http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/dec/03/charity-donation-marks-ventura-county-born/

Ventura County native Ryan Blair, 31, is already ten years into his second life. As a technology pioneer and expert marketer Blair has earned his successes but the path was long and winding. In a serendipitous moment his past greeted his present in the form of a charitable donation to the man who helped shape his life.

If Blair's past had a face, that face would be Captain Randy Pentis of the Ventura County Police Department. Determined to not see Blair fall victim to an under-privileged childhood, Capt. Pentis kept a personal agenda to ensure Blair live up to his potential. Whether it be dragging Blair to his mother in the middle of the night or put him in handcuffs and take him to the interrogation room, Capt. Pentis was keen on not letting Blair continuing to make mistakes and overtime became his mentor.

Flash-forward to a corporate event in Las Vegas, NV where Blair finds himself face-to-face with his former nemesis. Still young by most standards, Blair stands on the stage with the confidence of a man reformed; pulled from the wreckage of childhood that would have curbed his chance at having any kind of personal or financial success. The weight once on his shoulders is transferred, in the form of a $10,000 donation, to Captain Randy Pentis' "Cops Running for Charity" charitable fund. Both conscious of the moment the two men stand on the stage alone, shake hands and smile.