OAK VIEW

Two men posing as deputies steal pot

Some Oak View residents called the Sheriff's Department early Monday to report that a group of men pretending to be sheriff's deputies had stolen their marijuana plants, authorities said.

The residents of the home in the 100 block of Valley View Drive were allowed to possess the plants under Proposition 215, which legalized limited medical use of marijuana in California, Sheriff's Department Capt. Jerry Hernandez said. The amount of marijuana the residents were growing fell within the legal limit, he said.

Two marijuana plants were stolen by robbers who broke into the home about 1:35 a.m. Monday, authorities said.

The residents reported that the men claimed to be deputies and ordered everyone in the home to get down while they took the plants, Hernandez said.

VENTURA

Man robbed after asking for cigarette

A man was robbed at knifepoint Monday in Ventura after he asked some men for a cigarette, police said.

The robbery occurred about 4:55 a.m. as the man was walking in the 1200 block of Ventura Avenue, according to Ventura police.

When the victim asked the occupants of a dark-colored sedan for a smoke, they responded by asking him where he was from, then jumped out and held a knife to his chest while searching his pockets.

The men took property, including a cell phone, then left in the sedan.

Anyone with information on the incident should call Ventura police at 339-4394.

OJAI

Ceremony held for felled diseased tree

A large infected valley oak tree was removed Monday at Grand Avenue and Park Road in Ojai.

The tree, about 42 inches in diameter, had become infected with decay organisms. Two arborists told city officials that it could not be saved, said Mike Culver, acting public works director.

About 20 people attended a ceremony Sunday honoring the decades-old tree. Chumash elder and Ojai resident Julie Tumamait blessed the tree at the event, which was organized by the Ojai Tree Committee.

The tree's removal took most of Monday and was delayed after work crews found a bee hive in it, Culver said.

No other trees are scheduled to be removed, he said. Tree committee leaders urged residents to plant new trees as Ojai's current stock ages.

— From staff reports