Thief caught at scene of crime

A man, who was successful in stealing merchandise from a Turlock store one day, returned the next day with the same plan, only to end up in handcuffs.

Police department bestows annual awards for service

The Turlock Police Department honored their own Thursday morning by paying tribute to those that have gone beyond the norm in their public service duties.

Kidnapper’s car pulled from canal: No Juliani

Shortly after 6 p.m. Friday, divers recovered the silver Toyota Corolla that Jose Esteban Rodriguez was last seen driving after he took 4-year-old Juliani Cardenas from the arms of his grandmother on Jan. 18 in Patterson.

Bus driver arrested for DUI

A Turlock school bus driver en route to pick up students at a speech tournament was stopped by the California Highway Patrol and arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Road rage trial delayed

For the second time, a preliminary hearing has been postponed for a Turlock man accused of beating to death a Hilmar man in an incident of suspected road rage.

Auto thief gets prison time

A Turlock man was sentenced to three years in state prison for stealing a car that was left idling and unattended.

Search for 4-year-old continues

The fourth day of searching for a missing 4-year-old Patterson boy ended Friday with no new leads for investigators.

Deputies bust foursome for rooster fights

The Merced County Sheriff's Department broke up a cock fight and arrested four teenagers when they were caught fighting the stolen roosters at a Delhi residence Wednesday.

Auto thief gets three years

A man who led law enforcement on a pursuit through Keyes in a stolen truck was sentenced to prison on Jan. 6.

Drunk driver gets prison term

A Waterford man who injured a person while driving drunk, was sentenced to four years and four months in state prison, the Stanislaus County District Attorney reported.

Settlement reached over screen sizes

A settlement between several television manufacturers and the District Attorney's Offices of six counties, including Stanislaus and Merced, was reached over how screen size measurements are advertised to consumers.

Saving lives through railroad traffic enforcement, education

With the goal of making the railroads in Turlock safer, Operation Lifesaver rolled into town Thursday to target railroad related traffic violations.

Homicide suspect captured in Delhi

A man living in Delhi for the last 10 years was arrested Monday by the U.S. Marshals Service for a 2001 homicide in Phoenix.

Hughson insurance agent arrested for fraud, grand theft

A Hughson insurance agent is facing allegations of insurance fraud after a state watchdog agency accused her of bilking policyholders out of their premiums.

Prostitution sting lands 26 in jail

A sting operation by the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department in an area known for high volumes of prostitution traffic, resulted in the arrests of 26 suspected "johns."

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 ...