News

MADERA -  Madera High School’s Madtown 1323 Robotics team won the FIRST Robotics World Championship in Houston.  This is the second time that a team from the Central Valley has ever won the World Championship.  A parade was held on Saturday morning to celebrate the World Championship.  

The parade began at the Madera Unified District Office and end at N street by the Memorial Stadium on Olive Avenue.  Trucks and Jeeps from Gill Dodge transported the Robotics Team with elected officials from the Madera City Council, Madera County Board of Supervisors and the Madera Unified Board of Trustees traveled down Howard Road to the HOPY Intersections, then continued to the backside of Madera High School.

MADERA – The National Transportation Safety Board investigators are at the scene of yesterday’s plane crash near the Madera Municipal Airport, across the street from the Madera Municipal Golf Course. The crash, that claimed the lives of two Fresno residents, occurred shortly before 1:00pm Thursday afternoon.

The California Highway Patrol received a report of a plane crash in the area of Avenue 17 and Road 23 in Madera County. CHP Troopers and county sheriff’s deputies along with Madera Police, and CAL Fire responded to the scene. Upon arrival, it was confirmed that an ultra-light single engine aircraft crashed into an empty field. Public Information Officer Kayla Serratto with the Madera County Sheriff's Office says both victims died at the scene.

FRESNO -  A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment today against Edilberto Vidrio, 53, and Elena Castillo, 46, both of Fresno, charging them with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin, and possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. 

According to court documents, Fresno police officers assisted Monterey County District Attorney’s Office to serve a search warrant unrelated to narcotics at Vidrio and Castillo’s apartment. They found approximately 30 pounds of methamphetamine, a pound of cocaine, and 1.8 pounds of heroin packaged for sale in their apartment. Scales and other items associated with the sale of narcotics were also found in their apartment.

FRESNO - A federal grand jury returned an 18-count indictment on April 11 against Deena Vang Lee, 38, of Fresno, charging her with wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, aiding and assisting in the preparation and presentation of false and fraudulent tax returns, and making and subscribing false and fraudulent tax returns, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to court documents, between February 2012 and February 2016, Lee prepared tax returns for a fee for friends, family, and other acquaintances that claimed thousands of dollars in tax credits for education and child care expenses that were not actually incurred. Lee also submitted fraudulent tax returns on her own behalf, failing to report the income from her tax preparation services.

FRESNO -  Oscar Ivan Salazar-Avalos (Salazar), 29, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced today to six years and nine months in prison for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. 

Salazar’s sentence follows his guilty plea last November.  According to court documents, Salazar and co-defendant Jose Manuel Sotelo-Mendoza, 26, of Ceres, delivered 15 pounds of methamphetamine to an undercover officer in Delano after Salazar negotiated with the officer for the delivery of the drug for $3,400 per pound for a total of $51,000. Salazar and Sotelo met the source of supply in Castaic in the northern part of Los Angeles County to obtain the methamphetamine. 

MADERA - Late Friday night officers from the Madera Police Department responded to calls of reckless driving in the Home Depot parking lot. when officers arrived and spotted a Ford Mustang doing donuts in the parking lot. Officer Short conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and when he exited his patrol car to make contact with the driver, the vehicle fled through the parking lot at a high rate of speed.

The Ford Mustang exited the parking lot onto Kennedy and collided with another vehicle. The Ford Mustang fled the scene of this accident. Thankfully, the driver of the other vehicle was not injured. Officer Smith arrived in the area to assist and located the Ford Mustang and the suspect in the parking lot of a nearby apartment complex.