On February 9, 2024, in Department 17 of the Tulare County Superior Court, TCDA prosecutors secured multiple felony convictions against Jeffrey Spears, age 45, for a 2023 domestic violence incident. Around 9:30 in the morning on September 26, 2023, Tulare County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a residence in east Porterville for a report of…
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Today in Department 4 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, judge Michael Sheltzer presiding, former Healthcare Conglomerate Associates CEO Yorai “Benny” Benzeevi, age 61, pleaded no contest to six felony counts and two misdemeanor counts found in the complaint. Count 6 – Felony Conflict of Interest (Contract related to funding lawsuit against Dr.…
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On January 31, 2024, via a virtual hearing, TCDA prosecutors secured a 3-year denial of parole for Roman Cortez, age 55. Cortez is currently serving a life sentence at Mule Creek State Prison for murder. Around 1:30 am the morning of February 17, 1991, Cortez was involved in the beating death of a 22-year-old male…
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On January 30, 2024, via a virtual hearing, TCDA prosecutors argued against parole for Jose Maria Ramirez, age 44, for second-degree murder committed in 2000. Parole commissioners denied his parole for three years. Ramirez is currently serving a life sentence at Avenal State Prison. Between January 28 and January 29, 2000, in Tulare, Ramirez and…
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Today in Department 18 of the Tulare County Superior Court, South County Justice Center, the court sentenced Anthony Barra, age 27, to life in prison for murder. At approximately 6:15 am on January 20, 2022, Tulare Police Department officers responded to a trailer home fully engulfed in flames. Neighbors told officers a 74-year-old female resided…
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On Monday, January 29, 2024, in Department 6 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, a Tulare County jury found James Mills, age 59, guilty of eleven counts of lewd act upon a child under the age of fourteen and one count of attempted lewd act upon a child under the age of fourteen.…
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On January 24, 2024, in Department 17 of the South County Justice Center, Luis Nuno, age 38, was sentenced to 56 years-to-life in prison for the third strike offense of threatening to kill people while armed with a knife. However, Proposition 57 may reduce that sentence significantly. On March 6, 2023, Tulare County Sheriff’s deputies…
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Yesterday in Department 22 of the South County Justice Center, TCDA prosecutors secured a criminal conviction against Charles Joseph Fisher, age 51, for the attempted murder of multiple victims and arson of a residence. In the evening of June 14, 2023, Fisher, in violation of a restraining order, barged into a Porterville residence and doused…
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Yesterday in Department 10 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, the court sentenced Jacob Gamboa, age 35, to life in state prison for child molestation. On October 18, 2023, Gamboa pleaded no contest to two counts of oral copulation with a child ten years of age or younger and three counts of lewd…
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Today in Department 6 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, the court sentenced Luis Gutierrez, age 26, to life in prison for child molestation. On December 11, 2023, Gutierrez pleaded no contest to three counts of felony child molestation with the special allegations that there was substantial sexual contact and that there were…
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Today in Department 3 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, the court sentenced Eusebio Ramos, age 67, to life in state prison for child molestation. On December 4, 2023, Ramos pleaded no contest to one count of aggravated sexual assault of a child under the age of fourteen and one count of lewd…
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For the seventh 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 $215,128 grant will continue to fund a Vertical Prosecution team through September 2024, primarily for felony DUI with…
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Today at the South County Justice Center, the court sentenced Kenneth Charles Smith, age 65, to two consecutive sentences of life without the possibility of parole for the 2015 murder of his parents. On October 4, 2015, Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a residence in Porterville for a welfare check. Upon searching a semi-trailer on…
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In a legal history making moment, Tulare County District Attorney law clerk Peter Park passed the rigorous California bar exam on his first attempt making him the youngest person to ever pass the exam at age 17. According to research, the previous record holder was 18 years old. Park received his test results on November…
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Yesterday TCDA prosecutors filed criminal charges against Visalia man Fidel Josue Madrigal, age 33, after an investigation by the Visalia Police Department relating to crimes against children. Madrigal is charged with one count of possession of child pornography with the special allegations that he possesses prior felony convictions. Madrigal is currently a registered sex offender…
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On November 17, 2023, in Department 10 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, the court sentenced Octavio Larios, age 42, to life in prison for child molestation. Larios will also be required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life. On October 23, 2023, Larios pleaded no contest to…
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This morning in Department 22 of the Tulare County Superior Court, South County Justice Center, the court sentenced Pennie Henson Ince, age 54, to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of her 65-year-old husband last year. At 1:19 pm on March 6, 2022, Ince called the victim’s daughter that the…
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Today at the South County Justice Center, TCDA prosecutors secured a guilty verdict for Kenneth Charles Smith, age 65, for the 2015 murder of his parents. On October 4, 2015, Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a residence in Porterville for a welfare check. Upon searching a semi-trailer on the property, deputies discovered the bodies of…
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Yesterday via a virtual hearing, Louis Herrera Gallegos, age 61, stipulated to a 3-year denial of parole. Gallegos is currently serving a life sentence for sexual assault and is incarcerated at Valley State Prison in Chowchilla. On the afternoon of April 25, 1998, Gallegos, a convicted sex offender at the time, committed a violent sexual…
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District Attorney Tim Ward is pleased to announce the promotion of long-time victim advocate Denise Pearson-Jordan to supervisor. With more than 20 years of experience in the criminal justice field, Pearson-Jordan began her career as an evidence technician with the Porterville Police Department before joining the Office of the District Attorney as a victim advocate…
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Late yesterday afternoon in Department 22 of the Tulare County Superior Court, South County Justice Center, TCDA prosecutors secured a guilty verdict for Pennie Henson Ince, age 54, for the murder of her 65-year-old husband. At 1:19 pm on March 6, 2022, Ince called the victim’s daughter that the victim needed an ambulance and hung…
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District Attorney Tim Ward has announced criminal charges against Richard Ray Ramirez, age 49, for a weekend incident in Visalia involving an adult female. Ramirez was arrested on October 8, 2023. Ramirez, a former law enforcement officer in Tulare County, is charged with three felony counts – torture, injury to a significant other after a…
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On Friday, October 6, 2023, at a virtual hearing, TCDA prosecutors secured the denial of parole for Angela Thompson, age 64, in the 2000 child abuse death of her adopted daughter. The denial is for 5 years. Thompson is currently serving a life sentence at the California Institution for Women in Corona. At the time…
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On September 29, 2023, in Department 17 of the Tulare County Superior Court, South County Justice Center, the court sentenced Jose Delgado, age 34, to 5 years, 4 months in state prison for possession of fentanyl for sale and gun crimes. In March 2023, Tulare Police Department officers received a tip about drugs being sold…
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On September 28, 2023, in Department 5 of the Tulare County Superior Court, the court sentenced Lucas Floyd, age 24, to life in prison for child molestation. Floyd plead guilty to one count of sexual intercourse with a child 10 years of age or younger on February 16, 2023. This crime is a felony and a…
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