A recent grand jury report is putting Kern County Child Protective Services under the microscope. The information released in April comes on the heels of the death of Genesis Mata, 8, whose tortured body was found August 2, 2025, inside a bathtub at a central Bakersfield motel. Authorities say the girl’s father, Ray Mata, Jr.,…… Read More
A downtown Bakersfield tattoo shop was hit by vandals after claims that one of its artists has a tattoo of a swastika on his body. The front window at Electric Wizard Tattoo Castle on 19th Street was broken out Wednesday night and the words Nazis F*** Off were spray-painted above the entrance. The owner of…… Read More
Troubling new details are emerging following the death of an 8-year-old girl whose battered body was found in a bathtub at a central Bakersfield motel. Police found the remains of Genesis Mata on Saturday at the La Quinta Inn on Riverside Drive, but say she died the day before after allegedly being tortured by her…… Read More
A major solar project in eastern Kern County is now online. The Eland Solar and Battery Center near Mojave held a ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday. The new facility will power over 260,000 Los Angeles homes and will cover 7% of the city’s electricity. Built by Arevon Energy, the site includes giant batteries to store solar…… Read More
Two people are behind bars after a raid in McFarland allegedly turns up ghost guns and fenatanyl. Officers searched a home in the 800 block of Fletcher Street at around 7 a.m. Monday where they arrested Ruben Garcia, 49, and Alicia Garcia, 42. Police say the drugs were packaged and the guns had no serial…… Read More
The father and stepmother of a young girl found dead inside a central Bakersfield motel have been charged with murder. Bakersfield police say the body of Genesis Mata, 8, showed signs of severe trauma when they discovered her Saturday night lying dead in the bathtub inside a room at La Quinta Inn on Riverside Drive.…… Read More
A Bakersfield man will spend two years in prison after pleading no contest to charges of spousal abuse. In March, Jerrod Gentry, 48, also admitted to being a felon in possession of a gun following the release on social media in February of a video showing him striking a woman outside a home in northwest…… Read More
Two inmates at Kern Valley State Prison in Delano will serve extended life sentences for stabbing another inmate with homemade weapons. Prosecutors say David Macon, 50, and Michael Gaddy, 49, attacked the man in the prison yard in April 2024. Authorities say the victim was headed to a family visit and tried to fight his…… Read More
Several people are in police custody following a massive brawl in east Bakersfield. It broke out Saturday night near Oregon and Robinson Streets where some thirty people were reportedly throwing chairs, breaking bottles and fighting over loud music at a baptismal party. Several band members were injured and their equipment was damaged. A man was…… Read More
The Bakersfield Police Department and the California Highway Patrol are asking for your help locating an at-risk missing juvenile. An alert was issued Monday in the search for Kiara Hernandez , 2, who was reportedly abducted by her mother, Karen Hernandez, 32. Both were last seen on Monday at around 2:05 p.m. in the 600…… Read More
