NEWS  ITEM

Case Number: 12-80072

Crime: 11377 HS, 11364 HS, 11550 HS 

Possession of a controlled substance, possession of narcotic paraphernalia and under the influence of a controlled substance

Area Occurred:  12900 block of Ledbetter Drive Orosi, Ca.

Date and Time Occurred:  5-24-12 / 1645 hours

Victim: State of California

On 5-24-12 at about 4:45 pm, personnel from the sheriff department’s gang violence suppression unit initiated a search warrant in the 12900 block of Ledbetter Drive in Orosi to further an existing investigation stemming from patrol on 5-22-12 where a loaded handgun was seized from a documented gang member who is still in custody.

While on scene, detectives located Alberto Herrera (26 years) and found him to be in possession of a small amount of methamphetamine and narcotic paraphernalia.  He was also under the influence of a controlled substance.  Herrera was arrested and later booked into the Tulare County main jail for possession of a controlled substance, possession of narcotic paraphernalia and for being under the influence of a controlled substance.  His bail was set at $10,000.00  

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Sheriff’s Department at 559-733-6218 or you can remain anonymous by sending your information to tcso@tipnow.com or by texting to (559) 725-4194.

On May 24, 2012, at approximately 1342 hours, the Tulare County Sheriff's Office received a call of a plane crash in the area of Avenue of 264 and Road 28.  Units responded to the area and located a 1974 Cessna 150L, blue and white in color in the field.  The pilot, an adult male, was located uninjured.  A 10 year old female was in the plane at the time.  The child was also uninjured.  The FAA was notified and an incident report was taken.

UPDATE:

On 05-24-2012, an autopsy was conducted on Victim Ceballos.  Cause of death has been listed as exsanguination due to multiple gunshot wounds to the upper body.

PRIOR RELEASE:

On the above date and time The Tulare County Sheriff Dept. received a 911 call of shots fired in a residence.
at the Woodville Labor Camp located at Road192 and Avenue 160.
Deputies from the Porterville SubStation responded to the scene and learned the following.

Earlier in the day there had been a domestic dispute between the husband and wife.  The husband left the
residence and returned a short while later.  While in the residence, for unknown reasons, the husband shot
the wife at least one time.  During the shooting, two of the couple's adult children were in the residence.
One of the children, fled out of the residence, while the other confronted his father.  The father instructed
the child to leave the residence, which he did, unharmed.

Arriving deputies made verbal contact with the suspect through a door. The suspect barricaded himself in the
residence, refusing to exit, or allow deputies to check on the welfare of the victim.  A prolonged dialog continued
with the suspect, until he refused to continue speaking with the deputies.

The sheriff's department SWAT team, and hostage negotiators responded, and attempted for several hours to make
contact with the suspect. At 2130 hours the SWAT team forced entry into the residence. They took the suspect into
custody without incident.

The female victim was located deceased inside the residence from a gunshot wound.  The suspect was transported
to a local hospital for a precautionary jail clearance and later booked at the Tulare County Main Jail, on
charges of homicide.

Victim  Maria Ceballos Alcantar  38 yrs.

Suspect Eleazar Alcantar Age 50 yrs.

For information contact  Detective Jose Torres  735-1898

On 3-29-12 at approx. 0824 hrs, Deputies were dispatched to an abandoned building located in the 24000 block of Ave 184, in the community of Strathmore, regarding a deceased subject.  Deputies arrived on scene and discovered a burning body.  The victim was subsequently transported to the Tulare County Morgue for an autopsy and investigation by the Violent Crimes Division. 

On 4-4-12, the burnt remains were identified as those belonging to Jorge Luis Nunez Ayon of the Bakersfield area. 

On 5-23-12 The Tulare County Sheriff's Office continued the investigation into the murder of Jorge Luis Nunez Ayon with the service of four search warrants and the arrest of three suspects in the communities of Strathmore and Porterville.

Suspects
1)      Eric Jimenez, 28 years of age from Strathmore. Charges (187 PC) no bail.
2)      Matthew Campos, 23 years of age from Strathmore. Charges (187 PC) no bail.
3)      Raquel Espinoza, 25 years of age from Porterville. Charges (187 & 32 PC) no bail.

The search warrants were served based on information obtained during the two month long investigation.  Detectives learned, on the evening of March 28, 2012 the victim was at a residence in the City of Porterville visiting with Raquel Espinoza.  While there, the victim was confronted by Jimenez who accused Ayon of dating Espinoza, whom Jimenez believes is his own girlfriend.  A fight ensues at which time Jimenez and Campos repeatedly beat the victim about the head and body then strangled to death. All three suspects loaded the victim into his own vehicle and transported him to the 24000 block of Ave 184, Strathmore where he was set on fire.

The victim's vehicle was then hidden for several days until it was located burnt in an olive grove north of Strathmore.

The case is continues to be under investigation by the Tulare County Sheriff's Department. Anyone with information should contact Det. Frank Zaragoza or Sgt. Hunt at (559) 735-1898, or Tipnow by phone (559) 725-4194, or email: tcso@tipnow.com

Sheriff Bill Wittman will be holding a ceremony to promote Sergeant Alfred Galafate, Sergeant Robert Moore, and Sergeant Juan Garza to the rank of Lieutenant. The Sheriff will also be promoting Deputy Santos Salgado and Deputy Gerald Calderon to the rank of Sergeant on Thursday May 24, 2012 at 2:00 PM. The ceremony will be held at the Tulare County Board of Supervisors Board rooms A and B. Friends and family will also be present to show their support.

Lieutenant Alfred Galafate grew up in Earlimart California and has resided in Tulare County his entire life.  He began his career with the Sheriff's Office as a Deputy in November of 1993. Lieutenant Galafate worked through the detentions facilities and was assigned to the patrol division in 1998.  While in patrol he was a Field Training Officer and a Community Based Officer.  Lieutenant Galafate is also involved in the Police Activities League where he is a board member.  Lieutenant Galafate also worked in the Detective Division assigned to the South end Property Crimes Unit.  Alfred was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in 2005 where he worked in detentions and patrol and was the Administrative Sergeant for the Pixley and Porterville Substations. 

During his eighteen years with the department, Lieutenant Galafate has worked in the Detention, Patrol and Detective Divisions.  He has been instrumental in the Police Activities League for the youth and the Sheriff Explorer Program.  He has also represented the Department at the Police and Fire Games for the past ten years. 

Lieutenant Alfred Galafate is supported in his new career path by his wife, Melissa his 20 year old son Jonathon, his 15 year old son Christopher and his 11 year old son Matthew.

Lieutenant Juan Garza grew up in Dinuba and has resided there his entire life.  He began his career with the Sheriff’s Office as a Detention Services Officer in October of 1996.  He attended the Police Academy in 2000 and was sworn in as a Deputy in May of 2001.  Lieutenant Garza has worked at numerous stations in the detentions divisions including time as a Jail Training Officer.  In May of 2006, he promoted to the rank of Correctional Sergeant stationed at the Adult Pre-Trial Facility.  Lieutenant Garza was requested to be in charge of administration at the facility and has held this post since 2008. 

Lieutenant Juan Garza is supported in his new career path by his wife Patricia, his son John Daniel “JD”.  He is also the oldest of eight brothers, five of which are also in law enforcement.

Lieutenant Robert Moore was born in Tulare and raised in the Visalia area where he currently resides.  He began his career with the Sheriff’s Office in 1988 working at the Return to Custody Facility and Main Jail.  He worked for the Farmersville Police Department from 1989 to 1995.  Lieutenant Moore returned to the Sheriff’s Office in 1995 and was assigned to Headquarters Patrol where he also became a Field Training Officer.  In 1996, he was assigned to the Gang Suppression Unit as a Detective until he promoted to Sergeant in 1999.  As a Sergeant, Moore has worked at the Bob Wiley Detention Facility, Main Jail, North County Property Crimes and his most recent station with the South County Gang Suppression Unit.

Lieutenant Robert Moore is supported in his new career path by his wife Diana and five children, Alyssa, Kayla, Taylor, Cheyann and Justin.

Sergeant Santos Salgado came to us from the Orange County area in 2001.  Sergeant Salgado began his career with the Sheriff’s Office stationed at the Tulare County Correctional Center.  He was also given the opportunity to work at the Men’s Correctional Facility, and the Day Reporting Center.  Sergeant Salgado was an asset to the department as one of the Sheriff’s Jail Training Officers taking in new recruits and training them on department policy and procedure and the jail facilities.
 
Sergeant Santos Salgado is supported in his new career path by his wife Ruth and two children, Miranda and Diana.

Sergeant Gerardo Calderon began his seventeen year career with the Sheriffs’ Office in February of 1994 as a Detention Services Officer.  In August of 1995 he was promoted to Detention Specialist.  Sergeant Calderon attended the POST Basic Police Academy in August of 1999 and was promoted to Deputy upon graduation in December.  During his career as a Deputy he has worked at Orosi Patrol, Men’s Correctional Facility, Bob Wiley Detention Facility and the Adult Pre-Trial Facility.  Sergeant Calderon was also a Jail Training Officer, and currently a member of the Sheriff’s Honor Guard, SSERT Team and Search and Rescue Team. 

Sergeant Gerardo Calderon served in the U.S. Marine Corps as a Corporal and went on to serve as a 1st Lieutenant in the California Army National Guard.  While in the service, Sgt. Calderon served in the Gulf War, Los Angeles Riots, Operation National Eagle (9/11) and Hurricane Katrina.  Sgt. Calderon is a graduate of the Visalia Chamber of Commerce Leadership class and currently serves as the President of the Latino Rotary Club of Tulare County.

Sergeant Gerardo Calderon is supported in his career by his wife America and his two children, Audrey and Andrew.

Sheriff Bill Wittman offers his sincere congratulations to Lieutenants Alfred Galafate, Juan Garza, Robert Moore and Sergeants Santos Salgado and Gerald Calderon.  The Department wishes them well in their new assignments.

The public is welcome to join the department, friends and family for a formal promotional ceremony to be held at the Board of Supervisors conference rooms A and B.  The ceremony will take place on Thursday, May 24, 2012 at 2:00 PM.

Refreshments to follow.

Pictures available on the Sheriff’s Flickr Page at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tularecountysheriff/sets/72157629869978874/
###

Narrative:

Suspect-    Christian Carreon 19 years old from Orosi

On  05-22-12 at approximately 2050 hours deputies from the Orosi Substation contacted (S)Carreon in the 12900 block of Miller Avenue in Orosi.  Upon contact with Carreon, He was found to be in possession of a loaded and concealed handgun.  Carreon has previously been served with the Sureno Gang Injuntion, which prohibits him from committing any crime with in the safety zone.  (S)Carreon was subsequently taken into custody and booked at the Tulare County Main Jail with no further incident.

The case is currently under investigation by the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office.

On 05/22/2012 at 0600 hours TCSO Deputies responded to the 34500 block of Rd 124 regarding an assault. Deputies contacted the victim, who sustained severe injuries to his face and head. The suspect Ignacio De Loera was later identified and subsequently arrested.

The case is currently under investigation by the Tulare County Sheriff's Department.

Taken into custody were:
Ignacio De Loera 20 years old

Charges: PC 245 Assault with a deadly weapon.

On 05/22/2012, at approximately 0950 hours, Deputies from the Porterville Substation responded to a local Hospital regarding a seventeen year old juvenile who appeared to be under the influence of narcotics. The juvenile stated he and another seventeen year old juvenile had eaten a cookie baked with marijuana. During the investigation, Deputies learned that Keisha Sparling, twenty-four years old of Lindsay provided the juveniles with the marijuana cookie as a graduation present. Sparling, who possesses a medical marijuana recommendation was arrested for furnishing marijuana to minors and child endangerment. The juvenile was released from the hospital later that day. This case is still under investigation by the Tulare County Sheriff's Department, Porterville Division.    

S1: Keisha Sparling 02/06/1987
V1: Confidential Minor - 17 YO
V2: Confidential Minor - 17 YO

On the above date and time The Tulare County Sheriff Dept. received a 911 call of shots fired in a residence.
at the Woodville Labor Camp located at Road192 and Avenue 160.
Deputies from the Porterville SubStation responded to the scene and learned the following.

Earlier in the day there had been a domestic dispute between the husband and wife.  The husband left the
residence and returned a short while later.  While in the residence, for unknown reasons, the husband shot
the wife at least one time.  During the shooting, two of the couple's adult children were in the residence.
One of the children, fled out of the residence, while the other confronted his father.  The father instructed
the child to leave the residence, which he did, unharmed.

Arriving deputies made verbal contact with the suspect through a door. The suspect barricaded himself in the
residence, refusing to exit, or allow deputies to check on the welfare of the victim.  A prolonged dialog continued
with the suspect, until he refused to continue speaking with the deputies.

The sheriff's department SWAT team, and hostage negotiators responded, and attempted for several hours to make
contact with the suspect. At 2130 hours the SWAT team forced entry into the residence. They took the suspect into
custody without incident.

The female victim was located deceased inside the residence from a gunshot wound.  The suspect was transported
to a local hospital for a precautionary jail clearance and later booked at the Tulare County Main Jail, on
charges of homicide.

Victim  Maria Ceballos Alcantar  38 yrs.

Suspect Eleazar Alcantar Age 50 yrs.

For information contact  Detective Jose Torres  735-1898

NEWS  ITEM

Case Number: 12-80070, 12-80071, 12-5868, 12-6333 and arrest warrants

Crime: 11377 HS, 148 PC, 11550 HS, 496 PC, 23152 VC, 836-273.5 / 245 PC and arrest warrant services

Area Occurred: Cutler, Orosi and Sultana 

Date and Time Occurred: 5-18-12 and 5-19-12 / 1600-0200 hours

Victim 1: State of California

Victim 2: Undisclosed female (32 years) out of Sultana

Victim 3: Brenda Valdez (39 years) out of Orosi

Personnel from the sheriff department’s gang violence suppression unit, along with its community based officers attempted to curb violence and nuisance within the towns of Cutler, Orosi and Sultana by way of saturation patrol.  In doing so, there were eight arrests for various felony and misdemeanor crimes, which included warrant arrests.    

Arrested were;

Ray Pimental (22 years) under the influence of a controlled substance, possession of narcotic paraphernalia and a misdemeanor arrest warrant

Alejandro Milares (26 years) possession of a controlled substance, obstruction of justice and an accompanying parole hold

Jessica Fuentes (44 years) out of county felony arrest warrant

Delilah Echavarria (28 years) under the influence of a controlled substance

Sara Rodriguez (25 years) possession of stolen property and under the influence of a controlled substance

Saul Jimenez (26 years) driving while under the influence of alcohol

Sergio Villarreal (30 years) misdemeanor arrest warrant

Michael Gomez (31 years) domestic violence and assault with a deadly weapon 

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Sheriff’s Department at 559-733-6218 or you can remain anonymous by sending your information to tcso@tipnow.com or by texting to (559) 725-4194.

On 05-18-2012 at approximately 1700 hours, Deputies with the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department responded to a residence in the 1100 Block of S. Crystal Street in Porterville for a report of a possible kidnapping. After further investigation, it was determined a 27 year old female had been kidnapped from the residence by her estranged boyfriend. Detectives with the Sheriff’s Department responded to the scene and took over the investigation. A search of the surrounding area was conducted with the assistance of Porterville Police Department and Cal-Fire. At approximately 2130 Hours, the victim was located in the Porterville area by Detectives and was found to be uninjured.   

This case is currently being investigated by The Tulare County Sheriff’s Department. Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to contact Detective Steve Sanchez or Detective Rod Klassen at 559-733-6218. You may also e-mail information to TCSO@tipnow.com or text @ 559-725-4194.    

On 5/16/2012 at 1800 hours deputies responded to the area of the 41300 block of Road 128 regarding a subject brandishing a knife. Following a brief search of the area a Sheriff’s Department canine located the suspect hiding nearby in the overgrown banks of Sand Creek. The suspect was taken into custody and booked at the Main Jail for making criminal threats and brandishing a weapon.

The case is currently under investigation by the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office.

Taken into custody were:

Daniel Zapien, 46, Orosi

Charges:   PC 422/417

On 05-16-12 at approximately 1445 hours deputies from the Orosi Substation responded to an address at the 5200 block of Avenue 400 regarding a report of a theft. Deputies determined that a theft had occurred which resulted in an approximate $70.00 property loss. A description of the property, suspects, and suspect vehicle was collected.

At approximately 1550 hours, a vehicle matching the description was located at the 1600 block of Ave.400 in Kingsburg. The vehicle contained equipment matching the property stolen and was occupied by a Hispanic female adult. The victim responded to the scene and identified her property, the vehicle and the suspect. The suspect was taken into custody and charged with possession of stolen property. The suspect was booked at the Bob Wiley Detention Facility.

The case is currently under investigation by the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office.

Taken into custody were: 

Marisol Salinas 31 yrs

Charges:   PC 496, PC 488

Deputies were dispatched to a residential burglary in the area Sacramento and Cartmill in Tulare. Deputies arrived on scene, located and detained two supects. Deputies located property inside the suspects’ vehicle. The victim arrived on scene and confirmed his residence had been broken into then identified the property in the suspects’ vehicle as belonging to him. Victim estimated the loss to be $20,000.00. Suspects were arrested and booked at the Tulare County Main Jail.

Suspect-1: Keon Poles  38yrs
Suspect-2: Thomas Richardson  58yrs

Case under investigation by the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office

On the above date and time suspects driving an older Honda Civic, silver in color, drove passed the victim and fired several shots striking the victim twice.  The victim was rushed to the hospital and remains in stable condition.  This crime appears to be gang related.

Anyone with  information should call Detective Klassen at (559) 733-6218 or send anonymous information by sending a text message or email to TCSO@tipnow.com or call 1-800-TIPNOW.