Hearing for teen mother delayed

The pretrial hearing for Jessica Mae Betts, the 19-year-old accused of killing her newborn and discarding her in a Dumpster, was continued for three months.

Bomb scare closes campus

A suspicious package found outside Julien Elementary School resulted in the campus being evacuated and the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department Bomb Squad being sent out Friday morning.

Man arrested twice in one night

Within a three hour time span a Turlock man was arrested twice, the second time for an attempted robbery, according to the Turlock Police Department.

Woman target of fraud investigation

A 32-year-old woman is being investigated for identity theft and fraud after she was caught trying to cash a stolen check.

Bar fight wounds two, ends with gunfire

A bar melee that looked like a scene from an old Western movie resulted in minor injuries for two men.

One dead in single car collision

An accident just north of Bradbury Road on southbound Highway 99 Monday morning claimed the life of a Livingston man.

Dairy worker robbed

A dairy worker in Hilmar was robbed at gunpoint early Sunday morning for his wallet. The victim was working on a dairy in the area of Johnson Avenue and Columbus Road around 5 a.m. Sunday, when he was approached by a man who put a gun in his face and demanded his wallet and cell phone, said Merced County Sheriff's Deputy Tom MacKenzie. The suspect also smashed the victim's car window and stole his stereo ...

Cop catches dancing teen on highway

A Turlock Police officer was witness to a strange site Tuesday morning on Highway 99 - a teenager dancing on the roof of a car.

Hilmar burglary suspects wrangled in

A Hilmar man stopped a burglary by blocking the four suspects in a driveway, according to the Merced County Sheriff's Department.

Manteca man enters guilty plea in Road Dog Cycle case

One of the 12 defendants charged with conspiracy and other crimes in the federal racketeering case involving the Road Dog Cycle shop, has pleaded guilty.

Crash injures family

A family of four was hospitalized Saturday after their vehicle was struck by a suspected drunken driver. The four family members - a 32-year-old man, a 28-year-old woman, a 3-year-old child and a 7-month old infant - all sustained moderate to minor injuries in the collision, Turlock Police Sgt. Stephen Webb reported. All were taken to a nearby hospital. The collision happened around 1:30 p.m. Saturday in the 4500 block of N. ...

DA considers re-trying Hoyt in roadside beating

Michael Hoyt says he is ready to get back to regular life now that the murder charge that had shadowed him for three years has been cleared away. But his wait may be a bit longer as the Stanislaus County District Attorney's Office considers re-trying him on a charge of involuntary manslaughter and assault likely to inflict great bodily injury, with an enhancement that great bodily injury resulted Hoyt, 53, was acquitted ...

Gang sweep nets 27 arrests

A recent spike in gang violence triggered a county-wide sweep Wednesday that resulted in the arrests of 27 suspected gang members. More than 100 peace officers from local, state and federal agencies targeted 115 suspected gang members for contact on Wednesday. They conducted 89 probation and parole searches and made 27 arrests on various charges. The sweep also resulted in the seizure of nine firearms, including two assault rifles, two ounces of methamphetamine ...

Police arrest man for soliciting sex from teen

Turlock Police investigators have arrested a 48-year-old man on allegations he solicited a 15-year-old girl for sex. Jose Hinojosa has been charged with suspicion of illegal contact with a minor and arranging a meeting with a minor for purposes of engaging in sexual acts. Hinojosa allegedly met the 15-year-old at a store and was able to obtain her telephone number. According to the police department, Hinojosa's calls to the girl became sexual ...

Turlock man dies in highway hit and run

A 28-year-old man walking along the shoulder of Highway 99 in Turlock was struck and killed early Wednesday by a hit and run driver. The deceased was identified by the Stanislaus county Coroner's Office as Elijah Tillman of Turlock. The fatal collision occurred around 1:17 a.m. Wednesday, the California Highway Patrol reported. Tillman was walking on the shoulder of the northbound lane of the highway, just south of the Linwood Avenue ...

Crystal meth found at Turlock home

A 60-year-old Turlock man is facing multiple narcotics charges after investigators found more than 30 grams of crystal methamphetamine in his home Tuesday. Roberto Gamboa was arrested Tuesday and booked into the Stanislaus County Jail on a charge of possession of methamphetamine for sales and transportation of methamphetamine, said Turlock Police Sgt. Stephen Webb. The Turlock Narcotics Enforcement Team served a search warrant at Gamboa's residence in the 1000 block of N. ...

Crash results in arrest

A man is facing a criminal charge after crashing on a reportedly stolen motor bike. Derik Coronado, 27, was seen by a Turlock Police sergeant driving a motor-powered cycle along Starr Avenue around midnight Friday. The sergeant initiated a traffic stop and it briefly appeared Coronado was going to try and flee until he suddenly hit the front brakes, according to the police report. The abrupt stop sent Coronado tumbling over ...

Burglary suspect apprehended

A mindful neighbor helped the Turlock Police Department catch a suspected burglar Friday afternoon. Shortly before 2 p.m. Friday the Turlock Police Department received a call stating a man had just kicked open a door of a residence in the 200 block of Sunday Drive. Officers responded to the scene quickly and took 47-year-old Rudolph Delgado into custody, according to the police report. Delgado was arrested on suspicion of attempted burglary ...

Reward offered to convict cat killer

Welba and Maria Arms faithfully drove across Ceres each evening for the past three years to supply food and water to a small colony of feral cats that inhabited the wooded area between Home Depot and Rancho San Miguel Market on Hatch Road. They were first drawn to care for the cats as long time shoppers of Raley's. Their devotion led to grief last Sunday evening when they found five adult cats and ...

Jury: Hoyt not guilty of murder in roadside beating

At 2:30 p.m. Friday Stanislaus County Deputy District Attorney Wendell Emerson delivered the unwelcome news to the family and friends of Kenneth Winter that a conviction of second-degree murder for the defendant Michael Hoyt was looking less and less likely and a hung jury was a very real possibility. Almost 45 minutes later their heartbreak became official. A Stanislaus County Superior Court jury found Hoyt not guilty of second-degree murder and voluntary ...

University officer receives statewide, local honors

CSU Stanislaus police officer Aimee Powers will be honored by two organizations in the coming months for her efforts in battling drunk driving and her overall performance and integrity. Powers, also a CSU Stanislaus alumna, will be one of several officers to receive the California Hero Award from Mothers Against Drunk Driving at the organization's California Statewide Law Enforcement and Community Recognition event on June 1 in Sacramento. In addition, Powers has been named ...

Witness helps catch purse thief

A helpful citizen aided the Turlock Police Department in catching a suspected purse thief Thursday afternoon. Around 1:30 p.m. Thursday a woman was walking in a shopping center in the 1800 block of Countryside Drive when a man came up behind her and snatched her purse. The woman started to chase after the suspect and yelled for help. A witness to the theft joined in the chase and snapped a picture of ...

Large haul of marijuana found in Hilmar

Investigators with the Merced County Sheriff's Department confiscated more than 2,500 pounds of marijuana in Hilmar on Friday. The seizure was made possible after a month long investigation into three residences on American Avenue in Hilmar. The investigation was initiated after an anonymous tip was received about a potential marijuana grow operating in the neighborhood, said sheriff spokesman Deputy Delray Shelton. At three homes investigators found 2,518 pounds of finished marijuana product, ...

Police arrest two on torture charges

Hoyt murder trial in hands of jury

At one end of the courtroom hallway stood the friends and family of Kenneth Winter. At the other end was Michael Hoyt surrounded by his loved ones. And nestled in between in a small room were seven women and five men tasked with determining justice. A verdict was not reached on Friday and deliberations won't resume again until Thursday because of a scheduling issue with one juror. Hoyt, 53, is facing a ...