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).
Media Release: Fentanyl Overdose Results in Arrest
| Nature of Incident: | Fentanyl Overdose Results in Arrest | ||||
| Report Number: | 25- 130655 | ||||
| Location: | 1600 block of Mendocino Lane, Thousand Oaks |
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| Date & Time: | October 7, 2026 1800 hours |
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| Unit(s) Responsible: | Ventura County Fentanyl and Overdose Crimes Units (VC FOCUS), Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, Thousand Oaks Police Department |
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| (S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent |
City of Residence |
Age | |||
| (S) Samuel Winkenbach (V) Male Adult |
Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks |
34 31 |
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| Narrative: | |||||
| On October 7, 2026, the Ventura County Fentanyl and Overdose Crimes Units (VC FOCUS) concluded a fatal overdose investigation with the arrest of Samuel Winkenbach for the furnishing of a controlled substance causing death or great bodily injury. On October 11, 2025, deputies from the Sheriff’s Thousand Oaks patrol station responded to a report of a male subject suffering from a drug overdose at a residence in the city of Thousand Oaks. Ventura County Fire Department personnel and EMS responders were on scene as well, and the male subject was transported to a local hospital where he passed away a few days later. The responding patrol deputies seized drug paraphernalia and other evidence at the scene. An examination by the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause of death was a result of the combined toxic effects of carfentanil, alprazolam, and methamphetamine. VC FOCUS detectives took over the investigation and identified Samuel Winkenbach as the suspect who furnished fentanyl to the victim resulting in his death. VC FOCUS detectives authored numerous search warrants, which helped solidify Winkenbach as the suspect who furnished fentanyl to the victim resulting in his death. On February 19, 2026, VC FOCUS detectives served a search warrant at Winkenbach’s residence. Evidence of fentanyl possession, a working digital scale, and drug paraphernalia were located in Winkenbach’s bedroom. After the service of the search warrant at his residence, Winkenbach was arrested for a violation of HS 11352, Sale/Furnishing of a Controlled Substance and was booked at the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility. After several months of authoring search warrants, gathering data, and other investigative methods, VC FOCUS presented its fatal overdose case to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office for review. After careful consideration, prosecutors agreed to file a sale/furnishing of a controlled substance causing death or great bodily injury charge. Since its inception, VC FOCUS investigators have collaborated closely with prosecutors to hold drug dealers accountable for fatal fentanyl overdoses. On October 7, 2026, after obtaining an arrest warrant for Winkenbach, VC FOCUS detectives arrested Winkenbach at his residence in the city of Thousand Oaks. Winkenbach was arrested for the following charge: HS 11352(a)/ Sale of a Controlled Substance Causing Death or Great Bodily Injury. He was booked into custody at the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility where he remains on $250,000 bail. VC FOCUS is a task force made up of Ventura County regional law enforcement agencies including the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, Oxnard Police Department, Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, California Highway Patrol, as well as federal law enforcement partners. The primary mission of this partnership is to combat fentanyl related crimes and opioid overdoses by targeting the supply chain of individuals and criminal organizations responsible for the sales of these drugs into Ventura County. In addition, the task force works to identify new trends of abuse among the younger population and educate the community at large on the lethal danger of this epidemic. VC FOCUS has partnered with Ventura County Behavioral Health as an active member of the County Overdose Awareness & Solutions Team (COAST) in a campaign to reduce overdoses and educate the public about the dangers of opioids and other drugs. Comprehensive information can be found at www.ThinkAgainVC.com and www.dea.gov/onepill . The public may contact investigators from the VC FOCUS at (805) 383-8700 or [email protected] with additional information about this case, or any other information related to narcotics. |
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| Prepared by: | Sergeant Jaime Gomez Jr. | ||||
| News Release Date: | October 9, 2026 | ||||
| Media Follow-Up Contact: | Detective John Grunhold- VC FOCUS 805-383-8700 Detective Dan Chisholm- VC FOCUS 805-383-8700 |
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| Approved by: | Captain Matthew Young | ||||
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