Local News

.State Attorney Announces Progress in Making Communities Safer Through Project Safe Neighborhoods in Fresno

FRESNO - One year ago, the Department of Justice announced the revitalization and enhancement of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which Attorney General Sessions has made the centerpiece of the Department’s violent crime reduction strategy. PSN is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, and local law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and community leaders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.

The PSN strategy empowers each district to develop targeted, localized violent crime reduction strategies, tailoring solutions to each individual community. PSN has been proven to reduce violent crime since it was launched in 2001, and the revitalized version has been enhanced with new technologies and a redoubling of efforts to strengthen partnerships with local communities.

National MS Society Commits $12 Million to 40 New Research Projects to Stop Multiple Sclerosis, Restore Function & End MS Forever

NEW YORK - The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has just committed $12 million to support 40 new multi-year MS research projects. These are part of a comprehensive approach to accelerate research breakthroughs aimed at stopping MS, restoring lost function, and ending the disease forever.

This financial commitment is the latest in the Society's relentless research effort, investing a projected $35.8 million in 2018 alone to support new and ongoing studies around the world. To date, the Society has committed more than $1 billion in research funding.

Attorney General Becerra: Consumers Deserve the Right to Hold Apple Accountable: Should the Courts Overturn the Illinois Brick Decision

SACRAMENTO – California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has joined a bipartisan multistate amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in Apple v. Pepper, supporting consumers who allege that Apple, Inc. (Apple) violated antitrust laws by monopolizing distribution of iPhone applications (apps).

In Apple v. Pepper, Apple is appealing a judgment in favor of consumers from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Apple argued that the appellate court’s ruling should be overturned based on a 1977 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Illinois Brick v. Illinois (Illinois Brick). The decision established that only a direct purchaser of goods could seek legal remedies for antitrust violations committed by a manufacturer or service provider.

Shotspotter Technology Leads to Southwest Weapons Arrest

FRESNO - On Sunday, September 30, 2018, just before midnight, the Southwest Special Response Team (SRT) received a ShotSpotter activation in the in area of Kern Street and Freeway 99. SRT officers arrived in the area within a minute and began canvassing for suspects.

While searching the immediate area in which the ShotSpotter system indicated the shots were fired officers’ contacted 40-year-old Fresno resident Juan Romo-Bais.

Former Sacramento Area Youth Gymnastics Coach Sentenced to Over 8 Years in Prison for Possessing Child Pornography

SACRAMENTO - U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. sentenced Derek Swede Godfrey, 49, formerly of Rocklin, to eight years and one month in prison for possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. According to court documents, in October 5, 2006, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at Godfrey’s home in Rocklin.

On his computer, agents located more than 400 videos and 5,000 still images depicting the sexual abuse and exploitation of minors. The day after, Godfrey, a youth gymnastics coach, left the United States for the Netherlands where he had dual-citizenship. On January 25, 2007, a grand jury in Sacramento indicted Godfrey, charging him with one count of possession of child pornography.