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Camarillo prosecutor takes job case by case
A few hours after ingesting hallucinogenic mushrooms, the Thousand Oaks teen died after a car hit her as she walked disoriented and naked on the 101 Freeway. Tia was one month shy of turning 18. "I think about her every day," said Wright, one of the two prosecutors who worked hard for stiff sentences for the 19yearold men convicted of giving Tia the mushrooms. "I'll never forget that case: It keeps me focused on why I have a passion for (prosecuting) drug cases. . . . I have a special spot in my heart for that case," Wright said. The men, Jonathan Martinez and Brian Mitchell, were sentenced to nine months in jail and four years of probation in January 2005. Although disappointed by the sentence, Wright is even more troubled that Martinez and Mitchell have since violated probation and have been convicted of other criminal offenses. Wright wanted to believe they had learned a lesson- their actions cost Tia her life. Wright said he may feel frustrated when people don't receive the prison time he thinks they deserve but he doesn't see himself doing any other job than working for the district attorney's office. "I love it," Wright said. "You will never meet anyone who loves their job more than I do." Wright tried his hand at defense as an intern in law school. The first case he ever worked was his last- it involved an accused child molester- and he opted to move to the other side of the aisle to work as a prosecutor. "I knew right then and there I didn't want to do this (defense)," said Wright, who was born and raised in Ventura and is now a Camarillo resident. "I think I'm naturally drawn toward that law-and-order kind of stuff." Now 10 years into his career as a prosecutor, Wright said the five he spent in the district attorney's major narcotics unit were the most exciting. "That's adrenaline 24 hours, seven days a week," Wright said. The job often meant working crime scenes after late-night calls from narcotics officers following a drug bust. "I loved it," Wright said. "My wife didn't like it, but I loved it." Being involved in cases from start to finish- from the moment the handcuffs go on the suspects to the time they are sentenced- appeals to Wright. "That was really rewarding," he said. "I developed a passion for putting drug dealers in jail. I see drugs as the biggest problem we've got going; it fuels all the other crimes." It was during this time in his career that he prosecuted Martinez and Mitchell. Wright said he enjoyed working with the 20 or 30 officers assigned to narcotics units in the various law enforcement agencies throughout the county. He said they are a close-knit group, committed to working 24 hours a day to put drug traffickers behind bars for a long time. "If that's what was asked of me, I'd do it," Wright said. In 2006, officers showed their appreciation, naming Wright the California Narcotic Officers' Association prosecutor of the year for Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties. Wright was also a finalist for the award at the state level. Now Wright is 19 months into a 24month assignment as the liaison to the East County Sheriff's Station in Thousand Oaks. The job means he no longer goes to court, but he said the variety of cases that come across his desk every day delight him. "I like this job a lot . . . but I miss being in trial, because that's my favorite thing," Wright said. "If I wasn't working dope, I'd want to be in this assignment." Wright confers with officers from the Thousand Oaks and Moorpark stations' various units- including traffic, patrol, gangs and narcotics- on the direction, viability and other legal aspects of their cases, from lowlevel infractions to more serious crimes, such as sexual assault. Among the assortment of cases he sees, Wright said the biggest problem facing eastern Ventura County is identity theft. Thieves are becoming more sophisticated in scamming victims out of their money. And the effects can plague victims for years, ruining their credit and preventing them from getting home and car loans. Every day, Sheriff's deputies and detectives on the county's eastern end have access to a wellspring of legal advice in Wright, who also files most of the stations' felony cases. That saves law enforcement officers from spending the better part of a day driving the 60mile round trip to the district attorney's office in Ventura, sometimes only to find they need more evidence to file charges. It also cuts down on officers having to play phone tag with prosecutors, who are in court every day and have hundreds of cases to handle. The savings in time and effort from having Wright close by is not lost on city or Sheriff's officials. In June, the Thousand Oaks City Council re-approved the two-year liaison contract, which will cost the city $105,000 this year and $110,000 next year. Wright is the third prosecutor to fill the position since it was started about seven years ago. "We absolutely love it- that he's out here," said Sheriff's Capt. Bruce Watlington. "We're definitely getting our money's worth through that position. "It's good for us; it's good for the DA's office, and it's good for the people that we serve. . . . We're thrilled with Ryan- he does an excellent job," Watlington added. Despite being intimately aware of the criminal side of Ventura County, Wright said the county is safer than many other large counties and is likely to remain so if public safety is kept a funding priority.
"We can't be complacent- law enforcement is a very expensive thing," Wright said. |
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