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.

Turlock mother to stand trial for starving daughter to death

A Turlock mother will stand trial for the murder of her 2-year-old daughter, who died a slow death from dehydration and starvation, the medical examiner reported. Stanislaus County Superior Court Judge Dawna Frenchie Reeves ruled Monday there was enough cause to hold Brandy Lee Rose Devine over for trial on the charges lodged against her. Devine, 25, is facing a murder charge for the death of her 2-year-old daughter Stephanie Torres, as well ...

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 ...