Photo: confiscated cache
December 16, 2020 – Ventura County, Ca.
Nobody living in the 2200 block of Oxnard’s North H Street pulled the covers up and grabbed another 15 minutes of sleep on the morning of December 15th .
It was at 7:00 a.m., according to Oxnard Police Department Commander Sharon Giles, when an OPD SWAT team and a phalanx of FBI officers rolled up in front of the residence of 36-year-old Jesus Gutierrez and 34-year-old Alejandra Castillo. Upon arrival, the cops identified themselves as serving a search warrant upon the premises and asked Gutierrez and Castillo to join them outside the home.
At that point, “Gutierrez fled and barricaded himself inside a bedroom,” whereupon he was reportedly “destroying evidence pertinent to the search warrant.” The SWAT team then used “a powdered irritant,” firing it into the room holding Gutierrez. Moments later, Gutierrez exited the room and was taken into custody.
During this standoff, Castillo was taken into custody outside the residence. Once Gutierrez was in custody, the warrant search was conducted, leading to the discovery of methamphetamine “in quantities consistent with street-level sales” along with a loaded shotgun and additional rounds of ammunition and multiple stolen credit cards.
Gutierrez and Castillo were transported to Ventura County Jail, where they were charged with identity theft, possession a firearm with narcotics, resisting arrest, and destruction of evidence.
Gutierrez remains in custody with bail set at $50,000, while Castillo is being held in lieu of $15,000 bail.
Photo: Courtesy Oxnard Police Department
