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.

Defendant given life sentence for role in murder

Alvaro Reyes, one of the men previously convicted for burning a woman to death over a drug debt, was sentenced to life in prison on Monday. Reyes was found guilty of Rosa Avina's murder in 2007. The prosecution said Reyes lured Avina to a Turlock home, where she was kidnapped and taken to an orchard. Bound and gagged, Avina was doused with gasoline and set on fire. She was able to walk to ...

Guns, marijuana part of Abbey prosecution case

In the third day of the preliminary hearing for Kari Abbey the prosecution continued their efforts to prove the former Stanislaus County Sheriff's detective was involved in numerous criminal activities, including the fatal shooting of a 31-year-old woman. Abbey's defense team, led by attorney Michael Rains, started presenting their case that Abbey acted in self-defense the night of the fatal encounter and that the Stanislaus County District Attorney's Office has unjustly targeted her ...

Court room packed in day one of murder hearing for former sheriff’s detective

Child molester sentenced

A 45-year-old man convicted of molesting children in Turlock was sentenced to prison Monday. David Montano of Coto De Caza, Calif. was convicted of two felony counts of lewd acts upon a child. Upon learning that her two younger sisters had been molested by Montano, a 24-year-old woman went to the Turlock Police Department in 2008 to report her sisters' molests, as well as her own, which began back in 1988. <p ...

Suspicious death reported at egg farm

The Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department is investigating the death of a man found at a Turlock egg supplier farm. The body was found Monday afternoon and the sheriff's department has not stated if it is a homicide investigation. The body did show signs of trauma, according to the sheriff's department. The name of the man or any other details, have not been released by the sheriff's department. The discovery was ...

Burglary suspect caught

A report of a suspicious person prowling in a Turlock neighborhood led to the arrest of a man on stolen property and drug charges. Around 2 p.m. Tuesday the Turlock Police Department received a report of a man sneaking around homes in the area of Marshall and N. Quincy streets. Officers arrived to find Derek Smith, 31, allegedly stealing gasoline, according to the police report. Smith had a small syringe ...

Phony claim of shooting puts schools on lockdown

A false report of a shooting prompted two Turlock schools to order lockdowns while police searched the area for the reported shooter. In the end, it was discovered the victim was hit with pepper spray during a domestic dispute and not shot, according to the Turlock Police Department. The incident began around 9 a.m. Wednesday when a man called 911 on his cell phone and told a dispatcher he had been shot. ...

Deceased baby found in garbage can

The Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department is investigating the death of an infant found inside a garbage can outside a convenience store in Waterford. The discovery was made at 9:22 p.m. Thursday at the Bait Barn at 12505 Yosemite Blvd. in Waterford. A man was searching for aluminum in the small garbage cans near the gas pumps when he made the gruesome discovery. The infant was wrapped in a blanket and appeared deceased, ...

Shooting reported

The Turlock Police Department is investigating a shooting that was reported late Sunday night. Individuals riding in a vehicle in the area of Fosberg Road and Christoffersen Parkway flagged down an officer at 11:49 p.m. and said they had just been shot at by a passing vehicle. The shooter's vehicle was described as a white Jeep Cherokee. The officer could see taillights ahead, but the vehicle was quickly obscured by the ...

Family asks for justice

Through choked back tears and quavering voices, the family of a slain Hughson man made an emotional appeal to a Stanislaus County Superior Court judge to send a convicted murderer to prison for the rest of his life. The family of Donald Futch delivered victim impact statements to the court Tuesday in the hopes of obtaining a lengthy prison term for Darren Merenda, 32, of Turlock. The sentencing hearing for Merenda is ...

Rash of burglaries mar holiday weekend

While people were out enjoying Thanksgiving feasts and taking advantage of holiday shopping deals, crooks were busying themselves with breaking into homes and vehicles around town. A rash of property crimes, especially burglaries, were reported throughout the city. Between Thursday afternoon and Tuesday afternoon there were 15 residential burglaries and three commercial burglaries reported in Turlock. Additionally, there were eight larcenies, three auto burglaries and four auto thefts reported in the same time ...

Shootings gang-related, says sheriff’s office

A possible gang fight near the Delhi Fire Department and shots being fired at a house and car on Wednesday could be related, reported the Merced County Sheriff's Department. Just after 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the Merced County Sheriff's Office was called to a possible gang fight near the Delhi Fire Department on Acacia Street. Deputy Ralph Zyskowski was in the area and saw a car driving erratically. It was weaving and running ...

Jury finds nut schemer guilty of fraud, money laundering

A former almond buyer at a Turlock nut processing plant was convicted on multiple charges tied to a long-term scheme to defraud local processors. After a two week trial a federal grand jury convicted Ronal John Salado, 59, of Modesto for conspiring to commit mail fraud and bank fraud, two counts of mail fraud, nine counts of bank fraud, and two counts of money laundering. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, which ...

Electrical power surge leads to pot bust

A spike in electrical usage at a Turlock residence was the tip needed to lead the Turlock Police Department's narcotics enforcement team to an indoor marijuana growing operation. As a result of the investigation, the narcotics team arrested two individuals and seized several pounds of marijuana. The team was alerted to the residence in the 900 block of Domingo Court in Turlock, after unusual power readings were recorded, said police spokesman Lt. ...

Drug deal gone bad results in shooting, arrests