An alleged Fillmore gang member has been busted for inking a teen with tattoos as a ploy to drag him into the gang's clutches, Ventura County Sheriff's officials say. Fabian Garibay, 31, was collared by deputies on December 22 after a probe revealed he had branded a 16-year-old boy with gang symbols somewhere in Ventura County, according to a statement released by the department.
The investigation kicked off back in the fall when a Fillmore Patrol Station deputy got wind of the tattooing, which rolled out over September and October. It didn't take long before the deputy tagged the artwork as a gang recruitment move. A follow-up in late October by the West County Special Enforcement Unit goons turned up evidence at Garibay's pad that pointed to his affiliation with the hoodlums, snagging a search warrant along the way that would lay the groundwork for his arrest. Garibay, who didn't manage to dodge the cops during a traffic stop, got slapped with felony street gang coercion and on January 5, the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office piled on with more charges, hitting him with felony street gang solicitation and misdemeanor tattooing of a minor violations, details the report.
Our boy posted bail and has his day in court set for February 2024, but the manhunt isn't over yet as detectives continue to beat the bushes for more info on Fillmore gang skirmishes and Garibay’s antics.
Anyone with a tip-off can shoot a message to Detective Austin Whittaker at 805-654-3509 or if anonymity is your thing, dial Ventura County Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
