Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Fresno City Gets Extension in Herndon 4-Story Apartment Case

20 hours ago

With Major Heat Risk Forecast, This Is a Good Weekend to Stay Indoors in Fresno

22 hours ago

Trump Says Intel Has Agreed to Deal for US to Take 10% Equity Stake

23 hours ago

Epstein Associate Maxwell Says She Never Saw Trump Behave Inappropriately

23 hours ago

Pew: US Immigrant Population Declines for First Time in Nearly 60 Years

1 day ago

Powell, Citing Jobs Risk, Opens Door to Cuts but Doesn’t Commit

1 day ago

FBI Agents Search Ex-Trump Adviser Bolton’s Home, Source Says

1 day ago

Gaza City Officially in Famine, With Hunger Spreading, Says Global Hunger Monitor

1 day ago

Gavin Newsom’s Redistricting Plan Is on Its Way to Voters. What You Need to Know

2 days ago
Restraining Order Granted Against Conservative Clovis Activist
David Taub Website photo 2024
By David Taub, Senior Reporter
Published 4 years ago on
May 7, 2021

Share

A judge has granted a restraining order requiring a conservative Clovis activist to stay away from his sister.

At a hearing on Tuesday, Judge Robert Mangano ordered Ben Martin to stay 100 yards away from his sister for two years. The order also prevents Martin from owning or possessing firearms and ammunition.

Martin says he does not own any guns.

GV Wire is not naming the petitioner in the case because she is a victim.

Martin is known in the community for leading protests against businesses that mandate masks. He also frequently posts on his Facebook page videos that have a conservative political slant.

Second Request for Restraining Order

This is the second time Martin’s sister requested a restraining order against her brother within a six-month period. The first, filed in September 2020, was dismissed three months later when the parties agreed to an unofficial stay-away order.

The sister told the judge “things cooled off” and hoped the family could mediate the situation.

Martin’s sister filed a second restraining order request in February. During testimony at an April 13 hearing, she said Martin parked at the family’s real estate business and acted irrationally. She said Martin posted a live Facebook video, speaking negatively about her. She feared for her safety and called police. No arrests were made.

Martin’s sister also said she and her husband received concerning text messages from Martin.

“It scares me,” she testified.

Testifying in his own defense, Martin said he was at the business to pick up a check, never entered the building, and never threatened his sister.

When cross-examining his sister, she replied, “You are unpredictable. You are intimidating. You are scary.”

Mangano continued the April 13 hearing until May 4, when testimony would conclude and he would render a decision. He hoped the two sides would come to a reconciliation, which they did not.

Martin Not at May 4 Hearing

At the April 13 hearing, only Martin and the court reporter were present in the courtroom. To avoid technical complications through video teleconferencing software, Mangano ordered the parties to appear in person this week.

While the sister and her attorney were present, Martin was not.

Martin said he was denied entry to the courthouse because he had a fever. He says he left a message for the judge’s clerk. It was too late to make other arrangements to appear, such as by Zoom.

“I wasn’t afforded due process,” Martin tells GV Wire. Martin, who has been acting as his own attorney, said he plans to file an appeal.

Other Martin Incidents

When Martin led a protest at Sprouts Farmers Market in January against the store’s mask policy, police had to be called to calm a tense situation.

Last month, Martin and Fresno City Councilman Miguel Arias were coincidentally eating at a Paso Robles restaurant at the same time. Martin verbally interacted with Arias. Video showed Martin yelling and cussing at Arias.

Martin was also at the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riots, and entered the building although he said that was not his intent. He said he was trying to prevent any violent behavior but was pushed inside by the mob. He eventually walked out.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Hegseth Authorizes Troops in DC to Carry Weapons

DON'T MISS

Texas, Florida Seek to Join Legal Challenge to Abortion Pill

DON'T MISS

Wrongly Deported Migrant Abrego Released, May Be Detained Again

DON'T MISS

Judge Blocks Trump From Withholding Funds From Los Angeles, Other Sanctuary Cities

DON'T MISS

Lyle Menendez Denied Parole After 35 Years in Prison for Parents’ Shotgun Murders

DON'T MISS

California Cities Lack Unified Response On Homeless Encampments

DON'T MISS

Trump Crime Crackdown Deploys Troops in Washington’s Safest Sites

DON'T MISS

California Voters Still Support High-Speed Rail, Even If It Never Gets Done

DON'T MISS

Turkish First Lady Urges Melania Trump to Speak out on Gaza

DON'T MISS

Fresno Crash Sends Car Into Building After Running Red Light

UP NEXT

California Voters Still Support High-Speed Rail, Even If It Never Gets Done

UP NEXT

Fresno Crash Sends Car Into Building After Running Red Light

UP NEXT

Fresno City Gets Extension in Herndon 4-Story Apartment Case

UP NEXT

Atwater Prison Inmate Charged for Threatening to Kill Prosecutor’s Family

UP NEXT

Fresno Firefighters Contain Cambridge Avenue Blaze, No Injuries Reported

UP NEXT

With Major Heat Risk Forecast, This Is a Good Weekend to Stay Indoors in Fresno

UP NEXT

Remembering Ron McCary, Who Did It All for KMJ

UP NEXT

Community Shares Messages of Support for Joseph Castro While He Is in Hospice Care

UP NEXT

Pew: US Immigrant Population Declines for First Time in Nearly 60 Years

UP NEXT

Fresno Hit-and-Run on Highway 168 Kills Motorcyclist, Victim Identified

David Taub,
Senior Reporter
Curiosity drives David Taub. The award-winning journalist might be shy, but feels mighty with a recorder in his hand. He doesn't see it his job to "hold public officials accountable," but does see it to provide readers (and voters) the information needed to make intelligent choices. Taub has been honored with several writing awards from the California News Publishers Association. He's just happy to have his stories read. Joining GV Wire in 2016, Taub covers politics, government and elections, mainly in the Fresno/Clovis area. He also writes columns about local eateries (Appetite for Fresno), pro wrestling (Off the Bottom Rope), and media (Media Man). Prior to joining the online news source, Taub worked as a radio producer for KMJ and PowerTalk 96.7 in Fresno. He also worked as an assignment editor for KCOY-TV in Santa Maria, California, and KSEE-TV in Fresno. He has also worked behind the scenes for several sports broadcasts, including the NCAA basketball tournament, and the Super Bowl. When not spending time with his family, Taub loves to officially score Fresno Grizzlies games. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Taub is a die-hard Giants and 49ers fan. He graduated from the University of Michigan with dual degrees in communications and political science. Go Blue! You can contact David at 559-492-4037 or at Send an Email

Judge Blocks Trump From Withholding Funds From Los Angeles, Other Sanctuary Cities

3 hours ago

Lyle Menendez Denied Parole After 35 Years in Prison for Parents’ Shotgun Murders

3 hours ago

California Cities Lack Unified Response On Homeless Encampments

4 hours ago

Trump Crime Crackdown Deploys Troops in Washington’s Safest Sites

4 hours ago

California Voters Still Support High-Speed Rail, Even If It Never Gets Done

4 hours ago

Turkish First Lady Urges Melania Trump to Speak out on Gaza

4 hours ago

Fresno Crash Sends Car Into Building After Running Red Light

20 hours ago

Fresno City Gets Extension in Herndon 4-Story Apartment Case

20 hours ago

Atwater Prison Inmate Charged for Threatening to Kill Prosecutor’s Family

21 hours ago

Multiple Passengers Are Killed After Bus Crashes in Western New York

21 hours ago

Hegseth Authorizes Troops in DC to Carry Weapons

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized National Guard troops deployed to Washington to bring their weapons with them on ...

2 hours ago

Soldiers with the 30th Armored Combat Brigade from the South Carolina National Guard at Union Station in Washington, Aug. 20, 2025. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized National Guard troops deployed to Washington to bring their weapons with them on their mission. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times)
2 hours ago

Hegseth Authorizes Troops in DC to Carry Weapons

A patient prepares to take Mifepristone, the first pill in a medical abortion, at Alamo Women's Clinic in Carbondale, Illinois, U.S., April 9, 2024. (Reuters File)
3 hours ago

Texas, Florida Seek to Join Legal Challenge to Abortion Pill

Kilmar Abrego Garcia walks, after he has been released from the Putnam County Jail in Cookville, Tennessee, U.S., August 22, 2025. (Reuters/Seth Herald)
3 hours ago

Wrongly Deported Migrant Abrego Released, May Be Detained Again

U.S. flag and Judge gavel are seen in this illustration taken, August 6, 2024. (Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Illustration)
3 hours ago

Judge Blocks Trump From Withholding Funds From Los Angeles, Other Sanctuary Cities

Lyle Menendez attends his Board of Parole hearing online from the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, California, U.S., August 22, 2025, that could lead to freedom after decades in prison for the 1989 shotgun murders of his parents. The final decision will rest with the governor, who can either accept or reject the board's recommendation. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation/Handout via REUTERS
3 hours ago

Lyle Menendez Denied Parole After 35 Years in Prison for Parents’ Shotgun Murders

4 hours ago

California Cities Lack Unified Response On Homeless Encampments

Members of the Mississippi National Guard eat ice cream and boba tea on the National Mall after U.S. President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard and ordered an increased presence of federal law enforcement to assist in crime prevention, in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 21, 2025. (Reuters/Al Drago)
4 hours ago

Trump Crime Crackdown Deploys Troops in Washington’s Safest Sites

4 hours ago

California Voters Still Support High-Speed Rail, Even If It Never Gets Done

Search

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Send this to a friend