A Moorpark man was sentenced to more than 11 years in federal prison for trying to procure sexually explicit photos from what he thought was a 14-year-old girl he was talking to online. Thomas Kern Gissell, 29, was sentenced to 140 months on Monday, as well as 20 years of supervised release after prison, $27,000 in restitution payments and $5,100 in special assessments, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release. Gissell pleaded guilty on Jan. 5 to a charge of attempted enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity after it was reported to the Ventura County District A ..read more

A Moorpark restaurant space once used by a cheftestant on Bravo's "Top Chef" caught fire Thursday, prompting a response from the Ventura County Fire Department. The former home of Cafe Firenze on 563 Los Angeles Ave. was ablaze midday Thursday, though the fire was put out by 12:45 p.m., the VCFD said on X, formerly Twitter. Until early 2020, Cafe Firenze drew eager local diners and fans of Fabio Viviani, who won the "Top Chef Fan Favorite" award in the fifth season of the culinary competition show with one-liners like "This is 'Top Chef,' It's not 'Top Scallop.'" The restaurant closed pre-pand ..read more

A Ventura man was sentenced to 12 years in state prison for fatally stabbing his father with scissors last year. Jason Tyler Fernandes, 25, pleaded guilty last month to one count of voluntary manslaughter and four special allegations: that the victim was vulnerable, that he took advantage of a position of trust, that he used a deadly weapon and that the crime involved great violence, the Ventura County District Attorney's Office said in a news release. On March 9, 2023, Fernandes went to a senior facility in Moorpark where his father, Michael Fernandes, was living. "A verbal argument turned ph ..read more

More than a dozen people were hurt when an Amtrak train partially derailed late Wednesday morning after striking a water truck in Moorpark, officials said. The derailment occurred at about 11:30 a.m. at a railroad crossing near Los Angeles Avenue. The train departed from L.A.'s Union Station and was heading up to Washington State. According to the Ventura County Fire Department, the train was carrying 186 passengers and 13 crew members when it hit the public works truck. On Twitter, local photographer Michael Coons said the truck belonged to the Ventura County Public Works Agency. The Californ ..read more

A three-car crash in Moorpark has left one person dead and another in critical condition. The Friday morning crash left Moorpark Road closed between Reed and Tierra Rejada roads, the Ventura County Fire Department said. The California Highway Patrol is investigating the crash, which also involved a third person who was uninjured. Images from the scene showed a white or gray compact car with front-end damage, as well as a dark-colored SUV that had gone down an embankment into a grassy area. Firefighters could also be seen carrying someone strapped to a gurney up an embankment ..read more

A 23-year-old Ventura man was charged with killing his father, officials announced Friday. Jason Tyler Fernandes was charged with the murder of his father, 73-year-old Michael Fernandes, the Ventura County District Attorney's Office said in a news release. The complaint alleges one count of murder with the special allegation of personal use of a deadly or dangerous weapon. Deputies responded to an apartment in the 4000 block of Park Lane in Moorpark on Wednesday. They found the victim, Michael Fernandes, unresponsive and suffering from several injuries. He was transported to Los Robles Hospita ..read more

Two teens were arrested for allegedly throwing incendiary devices that caused a fire at a Moorpark arroyo last week, officials announced Tuesday. The juveniles, ages 15 and 16, were each booked on suspicion of arson of property and possession of a destructive device, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office said in a news release. Just after 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 24, the Ventura County Fire Department received a call of a fire in the arroyo south of the 200 block of Moorpark Avenue. Crews arrived on scene and quickly extinguished the fire, which was contained to a sewer drainage channel. No structures ..read more

Authorities are seeking the public's help to identify a suspected arsonist after a series of "suspicious fires" were sparked in Moorpark over the past two months. The city has experienced a number of small fires that appear to have been intentionally set, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office said in a news release Tuesday. Starting in September, a cluster of fires was set in the arroyo in the area of Spring Road and Los Angeles Avenue. In October, a tree was set on fire in the Mission Bell Plaza on Los Angeles Avenue. Over the past week, fires have been set to a restroom and a trash can at the ..read more

A man was arrested Friday after pouring gasoline on the Moorpark residence of a relative, officials said. Deputies responded to the 100 block of Moonsong Court just before 10 a.m. regarding a man trying to light a residence on fire, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office said in a news release. The man, identified as 33-year-old transient Shaka Watkins, was confronted by a 61-year-old male victim and a fight ensued in the middle of the street, according to the news release. The victim was knocked to the ground by Watkins and ultimately suffered injuries requiring treatment at a local hospital, of ..read more

Two people were killed and two others were injured in a crash in Moorpark involving a car and a semi truck Monday afternoon, officials said. The crash occurred about 3 p.m. near the intersection of Grimes Canyon Road and Meadowglade Drive. It is unclear what led to the crash, but two people were killed, Ventura County Fire Department Capt. Robert Welsbie told KTLA. Two other people were taken to a hospital, one by air and one by ground, Welsbie said. Their conditions were unknown. No further details about the crash have been released, but California Highway Patrol officials asked motorists to ..read more