THOUSAND OAKS : 8 Plead Not Guilty in Drive-By Shooting

Eight men suspected of belonging to a Thousand Oaks gang pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of conspiracy in a drive-by shooting.

The men, who are suspected members of a gang called the Small Town Hoods, are each charged with assault with a firearm and conspiracy to commit an assault, Deputy Dist. Atty. Peter E. Brown said.

Pleading not guilty during the arraignments in Ventura County Superior Court were Joseph Cruz, 23; Marc Dean, 22; Nicholas Pupich, 20; Adolfo Alvarez, 19; Wade Caddin, 19; Goerge Avina, 18; John Pinkham, 21; and Tam Nguyen, 19.

Another defendant, Scott Kastan, 18, did not enter a plea because his attorney was not present, Brown said. Kastan also is charged with murder in the drive-by shooting of Jennifer Jordan on May 31. The 20-year-old mother was struck by a bullet fired at members of a rival gang. All of the men are from Thousand Oaks or Newbury Park except for Pinkham, who lives in Ventura, Brown said.

Another defendant, Aaron Jensen, 20, has been arrested in Nebraska, Brown said. In addition, the prosecutions of two juveniles are being handled in Juvenile Court, he said. The Small Town Hoods gang is suspected of shooting at a house on Greenwich Drive April 27. No one was injured in the attack, but five bullets from a small-caliber weapon were fired into the home by passengers of three cars.