Roundup: Son pleads guilty in 2022 scissors stabbing death in Moorpark, more news

Here's a roundup of recent incidents and announcements from Ventura County agencies: 

Man pleads guilty in fatal stabbing of father

A defendant originally charged with murder in the 2022 stabbing death of his 73-year-old father has pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter.

Jason Tyler Fernandes, now 25, was accused of stabbing his father with scissors on March 9, 2022, after an argument at the older man's apartment in Moorpark. Ventura County Sheriff's deputies had responded to the Vintage Crest Senior Apartments in the 4700 block of Park Lane shortly before 6 p.m. that evening for reports of a family disturbance.

The father, Michael Fernandes, had been stabbed in the upper torso, officials said. He later died at Los Robles Regional Medical Center. The cause of death was blunt and sharp force injuries, the Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office determined.

Jason Fernandes was arrested that night in a nearby arroyo, authorities said at the time. The son, a Ventura resident, had previously pleaded not guilty to the murder charge when arraigned in March 2022.

In a plea agreement on Feb. 15 in Ventura County Superior Court, prosecutors filed an amended complaint that included the voluntary manslaughter charge, court records show. Voluntary manslaughter, a lesser charge than murder, generally covers a killing during a sudden quarrel or in the heat of passion, according to California law.

During the hearing, Fernandes pleaded guilty to the lesser charge and admitted to several special allegations, including that the crime involved great violence and the victim was vulnerable. Such allegations can impact sentencing.

“We considered all the facts and circumstances of the crime and the defendant in seeking to reach an appropriate result," said Senior Supervising Deputy District Attorney Rafael Orellana in an email.

Sentencing is scheduled for the morning of March 18 in courtroom 37.

Former credit union manager pleads guilty to grand theft, forgery

The former manager of the credit union for Limoneira Co. employees pleaded guilty to eight felonies in a plea deal on Feb. 15.

Tina Torres, 55, of Santa Paula, had previously pleaded not guilty in June to 25 counts of grand theft and forgery involving the Limoneira Federal Credit Union, which was founded in the 1970s to benefit employees of the citrus company. The independent organization now goes by the name Valley Ag Federal Credit Union and serves employees of other agricultural companies as well as Limoneira, but is still located at the grower's headquarters west of Santa Paula.

Investigators had accused Torres of stealing about $250,000 while on the job between January 2016 and August 2019. She lost her job in August 2019 after discrepancies were found. Torres was arrested in Ojai in June after a lengthy investigation.

Prosecutors said she was responsible for managing the institution's financial records but exploited her position by forging documents and defrauding the organization.

In the plea agreement, Torres pleaded guilty to eight grand theft and forgery charges and admitted to numerous special allegations including that crimes involved great monetary value and that they involved planning and sophistication. Such special allegations can impact sentencing.

The plea agreement involved a so-called Harvey waiver, Ventura County District Attorney's officials said in an email. The waiver allows a judge to consider and sentence a defendant for all charged acts, including acts a defendant didn't plea to, according to Deputy DA Susan Park.

Torres has remained out of custody on a $40,000 bail bond. Sentencing is scheduled for the morning of April 3 in room 11 of Ventura County Superior Court.

Fillmore deputies recover stolen ag equipment

Ventura County Sheriff's deputies in Fillmore arrested two men from Tulare County who allegedly stole agricultural equipment in late February.

On Feb. 24, patrol deputies had responded to a call about an audible alarm at a residence in the 1400 block of San Cayetano Street. An estimated $2,500 to $3,500 worth of agricultural smudge pots had been taken, authorities said in a news release, and surveillance footage showed two strangers on the property at the time.

After midnight, in the early hours of Feb. 25, deputies responded to a similar call in the same block. A ranch manager remotely accessing surveillance cameras told dispatchers a stranger was actively stealing ag equipment. Responding deputies found one of the suspects, a 28-year-old Lindsay man, with about $1,000 of the smudge pots, authorities said. The man reportedly also admitted responsibility for the Feb. 24 theft. He was arrested on suspicion of grand theft.

The alleged co-conspirator in the Feb. 24 incident, a 29-year-old Lindsay man, was arrested in Fillmore on Feb. 27 on suspicion of grand theft and conspiracy. Investigators recovered more of the stolen equipment and returned it to the victim.

Sheriff's officials suggested members of the Fillmore ag community to take part in Farm Watch, a partnership between farmers and the sheriff's office that serves as a county-wide electronic neighborhood watch program.

Items may be updated.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Roundup: Son pleads guilty in 2022 scissors stabbing death, more news