By El Latino Newsroom
redaccion@latinocc.com
A Moorpark father is facing 11 felony weapons counts and a misdemeanor child-endangerment charge after his 10-year-old son allegedly took live ammunition to elementary school, Ventura County prosecutors informed.
Ricardo Fausto Núñez, 40, pleaded not guilty during a June 10 arraignment in Ventura County Superior Court.
The felony charges include two counts of possessing assault weapons and nine counts of possessing large-capacity magazines; the complaint also alleges the child victim was “particularly vulnerable.”
Campus Canyon College Preparatory Academy staff alerted a school resource officer on May 27 after students reported passing around loose rounds of ammunition, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
The boy told administrators he had found the bullets at home and that other ammunition and firearms were there as well, officials said.
Sheriff’s detectives who searched the residence reported seizing two unregistered AR-15-style rifles, nine large-capacity magazines, and more than 220 rounds of assorted ammunition.
Investigators said none of the items had been locked or secured.
“This case is a stark reminder of the importance of safely storing all firearms and ammunition, especially when children are in the home,” District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said in a statement, adding that gun owners have a legal duty to keep weapons out of minors’ reach.
Núñez was released on $20,000 bail and is scheduled for an early-disposition conference on July 22 before Judge Bruce Young in courtroom 37.
California law requires firearms to be stored with a locking device or in a secured container when children are present.
VPD: NEW ASSISTANT CHIEF
Ventura police Cmdr. Matt Cain has been promoted to assistant chief, the department announced Wednesday.
Cain, a 25-year veteran of the Ventura Police Department with nearly 30 years in law enforcement overall, will step into the post Saturday, June 21.
He will oversee administrative operations that include professional standards, investigations, school resource officers, records and business services.
“We have great people at VPD, making promotion decisions incredibly competitive. Matt is a proven leader who brings a wealth of experience in tactical operations and personnel development, and he has a passion for serving our community,” Police Chief David Dickey said in a statement.
Cain, 53, joined the Los Angeles Police Department in 1996 and moved to Ventura four years later, then he rose through the ranks to corporal in 2006, sergeant in 2012 and commander in 2020.
He currently heads the Professional Standards and Development Unit, managing recruitment, internal affairs, training and the volunteer program.
He also serves as executive officer for the department’s SWAT team.
During his career, Cain has led the Major Crimes Unit, SWAT team and Crisis Negotiations Team, and has held assignments in motors and street crimes.
He is certified as a POST emergency vehicle operations and force-options simulator instructor.
His honors include the LAPD Meritorious Service Medal (1997), the Ventura Police Medal of Merit (2007) and the city’s Supervisor of the Year award in 2015 and 2019.
Cain holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from California Coast University and is a graduate of the Sherman Block Supervisory Leadership Institute.
COMPANY TO PAY FOR PESTICIDE SCAM
Pure Maintenance Holdings and its executives will pay $425,000 and overhaul their operations after being accused of falsely marketing disinfectant “dry fog” pesticides as government-approved and non-toxic, prosecutors announced Tuesday.
The settlement resolves a civil complaint filed in Sacramento County Superior Court by Santa Barbara County District Attorney John Savrnoch and 10 other California prosecutors.
It targets Pure Maintenance Holdings, affiliate Pure Products, company founder Michael Adams and his son, chief executive Brandon Adams.
The defendants did not admit liability but agreed to a stipulated judgment in this case.
According to the complaint, the Oregon-based firm licenses its “Dry Fog” machines and sells two pesticides, InstaPure and EverPure, to licensees nationwide.
Prosecutors said company advertising claimed the products were approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, even though neither agency had registered them.
The ads also asserted InstaPure killed “all bacteria and viruses,” a claim heavily promoted during the COVID-19 pandemic, and said EverPure was verified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for sterilization.
Marketing materials further described the fogging treatment as “safe, green, natural and non-toxic,” despite federal rules that require the words “WARNING” or “DANGER” on the labels because of toxicity, the lawsuit said.
In addition, Pure Maintenance allegedly sold both registered and unregistered pesticides in California without the broker’s license or mill assessment tax required by state law.
Under the judgment, $100,000 of the total penalty will go to Santa Barbara County — $50,000 for future consumer-protection enforcement and $50,000 to reimburse investigative costs.
The remaining funds will be divided among the other counties involved.
The court order also forces the company to hire an independent compliance manager and adopt strict internal protocols to ensure future advertising matches pesticide labels and regulatory requirements.
“Pesticide regulations exist to protect everyone who sells, applies or purchases these products,” Savrnoch said in a statement.
“Consumers deserve truthful information so they can make informed choices about how to spend their hard-earned money.”
The settlement bars the defendants from claiming federal or state approval their products do not have and from describing the pesticides as non-toxic when labels indicate otherwise.
Violating the judgment could trigger additional fines or contempt-of-court proceedings.
