Dozens of people suspected to be living along Oxnard’s railroad tracks by the E. Fifth Street area have been arrested on offenses including trespassing and possessing drugs, authorities said.
Units in the Oxnard Police Department and Union Pacific Railroad Police coordinated from early morning on Feb. 4 to remove more than 33 tons of “debris and hazardous waste totaling 11 truckloads, from encampments in the area” of the 600 block of E. Fifth Street, according to a press release from the department.
Thirty-seven people believed to be mostly homeless were arrested for offenses such as illegal storage of property in a public area, trespassing and drug possession, said Sgt. Mike Kohr.
The operation came after complaints from local businesses and residents on suspected drug overdoses that resulted in at least one death in the area, Kohr said.
There’s been ongoing concerns over trespassing of railroad property and illegal storage of items on train tracks, the release says.
Healthcare professionals supporting the homeless from Ventura County’s Backpack Medicine program, Oxnard city staff assisting with housing and drug rehabilitation and nonprofit Mercy House were out at the encampments to assist the homeless before the operation took place, Kohr said.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Oxnard police clears homeless encampment near railroad tracks, 37 arrested
Reporting by Staff reports, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
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