At first, Stephanie Morris was nervous about leaving Modesto. She’d lived in the Central Valley her whole life, but her family couldn’t keep paying $850-a-month for her sons to share a living room while she, her husband and the baby slept in their apartment’s only bedroom. The anxiety faded by...
Modesto Man Pleads Guilty to Killing 6, Including Children
A Modesto man who killed five people in 2015 was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without possibility of parole. Martin Martinez, 35, entered pleas of murder with special circumstances of lying in wait and committing multiple murders in the 2015 attack. In addition to five life sentences, he was...
This Meth Ring Stretched From Modesto to Alaska
A Modesto man was sentenced Monday to 26 years and eight months in prison for his role in a methamphetamine distribution ring reaching to Juneau, Alaska. Listen to this article: U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced the sentence for 32-year-old Joseph Vasquez Jr. in a news release Monday afternoon. According to court...
2 Men Arrested in Shooting of Merced Sheriff's Deputy
MERCED — Two men have been arrested on suspicion of shooting a California sheriff's deputy whose protective vest may have saved his life. Javier Delgadillo-Munoz and Paul Glenn, both of Modesto, were arrested Wednesday night after the attack on the deputy, the Merced Sun-Star reported. It wasn't immediately clear whether the...
Valley County Puts Big Fines on Illegal Pot Grows
MODESTO — A Central Valley county will try to deter illegal marijuana cultivation by imposing hefty administrative penalties. The Modesto Bee reports the fines taking effect Dec. 19 in Stanislaus County are $1,000 per day per plant and will be assessed between the time a citation is issued and the growers...
Drugs Hidden in Spray Foam Land Modesto Man in Nebraska Jail
State troopers weren't fooled when they came upon a box filled with spray foam after stopping a California driver on Sunday for speeding on Interstate 80 in central Nebraska. After detecting "indicators of criminal activity," troopers searched the car and discovered a pound and a half of marijuana hidden in...
Walters: Pension Costs Hitting Home — Hard
Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Protection District came into being 14 years ago when four small fire departments serving farms and small towns east of Modesto merged. The district now flirts with insolvency, a case study in how rapidly growing costs for pensions and other employee benefits are clobbering local governments. Four...
Modesto Hells Angels VP, Secretary Indicted on Drug Charges
The federal government's investigation into the activities of the Modesto Hells Angels Motorcycle Club yielded new indictments Thursday in Fresno. Chapter vice president Michael Shafer, 31, of Modesto, was charged with conspiring to distribute marijuana, conspiring to distribute heroin, distribution of marijuana, and two counts of use of a communication...
Modesto City Council Bans Weapons, Masks at Rallies
Modesto has banned firearms, glass bottles, baseball bats, and other items that can be used as weapons at rallies and protests. The Modesto City Council approved the ordinance Tuesday that also prohibits participants from wearing masks or anything that hides their faces. City spokesman Thomas Reeves says the ordinance initially...
Modesto City Council Bans Weapons, Masks at Rallies
Modesto has banned firearms, glass bottles, baseball bats, and other items that can be used as weapons at rallies and protests. The Modesto City Council approved the ordinance Tuesday that also prohibits participants from wearing masks or anything that hides their faces. City spokesman Thomas Reeves says the ordinance initially...