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Porterville Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Child Molestation

Yesterday in Department 6 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, Judge Gary Paden sentenced Adrian Vicente Nunez, age 39, of Porterville, to 45 years-to-life in prison for child molestation. Nunez will also be required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life. On March 20, 2019, Nunez pleaded no…
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Visalia Gang Member Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder

Today in Department 10 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Judge Kathryn Montejano sentenced Apfu See, age 28, to 124 years-to-life in prison. On March 4, 2019, in a court trial, Judge Montejano found See guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and shooting at an occupied vehicle. Each count is enhanced with the special allegation…
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Registered Sex Offender Charged with Felony Child Molestation, Indecent Exposure

District Attorney Tim Ward has announced criminal charges against Geronmio Sierra, age 69, for sex crimes against minors.   Sierra is charged with seven counts of child molestation. The crimes are alleged to have been committed between March 2002 and October 2002 against a minor victim. In addition, Sierra is charged with one count of…
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District Attorney’s Office to Unveil Memorial Quilt During National Crime Victims’ Rights Week

The public is invited to observe National Crime Victims’ Rights Week 2019 at the District Attorney’s annual memorial quilt unveiling at 6 pm on Tuesday, April 9th at the Visalia Convention Center Charter Oak Ballroom. Since 1981, National Crime Victims’ Rights Week has brought attention to the millions of Americans impacted by crime and the…
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Jury Convicts Visalia Man of Child Molestation, Murder

Yesterday afternoon in Department 6 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, Judge Gary Paden presiding, a jury convicted Hector Gonzalez, age 53, of first-degree murder with the special allegation of use of a sharp stabbing instrument and that he committed the crime while out on bail, one count of sodomy on a child…
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Life Sentenced Handed Down in Tulare Grocery Store Gang Shooting

Today in Department 10 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Judge Kathryn Montejano sentenced Paul Castro, age 22, to 82 years-to-life in prison for a 2015 gang shooting at the Foods Co. grocery store in Tulare that seriously wounded two victims. On January 25, 2019, Castro was convicted of three counts of attempted murder with…
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Visalia Man Denied Parole for 1979 Murder

On March 6, 2019, at Corcoran State Prison, a California parole board issued a three-year denial for Raymond Chavez, age 64, for the 1979 murder of a man in north Visalia. Around 3:15 in the morning on August 26, 1979, after an evening of drinking, Chavez and four other males got in to two cars…
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Tulare Man Convicted of First-Degree Murder

Today in Department 5 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, Judge Joseph Kalashian presiding, a jury convicted Kashmer Bailey, age 24, of one count of first-degree murder with the special allegation that he personally and intentionally discharged a firearm causing death, and one count of attempted murder. Around 1:21 am in the morning…
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District Attorney Tim Ward Statement on Governor’s Death Penalty Moratorium

Today Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order declaring that no death row inmate’s sentence will be carried out as long as he is in office.  He spoke about the death penalty being “inconsistent with our bedrock values and strikes at the very heart of what it means to be a Californian.” As a Californian,…
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Visalia Man Found Guilty of Sexually Assaulting Minor

Late in the afternoon of March 8, 2019, in Department 17 of the Tulare County Superior Court, South County Justice Center, a jury found Kevin Light, age 34, guilty of forcible rape of a minor as a felony. The crime occurred in 2016 in the Porterville area. Sentencing for Light is scheduled for April 8,…
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Porterville Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murdering Baby Son

Today in Department 6 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, Judge Gary Paden sentenced Joseph Ulloa, age 33, of Porterville, to 25 years-to-life in prison for murder. On October 17, 2018, a jury convicted Ulloa of the second-degree murder and assault on a child resulting in the death of his 3-month-old son Jackson.…
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Charges Filed in Tulare Homicide

District Attorney Tim Ward has announced murder charges against Dale William Watson, age 52, in the death of 18-year-old Dynasty Alexander on the morning of March 3, 2019. Watson is charged with first-degree murder with the special allegation of intentional discharge of a firearm causing death, as well as committing the offense while on felony…
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Visalia Gang Member Found Guilty of Gas Station Murder

Late on Monday, March 4, 2019, in a court trial in Department 10 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Judge Kathryn Montejano found Apfu See, age 28, guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and shooting at an occupied vehicle. Each count is enhanced with the special allegation that a firearm was used. See was also…
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Prolific Visalia Identity Thief Sentenced to State Prison

Today in Department 6 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, Judge Gary Paden sentenced Jessica Murphy, age 27, to 12 years in state prison for financial and drug crimes. On January 29, 2019, Murphy pleaded to 84 counts of identity theft with the special allegation of having been convicted of a prior identity…
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Visalia Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Raping Unconscious Woman

Today in Department 5 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, Judge Joseph Kalashian sentenced Tommy Ponce, Sr., age 53, to 44 years-to-life in prison. On November 19, 2018, a jury convicted Ponce of rape of an intoxicated person and rape of an unconscious person. Ponce’s extensive criminal history includes a 2013 conviction for…
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Parole Denied in 1986 Porterville Murder

On February 12, 2019, at San Quentin State Prison, a California parole board issued a three-year denial for David Mason, age 74, for his involvement in the 1986 murder of a man outside Porterville. Around 1 am on Sunday, October 26, 1986, a Tulare County Sheriff’s deputy found a manshot to death in his Ford…
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Visalia Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for 2006 Murder

Today in Department 5 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, Judge Joseph Kalashian sentenced Andres Espindola, age 35, to 16 years-to-life in prison for murder. On November 6, 2018, a jury convicted Espindola of second-degree murder with the special allegation that he used a deadly weapon. Espindola also admitted a prior prison term…
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Goshen Man Found Guilty of First-Degree Murder

Late yesterday afternoon in Department 5 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, a jury found Allen Horsley, age 26, guilty of premeditated first-degree murder with the special allegation of using a firearm, and assault with a deadly weapon (gun). Just before 1 am on November 3, 2016, Tulare County Sheriff’s deputies responded to ashooting…
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Veteran Criminal Investigator Promoted Supervisor

District Attorney Tim Ward is pleased to announce the promotion of Criminal Investigator Jose Benavides to supervisor. Benavides joined the TCDA Bureau of Investigations in 2001 as an Investigator Aide. After graduating from the 100th extended police academy class at the College of the Sequoias, he was promoted to Investigator and has worked in variety…
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Terra Bella Man Sentenced to State Prison for 11th DUI

Today in Department 22 of the Tulare County Superior Court, South County Justice Center, Judge Walter Gorelick sentenced Steven Elms, age 44, to the California maximum sentence of 5 years and 4 months in prison for his 11th DUI conviction. On January 17, 2019, a jury convicted Elms of felony driving under the influence of alcohol…
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District Attorney Welcomes New Supervising Prosecutor

Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward is pleased to welcome Scott Spielman as theoffice’s newest supervising deputy district attorney. A graduate of California State University, Fresno (BS, Criminology, 1990) and the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law (Juris Doctor, 1993), Spielman beganhis career as a deputy district attorney for the Kern County District…
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TCDA Investigators Assist Parole Officers in PC290 Compliance Checks

Yesterday criminal investigators from the District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigations, as well as officers from the Porterville Police Department, assisted California parole officers in a PC290 sex offender detail to ensure compliance with registrant’s terms of parole. Conducted in southern Tulare County, a total of 24 compliance checks were made. Seventeen registrants were contacted and searched…
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Guilty Verdicts in Tulare Grocery Store Gang Shooting

Late in the afternoon of January 25, 2019, in Department 10 of the Tulare County Superior Court, a jury returned guilty verdicts against Paul Castro, Isaiah Castro, and Gonzalo Gonzalez, Jr., for a 2015 gang shooting at the Foods Co. grocery store in Tulare. Paul Castro, age 22, was convicted of three counts of attempted…
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Human Trafficking Task Force Participates in Operation Reclaim and Rebuild

From January 24 through January 26, 2019, members of the Tulare County Human Trafficking Task Force executed multiple sting operations in Visalia, Tulare, and Porterville in an attempt to identify and rescue victims of human trafficking. As a result of the operation, law enforcement arrested five individuals for prostitution and a further five for solicitation.…
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Visalia Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Rape and Violent Sex Crimes

Today in Department 10 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, Judge Kathryn Montejano sentenced John Lambert, age 37, to 75 years-to-life in prison for sexual assault. On December 7, 2018, Lambert pleaded no contest to forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, and three counts of forcible digital penetration. Each count is a felony and…
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