Two people accused of kidnapping and robbing an elderly woman in Delano have accepted plea deals. Claudia Toqueca and Christian Chauta made deals with prosecutors Tuesday after barging into the home of a 70-year-old woman on May 9, 2024, forcing her to drive them to the bank, then stealing $25,000 which she withdrew from her…… Read More
KUZZ News
animal vaccines available in shafter
The City of Shafter will host a low-cost vaccine clinic on Saturday, February 1, 2025, from 9 a.m. to noon. Vaccines are $15 each and must be paid in cash. Officials say they will take pets by appointment only. The location is Shafter Animal Control 18849 Shafter Avenue. Follow the link below to make your…… Read More
kern inmate walks away from la county lockup
An inmate from Kern County working at a labor lock-up in the Southland is on the loose. Jessie Meza, 38, who was serving a 16-year sentence in Kern County on assault and gun charges, was discovered missing Tuesday morning when guards conducted a head count at Acton Conservation Camp in Los Angeles County. Acton is…… Read More
Manhunt for kings county amber alert suspect
A manhunt is on for a Hanford man suspected of killing his wife and abducting their two young daughters. An Amber Alert was issued out of Kings County Wednesday morning for Jonathan Maldonado-Cruz, 23, who allegedly shot his wife to death Tuesday afternoon at their home on Fourth Place near Tenth Avenue and abducted the…… Read More
Amber ALert Issued for two missing hanford children
The Kings County Sheriff’s Office has issued an Amber Alert for two young girls reportedly taken by their father after their mother’s body was found in their Hanford home. Detectives were dispatched Tuesday afternoon to conduct a welfare check at a home on Fourth Place near Tenth Avenue where they found a woman shot to death. …… Read More
changes coming to kern elections divison
Election concerns have prompted the Kern County Board of Supervisors to make the county Registrar of Voters a separate entity from another county department. On Tuesday the board heard a report from the county’s finance and administration committee to separate the registrar’s position from the auditor-controller-clerk post which Aimee Espinoza, the current Auditor-Controller-Clerk and Registrar…… Read More
hurtado introduces bill to improve state’s water woes
Democrat State Senator Melissa Hurtado of Fresno has introduced a measure aimed at tackling California’s water crisis. Senate Bill 224, called the Preventing Artificial Water Shortages Act, addresses the state’s ongoing water mismanagement crisis by confronting the Department of Water Resources reliance on outdated data and forecasting. Hurtado says the forecast data results in artificial…… Read More
major ridgecrest drug operation busted
A large-scale drug operation has been busted in Ridgecrest. Police responded early Monday morning to reports of gunfire in the 500 block of West Atkins Avenue to find an extensive drug operation involving several suspects and a family-run distribution network. Jaren Hoff, 20, was arrested after allegedly taking off from the scene. Celia Espinoza, 42,…… Read More
Tehachapi youth pastor facing sex charges
A 41-year-old Tehachapi youth pastor has been arrested after an alleged sexual assault of a teenager. Adrian Daugherty, who is a youth pastor at the Tehachapi Church of the Nazarene, was taken into custody on Monday on charges of committing lewd and lascivious acts with a minor. There’s no word if there are any other…… Read More
kern, tulare sheriff’s deputies nab alleged copper thief
Sheriff’s deputies in Kern and Tulare Counties have announced the arrest of a man suspected of several copper wire thefts. Israel Barraza, 46, was arrested January 22 after allegedly stripping an irrigation pump in the Delano area and possessing the copper wire in his pickup truck. Damage to the pump was set at $25,000. Authorities…… Read More
