Executive Staff
John Reilly
Undersheriff
John Reilly is a 28 year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office who holds a Bachelor’s Degree in History from California University at Northridge and a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice from American Military University. John has a diverse law enforcement background in a variety of disciplines from tactical operations to investigations. John spent a majority of his career working in Special Enforcement Units and as Detective and Detective Supervisor. As a Captain, John supervised county-wide patrol operations as the Watch Commander, worked as the Sheriff’s Adjutant and served as the Chief of Police for the contract City of Moorpark. As a Commander, John supervised the East County Patrol Division where he was responsible for all Patrol Operations in the east end of the county. As a Commander John also supervised the K-9 Unit, Department Chaplin Corps as well the Tactical Response Team. John represented the County in several deployments throughout southern California while he supervised the Tactical Response Team. John last oversaw the Crime Lab and Property Room before he was promoted to the rank of Undersheriff in January of 2023. John and his wife Kelly have three children and reside in the City of Moorpark. John has been active in the community and spends much of his time off coaching youth sports and volunteering at community events.
Victor Fazio
Assistant Sheriff - Special Services Division
Victor Fazio started his career with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office in 1994. He has worked a variety of assignments throughout the agency. He spent a large portion of his career investigating narcotics related offenses. During his 16-year tenure assigned to the narcotics division, he commanded two multi-agency task forces. One task force focused on the proliferation of pharmaceutical drugs and the surge of heroin and opioid related overdose deaths. The other task force was dedicated to identifying and neutralizing drug trafficking organizations at the highest level. Victor was proud to also serve the City of Moorpark – which contracts law enforcement services with the Sheriff’s Office – as Chief of Police for nearly four years. In January of 2023, Sheriff Jim Fryhoff appointed Victor as one of his Assistant Sheriffs. Victor leads the Special Services Division which includes Major Crimes, Narcotics, Bomb and Arson Unit, Criminal Intelligence, Crime Analysis, Crime Lab, Air Unit, Crime Scenes Investigation Unit, SWAT, Tactical Negotiations Unit, Technical Services Unit, and Sheriff’s Systems Bureau which is responsible for hardware, software, and new technology. Victor enjoys teaching and has instructed well over 10,000 law enforcement officers, health care providers, and community members throughout the nation. Additionally, he is an Adjunct Criminal Justice Professor for the University of Southern California as well as Arizona State University in both graduate and undergraduate programs. He has a bachelor’s degree from UCLA in political science, a master’s degree from ASU in criminal justice, and a doctorate in education from USC where his research was focused on reducing harms caused by opioids through physician education. He is married to his wife Courtney, and they have two adult children.
Jose Rivera
Assistant Sheriff - Patrol Services Division
Assistant Sheriff Jose Rivera has over 32 years of law enforcement service. He is a lifelong resident of Ventura County and began his professional law enforcement career as a Ventura County Sheriff’s Deputy in 1990. Jose has served the citizens of Ventura County for more than two decades working a variety of challenging assignments in various divisions of the Sheriff’s Office that have included Custody and Patrol Divisions, Major Crimes Unit, Special Enforcement Details, Narcotics Enforcement, and Patrol Watch Commander. Most recently, Jose was assigned as the Chief of Police in the City of Ojai. In this role, Jose was responsible for oversight of patrol operations in the Ojai Valley, including the Ojai Valley Police Station and Lockwood Valley Sub-Station. Jose has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and as one of four Assistant Sheriffs, Jose has oversight of all Patrol Divisions within the Sheriff’s Office. Jose and his wife Laura are longtime residents of Camarillo. They have two adult children who are currently serving in the military, three younger children and two grandchildren.
Andrew Salinas
Assistant Sheriff - Support Services Division
Assistant Sheriff Andrew Salinas joins the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office with 30 years of law enforcement experience with the last 6 years having served as Police Chief in the City of Port Hueneme. In 2022, the City of Port Hueneme reported its lowest crime rate in history. Andrew started his career in law enforcement in 1993 as a Reserve Officer with the Los Angeles Police Department. He would move onto the Oxnard Police Department in 1996 and ascended quickly through the ranks to the position of Police Commander in 2010. During his career, Andrew has worked a myriad of assignments which included Storefront Officer, Narcotics Detective, Grant Coordinator, Beat Coordinator, Sexual Assault Detective, Patrol Sergeant, Training Sergeant, Special Services Sergeant, Watch Commander, Special Projects Commander, and Investigations Commander. His collateral assignments included Hostage Negotiator on the SWAT Team and Explorer Advisor. In his new role as Assistant Sheriff, Andrew has oversight of Personnel, Internal Affairs, the Academy, and the Inspections and Audit Unit. Andrew currently serves as a Vice Chair for the California Strawberry Festival and is an Executive Board Member for the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme. He is also the former President of the National Latino Peace Officers Association – Ventura County Chapter (NLPOA). Andrew is a graduate of the Sherman Block Supervisory Leadership Institute Class 273 and also attended the 253rd session of the F.B.I National Academy in Quantico, Virginia in 2013. He is a graduate of the Ventura County Leadership Academy Cohort #14. Andrew has a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice Management and Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Cal-State Northridge.
Shane Matthews
Assistant Sheriff - Detention Services Division
Assistant Sheriff Shane Matthews is a 28-year veteran of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and a lifelong Ventura County resident. He began his career in 1995 working at the Honor Farm in Detention Services and completed his patrol training in Ojai. Shane has a vast amount of experience within the Sheriff’s Office having worked patrol at East and West County patrol stations, Special Enforcement, Detectives, Narcotics, Aviation Unit and Search and Rescue. Shane was the Classification supervisor for Detention Services and most recently served as the Assistant Police Chief for two of the Sheriff’s Office contract cities (Ojai and Camarillo). Shane has also held many collateral assignments including First Aid Instructor, Watercraft Unit, Bike Patrol, and Peer Support. He was an operator and captain of the SWAT Team and manager of the newly formed Incident Management Team. In January 2023, Shane was appointed by Sheriff Jim Fryhoff as an Assistant Sheriff to oversee the Detention Services Division including, three jail facilities and security for the Ventura County Superior Court. Shane is currently enrolled at California Coast University completing his bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. In addition, he has served on the board of directors for the Ojai Valley Family Shelter and the Camarillo YMCA. Shane and his wife Wendy have been married for 29 years and have three children.
Amber Butler
Finance Director
Amber Butler joined the Department in February 2019, migrating from the County of Ventura General Services Agency as the accounting manager. Amber has been employed by the County of Ventura since 2010 and prior to that was a financial analyst in private industry. Currently she manages the financial operations of the Sheriff’s Department. Amber Butler received her Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy from California State University, Northridge and has a master’s degree in Public Administration from the California State University, Northridge. Amber is a member of the Government Finance Officers Association.
Patrick Maynard
Emergency Services Director
Patrick Maynard was born and raised in Ventura County and a graduate of Saint Bonaventure High School. Patrick began his career in public service in 2005 as a Firefighter and Emergency Manager where he worked for several years before joining the Sheriff’s Office. In 2011, Patrick was hired as the Alert & Warning Coordinator for the Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) and promoted through the ranks. In 2020, Patrick was appointed as Director of the Office of Emergency Services by Sheriff Ayub. Patrick is passionate about disaster response and preparedness, ensuring every effort is made to assist all residents during a time of need. Because of this, he strives to provide “next level emergency management” and works tirelessly to enhance Ventura County’s disaster response capabilities and plans.
Rebecca "Beckie" Willhite
Human Resources Director
Rebecca “Beckie” Willhite started her career with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office in 2008. She was appointed Sheriff’s Human Resources Director in 2021. Beckie’s first career was as a therapist and clinical director serving adolescents and their families in a private, nonprofit setting in Hawaii. Beckie has a master’s degree in Social Work (MSW) from the University of Hawaii, School of Social Work and a master’s degree in Public Administration (MPA) from the California State University Northridge. She is a graduate of the first cohort of the Ventura County Leadership Excellence Academy (LEAP) and the twenty-seventh cohort of the Ventura County Leadership Academy (VCLA). Beckie has served on the board of directors with the local chapter of the International Public Management Association for Human Resources (IPMA-HR) for more than a decade.Beckie is a servant leader. She is most passionate about developing employees and helping them to realize their goals and achieve their fullest potentials at work. Beckie believes in work-life balance and that careers have seasons. An employer of choice supports its employees through all seasons. Beckie is honored to serve the employees of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and looks forward to life-long learning alongside her friends and colleagues of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. Beckie is married to her husband Shaun Willhite, and they have three children together.