Local News

Son of Former Merced County DA Fatally Shot in Atwater

ATWATER - The son of former Merced County District Attorney Larry Morse II was found fatally shot Friday morning at an Atwater home. At approximately 9:56 AM Friday morning, Atwater Police began receiving reports of shots fired in the area of Winton Way and Fir Avenue.

Officers arrived on scene and found a male seated in the driver’s seat of a black sedan who had sustained at least two gunshot wounds. Cal-Fire personnel and Riggs Ambulance arrived at the scene and began life saving efforts before the victim was ultimately transported to a Merced hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

Chowchilla Police Officer Thwarts Attempted Ambush by White Supremacist

CHOWCHILLA - Early Sunday morning Chowchilla Police arrested Paul Clingham (47) of Chowchilla outside the police department headquarters. The suspect was seen on video surveillance camera, circling the department on a bicycle. A closer examination of the video showed that Clingham was at the rear area of the department carrying a large “butcher” type knife.

As one of Chowchilla police officers walked outside of the department, he noticed that there was a bicycle laying in a parking spot where a patrol car is normally parked. The officer, used his training and experience and began to believe that the bicycle could have been placed there as a distraction.

Former Stockton Couple Convicted of Human Trafficking Charges Related to Forced Labor of Foreign Nationals

SACRAMENTO - After an 11-day trial, a federal jury found Satish Kartan, 45, and his wife, Sharmistha Barai, 40, guilty on March 14 of conspiracy to obtain forced labor and two counts of obtaining forced labor. In addition, Kartan was found guilty of fraud in foreign labor contracting. Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband for the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott, Matthew Perlman, Special Agent in Charge of the of the Diplomatic Security Service San Francisco Field Office, Sean Ragan, Special Agent in Charge of the Sacramento FBI Field Office, and Ryan L. Spradlin, the Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in Northern California made the announcement.

“Human trafficking is a disgraceful and unacceptable crime. The defendants in this case took advantage of overseas workers, forcing them to work without pay, physically abusing them, and threatening negative repercussions if they tried to leave,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband. "The Justice Department will continue to investigate and vigorously prosecute human traffickers in order to bring justice to victims.”

U.S. Air Force Member Charged with Producing and Receiving Child Pornography

SACRAMENTO - A federal grand jury returned an eight-count indictment Thursday against Bryce Carter Studebaker, 22, currently stationed at Beal Air Force Base, charging him with four counts of producing and attempting to produce child pornography and four counts of receiving child pornography, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. Studebaker was arrested this morning.

According to court documents, Studebaker produced and received sexually explicit images of a minor on four occasions between December 31, 2017, and March 30, 2018. This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney André M. Espinosa is prosecuting the case.

Detectives Arrest 82 Year Old Man for Killing 77 Year Old Wife

CLOVIS - Homicide detectives with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office have arrested 82 year old Kenneth Wright of Clovis. He has been booked into the Fresno County Jail on a charge of murder. His bail is set at $1 million.

During the early afternoon of March 14th, Fresno County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a home on the 6700 block of N. Del Rey Ave. in Clovis for a report of a possible suicide. Inside the home, deputies found 77 year old Maradee Wright deceased from an apparent gunshot wound. Due to evidence found at the scene, deputies became skeptical this was a suicide.