Community
Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
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Social Media Threats Lead to Arrest
| Nature of Incident: | Social Media Threats Lead to Arrest |
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| Report Number: | 25-158455 | ||||
| Location: | Thousand Oaks | ||||
| Date & Time: | January 8th, 2026 | ||||
| Unit(s) Responsible: | East County Investigations Bureau – Special Enforcement Unit, Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Special Crimes Unit, Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) |
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| (S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent |
City of Residence |
Age | |||
| Glen Benson | Onarga, Illinois | 61 |
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| Narrative: |
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| A federal grand jury indicted a Onarga, Illinois man, Glen Benson, on charges of Interstate Communications with a Threat to Injure on January 6, 2026. In December of 2025, a social media post was made advertising a Hannukah celebration in the City of Thousand Oaks. A statement was made under the comments section of this post, threatening harm to attendees. Upon learning of this threat, the East County Investigations Bureau immediately assumed the investigation and shortly thereafter identified the suspect as Glen Benson, who was residing in Onarga, Illinois. Out of an abundance of caution, the Thousand Oaks Police Department was at the Hannukah event to ensure the safety and security of those attending. Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Detectives coordinated and worked closely with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office, Central District of Illinois, to further investigate the incident. As a result, on January 6th, 2026, Benson was indicted on the federal charge of Interstate Communications with a Threat to Injure. On January 8th, 2026, Benson was arrested in Illinois and remains in custody of the United States Marshals Service. Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office treats all threats to public safety seriously, and we will protect the safety of our community by conducting thorough investigations into any credible threat of harm. Join us in the fight on crime by following us on Twitter @ThousandOaksPD, Facebook @ Thousand Oaks Police Department, Instagram @ThousandOaksPD, and with Nixle by texting your zip code to 888777 to receive local law enforcement and public safety alerts and advisories. |
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| Prepared by: | Detective Sergeant Dillan Alvarez | ||||
| News Release Date: | January 8th, 2026 | ||||
| Media Follow-Up Contact: | Detective Tim Sperber [email protected] Detective Jeff Miller [email protected] |
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| Approved by: Booking Photo Release: |
Captain Albert Ramirez YES NO |
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Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
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Address/Location
Ventura County Sheriff's Office
800 S Victoria Ave
Ventura, CA 93003
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 805-654-9511