Late yesterday afternoon at the South County Justice Center in Porterville, the court sentenced Giovanni Abujalil, age 32, to life in prison for the murder of this father. On May 16, 2022, Abujalil pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and felony elder abuse. He also admitted to using a knife during the crime. On January 27,…
Read more
Yesterday afternoon at the South County Justice Center in Porterville, a jury convicted Bruce Creamer, age 63, for attempting to destroy a Tulare Police Department vehicle. Just before 6:00 pm on November 9, 2021, Tulare Police Department officers received radio information that a marked police department vehicle, a Chevy Silverado, was on fire in the…
Read more
Yesterday in Department 10 of the Tulare County Superior Court, TCDA Crimes against Children prosecutors secured a guilty verdict for Sidney Russell, age 64, for child molestation. Russell was convicted of two felony counts of forcible lewd act upon a child under the age of 14. The court further found true that Russell possessed prior…
Read more
Last week, criminal investigators from the District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigations served 12 felony arrest warrants and 6 misdemeanor 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 Jail Facilities or cited and released: -Ja Lee See, 35,…
Read more
District Attorney Tim Ward has announced criminal charges relating to recent agricultural equipment thefts in Tulare County. Today, TCDA prosecutors charged Pedro Coronado, age 37, and Alexis Avalos, age 22, both of Lamont, with four counts of felony grand theft and one felony count of receiving stolen property exceeding $950 in value. For Coronado, the…
Read more
Today in Department 17 of the Tulare County Superior Court, the court sentenced Julio Madrigal, age 32, and Jose Barraza, age 41, to life in prison for murder. On May 21, 2021, the male victim sat in the front passenger seat of a parked car in the City of Tulare with his girlfriend, the female…
Read more
Today in Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, the court sentenced Alexander Shinn, age 28, to life in prison for the 2018 murder of his roommate. In the early morning of December 8, 2018, after several weeks of tension in their Farmersville residence, Shinn bludgeoned his 25-year-old roommate with a metal bar while he was…
Read more
District Attorney Tim Ward has announced criminal charges related to a fire in downtown Visalia on May 1, 2022. Jessie Hager, age 56, is charged with two felony counts of arson for allegedly starting a dumpster fire that spread to nearby businesses. An arraignment is scheduled this afternoon where a future court date will be…
Read more
Yesterday afternoon in Department 6 of the Tulare County Superior Court, a jury found married couple Daniel Ramirez and Angela Jimenez-Ramirez, both 35, guilty in the death of their 3-month-old daughter. Daniel Ramirez was found guilty of felony involuntary manslaughter and felony child abuse. In addition, he was found guilty of the special allegations of…
Read more
The public is invited to observe National Crime Victims’ Rights Week 2022 at the District Attorney’s annual memorial quilt unveiling at 6 pm on Monday, May 2 at the Visalia Convention Center Charter Oak Ballroom. Since 1981, National Crime Victims’ Rights Week has brought attention to the millions of Americans impacted by crime and the…
Read more
On Friday April 8, 2022, in Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, the court sentenced Jimmy Reed, age 47, to life in prison for violent crimes. On May 27, 2021, a jury found Reed guilty of attempted murder, assault, domestic violence, and attempted criminal threats. Numerous charges are enhanced with special allegations that Reed caused…
Read more
Yesterday afternoon in Department 5 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, prosecutors secured a conviction against Anthony Martin, age 23, in the 2019 shooting death of his girlfriend. A jury convicted Martin of second-degree murder with the special allegation of personal use of a firearm causing death, and possession of an assault weapon.…
Read more
On Monday, April 11, 2022, in Department 17 of the Tulare County Superior Court, a jury convicted Julio Madrigal, age 32, and Jose Barraza, age 41, each of first-degree murder and two counts of kidnapping. The jury also found that a firearm was used during the commission of the crimes. Just before the trial, Madrigal…
Read more
On Thursday, April 7, 2022, via video conference, a California parole board recommended parole for Richard Flowers, age 66, who is currently serving a life sentence at the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility in Corcoran. In 1994, Flowers stabbed, strangled, and robbed 78-year-old woman Mary Eloise Garcia in her Tulare home. Flowers used the money…
Read more
Late yesterday afternoon in Department 10 of the Tulare County Superior Court in Visalia, TCDA prosecutors secured a guilty verdict for Noah Fox, age 22, in the 2017 murder of a 19-year-old man during a drug robbery in Visalia. On May 28, 2017, Fox and Kalvin Solis, age 23, conspired to rob the victim of…
Read more
On March 23, 2022, a two-year-old girl was returned to her father through the work of the Tulare County District Attorney’s Child Abduction Unit. District Attorney investigators traveled to Long Beach, Mississippi, where the child was located living with her mother, Sierra Russell. Russell, formerly a resident of Tulare County, refused to comply with orders…
Read more
Yesterday at the South County Justice Center in Porterville, the court sentenced Carlos Santos Moreno, age 42, to life in prison for a 2018 shooting in Porterville. Around 3 am on June 30, 2018, a group of young adults was having a party by the Tule River in Porterville when a Chevy truck with two…
Read more
Yesterday in a virtual hearing, TCDA prosecutors secured the denial of parole for Angela Thompson, age 63, in the 2000 child abuse death of her adopted daughter. The denial is for three-years. Thompson is currently serving a life sentence at the California Institution for Women in Corona. At the time of the crime, Thompson had…
Read more
Yesterday over the objection of prosecutors in Department 17 of the South County Justice Center in Porterville, the court sentenced Dylan Snow, age 26, of Porterville, to 5 years suspended state prison, 4 years probation, and use of an electronic monitor. The court imposed no jail time beyond six days Snow served in custody after…
Read more
Today in Department 17 of the Tulare County Superior Court at the South County Justice Center in Porterville, Noel Herrera, age 32, was sentenced to death for multiple murders committed from 2010 to 2017 Herrera, a known gang member with the moniker of “Guilty,” committed his first shooting murder on January 9, 2010. The victim…
Read more
District Attorney Tim Ward has announced criminal charges related to a March 6, 2022, incident in which an adult male was found shot to death in a Tulare home. Pennie Marie Henson, age 52, is charged with first-degree murder with the special circumstance of lying in wait and that she personally and intentionally discharged a…
Read more
On Friday, March 4, 2022, in Tulare County Superior Court, TCDA Crimes against Children prosecutors secured a misdemeanor jury conviction for Seth Vasquez, age 24, for annoying or molesting a child. In two incidents from April 16, 2021, to April 22, 2021, at the Riverway Sports Park in Visalia, Vasquez was identified as having made…
Read more
Five years to the day after his last hearing, a Porterville sex offender was again denied parole. On March 1, 2022, a California parole board issued a three-year denial for Peter Contreras, age 53. Contreras is currently serving life in prison for child molestation at the Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison in Corcoran.…
Read more
Today via a remote hearing and over the objection of prosecutors, a California parole board recommended parole for Mitchell Line, age 45, who is serving life in prison for sexually assaulting two victims in the mid-1990’s. Line is currently incarcerated at the California Institution for Men in Chino. After midnight on October 24, 1996, Line…
Read more
Yesterday in Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, the court sentenced Marlon Darnell Edwards, age 48, to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 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…
Read more
