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: Embezzlement Suspects Arrested
| Nature of Incident: | Embezzlement Suspects Arrested | ||||
| Report Number: | 26-125369 | ||||
| Location: | 5500 Block of Cypress Road, City of Oxnard 1600 Block of N. Riverside Avenue, Medford Oregon |
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| Date & Time: | September 24th, 2026 12:30 PM October 17th, 2026 1:30PM |
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| Unit(s) Responsible: | Headquarters Investigations |
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| (S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent |
City of Residence |
Age | |||
| (S) Eunises Lopez (S) Angelique Welch |
Oxnard Medford, Oregon |
23 26 |
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| Narrative: |
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| On September 30th, 2025, Headquarters Patrol Deputies responded to Happy Place Liquor, located in the 1500 block of Los Angeles Avenue. Deputies learned the business owner had been losing a significant amount of money over the course of several months. The owner estimated the loss to be approximately $75,000. The case was assigned to Headquarters Detectives, who immediately began an investigation. Over the following weeks, Happy Place Liquor provided detectives with several months’ worth of video surveillance footage and documentation. Detectives were faced with a significant amount of evidence to review. Through their investigation, Headquarters Detectives identified former employees Eunises Lopez and Angelique Welch as the suspects responsible for embezzling money from the business. Lopez and Welch were seen on surveillance footage taking money from the register on multiple occasions over the course of several months. The investigation also revealed that the two employees were fraudulently obtaining lottery tickets and redeeming winning tickets for cash. Headquarters Detectives immediately notified Detectives from the California State Lottery Department. On September 24, 2026, Headquarters Deputies located and arrested Lopez in the 5500 block of Cypress Road in the City of Oxnard. Lopez was booked into the Pre-Trial Detention Facility for violation of Penal Code Section 503, Embezzlement. Headquarters Detectives learned Welch had moved out of state and was believed to be living in Oregon. Detectives discovered Welch was living in the City of Medford, Oregon, and obtained a warrant for her arrest from the Ventura County Superior Court. Headquarters Detectives coordinated with officers from the Medford Police Department, who arrested Welch in the 1600 block of North Riverside Avenue. Welch was booked into the Medford Jail pending extradition to Ventura County, California. Headquarters Detectives, along with Deputies from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit, traveled to Medford, Oregon, and took custody of Welch. Welch was transported back to Ventura County, where she was booked into the Pre-Trial Detention Facility for violation of Penal Code Section 503, Embezzlement. This investigation serves as a reminder that the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office takes crimes committed against hardworking business owners and members of our community seriously. While some investigations take time to complete, our detectives and deputies remain committed to pursuing those responsible and seeking justice for victims. When individuals who commit crimes in Ventura County flee the area or leave the state, that does not end our pursuit. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office will work with our law enforcement partners and, when necessary, travel outside of the county and state to locate and apprehend those responsible for committing crimes in our communities. |
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| Prepared by: | Sergeant Ryan DeBlauw | ||||
| News Release Date: | October 19th , 2026 | ||||
| Media Follow-Up Contact: | Detective Esperanza Sevelo (805) 662-6770 [email protected] |
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| Approved by: Booking Photo Release: |
Captain Robert Davidson YES NO X |
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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).
Address/Location
Ventura County Sheriff's Office
800 S Victoria Ave
Ventura, CA 93003
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 805-654-9511