News Releases

Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced today that three juveniles charged with hate crime allegations in connection with the August 1, 2025, Simi Valley movie theater parking lot assault have been remanded into the Juvenile Facility following detention hearings held on October 15 and October 16, 2025. The three minors also pled not guilty to all charges.

Prosecutors argued for detention, supported by reports from the Ventura County Probation Department recommending the minors be detained. The court ordered all three to be remanded to the Juvenile Facility. Their pre-trial conference is scheduled for October 29, 2025, and their contest is set for November 3, 2025.

On Friday October 10, 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1344, authored by Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin and sponsored by Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko, officially enacting a pilot program that allows district attorneys in select counties to directly petition the courts for Gun Violence Restraining Orders (GVROs), also known as “Red Flag Laws.”

“This is a significant law for community safety,” said District Attorney Nasarenko. “Prosecutors are uniquely positioned and qualified to seek these restraining orders to prevent gun violence, and I thank Assemblymember Irwin for championing this much-needed legislation.”

Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced today that five juveniles have been charged for their actions during an assault in a Simi Valley movie theater parking lot on August 1, 2025. The alleged assaults include three separate victims.

Two of the teens are also charged for another altercation in the same parking lot on May 30, 2025.

Three of the juveniles have been charged with felony assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, with the special allegation of a hate crime for each one. A fourth juvenile faces felony assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, as well as misdemeanor criminal threats and misdemeanor battery. The fifth juvenile is charged with misdemeanor criminal threats and misdemeanor battery.

Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced today that convicted felon Michael Gabriel Hosey (DOB 10/01/75), of Los Angeles, was sentenced to five years in state prison after violating the terms of his parole. On October 1, the court finalized the terms of the sentence. Judge Kristi Peariso imposed the previously suspended sentence after Hosey tested positive for illegal drugs.

Hosey was originally sentenced on April 25, 2025, to 365 days in county jail and three years of formal probation for a terrifying armed home invasion and a separate vandalism spree. At that time, the judge suspended a five-year, eight-month state prison sentence and imposed local jail time with probation.

“This dangerous individual is now where he belongs, state prison,” said District Attorney Erik Nasarenko. “A woman and her teenage daughter fled upstairs in their home to escape multiple gunshots, which sowed fear and terror in the household. This criminal conduct demands the consequence of state prison.”

Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced today that James Matthew Godsey (DOB 03/11/79), of Camarillo, was convicted by a jury of six felony counts of grand theft. The jury also found true all charged special allegations, including that Godsey caused an excessive loss of over $100,000 and that he took advantage of a position of trust or confidence to commit the crimes.

From 2015 to 2023, Godsey worked as a bookkeeper for Channel Islands Aviation, where he was responsible for processing payroll and handling accounts payable. Between 2017 and 2023, evidence showed that he repeatedly inflated his own pay by adding unauthorized bonuses and extra wages. He also issued himself phony reimbursements for company expenses. Over six years, Godsey stole over $527,000 from his employer.

Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced today Danielle Marie Dixon (DOB 04/17/87), of Camarillo, was convicted by a jury on September 24, 2025, for charges related to a 2019 bar assault. The jury found Dixon guilty of two felony counts: assault with a deadly weapon and assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury. Dixon was also convicted of one misdemeanor count of battery. The jury found true all charged special allegations and aggravating factors, including that Dixon was armed with and used a weapon, and that she has a prior strike conviction.

Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced today that John Williams (DOB 03/04/93), of Ventura, was sentenced on September 17, 2025, to five years four months in state prison for vandalism involving swastikas on public and private property.

In a victim impact statement submitted to the court, one of the three victims described the effect of Williams’ actions:
“His deliberate choice to plaster Nazi swastikas—symbols of hate, fear, and division—across public and private spaces was not mere vandalism, but an attack on the safety and unity our community strives to maintain. No one should have to live in fear of hate symbols or the hidden danger of someone like John Williams.”

Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced today that Omar Hernandez Ruiz (DOB 07/27/87), of Santa Paula, was sentenced on September 17, 2025, to 35 years to life in state prison pursuant to California’s three strikes law. Ruiz previously pled guilty on August 18, 2025, to one felony count of conspiracy to transport or sell methamphetamine. He also admitted all special allegations and aggravating factors, including strike priors and committing the crime for the benefit of, at the direction of, and in association with a criminal street gang.

Ruiz, a prison gang member, was incarcerated at the California State Prison, Centinela at the time of these crimes. He is already serving 156 years to life in prison for a 2013 Santa Paula murder and assault on a peace officer.

“The complex criminal enterprise that Ruiz was running from prison underscores the threat to public safety he presents even while incarcerated,” said Senior Deputy District Attorney Stephanie Leija, a member of the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office Major Crimes Gang Unit. “When he returns to state prison, we hope this sentence puts an end to his ability to orchestrate criminal activity from behind bars.”

District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced today that Gonzalo Robles Zurita (DOB 10/10/88), of Oxnard, has been charged with felony workers’ compensation insurance fraud for allegedly claiming that an arm injury he received in 2022 occurred at his place of employment. He is also charged with one felony count of attempted perjury under oath for statements made during a sworn deposition regarding the arm injury. Zurita made his first court appearance on September 11, 2025, where he pled not guilty to all charges.

Assembly Bill 1344, authored by Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin and sponsored by Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko, successfully passed out of the State Assembly on Monday, September 8, and now heads to Governor Gavin Newsom for consideration. The bill would authorize a pilot program allowing district attorneys in select counties to directly petition the courts for Gun Violence Restraining Orders (GVROs), commonly referred to as “Red Flag Laws.”

“When someone poses an imminent threat of violence to themselves or others by having a firearm, gun violence restraining orders can be a lifesaving tool,” said District Attorney Nasarenko. “Local prosecutors are uniquely qualified to assist law enforcement in obtaining these restraining orders and AB 1344 gives us the legal authority to step in and prevent tragedy before it happens. I urge the Governor to sign Assemblymember Irwin’s sensible bill into law.”