A string of identity-theft related arrests in Ventura County is shining a light on the importance of vehicle security after an unlocked car led detectives to uncover a larger scheme spanning two counties. A theft from an unlocked vehicle in Ojai earlier this month prompted a response from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, where they learned that the victim’s purse containing credit cards and a key fob had been stolen while parked in her driveway on the 1900 block of Tiara Drive, as reported by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident, which occurred on Nov. 11, quickly escalated as the stolen credit cards were used fraudulently across Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. The Ventura County Sheriff’s deputies, using “various investigative methods,” were able to identify two suspects, Justin Orth, and Arianna Ceja according to the same media release from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. They were both arrested on charges including felony identity theft and conspiracy to commit a crime.
Orth was initially detained on miscellaneous charges by the Oxnard Police Department on Nov. 23, with identity theft charges subsequently added. Following his arrest, Orth posted bail and was released. Later on Nov. 29, Thousand Oaks Patrol deputies apprehended Ceja and, after learning of her whereabouts, also located and arrested Orth on an outstanding warrant from Santa Barbara County. A search during the arrest uncovered further evidence of identity theft, as detailed in a KTLA report…