The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office announced today that Michael Gordon Butler (DOB 09/04/84), of Simi Valley, was sentenced on May 20, 2025, to four years in state prison for the death of Coldren James Lee Udell Kiblinger. Butler previously pled guilty on April 24, 2025, to one felony count of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

“This was a preventable tragedy. Coldren Kiblinger’s life was tragically cut down by Butler’s grossly negligent decisions on December 25, 2022,” Deputy District Attorney Jillian Ewan said. “While no amount of time will bring Coldren back, I hope the guilty plea will give some sense of justice and closure for the hardship Coldren’s family and friends have endured.”

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and Ventura County District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigation will be hosting a community presentation to share required annual military equipment reports with the public. All Ventura County residents are welcome to attend on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. at the Camarillo Police Department.

The report and corresponding community meeting are part of legislation (Assembly Bill 481) signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on September 30, 2021, intended to increase public transparency, and provide government oversite when California law enforcement agencies seek to fund, acquire, and/or use “military equipment.”

District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced today that Antoine Nehme (DOB 07/22/51), of Victorville, has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for orchestrating the 2004 murder of Dennis Wood, a Moorpark resident found dead in his home. A Ventura County jury previously convicted Nehme on March 17, 2025, of murder, conspiracy to commit a crime, and solicitation of murder. The jury also found true the special allegation that Nehme ordered the killing for financial gain. Additionally, Judge Paul Baelly found all charged aggravating factors were true, including that the crime involved great violence and was carried out with planning, sophistication, or professionalism.

The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, Ventura County Probation Department, People’s Justice Project, California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. (“CRLA”), and The Colleges of Law –Ventura will host a free legal Clean Slate Clinic for Ventura County residents for criminal record expungement, felony reduction, and arrest record sealing on Friday, May 23, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Colleges of Law – Ventura campus located at 4475 Market St, Ventura, CA 93003.

The purpose of the Clean Slate Clinic is to help eliminate barriers to employment and housing for individuals who have criminal records. A criminal record—no matter how old or how minor—can be a significant barrier to reentry for people when most employers, property managers, and universities use background checks to screen applicants.