According to Santa Police Sgt. Scott Varner, the incident was reported Friday about 7:30 a.m. when the SPPD “received information that a subject was attempting to sell DJ equipment,” behind a nightclub located in the 1400 block of East Harvard Boulevard.

As Dispatch was receiving the information Varner said “an officer on patrol was flagged down and made aware of the subject attempting to sell DJ equipment,” out back of the nightclub by the trash bins.

Officers responded and found Richard Porras, 51, a transient in the city, standing next to a large amount of DJ and music equipment. 

Varner said, “I was driving by also and went over there and we found the suspect standing back there,” and when officers found the rear door to the business was open they detained Porras.

Varner said the business was checked and no other persons were found inside and no other subjects were located in the surrounding area.

Before officers’ arrival Porras apparently had arranged the door of an outbuilding and others to hide the fact that he was behind the nightclub with the equipment.

Several large music speakers, miscellaneous DJ and musical equipment was found placed into a separate enclosed trash can area which officers believed “was used to hide the equipment so it could not be as easily noticed.

“Additionally,” Varner noted, “the video surveillance cameras had been removed from the building.”

Police contacted the owner of the business who confirmed that all the equipment had been inside the business when the nightclub closed up the night before. The equipment was returned to the owner.

Porras was placed under arrest for suspicion of burglary; he was booked at the Santa Paula Police Station and held in the jail before he was transported to Ventura County Main Jail in Ventura.

Varner said of the arrest “We got lucky that day, it was a little bit of luck being at the right place at the right time...but luckily somebody called us on it too!”