Here's a roundup of recent incidents and announcements from Ventura County agencies:
A 25-year-old Hemet man died in a motorcycle crash on Pacific Coast Highway near Mugu Rock Saturday afternoon, the California Highway Patrol reported. Blow Molding Packaging
The man driving a 2021 Harley-Davidson was traveling northbound just north of the Point Mugu Naval Rifle Range when he lost control, crossed into the southbound lanes and crashed into a chain-link fence off the south shoulder of the road, officials said. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash reported around 4:30 p.m.
His name has not been released pending notification of relatives.
Black mold detected in several areas at Moorpark City Hall has temporarily closed some buildings and will close the public counter for about a week, but the city's work continues as usual, City Manager Troy Brown said in a newsletter.
Routine air tests in early June found mold in three of four structures at the 799 Moorpark Ave. location, Brown said. As a result, officials closed the administration building and parts of temporary buildings that house information technology staff and employee break rooms. Impacted staff have worked remotely, mostly at the city's emergency operations center.
Mold was also found during a visual inspection of the fourth building, the temporary trailer that houses development services and City Hall's public counter, Brown said. Though air tests had come out clean, the presence of mold requires remediation before it becomes unsafe, he said.
The buildings must be closed during the actual remediation work, scheduled for June 15-22, he said, which means the public counter won't be open during that time.
Residents will be able to conduct most of their routine city business online, Brown said, including applications for building and parking permits and construction plan reviews.
The Moorpark City Library and Active Adult Center will remain open. The City Council will meet on June 21 as scheduled. Regular city operations, including police services, bus routes and street repairs, will carry on as usual, Brown said.
The city plans to eventually replace the aging trailers and buildings at the Moorpark Avenue civic center and will move to temporary quarters at 323 Science Drive next year, Brown noted.
Simi Valley Police Department officials arrested two men Thursday who are suspected of carrying out 11 commercial burglaries in recent months.
The suspects, both Lancaster residents in their early 20s, allegedly broke into seven businesses in Simi Valley and four in Thousand Oaks, typically breaking rear windows or prying open back doors with a crowbar late at night. Once inside, they reportedly targeted registers and loose cash, officials said.
Total losses, including damage, amounted to about $34,000, the department said.
Simi officers worked with Ventura County Sheriff's officials for several months, and served search warrants Thursday at the suspects' shared residence in Lancaster and their vehicles. After reportedly finding evidence during the searches, the men were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy, burglary and grand theft offenses.
Questions about a defendant's mental competency have halted criminal proceedings, for now, in the case of a man accused of grabbing a 75-year-old Ventura woman as she gardened outside her home last month.
Lathanial Lavar Walker, 26, described as transient, had previously pleaded not guilty to charges including attempted kidnapping for rape, attempted first-degree residential burglary and assault with the intent to commit certain felonies.
Authorities allege that on the morning of May 24, he approached the victim in the front yard of her home on South Dunning Street, pulled down his pants and grabbed her from behind. Prosecutors said she struggled with him as he dragged her to the side of the house and tried to take her inside the residence before neighbors intervened. He was arrested a short time later in a parking lot at the Pacific View shopping center after he fled on foot.
At a hearing Wednesday in Ventura County Superior Court, Walker's defense attorney, a public defender, declared doubt about his mental competency, court records show. Criminal proceedings were suspended as civil proceedings were launched.
Motorcycle Mold A competency hearing is now set for the morning of June 29 in courtroom 13. Walker remains in custody at Todd Road Jail where he is not eligible for bail.