Many shoppers bagged big deals on Black Friday. But, in Ventura County, law enforcement officers bagged nearly two dozen people who tried to take advantage of packed stores to shoplift.
The Ventura County Organized Retail Theft Task Force spearheaded an operation at the Camarillo Premium Outlets which led to the arrest of 23 people.
More than a half dozen public safety agencies were involved in Friday’s sweep. Those arrested included 20 adults, and three juveniles. Only five of those arrested were from the Tri-Counties. Most were from the Los Angeles area, but some came from as far away as Las Vegas.
The charges ranged from retail theft to in some cases possession of drug paraphernalia, and child endangerment.
The task force has conducted a number of focused sweeps at Ventura County shopping centers during the last few months to try to reduce the organized retail theft problem.
