Sex offender sweep nabs four

Four local individuals were arrested during a sexual offender registrant sweep conducted by the Ventura County Sheriff's Department and several other law enforcement agencies on June 9.

Authorities visited 65 registered offenders in Thousand Oaks, Moorpark and unincorporated areas to ensure that they are complying with the rules of their probation or parole terms. Officers arrested one person in Moorpark, two in Thousand Oaks and one in the unincorporated county area for possession of dangerous weapons, controlled substance and/or drug paraphernalia.

The names of the people who were arrested were not released because investigations are ongoing, said Sgt. Don Aguilar.

The sweep also encouraged several people to come forward and comply with the registration requirements, Aguilar said. "A day or two after the sweeps, a lot of registrants showed up on their own to register," he said.

Authorities also found that four registrants were not living at the address they had reported because they had moved.

These compliance sweeps are supported by a $5 million Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement grant approved by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to investigate, apprehend and prosecute habitual sex offenders in California.

- Sylvie Belmond