Alleged Parole Violator Captured After Lengthy Search

A team of nearly a dozen sheriff’s deputies and Ventura police officers using two tracking dogs and a sheriff’s helicopter routed out an alleged parole violator Wednesday after an hourlong chase on the city’s west end.

The chase began about 1 p.m. and forced the closure of two residential streets as officers and deputies searched for 36-year-old Lawrence Gebber, who police say was wanted for violating the terms of his parole.

Two deputies from the Sheriff’s Department’s fugitive detail spotted Gebber, who had an outstanding warrant, as he pedaled a bicycle along Ventura Avenue, said Sheriff’s Capt. Mark Ball.

Gebber ran when he saw the officers and they chased him on foot through several fields and yards.

“We think he ran because he knew this time he’d be going back to prison,” Ball said.

A sheriff’s helicopter spotted Gebber running along East McFarlane Drive and then darting into a backyard.

Police officers converged on the street and cordoned off the area. Using police dogs, deputies and officers narrowed the search to a small tool shed where Gebber was found hiding behind a door, said Deputy Harold Orr, whose dog was involved in the search.

A winded Gebber was cuffed by deputies and booked into the Ventura County Jail.