I gotta say, when I first read the case, it struck me as really funny. It’s already tricky for individuals to cope with sorrowful situations, and it only further heightens their confusion when someone who has such a serious accusation gets a school badge. Many parents in Ventura echoed these sentiments.
Ventura County, however, agreed to pay approximately forty-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine dollars to settle a civil rights violation case in the Federal Court of Justice in 2004. This case was connected with Tyler Ebell, who was formerly a Ventura County sheriff deputy. His duties included misuse of his office relations in a very wrong way with a female prisoner. The county stated they had no culpability but were willing to settle.
There were two women in the complaints. One was Nastaza Schmidt. They alleged that Ebell had aided her release from incarceration and later used the situation to extort and molest her. Eventually, an internal investigation was conducted at the Sheriff’s Office, which uncovered many irregularities. Among others, they said he was overly friendly with an inmate, enabled someone to give him gifts, and even queried law enforcement databases to look up people associated with her.
As a result of this, an order to dismiss him was obtained late in 2022. He resigned and gave up his California peace officer certification. Once lost, he could never return to law enforcement in the state.
Things had worsened: Schmidt passed away on February 28, 2023. According to officials, she was discovered at a storage unit in Thousand Oaks. The medical examiner claimed she was suspected of having a cardiac arrest and also having a hazardous amount of meth in her system. The death of Schmidt has complicated the legal battle as she was the only eyewitness. The attorney also claimed it would be difficult without her.
Once again, the whole subject came up when the picture circulated on Instagram. Some people saw Ebell standing with a smiling woman holding a school badge. The caption read, “Ventura running backs from way back.” The moment that picture was put up, parents alongside community members boiled with anger. Many felt that displaying a badge made him seem like an authority figure to students, and that did not sit well with anyone aware of his past case.
The post was later deleted, however, after causing a lot of furor. This upset a lot of people, including Cecilia Grigsby, who happens to be Schmidt’s mother and took over the lawsuit after her daughter’s death. He should not be smiling for the cameras, she said, referring to Ebell, because nothing happened. Furthermore, she said any money that comes from the settlement will be for her grandson. She still demands an explanation about how someone like him can access children in any way.
They said the same thing about other parents and other people in the town as well. Most of them mentioned how they had lost their trust and wanted the measures to be stricter. One parent said, ‘Seeing this scenario shows one can never be sure if one’s kids are safe.’ Some argued for better background checks and even clearer rules about who or what is permitted to use or be near sideline access to school badges.
Ventura County officials said they would not imply any acceptance of fault under the settlement. The Sheriff’s Office further stated that action is being taken against staff for non-compliant conduct. But with such assurances, people still feel disquieted. They want to know how school badges are controlled and, more importantly, what system is in place to stop someone with a problematic record from getting any kind of access.
So far, the settlement may have quelled the civil issue, but it hasn’t quelled some worries in society. Parents and school staff, however, are calling for clear policies and quick decision-making so that similar incidents will not happen in the future. I also believe things must be handled with more caution when they involve children. It is better to be stricter on safety, which will later eradicate the chances of any regret experienced later. You may also be interested in: Redfield Little League Coach Joseph Michael Russell Arrested For Trying To Molest A 9 Year Old Boy
