News

Firebaugh Boy Killed in Tragic Gun Accident

FIREBAUGH - Shortly after 12:30 pm on Sunday, Fresno County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a home near the intersection of Belmont and Fairfax Avenues in Firebaugh for a report of an accidental shooting.

When deputies arrived they found Ivan Gomez, a 12 year old boy, with a gunshot wound. Paramedics tried to revive the child but the 12-year-old victim was pronounced dead on scene. There was one other minor on the property at the time of the shooting who homicide detectives interviewed to determine exactly what happened.

Madera County Sheriff’s Detectives Responding to Suspicious Death

MADERA - Friday morning the Madera County Sheriff’s Office received a call for service reporting a possible deceased individual who was located near an abandoned house in the area of Avenue 9 and Road 22.

Upon arrival at the scene, deputies located an adult male between the ages of 20-30 with visible injuries, who was confirmed deceased. Due to the nature of the injuries, Sheriff’s detectives responded to the area to conduct a thorough investigation.

Vallejo Couple Convicted of $2 Million Tax Fraud and Money Laundering

SACRAMENTO - A federal jury convicted Vallejo couple Marty Marciano Boone, 57, and Ronda Boone, 56, on Thursday for conspiring to launder $2 million that they received after filing fraudulent tax returns, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

Marty Boone was found guilty of one count of filing a false tax return, one count of conspiring to commit money laundering, and two counts of money laundering. Ronda Boone was found guilty of one count of conspiring to commit money laundering and two counts of money laundering.

Fresno Man Charged with Assaulting Postal Employee

FRESNO - A federal grand jury returned an indictment today against Pablo Rivera, 34, of Fresno, charging him with assaulting a federal employee, a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service who was engaged in the performance of his duties, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to court documents, on January 19, 2019, the letter carrier was sitting in his mail truck near Jackson Avenue and E. Shaw Avenue in Fresno, when Rivera ran up to him and stopped him from closing the door. Rivera shoved the letter carrier into the vehicle and sped off with the mail truck. According to police officers on the scene, after Rivera crashed the mail truck into a telephone support cable on Maroa Avenue, he was apprehended.

A Friendly Wager – Heart of California vs Geographic Center of Massachusetts; Cities’ Wager Friendly Bets on Super Bowl LIII

MADERA - The City of Madera, California, and the City of Rutland, Massachusetts, have announced that they’ve entered into a friendly wager based on the outcome of Super Bowl LIII. Madera City Manager Arnoldo Rodriguez says the challenge came in the form of an unexpected phone call from a voice he did not recognize.

The caller on the other end of the line turned out to be Rutland’s newly installed Town Administrator, and dedicated Patriots fan, Michael Nicholson. “They are the geographic center of Massachusetts and the City of Madera is the heart of California,” said Rodriguez. “Given that both states have teams in the Super Bowl, Michael asked if we’d be interested in entertaining a friendly wager.”

Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Marijuana Cultivation in Wilderness Area in Kern County

FRESNO - Felipe Angeles Valdez-Colima (Valdez), 35, of Mexico, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute marijuana, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. According to court documents, Valdez and his co-defendants, Mauricio Vaca-Bucio (Vaca), 31, and Rodolfo Torres-Galvan, 29, (Torres), both of Mexico, were apprehended in the Kiavah Wilderness area of the Sequoia National Forest, a federally designated wilderness area, after a two-month investigation.

Law enforcement officers saw Valdez and Torres emerge from the forest at a drop point that had long been used by marijuana cultivators to access grow sites in that remote area. The men entered a vehicle driven by Vaca and were later stopped in the Kern County town of Weldon.

Bakersfield Trucker Sentenced for Shipping Drugs Sourced from Mexico

FRESNO - Darrell Leon Jennings, 51, of Bakersfield, was sentenced today to five years in prison for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. His sentence follows his guilty plea on November 7, 2018.According to court documents, Jennings, a trucker doing business in Moreno Valley as Jennings Transportation, assisted Mario Alvarez-Muniz, 50, of Taft, in transporting 6 kilograms of heroin and 11 kilograms of cocaine destined for Chicago.

After Alvarez-Muniz arranged for the shipment of the drugs from Mexico to Mira Loma, Jennings picked up the drugs and drove back to Bakersfield where he was stopped by agents. A police dog located the drugs in a customized hidden compartment in Jennings’ truck.