News

Deputies Make Oakhurst Residential Burglary Arrest

OAKHURST - On January 8, 2018, at approximately 5:00am, Madera County Sheriff’s Office Deputies responded to a residence in the 39000 block of Manzanita Drive in Oakhurst for a report of a burglary. The owner of the property reported that two motorcycles and several pieces of equipment had been stolen from his garage.

During a subsequent search of the area, a U-Haul truck with two occupants was located. The two subjects, David Greene and Tama Lucas, refused a consensual search of the vehicle; however, enough probable cause existed to detain the vehicle. Madera County Sheriff’s Office Detectives obtained a search warrant for the U-Haul, and numerous stolen items, including the equipment and one motorcycle, were recovered and returned to the owner(s).

Madera County Supervisors Reorganize for 2018 and Commemorate 125th Anniversary

MADERA - The Madera County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to appoint District 5 supervisor Tom Wheeler to serve as the 2018 chairman of the board. District 1 Supervisor Brett Frazier will serve as pro tem. The first supervisor meeting of the year is typically a reorganization meeting, with annual formalities on the agenda.

Tuesday’s meeting was no different, as 2017 chair Max Rodriguez passed the proverbial gavel to Wheeler. The supervisors presented Rodriguez with a plaque thanking him for his time leading the board. “It has been a pleasure to work with each of you,” said Rodriguez “I have no doubt Supervisor Wheeler will do an exceptional job as chairman.”

Fuel Theft Arrest in Madera County

MADERA - In mid October of 2017, Madera County Sheriff’s Office Ag Crimes department received a report of numerous fuel thefts that had occurred at an equipment yard in the 28000 block of Avenue 14. Suspect and vehicle descriptions were derived during the course of the investigation.

The suspect was then observed on a neighboring property in early December, and Madera County Sheriff’s Office Detectives subsequently located the suspect vehicle parked at a residence 14000 block of Road 28, which was seconds away from the location of where the thefts had occurred.

Detectives Arrest Registered Sex Offender on Multiple Charges of Child Sex Abuse

SANGER - Detectives with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office Sex Crimes Unit have arrested 53 year old Edward Lira of Sanger. He is facing multiple felony charges, which include sex acts with a child under 14. On January 4th, the Sheriff’s Office received reports from two teenage girls who have suffered sexual abuse for several years, dating back to 2005.

The girls identified Edward Lira as the man responsible for committing the crimes against them. Lira is not a relative of the girls, but knew them from prior interactions with their family.

Poll Shows President Trump's Approval Rating Down to 29 Percent

BROOKVILLE, N.Y. - A new Long Island University Hornstein Center for Policy, Polling and Analysis poll showed widespread disapproval of the Executive and Legislative branches. The poll showed that the majority of Americans disapprove of the President (60 percent), the Senate (64 percent), and the House of Representatives (62 percent) current job performance. Views on the Supreme Court's job performance was more evenly split, with 35 percent approval, 34 percent disapproval, and 30 percent unsure.

The national poll showed a correlation suggesting continued loyalty to the President amongst approximately a quarter of the American public. In three different questions, 25 percent answered that they would vote for him if the election was today, 23 percent said that they approve of the newly passed and signed tax legislation, and 22 percent responded that they primarily identify with the Republican political party. These numbers show that while Trump's Republican base of support has dwindled since his election night, there is a fiercely loyal group that are unlikely to be swayed by current news cycles or popular opinion.

Fresno Woman Pleads Guilty to Stealing More than $1.5M from International Food Distribution Company

FRESNO - Leslie Michelle Hays, 49, of Fresno pleaded guilty today to one count of wire fraud for embezzling funds from her employer, Borges USA, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. According to the plea agreement, Hays was the director of human resources from 2005 through 2014 at Borges USA, a food distribution company based in Spain with regional headquarters in Fresno.

Hays embezzled funds from Borges USA by misreporting her salary, expenses, and vacation time. Based on the false payroll information, the company’s payroll processor made wire transmissions via direct deposit into Hays’ bank account. In total, Hays stole more than $800,000 in inflated salary payments and $400,000 in false expenses reimbursements and vacation pay.

World’s Most Influential Tech Event Kicks Off with Record-Breaking CES Unveiled and Intel Keynote

LAS VEGAS - CES 2018 opened its doors today unveiling the next-generation of technology designed to improve our lives and address global challenges across a record-breaking show floor that spans more than 2.75 million net square feet of exhibit space and features more than 3,900 exhibitors, including some 900 startups. More than 20,000 products will launch at CES 2018 this week. Owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)^TM, CES 2018 runs through Friday, January 12, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“The future of innovation is on display this week at CES, with technology that will empower consumers and change our world for the better,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CTA. “Every major industry is represented here at CES 2018, with global brands and a record-number of startups unveiling products that will revolutionize how we live, work and play. From the latest in self-driving vehicles, smart cities, AI, sports tech, robotics, health and fitness tech and more, the innovation at CES 2018 will further global business and spur new jobs and new markets around the world.”