Local News

Yosemite National Park Squatter Pleads Gu ilty to Firearms Charges

FRESNO - Devin Michael Cuellar, 29, a transient, pleaded guilty today to being a felon possessing a sawed-off shotgun and ammunition, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, during the summer of 2021, Cuellar broke into a private residence on Koon Hollar Road in Wawona within Yosemite National Park and resided there for several months without the owner's permission. Cuellar possessed a sawed-off shotgun and ammunition that were found in the residence. Cuellar was previously convicted of carjacking and possessing controlled substances for sale and is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.

Fresno Men Charged for Series of Vehicle Pipe-Bombings

FRESNO - A federal grand jury returned an indictment today against Scott Eric Anderson, 43, and Paul New, 55, both of Fresno, charging them with conspiracy to destroy utilizing an explosive device and malicious destruction utilizing an explosive device, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. Anderson was also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, between November 2022 and February 2023, Anderson and New set off a series of pipe bombs on unoccupied vehicles and property in Fresno. The bombs damaged vehicles belonging to two auto-related businesses on Clinton Avenue. On Feb. 19, 2023, a bomb heavily damaged a vehicle used by a home healthcare business on Fallbrook Avenue. Anderson sometimes recorded his crimes by video. In addition, Anderson was found to be in possession of a pistol. He is prohibited from possessing firearms because of a previous conviction for carrying a loaded and concealed weapon.

Modesto Doctor Pleads Guilty to Illegally Prescribing Opioids

FRESNO - Sawtantra Chopra, 76, of Modesto, pleaded guilty Wednesday to three counts of illegally prescribing opioids and other medication, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, Chopra admitted prescribing drugs — including hydrocodone, alprazolam (Xanax), and Promethazine with codeine syrup — outside the usual course of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose. These drugs are highly addictive and commonly abused. They affect the central nervous system and may only be prescribed when medically required.

Chopra surrendered his medical license in 2020 as the case was pending.

University Professor Indicted for Trafficking Images of Child Sex Abuse

FRESNO - A federal grand jury returned an indictment today against the University of the Pacific Professor Rodger Githens, 45, of West Sacramento, charging him with the receipt and distributing images of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, in late March 2023, Githens, using the profile “Tall laid back,” initiated contact with an account on the Grindr app controlled by an undercover FBI agent. Githens encouraged the undercover FBI agent to establish an account with the Telegram app since it was considered more secure.

Githens several times discussed traveling to Fresno to meet the agent and a supposed 7-year-old niece for sexual purposes. Still, law enforcement served a search warrant at Githens’s residence on April 19, 2023, and seized multiple electronic devices. Agents discovered numerous Telegram chats on Githens’s phone, including several in which he exchanged and commented on videos of young children being sexually abused.

Two Men Indicted for Assaulting Correctional Officers at U.S. Penitentiary Atwater

FRESNO - A federal grand jury returned an indictment today against Daniel Higgins, 38, of Morro Bay, and Austin Noblitt, 33, of Portland, Oregon, charging each with two counts of assault on a federal officer, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on Nov. 21, 2022, Higgins and Noblitt assaulted two Federal Bureau of Prisons correctional officers at U.S. Penitentiary (USP) Atwater in Merced County. Higgins and Noblitt punched the officers repeatedly on their heads and torsos, causing bodily injuries to both officers.