Archive By Section - Crime
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.
Articles by Section - Crime
Merenda claims he attempted suicide after stabbing man to death
The fate of a Turlock man accused of first-degree murder in the stabbing death of a Hughson father and youth football coach, now rests with 12 jurors. Darren Merenda is on trial for the 2009 death of 34-year-old Donald Futch. The trial concluded Thursday and deliberations began Thursday afternoon, with no verdict returned. Around 3:30 a.m. Sept. 12, 2009, Merenda and Futch agreed to meet in the parking lot of a Colorado ...
Second victim identified in Hughson homicide; questions remain
The second man found inside a burned vehicle in Hughson has been identified, but little information about the double homicide has been released. The Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department identified the second man as 19-year-old Camilo Angulo of Hughson. The first victim was previously identified as Guillermo Zavala Guitron, 19. The two 19-year-olds were found Sept. 4 in a Toyota that had been set on fire and left in an orchard near E. ...
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 ...
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