NEW GRAND JURORS TAKE THEIR SEATS : MEMBERS TO RELY ON EACH OTHERS' EXPERTISE.

Byline: Michael Coit Daily News Staff Writer

As an aerospace engineer, Quenton Koon developed expertise in auditing and learned the value of teamwork.

Antonio Caballero gained managerial experience and an appreciation for workplace safety working for a commercial printing company.

Dorothy Intlekofer honed an attention for detail with 18 years of clerical work for a local school district, including a final assignment with the personnel office.

They join 16 other men and women appointed to the Ventura County grand jury for the 12-month term that will end June 30. Today they begin the full-time job of probing local government, reviewing health, education and public safety issues, investigating criminal cases for the county District Attorney's Office and responding to public complaints.

What lures most is an opportunity to contribute some expertise to the panel - not the promise of $20 a day in pay.

``I enjoy living out here in Ventura County and I want to do something to give something back,'' said Koon of Simi Valley.

``It's a year's commitment for very little pay. I knew that going in,'' said the 61-year-old retiree. ``I expect (the panel will meet) three, four, maybe five days a week.''

Koon figures with his experience with supervising process audits for Rockwell International Corp. for years, he can help the new panel conduct audits of government agencies.

``The grand jury, part of their function is a watchdog of the government: How are they doing things in relation to how they should be doing things?'' he explained.

Teamwork is another concept Koon learned in the aerospace industry.

``That's the beauty of the jury system, that individuals have different strengths,'' he said.

To be eligible to serve, residents must be 18 years or older, a county resident a minimum of one year and a United States citizen. Applicants must not have been convicted of a felony offense or any misconduct while in government office.

The new grand jurors were selected from a pool of 102 applicants. The Ventura County Superior Court judges select 30, and then 19 panel members are chosen during a random drawing with the remaining 11 serving as alternates.

``We try to get six people from each supervisorial district,'' said Danielle Penny, clerical supervisor for jury services. ``We try to make sure everyone gets a fair shake.''

The final name drawn for the new 19-member panel was Caballero's.

``There's a lot of people quite excited by it,'' he recalled of the drawing. ``I was the last one picked. When they got to 17, by that time you start thinking about setting up golf starting times.''

Caballero looks forward to ``putting quality time in on the jury'' and finding time to lower his handicap on the golf links.

The 67-year-old Camarillan said his years of work for a commercial printer, including duties as a foreman, will help him work in conjunction with other grand jurors.

Caballero also can help in responding to any workplace and other safety complaints, having completed several classes offered by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

The last grand jury was divided into committees dealing with audit finance and administration; counties, cities and joint powers; health, education and welfare; law, justice and public safety.

``I guess we will have a plethora of the same things they did. I think it's all challenging,'' said Intlekofer, of Newbury Park.

The retired clerical worker for the Conejo Valley Unified School District doesn't have a committee preference.

``I thought it would be interesting,'' she recalled of the decision to apply for a seat on the panel. ``I don't know what to expect. That's going to be the fun part about it.''

While much of the grand jury's work is done in committees, the panel also votes indictments in criminal cases.

The panel voted indictments in 16 cases brought by county prosecutors last term, including five murders and two attempted murders. A grand jury indictment is a procedure that speeds a serious criminal case into Superior Court, where a trial is heard. In cases that are not taken to a grand jury, a preliminary hearing must be held where a judge decides whether to hold a trial.

The grand jury also responds to dozens of complaints submitted by residents. The last panel received 60 complaints and investigated more than half. The remaining complaints were either not within the jurisdiction of the grand jury, filed for information or received too late in the 12-month session.

Other members of the Ventura County grand jury for the coming year are: Diane Anderson, Port Hueneme; Ronald Andrews, Simi Valley; George Billinger, Ventura; Randy Bowin, Oxnard; Nadine DeMoss, Oxnard; Dorothy Engel, Thousand Oaks; Roger Fanter, Simi Valley; David Ferris, Thousand Oaks; Deshay Ford, Oxnard; Albert Ginn, Camarillo; Harvey Harper, Camarillo; Jessica Harris, Ventura; Mervyn Heal, Simi Valley; Edward Millan, Camarillo; John Murray, Simi Valley; and Florence Young, Oxnard.