Suspected Gang-Affiliated Burglary Crew Busted After Fillmore Crime Spree
– by F. Scott Faulkner
FILLMORE, CA — January 18, 2026 — Ventura County Sheriff’s Department’s Fillmore Station detectives investigating a pair of landscaping equipment arrested three Los Angeles County men believed to be part of a gang-affiliated burglary crew, following the recovery of a stolen lawnmower and alleged burglary tools during a routine traffic stop.
According to VCSD spokesman Sgt. Jarrod Foote, the case began December 15, 2025, when deputies from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Fillmore Station responded to “a reported theft of landscaping equipment.” The victim told deputies “two suspects arrived in a vehicle, rapidly loaded thousands of dollars in landscaping equipment, then sped away.”
The Fillmore Detective Unit promptly took over the investigation and, over the next month, identified one of the suspected thieves as Kevin Melgar, 41, of Pasadena.
Things began to heat up on January 14th, when a deputy was dispatched on a report that a white van had pulled up and stolen gardening equipment in the same vicinity where the December 15th theft occurred. A short time later, the California Highway Patrol requested assistance with a traffic stop involving “a white van” in the Piru area. Deputies responded and during the investigation immediately following the traffic stop, made contact with Melgar; Jesus Rodriguez, 31, of Compton; and Rogelio Bribriesca, 27, of Tujunga.
During a search of the vehicles, deputies located the lawnmower stolen minutes earlier in Fillmore, along with burglary tools and a controlled substance. The Fillmore Detective Unit responded and investigators later obtained additional evidence linking Melgar and Rodriguez to the December theft.
All three were taken into custody and transported to Ventura County Jail, where they were booked on charges of gang-related conspiracy, grand theft, possession of burglary tools, parole violations, and drug-related offenses. With “extensive criminal records,” all three remain in custody on no-bail holds.
