never in an environment that is not controlled by me. Finally, I try to avoid polygraph examinations prior to reviewing all police reports regarding any particular investigation. …

42 people were arrested yesterday as federal agents executed warrants on members of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club in Indianapolis, Indiana. Seized along with the members were dozens of guns, cash and several motorcycles. The arrests came after a lengthy inditement was filed against members of the Outlaws. The indictment alleged activity such as drug trafficking, gambling, insurance fraud, money laundering, witness tampering and extortion. The charges were so widespread that every member of the Indianapolis Chapter of the Outlaws was arrested in the raids. In addition to Club members, club “associates”, and several others were also arrested. The investigation was …

The California Senate just signed a bill that will restrict state law enforcement agents from detaining illegal immigrants unless the immigrant has a prior conviction for a serious or violent felony. The bill is going to the State Assembly soon where it is expected to pass. The new law may lead to some conflicts between federal and state law. It sounds like law enforcement officers are going to have to think on their feet after they contact an immigrant while on duty. Police will have to make a determination whether or not the immigrant has a significant enough criminal history …

George Zimmerman was just released after he posted a one million dollar bail bond. His release surprised me because that is a high bond amount. Apparently Mr. Zimmerman has a lot of “friends” who helped fund this undertaking. Posting a million dollar bond normally costs the defendant 10 percent or $100,000.00. This fee is earned by the bond company as soon as the defendant is released from jail. In addition, and more important to the bond company is securing the bond should the defendant fail to appear in court as ordered. If the defendant does not go to court, the …

Will Lynch was found not guilty yesterday in all but one of the criminal charges against him. He was charged by Santa Clara County Prosecutors with two felony counts of battery and elder abuse both allegedly serious bodily injury was caused. After three weeks of trial jurors found Lynch not guilty on all but one count, a simple battery charge in which the juror was unable to reach a verdict and a mistrial was declared. Prosecutors must now decide whether or not to have a second trial on the misdemeanor battery count. I say bravo to defense attorney Pat Harris …

Known as “The Voice” of small businesses in America, The National Federation of Independent Businesses is a major player in the news and events for small business in The United States. Please visit their site at www.NFIB.com and read where they heavily quoted Mr. Vallens in their recent article about fraud in the workplace. If you have questions about criminal fraud, theft or any other criminal defense matter, please contact Jeffrey Vallens: (818) 783-5700 or (888) 764-4340 or email me at: vallenslaw@yahoo.com or visit my sites: www.4criminaldefense.com or www.westlakecriminaldefense.com