Photo: Juan Piceno, Matthew Forrest and Angela Barretto
Ventura County – The life of a documented gang-banger living or conducting day-to-day activities within the Ventura County area must be stressful indeed. Evidence of that came on the afternoon of August 21st, with the arrests of Ventura residents Juan Piceno, 40, Matthew Forrest, 31, and Angela Barretto, 38.
According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Detective Erik Hernandez, VCSD Gang Unit detectives had been conducting an ongoing investigation into the trio “believed to be involved in narcotic sales and illegal firearms possession.”
It was on the 21st when detectives conducted “a routine traffic stop” and made contact with the suspects who were all traveling together. All three were taken into custody at that time, based upon documented probable cause relating to illegal activities.
Immediately following their arrests, a search warrant was served upon the Piceno-Barretto Ventura residence where detectives found “two illegally possessed firearms, ammunition, narcotics, paraphernalia consistent with drug sales, and gang indicia.”
Once Piceno was booked at Ventura County Jail, he was charged as a felon in possession of a firearm, as a felon in possession of ammunition, being under the influence of a controlled substance, and being in possession of controlled substances, with his bail set at $150,000.
For her part, Barretto was booked for possession of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance for sales, and unlawful transfer of a controlled substance, with her bail set at $150,000.
Forrest was booked and charged with possession of controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and being under the influence of a controlled substance with his bail set at $10,000.
Photos: Courtesy Ventura County Jail Booking
