Local News

Sheriff Detectives Seek Publics Help with Suspicious Death

MADERA - The Madera County Sheriff’s Office is asking the public for their assistance obtaining information surrounding the circumstances of the suspicious death of Martin “Junior” Tapia in December of last year. There is information Junior was at a party in the La Vina area of Madera County at the time of his death.

Junior’s body was then moved to the location where he was later found. Detectives would like to speak with individuals who may have attended the party, or who may have knowledge of how he was transported to the other location.

Child Abductor Transported to Fresno to Face Federal Charges

FRESNO - Law enforcement officials transported Nathan Daniel Larson (40) of Catlett, Virginia from Colorado, where he has been held for the last two months, to the Fresno Yosemite International Airport. Law enforcement agents with Fresno County’s Transportation Unit escorted Larson in on a flight from Denver, CO. He had been in a Denver Jail since December 14th while awaiting extradition.

He will be booked into the Fresno County Jail on the following felony charges: Kidnapping, transportation of a minor with intent to engage in illegal sexual activity, online coercion and enticement, sexual exploitation of a minor, receiving and distributing child pornography. Larson is not eligible for bail. He is due in court on Wednesday, February 17.

Fresno Man Previously Convicted of Assault with a Firearm on a Person Indicted for Unlawfully Possessing a Firearm

FRESNO - A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today against Steven Eric Cabrera, 25, of Fresno, charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. According to court documents, Cabrera communicated over the social media platform Snap Chat to arrange the sale of a handgun at a local park.

When he arrived, his car was stopped by law enforcement officers who searched the car and found a bag with a towel-wrapped handgun hidden inside. Cabrera cannot legally possess firearms because in 2017 he was convicted of assaulting a person with a firearm, a felony.

Fresno Man Indicted on Drug and Firearm Charges

FRESNO - A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment today against Hector Kioni Gongora, 43, of Fresno, charging him with possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition after being convicted of a felony, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to court documents, on Jan. 11, Gongora was arrested on a felony warrant and found to be in possession of a firearm and methamphetamine. A search of his residence recovered 177 additional rounds of ammunition. Gongora is a convicted felon prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.

Kern County Man Sentenced to over 5 Years in Prison for Check and Credit Card Fraud, Identity Theft, and Firearms Offenses

FRESNO - Rogelio Benavides, 35, of Arvin, was sentenced Thursday to five years and five months in prison for bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. Benavides was also ordered to pay over $20,000 in restitution and forfeit another $20,000 as part of his sentence.

Benavides pleaded guilty on Nov. 12, 2020. According to court documents, between November 2018 and September 2019, Benavides obtained hundreds of pieces of stolen mail that included checks, checkbooks, and personally identifiable information belonging to other individuals and businesses. He then altered and forged checks and either cashed or deposited the checks into his own bank accounts.