Gunpoint theft on Pierpont
in brief
07/17/2008
Police officers apprehended two armed robbers on Greenock Lane near Marina Park on July 13 after they had robbed two victims that same night.
The suspects, Ambartsum Akopyan and Albert Badalyan, held the victims at gunpoint in their car and removed a purse, then fled onto the north jetty near the Ventura Harbor entrance, where officers located and apprehended them.
The suspects were booked into the Ventura County Jail, but the investigation is ongoing.
The Ventura Police Department encourages anyone with information to call at 339-4343; information leading to an arrest may result in a cash reward.
— Lauren Sittel
Appleton House saved
The Appleton House of Simi Valley, a provider of low-cost housing for mentally ill adults in the community, will remain open even after losing federal funding, thanks to a $5,000 grant from Teleflex Inc.
Operated by the Turning Point Foundation of Ventura County, Appleton House offers a “shared living environment” for six residents who “contribute to the community,” according to executive director Clyde Reynolds.
“[The grant] allows us to actually continue the program,” said Reynolds.
In the two decades since its founding, the Turning Point Foundation has been providing “shelter, housing, rehabilitation, recovery and support services” to help mentally ill adults become “contributing members of the community.”
Telefax Inc., a division of which is also based in Simi Valley, provides grants exclusively to community organizations and, according to its Web site, has distributed more than $5 million in its 30 years of giving.
— Lauren Sittel
Lucky to be alive, get a hair cut
Camarillo resident Virginia Hoover, who survived a botched skydive jump earlier this year, is in dire need of help. The accident left Hoover with a shattered leg and damaged vertebrae.
Because of Hoover’s extenuating circumstance, long-time friend Sharon Niemi will host a cut-a-thon at Center Salon in Ventura on July 20 and August 3 to help raise money to pay off medical bills that continue to pile up.
Hoover’s primary parachute failed to open and her secondary chute partially opened, leaving her bedridden.
“I’m just lucky to be alive,” Hoover said.
Nearly three months after the accident, Hoover faces sizable medical expenses, which Niemi hopes to help her pay with the money raised from the cut-a-thon at her salon.
“It’s all about helping someone in need,” Niemi said. “I want to help this extraordinary woman who survived an extraordinary experience.”
Hoover took up skydiving after going through a difficult divorce in 2003 and, despite the traumatic accident, thinks fondly of her first jump.
“It was a big moment for me,” Hoover said.
— Christina Semaan
Fake bomb
A fake bomb was found on Santa Clara Street in Ventura on July 11 when Officer Henuber was notified of a possible bomb in the area.
Henuber found a device with several red sticks labeled as dynamite with a timer attached to them and cleared the area. The Ventura County Bomb Squad determined that the device was a fake and made of non-explosive items.
No one was injured and no suspects were found.
— Lauren Sittel
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