News

FRESNO COUNTY - The Fresno County Search and Rescue (SAR) team and the California Highway Patrol will attempt a recovery operation along Highway 180 and the Kings River today. Officers and deputies will be working to extract two bodies from a car located in the river. The bodies are presumed to be that of a 28 year old man and 24 year old woman, both residents of Thailand who were enrolled as exchange students at the University of South Florida.

It was on the night of July 26th that the California Highway Patrol and Fresno County Sheriff’s Office were notified of a traffic accident. A vehicle traveling on Hwy. 180 near Convict Flat and Horseshoe Bend went through a guard rail, off a 500 foot cliff and into the Kings River. CHP immediately contacted the Sheriff’s Office and asked deputies to search the canyon for a vehicle. Members of the Sheriff’s Office performed a search the next day and did locate a red car in the river; a 2016 Hyundai Sonata.

FRESNO - On Sunday, August 27, 2017 at approximately 8:55 p.m. the suspect vehicle was travelling southbound on Blackstone Avenue from Griffith Way in the number 3 lane of traffic. The victim was a pedestrian walking northbound in the southbound number 3 lane attempting to cross the street (from the west towards the east side) in front of the Carl’s Jr. fast food restaurant.

As the pedestrian was attempting to cross the street the suspect truck struck the victim pedestrian. The suspect truck fled the collision scene southbound on Blackstone Ave to an unknown location. The victim died from injuries sustained from the impact.

MADERA - School officials from Madera High School were alerted Tuesday morning to a situation that may involve a school security officer improperly contacting a 14 year-old female student via social media. The administration contacted the student's parents and law enforcement to begin the investigation.

Following the meeting of school officials, law enforcement and the student's parents, the child's mother “went live” in front of the school with a Facebook video that has now been seen by over 3000 social media users.

MADERA - The Madera Police Department in conjunction with the California Highway Patrol will be conducting a DUI/Drivers License checkpoint on Saturday, September 2nd, 2017, in the City of Madera.  In an effort to reduce the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol involved crashes, DUI checkpoints are conducted to identify offenders and get them off the street, as well as educate the public on the dangers of impaired driving.

All too often, members of our community are senselessly injured or killed on local roadways by impaired drivers. This DUI/Drivers License checkpoint is an effort to reduce those tragedies, as well as insuring drivers have a valid driver’s license.  A major component of these checkpoints is to increase awareness of the dangers of impaired driving and to encourage sober designated drivers.

FRESNO - Southeast District Officers Keosoy Saechao and Chadwick Chang from the Fresno Police Department where conducting proactive patrol in the area of Cedar Avenue and Hedges Avenue. This was due to the uptick in the recent violent crime that has been taking place in the city.

A traffic stop was made for an equipment violation on a vehicle where 18 year old Ricky Rodriguez from Fresno was the passenger. During the stop the driver allowed officers to conduct a search of the vehicle, where a loaded 9mm Glock 19 semi auto handgun was recovered. Rodriguez is an associate of the “RTL” Ruthless Thug Life Gang which is a sub set to the East Side Fresno Bulldog Gang.

SQUAW VALLEY - Detectives with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office have arrested 31 year old Buford King of Squaw Valley. He has been booked into the Fresno County Jail and is facing felony charges of assault with a firearm, possession of explosives and making destructive devices without a permit. His bail is set at $65,000.

On Sunday, August 20th, Fresno County Sheriff’s Office dispatchers received a report of a man who had been shot in the foot. Deputies met with the victim at a local hospital and learned that Buford King was responsible for the shooting that took place in the area of Squaw Valley Road and Sand Creek Road. The two men know each other. The victim was in the area doing construction work at the time he was shot. The motive for the shooting is unknown at this time.