Local News

Kern Valley State Prison Investigating Death of Incarcerated Person as Homicide

DELANO – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) officials are investigating the death of an incarcerated person at Kern Valley State Prison (KVSP) as a homicide. At 6:37 p.m. on Oct. 6, two incarcerated people, Juan P. Camacho and John Martinez, allegedly attacked another incarcerated person, Richard A. Aguirre, with an inmate-manufactured weapon.

Aguirre sustained multiple stab wounds, and life-saving measures were performed. He was transported via ambulance to Kern Medical Center, and pronounced deceased at 7:20 p.m. No staff or additional incarcerated people were injured.

Felony Arrest Made in Madera Shooting Investigation

MADERA - On May 25, 2023, around 6 p.m., the Madera County Sheriff’s Communications Center received a call reporting shots fired in the area of Club Drive and Midland Way in Madera. When Deputies arrived on the scene near Berenda Elementary School, they discovered evidence suggesting a shooting had occurred.

Deputies also learned a school dance was in progress at Berenda and placed the campus on a precautionary lockdown. The school and those in attendance were searched and cleared. The Madera County Sheriff’s Investigations Bureau took over the investigation and ultimately identified a suspect- 21-year-old Madera resident Marvin Anthony Brewer.

Bomb Threat at Fresno State Dorms Hoax Over Pronoun Reveal

FRESNO – Fresno State students and staff were evacuated from the dorms and dining hall late Thursday morning after a bomb threat was emailed to the university. The threat also included targets on the house of the university's president in the Fig Garden area of Fresno and a professor in the Leon S. Peters School of Business.

At first, all the dorm residents were evacuated to the dorm parking lot, then moved to the fence line along Ceder Avenue before housing director Erin Boele ordered the students to march to the school’s recreation center a half a mile away, next to the Save Mart Center. Many students were in various states of dress, one girl wearing a robe and one male student without a shirt.

Prisoner Apprehended Hours after Walking Away from Conservation Camp

FRESNO – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) officials announced an incarcerated person who walked away from Growlersburg Conservation Camp in El Dorado County was apprehended a few hours after walking away from the facility.

At 3:15 a.m., the Fresno Police Department took 42-year-old Jarid Taylor into custody without incident.

Former Fresno Sleep Clinic Owner Pleads Guilty to Over $1 Million in Fraudulent Medicare Claims

FRESNO - Travis Gober, 44, of Hanford, pleaded guilty to health care fraud and aggravated identity theft charges today for submitting over $1 million in fraudulent claims for sleep studies to Medicare, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court records, Gober owned the VIP Sleep Center, which operated sleep clinics in Fresno and Tulare Counties. Sleep clinics perform diagnostic sleep studies on patients to identify disorders like sleep apnea and narcolepsy.