Bakersfield had the fastest population growth among California’s ten biggest cities. California’s Department of Fiance says the city grew 1.2% from 2024 to 2025, reaching over 419,000 people. Bakersfield also added more than 1,700 new housing units last year, with nearly 5% gains in both housing and population. Kern County ranked seventh in the state…… Read More
A Kern County man who sexually abused a friend’s 9-year-old son will spend the rest of his life behind bars. Prosecutors say David Aney, 60, began abusing the child after forming a roommate relationship with a friend who shared the home with his son. Aney pleaded no contest April 3 to one count of continuous…… Read More
Four drivers have been arrested for street racing on Bakersfield roads. Police say two separate races took place in April, one on Stockdale Highway and another on 24th Street, with drivers hitting speeds up to 84 miles per hour. Officers stopped all four men, ages 19 to 30, and impounded their vehicles for thirty days.…… Read More
A Weldon man who shot his neighbor in the chest with a shotgun has been sentenced to life in prison. Prosecutors say Jimmy Newman, 59, shot the victim after an argument on October 14, 2024. Newman took off across state lines but was caught by police in Arkansas for expired registration nine days after the…… Read More
A former Lakeside Union school board member has taken a plea deal in a child sex case. Travis Fugitt pleaded no contest Friday to charges of attempted unlawful sex with a minor. Prosecutors dropped two other charges as part of the deal. Fugitt, of Fugitt Farming and Harvesting, was a member of the school board…… Read More
A Bakersfield woman facing up to eighteen months in jail has been acquitted of resisting arrest and child endangerment. A jury on Friday found Mikeisha Herring not guilty after an incident in April 2024 where nine police officers entered her home on Flatrock Drive during a probation search for her son. Herring’s attorney says officers…… Read More
Several people have been cited as part of an operation aimed at cracking down on human trafficking and the sex trade industry in Bakersfield. Undercover officers with the Bakersfield Police Department and the FBI were approached April 30 by several men around town who propositioned them for paid sex. That resulted in 10 citations and…… Read More
A Kern County man has been convicted of sexual abusing two girls, one for five years. Prosecutors say Pedro Castro, 41, admitted to the crimes and wrote the victim an apology letter. A jury on Tuesday found Castro guilty of several felony sex crimes including assault on a child under 10. He faces 25 years…… Read More
Bakersfield is rolling out new efforts to boost safety along the Kern River Trail. The city on Wednesday launched a volunteer bike patrol with ten trained bike rangers set to watch the path and assist trail users. Park Rangers also added four new e-bikes to respond faster to incidents. The multi-use trail follows the path…… Read More
The state parole board has granted parole to a former gang leader convicted in Kern County. Ricky Black was a member of the street gang Nazi Low Riders and was sentenced to 75 years to life for ordering a fatal stabbing in September 1999. Authorities say the victim, T.J. Taylor, was stabbed at a park…… Read More
