District Attorney Tim Ward has announced murder and gun charges against Jorge Rivera, age 26, in the death of a Tulare County dairyman on September 3, 2019. Rivera is charged with first-degree murder with the special allegations of personal use of a firearm (handgun), one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm,…
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Today in Department 22 of the Tulare County Superior Court, South County Justice Center, Judge Anthony Fultz sentenced Orlando Benitez, age 31, of Lindsay, to 4 years and 4 months in prison for stalking female students while employed as a teacher and coach at Lindsay High School. On June 18, 2019, Benitez pleaded no contest…
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District Attorney Tim Ward has announced criminal charges against Christopher Gonzalez, age 26, for the shooting murder of a man in Tulare on or about August 24, 2019. Gonzalez is charged with one count of first-degree murder with the special allegation that he personally and intentionally discharged a firearm causing great bodily injury or death.…
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Today in Department 5 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, Judge Juliet Boccone presiding, a Tulare County jury found Steven Wing, age 66, of Visalia, guilty of four counts of sexual penetration of a child ten years old or younger and eight counts of lewd act upon a child under the age of…
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On August 14, 2019, at Folsom State Prison, a California parole board issued a 5-year denial for James Ray Kelley, age 49, for the 1998 murder of his mother near Waukena. On May 1, 1998, Kelley, age 28 at the time, went with his 66-year-old mother to a local store to cash her $597 Social…
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Late yesterday afternoon in Department 17 of the Tulare County Superior Court, South County Justice Center, a jury convicted Isidro Gomez Reyes, age 25, and Alfred Gomez, age 22, of murder. Each man was found guilty of first-degree murder and attempted murder with special allegations that the crime was committed for the benefit of a…
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Today in Department 5 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, Cheyenne Wyllie, age 28, pleaded no contest to two counts of second-degree murder against Angelita Espinosa and Jamie Espinosa, as well as felony driving under the influence causing injury with the special allegation of causing great bodily injury. The crimes occurred on March…
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District Attorney Tim Ward has announced criminal charges against Jazmin Paramo, age 24, for a DUI incident that took the lives of four people on August 4, 2019, on Highway 65 near Strathmore. It is alleged that Paramo was driving the wrong way on the highway and struck two motorcycles carrying the victims. Paramo is…
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On Thursday, August 1, 2019, in Department 4 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, Judge Brett Alldredge sentenced Jose Hernandez, age 53, to four years suspended state prison and ordered Hernandez to spend 270 days in custody of the Tulare County jail. On May 14, 2019, Hernandez pleaded no contest to six felony…
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Late yesterday afternoon in Department 10 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, Judge Kathryn Montejano presiding, a Tulare County jury found Eduardo Rodriguez, age 36, guilty of twelve counts of lewd act upon a child under the age of fourteen. The jury also found true the special allegation of substantial sexual conduct and…
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Earlier this week, criminal investigators from the District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigations served 32 total felony arrest warrants on suspects wanted for allegedly committing welfare and auto insurance fraud in Tulare County. The following individuals were arrested and booked into the Tulare County Pre-Trial Facility or cited for welfare fraud: -Mayra Alcauter, 22, of Tulare …
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On July 10, 2019, in Department 6 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, Judge Gary Paden sentenced Mauro Gallo, age 44, of Tulare, to 32 years in prison for child molestation. In addition to his sentence, Gallo must register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life. On April 30, 2019,…
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This afternoon in Department 6 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, Judge Gary Paden sentenced Pedro Salinas, age 47, to 122 years-to-life in prison for child molestation. On June 12, 2019, a Tulare County jury found Salinas guilty of one count of forcible lewd act upon a child under the age of 14,…
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Late yesterday afternoon in Department 5 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, Judge Juliet Baccone presiding, a Tulare County jury found Aristeo Sampablo, age 30, guilty of child molestation. Sampablo was convicted of six counts of sexual intercourse with a minor under the age of ten, three counts of sodomy with a minor…
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Today in Department 6 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, Judge Gary Paden sentenced former Porterville police officer Wayne Martin, age 34, to 180 days in jail and three years probation. On June 4, 2019, Martin pleaded no contest to one felony count of meeting a minor for a lewd purpose. The crime…
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District Attorney Tim Ward has announced criminal charges against Sherri Telnas, age 45, for an incident occurring on June 29, 2019, resulting in the drowning death of her 12-year-old son and the injury of her 7-year-old son. Telnas is charged with one count of murder with the special circumstance of lying in wait, one count…
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On Monday, June 24, 2019, in Department 6 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, Judge Gary Paden sentenced Pedro Nunez, age 27, to life in prison without the possibility of parole for murder. On September 24, 2018, a jury found Nunez guilty of first-degree murder with the special circumstance that the crime was…
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On Wednesday, June 19, 2019, in Department 5 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, a jury found Jason Hounihan, age 42, guilty of burglarizing a Visalia jewelry store. Hounihan was convicted of one count of burglary and two counts of vandalism causing over $400 in damage. Each count is a felony. Hounihan has…
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On Monday, June 17, 2019, in Department 5 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, Judge Juliet Boccone sentenced Myron Johnson, age 21, to 30 years and 8 months in prison for human trafficking. On May 30, 2019, Johnson pleaded no contest to four felony counts of human trafficking of a minor. Johnson possesses…
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Today in Department 10 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, a jury convicted Joshua Stepp, age 30, of second-degree murder with the special allegation of using a deadly weapon (knife). A 2017 jury previously convicted Stepp of arson, but was unable to reach a unanimous decision on the charge of murder. Stepp possesses…
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Yesterday in Department 5 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, Judge Juliet Boccone sentenced Allen Horsley, age 26, to 50 years-to-life in prison for killing a man at a Goshen RV park. On February 11, 2019, a jury found Horsley guilty of premeditated first-degree murder with the special allegation of using a firearm,…
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Today in Department 6 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, Judge Gary Paden presiding, a Tulare County jury found Pedro Salinas, age 47, guilty of one count of forcible lewd act upon a child under the age of 14, seven counts of lewd act upon a child under the age of 14, one…
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Today in Department 17 of the Tulare County Superior Court, South County Justice Center, Judge Michael Sheltzer sentenced Michael Anthony Chavez, age 40, to 14 years in prison for multiple felonies and a string of dangerous and life endangering evasions of law enforcement. In a consolidation of four separate cases, Chavez pleaded no contest to…
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On May 28, 2019, in Department 5 of the Tulare County Superior Court, a jury found Visalia man Gabriel Hinojos, age 24, guilty of one felony count of unlawful taking or driving of a vehicle. In a separate court trial on June 3, 2019, the court found that Hinojos possessed prior felony convictions for auto…
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On May 31, 2019, criminal charges were filed against Randy Lee Scroggins, age 43, for incidents occurring on May 21, 2019 and May 22, 2019, including the attempted murder of his wife as well as other violent crimes. Scroggins is charged with attempted murder, two counts of assault with a firearm, assault with a deadly…
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