Over the month of December 2021, criminal investigators from the District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigations served seven felony arrest warrants for suspects wanted for allegedly committing welfare fraud in Tulare County. The following individuals were arrested and either booked into the Tulare County Pre-Trial Facility or cited and released: -Clarista Aldaco, 26, of Lindsay …
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District Attorney Tim Ward has announced criminal charges related to a residential burglary in Visalia on December 30, 2021. The defendants are alleged to have burglarized the victims’ home while they were out of town. Anthony Santua, 41, and Donald Franklin Jr., 35, are charged with first degree residential burglary and second degree burglary, both…
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The Office of the District Attorney is requesting further investigation regarding an early morning December 24, 2021, incident in downtown Visalia that resulted in the death of a 21-year-old victim. “We have not yet been provided with the necessary information to make a decision regarding possible criminal charges,” said Supervising Deputy District Attorney Jessica Weatherly.…
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On December 16, 2021, a jury found Harbhajan Mundi, 64, guilty of first-degree murder, mayhem, and assault with a firearm with the special allegations that he personally and intentionally discharged a firearm causing great bodily injury or death. On December 22, 2021, the same jury determined that Mundi was sane during the commission of the…
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On December 16, 2021, two children, ages four and six, were returned to their father by the Bureau of Investigation’s Child Abduction Unit. Investigators traveled to Queens, New York, to locate the children and their mother, Chanel Pensotti. Pensotti violated custody orders by leaving the state with her children. Tulare County Superior Court Judge Tara…
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Today the court sentenced Jeremy Kechloian, age 47, to 68 years, 8 months-to-life in prison after prosecutors secured a guilty verdict in the 2018 murder of a man at the former Visalia Kmart store and the subsequent assault of law enforcement officers during his time in custody. On May 9, 2018, around 5:30 pm, Kechloian…
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District Attorney Tim Ward has announced criminal charges related to an alleged theft of merchandise from a popular Visalia electronics store on December 14, 2021. Mikey Manning, 24, and Debanee Harrell, 34, both of Fresno, are alleged to have stolen several smart tablets, speakers, a doorbell camera, and other electronics from Best Buy in Visalia.…
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For the fifth straight year, District Attorney Tim Ward is pleased to announce the award of a California Office of Traffic Safety Grant to help prosecute cases of driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. The $175,000 grant will continue to fund a Vertical Prosecution team through September 2022, primarily for felony DUI with…
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Late in the afternoon of Friday, December 10, 2021, a jury found Cotis Smith, Jr., 33, guilty of felony assault with a firearm with the special allegation of use of a firearm, and felony shooting at an occupied vehicle. Prior to trial, Smith pleaded to felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. At approximately…
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Tulare County juries have found Visalia man Jeremy Kechloian, age 47, guilty of the 2018 murder of a man at the former Visalia Kmart store and the subsequent assault of law enforcement officers during his time in custody. On May 9, 2018, around 5:30 pm, Kechloian entered Kmart in Visalia with a knife visible in…
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District Attorney Tim Ward has announced criminal charges in the October 14, 2021, death of a man in an orchard near Terra Bella in Tulare County. On November 1, 2021, the Office of the District Attorney charged Manuel Quintero, 38, and Jesus Manjarrez, 23, with murder and felony conspiracy to commit a crime. The charges…
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On November 16, 2021, Tulare County Superior Court Judge Michael Sheltzer ruled against a demurrer filed by former Healthcare Conglomerate Associates (HCAA) executives Benny Benzeevi, Alan Germany, and HCAA counsel Bruce Greene. The demurrer proceedings by the defendants sought to dismiss criminal charges regarding alleged public corruption related to the administration of healthcare facilities in…
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The Office of the District Attorney is requesting further investigative information regarding the November 8, 2021, death of a child. It is alleged that the child suffered internal injuries on November 3, 2021, at a Visalia home daycare. “An incident as tragic and intricate as this requires a significant amount of information to make a…
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Yesterday in Department 17 of the South County Justice Center in Porterville, a jury convicted Dylan Snow, age 26, of felony corporal injury to a spouse or girlfriend with the special allegation that the act caused great bodily injury. On September 25, 2019, Snow was invited over to the female victim’s apartment. While at the…
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District Attorney Tim Ward is pleased to announce the promotion of Criminal Investigator John Lee to supervisor. John Lee has been a criminal investigator with the Office of the District Attorney for nearly 12 years. Prior to that, he was Tulare County Sheriff’s Deputy for 13 years. Lee brought with him from TCSO an extensive…
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On October 4, 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom announced the signing of Senate Bill 23. Authored by Senator Susan Rubio and co-sponsored by the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office and the California District Attorneys Association (CDAA), the bill strengthens protections for victims of revenge porn by extending the statute of limitations to one year from discovery,…
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Over the fervent objection of prosecutors, Department 5 of the Tulare County Superior Court sentenced Eustajia Dominguez Mojica, 29, to one year in jail with time served, four years felony probation, and 8 years, 8 months suspended state prison for the heat exposure death of her three-year-old daughter. A ‘suspended’ term means that it is…
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Late in the afternoon of October 4, 2021, at the South County Justice Center in Porterville, a jury found Carlos Santos Moreno, age 41, guilty of premeditated attempted murder with the special allegation of using a firearm causing great bodily injury, shooting at an occupied vehicle, assault with a firearm, and being a felon in…
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In the late afternoon of October 1, 2021, a Tulare County jury returned a guilty verdict for Marlon Darnell Edwards, age 47, in the 1994 shooting murder of a man during a drug deal. After a night of drinking on January 4, 1994, the victim, Mario Castaneda, and his friends decided to get drugs and…
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On Friday, October 1, 2021, the Tulare County Superior Court sentenced Visalia man Armando Kassaz, age 64, to 960 years-to-life for child molestation. On August 20, 2021, Kassaz was convicted by a jury of 64 counts of lewd act upon a child under the age of 14. Each count is a felony. The jury also…
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Today at the South County Justice Center in Porterville, the court concluded sentencing for Johnny Garcia, age 39, and his wife Kristy Flores, age 41, for gang crimes committed in the city of Tulare in late 2020. On November 19, 2020, Garcia and Flores, both Fresno gang members, were staying at the Hampton Inn in…
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On September 24, 2021, the Tulare County Superior Court sentenced Angel Valencia, age 53, and Carlos Rivera, age 21, for the violent abuse of two dogs that resulted in their deaths. On August 12, 2021, both men pleaded to all charges filed against them: four felony counts of cruelty to an animal with the special…
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Today in Department 5 of the Tulare County Superior Court, the court sentenced four defendants for their involvement in the 2017 Pier Fire near Springville. On August 19, 2021, the defendants pleaded to the following felonies: Isiac Renteria, 23 – arson of a structure or forest, 4 counts of taking a vehicle without consent. Richard…
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District Attorney Tim Ward has announced murder charges stemming from an alleged DUI crash in the early morning hours of September 22, 2021, on Orange Belt Drive in Porterville. The crash took the life of an adult male motorcyclist. On September 23, 2021, Dominic Casarez, age 23, was charged with second-degree murder, gross vehicular manslaughter,…
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Yesterday in Department 6 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, the court sentenced Dennis Saenz Moreno, age 69, to 25 years-to-life in prison for child molestation. Moreno will also be required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life. On July 21, 2021, Moreno pleaded no contest to two…
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