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Authorities say three Thousand Oaks teens caused a brush fire last week that prompted some evacuations in the Westlake Village area.
The Country Fire, as it was called, started on the afternoon of April 29 and burned about 28 acres north of Westlake High School. The blaze started south of the 500 block of Country Valley Road in Thousand Oaks, with residents along Country Valley and Via Colinas put under mandatory evacuation orders for a time. Five helicopters and four planes helped with firefighting efforts, according to Ventura County fire and sheriff s reports.
Residents detained three male juveniles two 14-year-olds and a 15-year-old seen leaving the brush shortly after the fire started, the Ventura County Sheriff s Office reported Thursday.
A computer engineering student and former Westlake High basketball player has been identified as the man who died in a single-car crash in Westlake Village on Saturday night.
Tynan McGrady, 23, of Thousand Oaks, died after the car he was driving crashed into a telephone pole along South Westlake Boulevard, about three-quarters of a mile south of Potrero Road, at 7:04 p.m.
McGrady’s sisters, models Hunter and Michaela McGrady, posted tributes to their brother on social media on Tuesday.
“If you know me you know I rave about my brother, he is and will always be the love of my life,” Hunter McGrady wrote on Instagram. “I would text my brother every single night the words ‘Goodnight I love you’ because I never wanted a day to go by without him knowing how much I love and adore him.”
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Frustrated with its 40-year sheriff s contract, the Ojai City Council is exploring the alternative of running its own police force.
Councilmembers are weighing the challenges of going independent against the rising costs of contracting with the Ventura County Sheriff s Office.
As much as 40-45% of Ojai s budget usually goes to pay for the sheriff s services, according to the city manager James Vega. But this year, he said, it s about 50%. The amount currently budgeted is $3.4 million.
The city and the county are negotiating terms for extending the sheriff s services agreement another five years. Councilman Randy Haney said the county isn t budging.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and other police agencies reminded Cinco De Mayo revelers to designate a sober driver ahead of their celebrations this week.
“Don’t ruin the celebrations by putting yourself and others at risk and driving impaired,” said Capt. Shane Matthews of the Camarillo Police Department’s Traffic Bureau in a news release.
“If you’re planning on drinking, plan on getting a sober ride home.”
The sheriff’s office reminded residents that drugs, like marijuana and prescribed medications, can impair driving as much as alcohol. Driving after taking medications that have warning labels that read “do not operate heavy machinery,” “may cause drowsiness” or something similar can be dangerous.