Two suspected Bakersfield gang members are behind bars in connection to a three-year-old murder case. Dahmonte Cooks, 22, and Johnesha Avila, 26, appeared in court Tuesday to enter not guilty pleas for the shooting death of Jarvis Naff, Jr., 26, in the 8600 block of Aliva Street in south Bakersfield in April 2022. Naff was…… Read More
More than two hundred people gathered in Bakersfield to mourn the deaths of a couple killed while hiking in Arkansas. Funeral services were held at Grace Baptist Church on Monday for Clinton Brink, 43, and his wife Cristen, 41, who died last month protecting their daughters during an attack at Devil’s Den State Park in…… Read More
A lawsuit filed over an explosion that injured a Kern County oil well worker has been settled. Leonardo Andrade filed a lawsuit in April 2023 against the companies involved in the oil well operation after the explosion which broke his pelvis and both of his legs. The case was settled on Monday, but the details…… Read More
The Kern County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a shooting in east Bakersfield. It happened Friday night in the 2900 block of Edison Highway. Deputies say a man was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. KCSO is investigating the case as a homicide. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office…… Read More
A Kern County judge has sentenced the father of Genesis Mata for previous cases related to illegal use of guns and drugs. Ray Mata, Jr., 31, received two years probation and 70 days in jail Monday, with most of that time already credited. Court records show he pleaded no contest in July to carrying a…… Read More
Kern County Sheriff’s deputies shut down an illegal gambling casino in Oildale. Investigators served a search warrant at around 8:00 a.m Sunday at a business in the 900 block of North Chester Avenue where they say they found a fully operating casino. Officials seized more than $5,000 in cash, several slot machine computer units, and…… Read More
A Bakersfield police DUI checkpoint lands four drivers behind bars for allegedly driving drunk. Six vehicles were impounded, and two drivers were cited for driver’s license violations during the operation Friday night into early Saturday morning in the 1500 block of L Street in downtown Bakersfield. Additional officers conducted a roving DUI patrol near the…… Read More
The Kern County Sheriffs Office says the stepmother of Genesis Mata, 8, was attacked in jail. Officials say Graciela Bustamonte, 27, was assaulted August 8, 2025, by another inmate and was taken to a hospital then returned to custody. Charges are pending against the suspect identified as Anita Doron. Bustamonte and the child’s father, Ray…… Read More
Nearly five thousand people have signed a petition demanding an independent investigation into Kern County’s Child Protective Services. The petition calls for a probe into the department following the torture and murder of Genesis Mata, 8, allegedly by her father and stepmother. The petition on Change.org was launched on August 5, 2025, by Josefina Villarreal…… Read More
A judge has delayed the preliminary hearing for a Bakersfield couple accused of torturing and killing an 8-year-old girl. Ray Mata, Jr., 31, and Graciela Bustamonte, 27, are set to appear in court October 16, 2025. Mata and Bustamonte are the father and stepmother of Genesis Mata whose abandoned body was discovered August 2 in…… Read More
