News

SELMA - Detectives with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Narcotics Enforcement Unit have arrested 27 year old Osmar Jimenez-Pena of Fresno.  He has been booked into the Fresno County Jail on felony charges of possessing drugs for sale, transporting drugs for sale and using a false compartment.  His bail is set at $170,000.

Around 7:45 pm on Thursday, Fresno County Sheriff’s narcotics detectives made a traffic stop on a 2004 Ford Mustang.  This occurred in the area of Manning and McCall Avenues in Selma.  Detectives contacted the driver, Osmar Jimenez-Pena.  During a search of the car, detectives discovered a hidden compartment and inside they found individual packages of methamphetamine totaling 23 pounds.

FRESNO - Fresno County Sheriff’s deputies have arrested 41 year old Ruben James Zapata of Fresno.  He has been booked into the Fresno County Jail.  He is facing felony charges of:  Auto theft, evading police, hit and run and possession of methamphetamine.  He has an extensive criminal history and was arrested just last month, but was released from jail after bailing out.

Around 12:45 pm on Friday, a resident reported to the Sheriff’s Office that an unknown man had been parked in front of an apartment complex the last two hours, the engine to his car was running and it looked like he may be passed out.  Deputies arrived to the area of N. Glenn and E. Gettysburg Avenues and found the reported red Dodge Challenger parked with a man in the driver’s seat. 

FRESNO - Property detectives with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office have arrested 38 year old Jennifer Isabel Rodriguez of Fresno.  She has been booked into the Fresno County Jail on a felony charge of embezzlement.  During the 2016-17 school year, Jennifer Rodriguez was a temporary employee of the Fresno Unified School District. 

In one of her roles at Powers-Ginsburg Elementary, she ran a parent foundation which conducted several fundraising events.  Money raised from the events was to be used to buy school supplies for students.  Information was developed that Rodriguez may have been stealing the money.  Fresno Unified attempted to resolve the situation with Rodriguez, but was unable to do so.  The district later filed a crime report with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.

MADERA - WHO IS MIKE SMITH? This is the question many of Madera High School students may have had Wednesday morning but after two rallys in the Joe Flores Gym a different way of thinking was instilled into their heads by a man who learned the true meaning of “I am my brother’s keeper.”

From his humble beginnings in Imperial, NE, Mike Smith has since founded two non-profits and influenced hundreds of thousands of youth in schools nationwide. Mike lives his life as a “professional teenager” that doubles as a youth motivational speaker and action sports personality. While other professional speakers struggle to remain current, Mike stays relevant by talking about what he’s doing, not what he’s done.

MADERA -  Madera Unified School District kicks-off the new school year with the district-wide campaign “We Believe.” The “We Believe” campaign is about rallying our staff and community to support our students across the district to “Think Big, Dream Big and Believe.” At Madera Unified we challenge ourselves to do even more toward our purpose of helping students develop their talents and skills to meet the world’s needs, and to serve more students with all that Madera has to offer.

School sites will kick off the “We Believe” campaign with their students and parents during Back to School Night.  The kick off includes playing the Madera Unified “We Believe” video and having all staff members and students fill out a “We Believe” Statement card.