District Attorney Tim Ward has announced criminal charges against Michael Bradsteen, age 38, for a series of commercial burglaries in numerous Tulare County communities. Bradsteen is charged with 29 felony counts of burglary, grand theft, and vandalism and a further nine misdemeanor counts involving vandalism. The crimes allegedly occurred between November 2018 and January 2019…
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Today in Department 5 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, Judge Joseph Kalashian presiding, a jury found Jon Weldon, age 34, guilty of child molestation. Weldon was convicted of two counts of sexual penetration with a child age 10 or younger, and seven counts of lewd act upon a child. Each count is…
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Clemency has been denied for Richard Flowers, age 63, in the killing of a 78-year-old Tulare woman. In 1996, Flowers was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder with a special circumstance of burglary and robbery, but was recommended a sentence commutation in 2018 by the Board of Parole…
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Exeter teenager Donna Jo Richmond was murdered on December 26, 1975. Oscar Clifton, a convicted sex offender, was prosecuted and convicted in July of 1976 for the kidnap, attempted rape and murder of Richmond. Additionally, Clifton was convicted of child molest in relation to his actions earlier in the day near the town of Woodlake;…
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The holidays were made brighter for a father in New Zealand when criminal investigators from the Bureau of Investigations reunited him with his five-year-old son. Tu’ineau Domingo Langi filed a request for the return of his son with the Central Authority of New Zealand. His ex-wife, Lata Langi Falekanono had met a Tulare resident on Facebook…
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Yesterday in Department 6 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, Judge Gary Paden sentenced Robert Lee Stephens, age 48, of Visalia, to 36 years-to-life in prison for a third strike offense. On September 12, 2018, Stephens was convicted of one count of assault with a deadly weapon (knife), a strike offense. Stephens possesses…
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This afternoon in the Tulare County Board of Supervisors Chambers in Visalia, District Attorney Tim Ward was sworn in to his second four-year term. The oath of office was administered by the Honorable Judge Kerri Lopez of the Tulare County Superior Court. In addition to his swearing in, Ward administered the oath of office to…
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Yesterday in Department 22 of the Tulare County Superior Court, South County Justice Center, Judge Walter Gorelick presiding, a jury convicted Steven Elms, age 44, of felony driving under the influence of alcohol and felony driving with a BAC of .08% or higher. The special allegations that his BAC was above .15% were also found…
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