BAKERSFIELD, CA (KUZZ) -- Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed the SCRIVNER Act into law, strengthening protections and accountability in cases involving child sexual abuse. Newsom signed the legislation Tuesday. The law follows the April 2024 arrest of former Kern County Supervisor Zack Scrivner, after Kern County sheriff's d...

BAKERSFIELD, CA (KUZZ) -- At least one person is dead following a fiery, head-on crash southeast of Bakersfield. The California Highway Patrol said the crash happened around 10:30 a.m. Monday when a vehicle crossed from the eastbound lanes of Highway 58 and collided with a westbound vehicle near Malaga Road. Both vehic...

BAKERSFIELD, CA (KUZZ) --A Kern County jury has convicted a Wasco man of stabbing a family member during an argument in February. Prosecutors said Robert Ornelas was arguing with a family member on Feb. 15 when another relative tried to intervene. Ornelas then grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed the person, causing sig...

DELANO, CA (KUZZ) -- Delano police are searching for a man wanted in connection with an attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. Police said Manuel Lema allegedly fired a pistol at a woman Tuesday in the 600 block of High Street, nearly striking her in the head. Lema fled the area in a black Mercedes SUV, acc...

BAKERSFIELD, CA (KUZZ) -- Video evidence played for jurors shows a young girl running from an east Bakersfield apartment after her mother was fatally stabbed, prosecutors said. The girl later identified her father, Victor Farias Jr., 33, as the man who killed Yolanda Rojo,30, according to testimony. Rojo suffered 14 st...

BAKERSFIELD, CA (KUZZ) -- A Kern County jury Tuesday convicted a 40-year-old man of sexually abusing a child over several years, beginning when the victim was 12. J. Armando Reynoso was found guilty of aggravated sexual assault, continuous sexual abuse and lewd acts upon a child. Prosecutors said the abuse continued ov...

BAKERSFIELD, CA (KUZZ) -- The Bakersfield Fire Department is asking for the public's help identifying a suspect in a weekend arson investigation. Investigators say surveillance video captured a man setting an exterior fire around 3:20 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 13, in the 100 block of Jones Street. The fire spread to a nearby ...

BAKERSFIELD, CA (KUZZ) - A 29-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and child sex crimes after Bakersfield police said he allegedly abducted an 11-year-old girl earlier this month. The Bakersfield Police Department said Antonio Rafael Gomez Martinez made contact with the girl near her home on Sept. 3. A ...

BAKERSFIELD, CA (KUZZ) -- The Kern County District Attorney's Office has returned to Bakersfield police the case involving the fatal stabbing of a 20-year-old man at the Valley Plaza Target, saying additional investigation is needed before prosecutors determine whether to file charges. Bakersfield police arrested Brett...

BAKERSFIELD, CA (KUZZ) -- Kern County will mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks Friday with a series of memorials and events honoring the nearly 3,000 people who were killed. The annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb will take place at the Bank of America building from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. First respo...