A theft from an unlocked vehicle in Mira Monte on November 11, 2025, triggered a multi-department investigation that eventually led to the arrests of two suspects accused of identity theft and credit card fraud, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office announced on December 1, 2025.
The incident took place in a residential driveway on the 1900 Block of Tiara Drive, where a woman reported that her purse had been stolen from her parked, unlocked vehicle.
Deputies responded and learned that her credit cards had already been used to make fraudulent purchases in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. The theft was later connected to a larger identity misuse case, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.
Detectives from the Ojai Police Station used surveillance, purchase records, and other investigative leads to identify the suspects as 27-year-old Justin Orth of Carpinteria and 26-year-old Arianna Ceja of Port Hueneme.
According to the investigators, both suspects were involved in the theft from the vehicle and misuse of the victim’s stolen credit card. The Sheriff’s office said the charges fall under several sections of the California Penal Code.
The suspects were accused of illegally using someone else’s personal information, possessing identifying information from a prior identity theft case, petty theft from the vehicle, and conspiring to carry out the crime.
On November 23, 2025, the Oxnard Police Department took Orth into custody for an unrelated matter. After the Ventura County authorities confirmed his involvement in the Mira Monte case, he was booked for the incident, but later posted bail and was released.
Less than a week later, on November 29, deputies from the Thousand Oaks station caught Ceja on the 2700 Block of Teller Road and arrested her for the Mira Monte case.
According to the Sheriff’s office, Ceja and Orth were staying together at a hotel, where deputies located Orth and took him into custody. The authorities found that Orth also had a warrant from Santa Barbara County.
Both suspects were rebooked at the Pre-Trial Detention Facility, where they faced additional charges stemming from the new evidence discovered during their arrest.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office advised the public, following the arrest, to take simple precautions to reduce the risk of becoming a victim of these crimes. Authorities encouraged people to lock their vehicles, avoid leaving personal items or bags in plain sight, park in well-lit areas when possible, and never leave key fobs inside cars.
The case report number is RB# 25-145288, which involved multiple jurisdictions, including Ojai Patrol, Ojai Investigations, Thousand Oaks Patrol, and East County Investigations. The victim was a 41-year-old female resident of Mira Monte.
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