News

Former State Correctional Officer Jailed for Sexual Assault

CHOWCHILLA - A former correctional officer has been arrested for sexually assaulting 13 inmates at CDCR's Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla. Gregory Rodriguez, age 54, is in the Madera County Jail pending 7.8 million dollars bail following his arrest by CDCR’s Office of Internal Affairs.

Rodriguez, who worked at the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) in Chowchilla, faces a total of 96 criminal charges, including 39 individual sexual assaults, some charged in more than one way. If convicted, he could face over 300 years - in prison.

Fentanyl Traffickers Plead Guilty to Charges Arising from the 2022 “Operation Killer High” Investigation in Fresno

FRESNO - Henry Cox, 23, and Abel Lozano, 29, both of Sanger, pleaded guilty today to trafficking over 500 grams of fentanyl. Lozano also pleaded guilty to trafficking over 500 grams of methamphetamine and over 100 grams of a fentanyl analogue, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, the investigation, dubbed “Operation Killer High,” began after several victims overdosed on counterfeit oxycodone M30 pills laced with fentanyl in the Fresno area. The investigation aimed to search for the drug dealers believed to have supplied the toxic pills that caused the spike in fentanyl-related overdoses. The operation uncovered a large drug-trafficking ring led by co-defendant Horacio Torrecillas Urias Jr., 22, of Fresno, the self-proclaimed “M30 king of Fresno.”

Felony Carjacking in Riverstone Community

MADERA COUNTY -On May 9, 2023, shortly before 1 pm, Madera County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to the Riverstone business complex in Madera for a reported armed robbery. Multiple Deputies responded to the scene and located the victim in the complex's parking lot. The victim, a Clovis resident, reported he was sprayed with pepper spray and robbed at gunpoint by an unknown assailant, who then stole his work vehicle. He displayed visible signs of being sprayed with pepper spray.

Witness statements indicate the victim was inside his work van when the suspect approached from the rear. The victim observed the suspect, exited the vehicle to confront him, and was able to pull the gun out of his grasp. After disarming the suspect, the victim was sprayed with pepper spray. The suspect got into the victim’s van and fled the scene. The victim ran from the scene towards nearby businesses and discovered the gun he wrestled away was an airsoft pistol.

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.