Ventura City Attorney Andrew Heglund, who was fired over the weekend, is being investigated for an incident reported inside a Chick-fil-A restaurant in Ventura.
The Ventura Police Department received a call on the afternoon of April 10 about possible indecent exposure inside the fast food eatery, said Chief Darin Schindler on Tuesday. After interviewing witnesses, officers learned the situation possibly involved the city attorney, he said.
Based on the possible conflict of interest with Heglund as Ventura’s city attorney, Schindler said he contacted the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and requested they take over the investigation.
Ron Bamieh, an attorney representing Heglund, said the response to the alleged incident was an "overreaction.”
"We deny any wrongdoing," Bamieh said Tuesday. "Mr. Heglund will look forward to being exonerated by the sheriff's department investigation or the DA's office when they elect not to file the case or, God forbid, by a judge or jury if they do file."
The City Council ousted Heglund on Saturday during a special closed-session meeting that was announced Friday.
Heglund on Tuesday referred any comment on the matter to Bamieh.
Schindler said Ventura police received the call around 3:50 p.m. on April 10. The alleged incident had occurred 1:36 p.m. but was reported later. When officers arrived at the restaurant at 1321 Eastman Ave., near Telephone Road and Highway 101, the individual was gone, he said.
After interviewing witnesses, including the manager who reported the incident, officers learned the scenario possibly involved the city attorney, Schindler said, prompting the request to the sheriff's office to take the lead.
Ventura officers took an initial crime report and witness statements and that was it, the chief said.
Sheriff's Capt. Dean Worthy said Heglund has been cited for a suspected misdemeanor violation. Worthy declined to specify the citation because the case has not yet been submitted to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.
Worthy did say the Ventura police chief's description of indecent exposure was “the direction” sheriff's investigators were pursuing. The sheriff’s sexual assault unit in the Major Crimes Bureau is investigating the case, he said.
The alleged crime has stirred up conversation on some social media sites, with some commenters claiming to have witnessed the incident. The claims have not been verified by The Star.
Bamieh said there has been no evidence to prove anything. He added Heglund has a stellar reputation in the community.
"He's a family man," Bamieh said.
Heglund, who spent two years as city attorney, was fired with cause and will not get any severance pay, Mayor Joe Schroeder said Monday.
Heglund became city attorney on March 28, 2022. He joined Ventura in 2019 as senior assistant city attorney for transactions with an emphasis on planning and public works, according to the city. In February 2022, he was named interim city attorney.
He holds a bachelor’s degree from Pensacola Christian College and a law degree from Regent University, the city has said. He was a deputy city attorney in Bakersfield for eight years, where he worked in land development and public works, before joining Ventura.
This story may be updated.
Staff writer Tony Biasotti contributed to this story.
Wes Woods II covers West County for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at wesley.woodsii@vcstar.com , 805-437-0262 or @JournoWes .
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Ventura city attorney under investigation for incident inside fast food joint
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