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).
Gang-Related Burglary-Theft Crew Arrested
| Nature of Incident: | Gang-Related Burglary-Theft Crew Arrested | ||||
| Report Number: | 25-160120 & 26-5687 | ||||
| Location: | Fillmore, California | ||||
| Date & Time: | 01/14/2026 @ 11:35 AM | ||||
| Unit(s) Responsible: | California Highway Patrol, Fillmore Patrol, Fillmore Detective Unit, California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation, Los Angeles Probation Agency, Sheriff’s Dispatch |
||||
| (S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent |
City of Residence |
Age | |||
| (S) Kevin Melgar (S) Jesus Rodriguez (S) Rogelio Bribriesca |
Pasadena Compton Tujunga |
41 31 27 |
|||
| Narrative: | |||||
| On 12/15/2025, deputies from the Fillmore Station responded to the 200 block of Casner Way in Fillmore reference a theft which had just occurred. Arriving deputies spoke with the victim and determined a grand theft of landscape equipment had occurred. In summary, two suspects arrived together in a vehicle, quickly loaded thousands of dollars of landscape equipment into their vehicle, and fled the area. A check of the surrounding area was conducted the suspects were not located. The case was then assumed by the Fillmore Detective Unit for further investigation. Over the next month, detectives worked diligently and identified one of the suspects involved in the theft as (S) Kevin Melgar, a 41-year-old Pasadena resident. On 01/14/2025, at about 11:35 AM, a deputy from the Fillmore Station was dispatched to the area of Carriage Place at River Street in Fillmore reference a theft that had just occurred. The reporting party advised a white van had pulled up and stolen their gardening equipment. Shortly thereafter, an officer with the California Highway Patrol requested assistance with a traffic stop of a white van near Main Street at Telegraph Road in the unincorporated community east of Fillmore known as Piru. Deputies from the Fillmore Station responded to assist. When deputies arrived, they learned there was a total of three occupants detained from two different vehicles. The three occupants were (S) Kevin Melgar, (S) Jesus Rodriguez, and (S) Rogelio Bribriesca. All three occupants were from Los Angeles County. Melgar had an active felony warrant for his arrest for firearm possession and unlawful taking of a vehicle. Rodriguez was on active parole from Los Angeles County for a shooting, while Bribriesca was on active post release offender supervision (PROS) from Los Angeles County for burglary. During a search of their vehicles, deputies located the lawnmower which was stolen minutes prior in Fillmore along with burglary tools and a controlled substance. The Fillmore Detective Unit responded to assist with the investigation. Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement learned all three suspects have extensive criminal histories and have served time in state prison for a variety of crimes to include grand thefts and burglaries. It was also determined that the three suspects had likely acted in concert and conspired with each other to commit the landscape equipment theft. The three suspects were arrested and transported to the Sheriff’s Fillmore Station for further investigation. At the station, detectives collaborated with patrol personnel, state parole, and the Los Angeles County Probation Agency to determine the three suspects are affiliated to Southern California criminal street gangs. At the station, detectives obtained additional evidence linking both Melgar and Rodriguez to the grand theft from December in Fillmore. At the conclusion of the investigation, Melgar was arrested for violations of Penal Code § 182.5 – [Criminal Gang Conspiracy] (2 counts), Penal Code § 487(a) – [Grand Theft] (2 counts), Penal Code § 186.22(b)(1) – [Street Terrorism], Penal Code § 466 – [Burglary Tools], Health & Safety Code § 11395(b)(1) – [Possession of Hard Drug], and an out of county felony warrant. Rodriguez was arrested for Penal Code § 182.5 – [Criminal Gang Conspiracy] (2 counts), Penal Code § 487(a) – [Grand Theft] (2 counts), Penal Code § 186.22(b)(1) – [Street Terrorism], Penal Code § 466 – [Burglary Tools], and a parole hold. Bribriesca was arrested for Penal Code § 182.5 – [Criminal Gang Conspiracy], Penal Code § 487(a) – [Grand Theft], Penal Code § 186.22(b)(1) – [Street Terrorism], Penal Code § 466 – [Burglary Tools], and Health & Safety Code § 11377(a) – [Possession of a Controlled Substance]. They were all transported to the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility and booked for the aforementioned offenses pending court. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank members of the public for their on-going support and due diligence in providing information to assist our agency in solving crimes. We are better at what we do because of our community partnerships. Join us in the fight on crime by following us on “X” @fillmoresheriff, Facebook, Instagram @VCSHERIFF and @FILLMOREPD, and with Nixle by texting your zip code to 888777 to receive local law enforcement and public safety alerts and advisories. |
|||||
| Prepared by: | Sergeant Jarrod Foote | ||||
| News Release Date: | 01/15/2026 | ||||
| Media Follow-Up Contact: | Detective Axel Morales [email protected] 805-477-7011 Detective Dustin Heersche [email protected] 805-477-7012 |
||||
| Approved by: Booking Photo Release: |
Captain Eduardo Malagon YES NO |
||||
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).
Address/Location
Ventura County Sheriff's Office
800 S Victoria Ave
Ventura, CA 93003
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 805-654-9511