Former Inmate Held in Jail Farm Theft
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A Simi Valley man is in custody on burglary and drug charges after he allegedly stole power tools from the Ventura County Branch Jail Honor Farm in Ojai, four days after he was released from the facility.
Michael Scott Buss, 35, was being held on $100,000 bail in Ventura County Jail on Friday, the day after he was arrested on felony charges of burglary and possession of a controlled substance. He also faces a misdemeanor charge of being under the influence of a controlled substance, according to Sheriff’s Det. Maureen Hookstra.
Buss is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in Ventura County Municipal Court. At 7:15 a.m. Thursday, deputies on guard at the honor farm noticed a wood shop on the grounds had been broken into. Minimum-security inmates are assigned work detail at the farm.
During a search of the area, deputies discovered Buss’ abandoned pickup truck, which contained $2,600 worth of power tools believed to have been stolen from the wood shop, Hookstra said. They called Buss, who voluntarily went to the County Jail for further questioning, she said. “He was very talkative, perspiring, [with a] very dry mouth,” Hookstra said.
Deputies put Buss through a series of tests that allegedly showed him to be under the influence of a controlled substance, Hookstra said.
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