Archive By Section - Crime
Turlock hosts SWAT, critical response training
In one room was a distraught mother who had barricaded herself and her children and refused to come out. In another, two agitated men were holding a group hostage. And across town there was an active shooter roaming inside a factory.
Four suspects nabbed for two drive-by shootings
Four Delhi men were arrested Sunday on the suspicion that they shot at homes in Delhi and Turlock, according to the Merced County Sheriff's Department.
DUI enforcement for Halloween
Turlock Journal Staff reports The anti-drunk driving campaign, Avoid the 12, will be out if force for the upcoming Halloween celebration. "With Halloween falling on a Saturday this year, we want to make sure revelers aren't taking the party to the roadways, putting trick-or-treaters and responsible motorists at risk," said Turlock Traffic Sgt. Robert Lugo. "Law enforcement officers throughout the region will be out in full force arresting and removing drunk drivers from our road." ...
Woman faces child endangerment charges after fight
A Turlock woman was arrested for child endangerment and assault with a deadly weapon after she was seen by a Turlock Police officer ramming a vehicle with her van.
Armed suspect robs store
A Turlock convenience store was robbed at gunpoint early Sunday night. The robbery occurred at the AM/PM store in the 4700 block of Golden State Boulevard at 1:28 a.m. Sunday. The clerk at the store said a man entered the store wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and a white bandana over his face. The suspect was armed with a gun and took an undisclosed amount of cash from the register. There were no injuries reported. ...
Burglary suspects nabbed
A suspicious car parked in front of an industrial complex caught the attention of a Turlock Police officer and led to the arrest of two people and the recovery of stolen property.
SWAT training set for Saturday
If a train of SWAT vehicles comes rumbling down the road Saturday, there's no need to panic.
Teen injured in Delhi gang fight
A fight between two rival gangs in Delhi left a 15-year-old boy with multiple stab wounds. The teen was air-lifted to a Modesto hospital and is expected to recover from his injuries, Merced County Sheriff's spokesman Deputy Tom MacKenzie said. Merced County Sheriff's Deputy Patrick Heaney was on patrol in the area of Shanks Road and Darlington Avenue around 3:30 p.m. Monday when he was flagged down and told of a fight at the nearby ...
Drug conviction for Turlock man
A Turlock man was found guilty of drug possession following a five-day jury trial. Urbano Chavez, 48, was convicted of possession of methamphetamine, according to the Stanislaus County District Attorney's Office. Agents with the Merced Narcotics Task Force served a search warrant on Feb. 20, 2007, at the home of Chavez in Turlock. In the home, agents found five grams of methamphetamine located in a sock on the kitchen table as well as less than ...
Auto theft suspect nabbed
A Modesto man was arrested in Delhi for stealing a car and being under the influence of a controlled substance, the Merced County Sheriff's Department reported.
Heightened security at football game pays off
Before the first football was sent spiraling into the air at the Harvest Bowl Friday night a game plan was being put into place to make sure that all the action stayed on the field.
Woman found dead in park
A 39-year-old woman was found hanging in a Turlock playground Tuesday morning. The woman was identified by the Turlock Police Department as Rebecca Hilburn. The preliminary investigation indicates the death was a suicide, according to the police department. The body was discovered around 7:40 a.m. Tuesday in Summerfaire Park by a city worker, said Turlock Police Lt. Jeff Lopes. The woman was hanging from a piece of playground equipment, the police said. Summerfaire Park is ...
Heart attack caused death of jailed ex-deputy
An investigation by the Stanislaus County District Attorney's Office has ruled that the death of Craig Prescott while in the custody of the Stanislaus County Jail, was accidental and not the result of being shot with a Taser.
K-9 memorial dedicated to past officers
The Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department unveiled a new memorial Friday dedicated to their four-legged partners.
Delhi woman wounded by pit bull
A woman out for a walk with her dog was attacked by a pit bull in Delhi on Thursday morning. The 28-year-old woman was treated for several lacerations at Emanuel Medical Center. Some of the wounds were eight to four inches long, according to the Merced County Sheriff's Department. The victim was walking her dog in the area of Shanks Road and Letteau Avenue around 11:40 a.m. Thursday. She was walking through a vacant lot ...
Articles by Section - Crime
U.S. Army refuses to produce ‘key’ witness in Merenda murder trial
As the trial of a Turlock man accused of killing his romantic rival moves closer to finishing, the likelihood that a key witness will be taking the stand seems to be vanishing. Darren Merenda, 32, is on trial for the 2009 slaying of 34-year-old Donnie Futch of Hughson during a fight outside a Turlock apartment complex. Around 3:30 a.m. Sept. 12, 2009, Merenda and Futch agreed to meet in the parking lot of ...
Burglars alert sheriff of child pornography stash
Two burglars who thought they had stolen blank CDs to record music on, instead found multiple child pornographic images on the discs and helped the Merced County Sheriff's Department investigators find the man believed to have downloaded the images. Kraig Stockard, 54, of Delhi was booked into the Merced County Jail on charges of possessing child pornography. Sheriff spokesman Deputy Tom MacKenzie said investigators have uncovered thousands of pornographic images and movies ...
Murder trial underway; defense argues death was fight gone wrong
The trial of a Turlock man accused of stabbing to death a romantic rival began Wednesday in Stanislaus County Superior Court with a key witness in the wind. Darren Merenda, 32, is on trial for the 2009 slaying of 34-year-old Donnie Futch of Hughson. In charging Merenda with first-degree murder, the prosecution believes Merenda met Futch in a darkened alley outside his apartment complex with the intention of killing him. The defense, ...
Off-duty police officer shoots at truck
An off-duty law enforcement officer was involved in a shooting early Friday morning, but there were no injuries, reported the Turlock Police Department. At approximately 2:53 a.m. Friday, Turlock Police officers responded to a call of shots fired in the 2000 block of Waring Road. Once on scene, investigators found an off-duty police officer who said he fired his weapon at a truck that was coming toward him. The off-duty officer told investigators ...
Road rage defendant back in jail
What was intended to be a simple arraignment hearing for a Turlock man accused of a fatal road rage beating, ended with the defendant in handcuffs when a bondsman requested he be surrendered into custody. Defendant Michael Hoyt was unexpectedly taken into custody Monday when Los Angeles bondsman Vincent Ebarb came into town and called the bail due. Hoyt is facing a charge of second-degree murder for the death of 68-year-old Hilmar ...
Crime Stoppers coming to Merced County
The nationally recognized Crime Stoppers program is expanding to Merced County. Crime Stoppers is a confidential system that pays rewards to people who provide information that leads to the arrest of wanted criminals. Suspect and case information is profiled on a regular basis in local media. In Stanislaus County, Crime Stoppers has been in operation for five years and as to date, has tallied up 281 captures. Patrick Lunney, chief investigator ...
Turlock man faces life in prison for attempted murder
A Turlock man was convicted of attempted murder and assault with a firearm for two separate incidents in January and March 2010, announced Stanislaus County District Attorney Birgit Fladager on Friday. Ivan Alejandro Zamora Blanco, 37, of Turlock, was convicted on Sept. 13 of attempted murder with premeditation, personal use and intentional discharge of a firearm, assault with a firearm, and assault with a semiautomatic ...
Drug trafficker given prison sentence
The last member of a Turlock drug ring that was responsible for distributing large amounts of crystal methamphetamine in the area was sentenced to federal prison Friday. Noel Castillo, 38, of Turlock was sentenced to five years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, the U.S. Department of Justice reported. Castillo was convicted in federal court of conspiring to distribute crystal methamphetamine and possession of crystal methamphetamine with the intent ...
Sweep nabs drug suspects
A search warrant issued for a home in the 100 block of G Street in Turlock led to the arrest of three people, the recovery of a stolen handgun, and the seizure of various narcotics. The search warrant was served shortly before noon Thursday by the Turlock Police Department's Narcotics Enforcement Team. TPD's detectives and agents with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency were also at the scene, said police spokesman Sgt. Nino ...
Husband wounded in home invasion robbery
The Turlock Police Department is investigating a home invasion robbery that injured one man. The robbery was reported around 8:30 p.m. Monday at an apartment in the 1000 block of N. Olive Avenue. The two robbers broke into the residence armed with weapons, but the police department did not specify what kind of weapons. The residence was occupied by a husband and wife and the husband sustained a head injury during ...
Turlock men charged with copper heist
The Merced County Sheriff's Department's crackdown on metal thefts has nabbed two more suspects and this time the suspected thieves hail from Turlock. Just after 4 a.m. Friday, a deputy was on patrol in the area of Highway 140 and Tina Avenue, outside of Merced, when he noticed a small pickup coming off the canal bank. The deputy made a vehicle stop and found an estimated 300 feet of copper wire in ...
Local bail bonds owner faces kidnapping, extortion charges
A Modesto bail bondsman, his employee and one other individual were arrested Wednesday on a litany of criminal charges, including allegations they kidnapped individuals for the purpose of extortion. Aleo John Pontillo II, 40, the owner of AJ's Bail Bonds in Modesto, was taken into custody along with his bail agent Janelle Llorens, 27, and Mark David Davis, 49, by the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department after an arrest warrant was filed by the ...
Violent crime down across the state
A 2010 report on crime in California shows decreases in violent and property crimes across the state, but the news was less optimistic for Stanislaus County. The Crime in California report is compiled by the California Department of Justice and is based on data reported by police and sheriff's departments in all of California's 58 counties. The report shows there was a decrease in violent crime across the state for the fourth ...
Duo charged with copper theft in Delhi
About $2,000 worth of stolen copper wiring was recovered Monday in Delhi after a Merced County Sheriff's deputy pulled a suspect over for a traffic violation. Around 8:30 a.m. Monday Deputy Brian Miller spotted Leonard Rouse, 38, driving a Ford F150 in the area of Canal Drive and South Avenue in Delhi. The deputy recognized Rouse from prior contacts and knew he had a suspended license, said sheriff spokesman Deputy Tom MacKenzie. <p ...
Local men found guilty of burning woman to death
The final two defendants standing accused of kidnapping and burning a woman to death over a drug debt were found guilty by a Merced County jury last week. Urbana Ortega, 27, of Livingston was convicted of first-degree murder with the special circumstances of torture and kidnapping for the death of Rosa Avina in 2007. A guilty verdict was also returned for Omar Cebrero, 21, of Turlock, who was convicted of first-degree murder ...
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