At a special Ventura City Council meeting nearly a week ago, the council voted unanimously to oust its city attorney.
Ventura Mayor Joe Schroeder said in a written statement that Andrew Heglund’s firing was “due to a personal matter.”
But it now appears that the quiet shooting followed a police investigation into an molestation incident at a Chick-fil-A restaurant in the city involving Heglund, according to authorities, his lawyer and local media.
Authorities have remained tight-lipped about providing details about the case.
Capt. Dean Worthy, a spokesman for the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department, told the Times that the investigation, initially initiated by the Ventura Police Department, was being led by the sheriff’s sexual assault unit with the office major crimes and that it implicated Heglund.
Ron S. Bamieh, Heglund’s attorney, said there was an investigation but no criminal charges were pending.
“We are optimistic that the investigation will confirm that Mr. Heglund did not commit any criminal acts,” he said. “There’s a lot of exaggeration about some people getting upset at a Chick-fil-A.”
Responding by email to questions from The Times, Ventura Police Chief Darin Schindler said the incident occurred at 1:30 p.m. on April 10, when officers responded to a call at the 1321 restaurant Eastman Ave.
“Upon arrival, officers interviewed witnesses and gathered information about the incident,” Schindler wrote. “Ultimately, due to a conflict of interest, this matter was referred” to the Sheriff’s Department, he wrote.
The email did not provide further details about the case.
Heglund, who served as Bakersfield’s deputy city attorney for eight years before joining the Ventura City Attorney’s Office in July 2019, was named city attorney in 2022 following the retirement of his predecessor, according to city records.
Bamieh said his client is a respected member of the community and a highly regarded municipal attorney that the city hired. He said the city’s decision to fire him was based on panic and not logical reasoning.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate,” he said, “but that’s a discussion for another day.”
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