Landscape gardener arrested for looting after allegedly stealing an electric bike from a mountain fire victim

CAMARILLO, Calif. (KABC) — A landscaper was arrested Saturday in Camarillo after he allegedly stole an electric bicycle from a man whose property was damaged in the mountain fire.

The incident occurred on Friday when the victim was using the bike to assess the damage to his property.

According to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, he parked his bike in his driveway and walked through his front yard. That's when he noticed his neighbor's landscaping business was in the area.

“When he returned to where he had parked his bike, he discovered it had been stolen,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release. “Due to the timing and proximity of the theft, he confronted the landscapers who were staying at his neighbor’s house and one of them admitted taking the bike.”

The suspect, identified as Ramon Avila Pacheco, eventually returned the bike.

The victim reported the theft the following day while officers were patrolling the area in response to an evacuation order.

Officers arrested Pacheco near Temple Avenue and Aloha Street on suspicion of looting in an area under an evacuation order. He was sent to the detention center.

The incident remains under investigation.