Ventura County Sheriff – Incident Press Release
On 4/23/2020, detectives from the Thousand Oaks and Moorpark Police Departments, with assistance from patrol deputies from the Thousand Oaks Police Department completed a nearly two-week investigation involving a crime spree stretching from Moorpark through the Conejo Valley.
The investigation began on 4/11/20, when a Moorpark resident’s vehicle was stolen from the resident’s driveway. On 4/20/20, that same vehicle was found abandoned in the area of the 1400 block of Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. Surveillance video depicted a male and female suspect running from the scene and into a nearby apartment complex. Evidence recovered at the scene connected the occupants of the stolen vehicle to drug sales and several auto burglaries that occurred in the neighboring cities of Agoura Hills and Westlake Village. Property stolen from those burglaries included several credit cards and a handgun.
Detectives from the Thousand Oaks and Moorpark Investigations Bureau conducted a joint investigation and learned that both the male and female suspects seen fleeing the stolen vehicle were involved, later that day, in making several fraudulent credit card purchases at area retailers. Through their investigation, detectives identified the suspects as John Lyons and Lorena Guiffrida, both of Thousand Oaks.
On 4/22/20, Thousand Oaks patrol deputies responded to a suspicious subject call at an area retailer and contacted Lyons as he was attempting to complete additional fraudulent transactions at a local business. Deputies arrested Lyons and located a significant amount of evidence on his person connecting him to the crime spree, including the loaded handgun.
On 4/23/20, detectives contacted Giuffrida at her residence and arrested her on several theft related charges stemming from her participation in the crime spree.
Lyons was arrested for several narcotic and firearm related violations, as well as several counts of felony identity theft, auto theft and looting during a state of emergency. His bail was set at
$250,000.00. Guiffrida was arrested for one count of felony identity theft and auto theft. Her court date is pending.