District Attorney Tim Ward has announced criminal charges against Frank Higareda, age 29, related to a series of vandalism incidents that occurred in downtown Visalia on March 17, 2018. Higareda is charged with nine felony counts of vandalism over $400 in damage. If convicted on all counts, Higareda faces the possibility of over 8 years…
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In the evening of March 16, 2018, in the City of Visalia, the Tulare County Human Trafficking Task Force participated in an undercover operation organized by the Visalia Police Department. As a result, law enforcement arrested five individuals: Zoe Nachbar, age 24, Norma Alvarez-Garcia, age 19, Katrina Currey, age 22, Alonie Black, age 23, for…
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Investigators from the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office Workers’ CompensationFraud Unit conducted a two-day workers’ compensation insurance compliance check onMarch 7th and 8th, 2018, in Visalia and Porterville. The purpose of the compliance check was to inform and educate local employers of the requirements of carrying the proper state-mandated contractor’s license and workers’ compensation insurance. Investigators contacted…
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Today in Department 10 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, Judge Kathryn Montejano sentenced Steven Curbow, age 40, of Strathmore, to 38-years-to-life in prison for child molestation. Curbow will also be required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life. On December 20, 2017, Curbow pleaded no contest to…
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District Attorney Tim Ward has announced criminal charges against Teresa Ann Madrigal, age 48, related to a March 5, 2018, incident on a Greyhound bus passing through Tulare County. Madrigal is charged with one count of attempted murder with the special allegations of use of a deadly weapon and infliction of great bodily injury, three…
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Yesterday at Ironwood State Prison in Blythe, a California parole board denied parole for Angelo Morales, age 43, for murder. Morales received a three year denial and is not eligible for another hearing until 2021. On July 2, 1994, in Visalia, Morales stole an Oldsmobile sedan belonging to the victim, who was the ex-boyfriend of Morales’ girlfriend.…
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TCDA staff are reporting a new scam, this time impersonating the California Franchise Tax Board. Like the DMV scam, scammers use government agencies to make their efforts seem credible. If you receive a suspicious or unsolicited text message claiming to be from FTB, do not respond or click on any links, as the text is…
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Yesterday in Department 10 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, Judge Kathryn Montejano sentenced Frank Luna, age 49, of Farmersville, to 35 years-to-life inprison under California’s Three Strikes law. On January 22, 2018, a jury found Luna guilty of assault with a deadly weapon. On January 23, 2018, the Court also found true…
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On Friday, February 9, 2018, in Department 19 of the Tulare County Superior Court, South County Justice Center, Judge Antonio Reyes presiding, a jury convicted Jose Magana Ibarra, age 32, of Lindsay, of one count of indecent exposure and one count of lewd acts in public. Both counts are misdemeanors. At 6:30 in the morning…
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Yesterday in Department 6 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, Judge Gary Paden committed Jessie Pritchett, age 44, of Visalia, to the Coalinga State Hospital as a Sexually Violent Predator. Following trial, Pritchett was found to have a mental disorder that makes it likely he will engage in sexually violent behavior without treatment.…
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In the evening of January 25, 2018, in the City of Tulare, the Tulare County Human Trafficking Task Force executed a sting operation in an attempt to identify and rescue victims of human trafficking. As a result of the operation, law enforcement arrested 34-year-old Tulare female Jessie Dailey on charges of pimping an adult family…
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Yesterday in Department 5 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, Judge Joseph Kalashian presiding, a jury found Frankie Hernandez, age 27, of Tulare, guilty of second-degree murder with the special allegations of using a gun and committing the murder for the benefit of a criminal street gang. On August 22, 2013, Tulare Police…
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Yesterday in Department 10 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, Judge Kathryn Montejano sentenced Cristian Renteria, age 22, of Tulare, to 46 years-to-life in prison after being found guilty of two counts of shooting at inhabited dwellings with the special allegations of personal discharge of a firearm, and that the crime was committed…
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On January 22, 2018, in Department 10 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, Judge Kathryn Montejano presiding, a jury found Frank Luna, age 49, of Farmersville, guilty of assault with a deadly weapon. On January 23, 2018, the Court also found true the special allegations that Luna has been previously convicted of two…
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On January 18, 2018, in Department 19 of the Tulare County Superior Court, South County Justice Center, Judge Antonio Reyes presiding, a jury convicted Patrick Lee Baca, age 41, of Exeter, of second-degree murder for his involvement in the stabbing death of his cousin. Baca has previously been convicted of armed robbery of a taxi…
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On January 16, 2018, in Department 17 of the Tulare County Superior Court, South County Justice Center, Judge Michael Sheltzer presiding, a jury found Michael Yocom, age 51, of Strathmore, guilty of attempted premeditated murder on a peace officer, assault on a peace officer, criminal threats, resisting an executive officer, firearm removal from a peace…
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District Attorney Tim Ward announced murder charges have been filed against Porterville resident Angelica Castro, age 20, stemming from an incident on January 15, 2018, which resulted in the death of a nearly 6-month-old baby. Castro is charged with one count of murder and one count of assault on a child causing death. Each count…
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On Thursday, January 11, 2018, at Salinas Valley State Prison, a California parole board denied parole for Gerald Daniel Walker, age 86, for murder. Walker received a 5 year denial and is not eligible for another hearing until 2023. On February 27, 1973, deputies at the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office received a call from Beverly Hills…
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On Friday, January 05, 2018, in Department 6 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, Judge Gary Paden sentenced Samuel Molina, age 27, to an indeterminate term of life in prison for murder. On August 30, 2017, a Tulare County jury found Molina guilty of one count of second-degree murder with the special allegation…
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Today in Department 5 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, Judge Joseph Kalashian sentenced Chaylin Funez, age 18, to 16 years to life in prison for hit- and-run murder. On December 4, 2017, a Tulare County jury found Funez guilty of second-degree murder with the special allegation of use of a deadly weapon,…
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When disaster strikes at home or abroad, it is natural to want to help. But before sending money, do some research to ensure you are not falling victim to the latest charity scam. Get the exact name and look up the charity on-line. The California Attorney General offers information on registered California charities at http://oag.ca.gov/charities. More…
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The Tulare County District Attorney’s Office has become aware of a fraud scheme targeting restaurants, food service facilities and other small businesses in Tulare County, California and across North America. A number of restaurants in Tulare County have recently received telephone calls from a person claiming to be a “health inspector” introducing a new procedure…
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We have become aware of a bogus spam e-mail claiming to be from FBI Director Robert Mueller III. This scam appears to be a typical Nigerian scam; however, the attempt to defraud victims comes in two separate e-mails. The same e-mail address is used to deliver both phases of the spam. The first e-mail claims…
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The Office of the Tulare County District Attorney, Phil Cline, District Attorney, White Collar Crime Unit, Consumer Fraud Unit, the Elder Abuse Prosecution Program and the Elder Abuse Advocacy and Outreach Program issue the following warning: emails from a person posing as a U.S. Soldier in Iraq have been received by numerous persons in the…
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Most of us take those summons for jury duty seriously, but enough people skip out on their civic duty, that a new and ominous kind of scam has surfaced. Fall for it and your identity could be stolen, reports CBS. In this con, someone calls pretending to be a court official who threateningly says a…
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