News

Sugar Pine Smokehouse to be Torn Down for In-n-Out Burger

MADERA – What do you do if two restaurants with similar concepts fail within three years of each other in the same location? If you are the management team behind The Commons Shopping Center at the Madera Fair Grounds, Newman Development Group, you tear down the building and turn to In-n-Out Burgers. Within the next six months, the Sugar Pine Smokehouse Restaurant will be leveled to the ground. In its place, the home of the California iconic Double-Double Cheeseburger will rise from the rubble.

Rumors have been floating around Madera for months about where the new In-n-Out Burgers would end up in Madera. It was even a topic in a recent Town Hall meeting that aired on www.BVNRadio.com and streamed on The Valley Guy's Podcast on Spotify. During the Town Hall, the Director of the Madera County Economic Development Commission, Bobby Kahn, could not give much information, sighting that he was (at that time) under a non-disclosure agreement with the Baldwin Park-based burger company. However, Kahn did say that he expected an In-n-Out to open in Madera sometime within the 2022-23 time-frames. But today, new information came out of Madera City Hall. According to Madera City Manager Arnoldo Rodriguez, "In-n-Out has submitted plans for a new building where the existing Sugar Pine Smokehouse is located."

Atwater PD is Investigating its 3rd Homicide of the Year

ATWATER - Early Saturday morning, the Atwater Police Department responded to the 1000 block of Juniper on the report of a shooting. Officers arrived to find a Hispanic male victim with multiple gunshot wounds at the location. Officers and EMS attempted lifesaving activities. The victim was declared dead at the scene.

The victim’s identity is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. An autopsy is pending. Officers are looking for two suspects who left the scene in an unknown type of sedan. The motive for the shooting is under investigation.

Four Arrests for Three Separate Cases of Possession and Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Imagery

MADERA - The Madera County Sheriff’s Department received information from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) through the Central California Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program (ICAC) regarding multiple instances of possession and distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Imagery (CSAI) that was uploaded to the internet in Madera County.

MCSO Detectives immediately initiated an investigation. In one case, detectives discovered that not only were CSAI images being uploaded to the internet, the suspects were also attempting to extort the child victim by various means. In October 2021, two 14-year-old male juveniles were arrested and booked into the Madera County Juvenile Hall for several felony charges including possession and distribution of CSAI, distribution of harmful matter to a known person, and stalking.

Kings County Man Indicted for Submitting Over $10 Million in Fraudulent Claims for Diagnostic Sleep Tests to Medicare

FRESNO - A federal grand jury returned a 12-count indictment today against T, 42, of Hanford, charging him with health care fraud and aggravated identity theft, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, Gober owns and controls VIP Sleep Center, a sleep disorder clinic that operated out of Fresno and Visalia. Sleep disorder clinics perform diagnostic tests to identify ailments like sleep apnea and narcolepsy.

Between January 2015 and September 2021, Gober caused VIP Sleep to bill Medicare for sleep tests the company did not actually perform. Each of these claims also listed a provider who had purportedly referred the patient to VIP Sleep even though the provider had not done so. In total, Gober caused VIP Sleep to submit more than $10 million in false and fraudulent Medicare claims.

Fresno Woman Indicted for Bank Fraud and Identity Theft in Year-Long Scheme

FRESNO - An indictment was unsealed today following the arrest of Bobbi Jo Heiss, 34, of Fresno, charging her with bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. A federal grand jury returned a 10-count indictment on October 14.

According to court documents, between August 2020 and September 2021, Heiss engaged in a scheme to steal debit cards, checks, identity documents, and banking information in order to make fraudulent purchases, cash checks, and open unauthorized lines of credit. It is alleged that caused at least $250,000 in actual and attempted loss during that year-long period.

Mexican Native Sentenced for Toxic Marijuana Cultivation Operation in the Sierra National Forest in Madera County

FRESNO - Luis Madrigal-Reyes, 37, a native and citizen of Mexico, was sentenced today to two years and five months in prison for conspiring to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute marijuana, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. Madrigal was also ordered to pay $48,000 in restitution to the U.S. Forest Service for the extreme damage that the cultivation operation had on public land.

According to court documents, the cultivation operation consisted of 2,307 marijuana plants in the Sierra National Forest in Madera County. U.S. Forest Service agents saw Madrigal carrying fertilizers into the grow site and later apprehended him after they chased him down the side of a mountain. The cultivation operation caused significant damage to the area, which serves as habitat for the Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog, an endangered species and California spotted owl, which is currently being considered for listing under the Endangered Species Act. Agents found deadly banned pesticides sprayed directly on the plants.

Ex-Husband Convicted of First Degree Murder of Estranged Wife

MADERA - On July 14th of last year, Julio Garay changed the lives of so many people when he took the life of his estranged wife. This week aA Madera County jury has convicted Julio Garay of first-degree murder after he shot Calley Jean Garay to death in front of their three young children.

The jury found that he was lying in wait for his estranged wife at her doctor’s appointment. This special circumstance means he could be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Sentencing is scheduled for November 17, 2021, in Department 22 of the Madera Superior Court.