Victim’s family upset with runaround

The Patterson woman accused of a hit and run that resulted in the death of a bicyclist on a Turlock road, was arraigned Thursday in Stanislaus County Superior Court.

Stanislaus County private investigator sentenced for obstruction charge

A private investigator implicated during the investigation of Denair Road Dog Cycle owner Robert Holloway, was sentenced to prison Monday.

Brothers arrested for making explosives

Two teenagers who fled their home with Molotov cocktails have been apprehended by the Turlock Police Department and the explosives have been diffused by authorities.

Woman survives wild ride clinging to van’s windshield wipers at 100 mph

A 25-year-old Manteca woman held onto the windshield wipers of her husband's mini-van for dear life as he allegedly drove at speeds reaching 100 miles per hour between Manteca and Pleasanton.

‘Poodle Bandit’ headed for the big house

The man, who gained the nickname of the "Poodle Bandit" because of his unruly curly-haired mop wig and his propensity to rob banks, pled guilty Tuesday to multiple counts of armed bank robbery, including one in Turlock.

Rapper’s death linked to insulting song, says DA

The death of an aspiring rapper at a memorial barbecue in Turlock may have been sparked by another rapper's song insulting the wife of a gang member, according to the Stanislaus County District Attorney's Office as they laid out their case against two men on trial for murder.

Frustration mounts for family of slain cyclist

Charges have been filed against the Patterson woman, who authorities say struck and killed a bicyclist traveling along a country road in Turlock.

Farmers fight back against rural crime

During a recent Stanislaus County Farm Bureau workshop, Governmental Affairs Director Tom Orvis asked a group of about 50 local farmers if they or their property had been a recent victim of crime. Nearly every single farmer raised their hand, and now farmers have begun voicing their frustration with the county's rural crime activity. <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: ...

New technology for Crime Stoppers

The effort to curb crime in the community has a new tool in the arsenal.

Man accused of sexual assault

A 21-year-old man is facing criminal charges on the suspicion he sexually assaulted an unconscious woman.

Authorities find missing Turlock plane in Gustine

Merced County Sheriff's Department investigators are trying to puzzle out the mystery of how an airplane believed to be stored at the Turlock Airport wound up chained to the ground at the Gustine Airport.

Cousins charged with burglary

Two teenagers are facing burglary charges after a witness saw them break into a Ballico home.

Real criminal charges for theft of fake guns

A theft of what was thought by two thieves to be assault rifles from a Hilmar residence has landed one man in jail and the Merced County Sheriff's Department searching for the second suspect.

Body recovered

The body of Jose Rodriguez was recovered from the Delta-Mendota canal Saturday morning.

Charges filed in fatal wreck

A Turlock man is facing vehicular manslaughter charges after a fatal crash Sunday that claimed the life of a Modesto man.

Woman convicted for posing as Cardoza aide

An Atwater woman was found guilty Tuesday on allegation she falsely represented herself as a congressional aide for former Congressman Dennis Cardoza in a scheme to deceive clients of her tax consulting business. Susan Tomsha-Miguel, 52, was convicted of the sole count of impersonating an officer or employee of the United States. The jury deliberated for only 15 minutes before returning a guilty verdict, according to the Department of Justice. Tomsha-Miguel operated a ...

Court hears details of toddler's horrific death

A Turlock 2-year-old girl with cerebral palsy was kept in her crib and shut away in a filthy room with five cats and no food or water for three days before she was found dead by her mother - the woman now standing accused of her murder. Brandy Rose Lee Devine, 25, of Turlock is facing a murder charge for the death of her 2-year-old daughter Stephanie Torres, as well as a felony ...

Neighborly concern gets gunshot return

A Hilmar woman escaped a potentially deadly encounter unscathed after an armed man fired several shots at her Sunday morning. The suspect, 44-year-old Trinidad Ruesga, was apprehended hours later by the Merced County Sheriff's Department and remains in custody despite his failed escape attempt at the sheriff's department. The incident was put into motion several days prior to Sunday when Ruesga got into some type of altercation with individuals in the area ...

Delhi man ruled incompetent for trial in father’s slaying

A Delhi man facing a murder charge for the shooting of his father has been ruled too incompetent to stand trial. After hearing from two court-appointed psychologists, a Merced County judge ruled Tuesday that Jason Curtis Reed, 35, would not be able to assist in his own defense and should be committed to a state mental health facility. Reed's father, 67-year-old J.D. reed, was found shot to death on the morning of ...

Residents catch man breaking into vehicle

Three Turlock men helped the Turlock Police Department nab an auto burglary suspect after catching him in the act and chasing him for several blocks. The incident began at 4:19 p.m. Saturday when a caller reported a suspicious man in the parking lot of 1611 Lander Ave. According to the caller the man was walking up to the vehicles and checking for any open doors. The caller gave a detailed description of the ...

Man on stolen motorcycle injured in Sonora crash

A Turlock man was hospitalized after crashing a stolen motorcycle while trying to flee a California Highway Patrol officer in Sonora. Joshua Lankford, 26, was airlifted to Memorial Medical Center Saturday night after the 2007 Honda motorcycle he was driving crashed into the back of a car on Main Street in Sonora. Lankford was driving the motorcycle on Highway 49 when a CHP officer noticed he was traveling at an excessive speed ...

Arson charges for three women in Turlock fire

Women accused of setting fire at cheese factory

Fire erupts at former cheese plant

Three nabbed for gas station heists

Three people were arrested Monday in connection with a series of thefts at Turlock gas stations. The three individuals, identified as husband and wife Timothy and Brandi Drake, both 45 years old and from Turlock, and Gerald Rue, 40, of Keyes were charged with grand theft and felony vandalism for allegedly stealing the cash boxes from three gas station pay stations. The three thefts were reported at Arco stations on Fulkerth Road, ...

Woman admits to bilking $2 million through surrogate scheme

A former Hilmar resident has pleaded guilty to concocting a scheme that defrauded $2 million from prospective parents through her Modesto-based surrogate agency. Tonya Ann Collins, 37, entered her guilty plea Tuesday in federal court to four counts of wire fraud connected to Surrogenesis USA Inc. and the Michael Charles Independent Financial Holding Group. Surrogenesis was a surrogate and egg donation agency that marketed itself as assisting individuals in having children through ...

Trial set for Denair slaying

A Stanislaus County Superior Court judge has set an August trial date for the Denair teenager accused of stabbing her parents, leading to her father's death. On Wednesday Judge John Freeland ordered for the trial to begin Aug. 6 for 19-year-old Shanna Wills, who stands accused of murder for the death of her father, Kenneth Wills, and attempted murder for the attack on her mother, Susan Wills, on May 8, 2011. Wills ...

Turlock man charged with sexual assault of minor

The Turlock Police Department has arrested a 33-year-old man on allegations he sexually assaulted a minor for three years. Robert Daniel Gomes of Turlock was taken into custody Friday and booked into the Stanislaus County Jail on charges of continuous sexual abuse of a child, sodomy, oral copulation, and unlawful sexual intercourse. The sexual assault allegedly began three years ago when the victim was 13 years old. She is now 16 years ...

Delhi man gets seven years for fatal shooting

A Delhi man was sentenced to seven years in prison for an accidental shooting that killed his 17-year-old friend. Juan Carlos Gonzalez, 21, pleaded no contest on Jan. 29 to voluntary manslaughter with an enhancement for using a firearm as part of a plea deal reached with the Merced County District Attorney's Office. The charge stemmed from the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Delhi resident Saul Lopez at a party in the 22000 ...

Campus shooter scenario tests local agencies

The very scary scenario of a gunman terrorizing a school campus played out in safe surroundings Monday in a joint exercise between the Stanislaus County Office of Education and local law enforcement and emergency personnel. The exercise brought together education officials and personnel from the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department and American Medical Response and tested the multi-agency procedures and protocols that would be used in a major incident and evaluated how those strategies ...