JAIL'S ELVES SAVE NOEL FOR FAMILIES; INMATES, LAWMEN DELIGHT KIDS.

Byline: Jesse Hiestand Daily News Staff Writer

Christmas was in question for the four children of an American Indian family that had been struggling recently to move out of a dilapidated house in Carpinteria and make ends meet on their father's meager wages as a mechanic.

Then Thursday, an unlikely partnership between the Ventura County Sheriff's Department and inmates at the Honor Farm in Ojai turned the season around for those children and 26 others who received refurbished bikes and wooden toys - the handiwork of men and women doing county time.

``We didn't think we were going to have a real Christmas and this really helped,'' said 54-year-old Celia Juarez, grandmother of the four Vega children, ages 1 to 10, of Carpinteria. ``It's excellent.''

Robert Vega, 7, was speechless but beaming as he held tight to the silver bike he received from Santa, as personified by Senior Deputy Dwayne Heath, in the lobby of the sheriff's headquarters in Ventura.

The lucky children were selected from a pool of 250 kids whose parents are clients of the Candelaria American Indian Council, a Ventura-based vocational training and financial assistance program.

Job training specialist Thea Green said it was tough to choose among the families. ``We did it at random so there wouldn't be any favoritism,'' she said.

Those kids for whom Christmas came a week early showed their appreciation in smiles that spread quickly to the dark-suited sheriff's brass, including Sheriff Larry Carpenter, who watched from a corner of the lobby.

Rene Denley, 4, of Port Hueneme said there was just one item on her Christmas list this year: ``Bike - two wheels.''

``I can ride pretty fast,'' she added, moments before her wish came true.

The youngsters, ages 2 to 14, each received a bike that had been preselected to match their age and size. The boys also got a wooden car or airplane, while girls got a wooden cradle with a doll tucked under a blanket. Santa had stuffed animals and candy canes aplenty.

The Ventura County Deputy Sheriff's Association donated a new safety helmet to each kid.

Helping Santa were six of the 40 inmates who had spent the past few weeks fixing up the stolen or discarded bikes, sewing dolls and blankets, or sawing, nailing and painting the wooden toys.

The work was done in conjunction with substance abuse counseling and classes.

Several inmates said the hours they spent together in ``Santa's Workshop'' and the chance to see the toys given away was the closest they will get to Christmas this year.

``When I first got here I wanted to cry - it was hard,'' said Gigi Carr, a 32-year-old mother of four from Port Hueneme who said she will be released from custody next month.

Samuel Trujillo, 30, said he and 15 other male inmates spent about two weeks fixing up the bicycles. On Thursday, he got to pass them out to the kids. ``It's a character-builder,'' he said.

CAPTION(S):

3 Photos

PHOTO (1 -- color) Jonathan Valencia, 8, of Valencia gets a rebuilt bike from Santa as part of Ventura County Sheriff's Department program.

(2 -- 3 -- color) Above, inmate Samuel Trujillo transports some toys. Below, Deputy Dwayne Heath, doing a spirited version of Santa Claus, greets youngsters at the giveaway.

Evan Yee/Daily News