The Kern County Coroner says an inmate found dead at North Kern State Prison in Delano was murdered. Officials say Enrique Gomeztagle, 31, died from asphyxiation caused by strangulation and an object blocking his airway. Prison staff found him unresponsive in his cell on January 29. He was later pronounced dead. The case is being…… Read More
A Kern County inmate is facing an extra charge after allegedly trying a unique way to escape from a jail transport bus. Sheriff’s deputies say Maminder Singh, 26, hid underneath the bus as it was leaving the court holding facility on Truxtun Avenue on May 14. The driver stopped after hearing screams. Singh was reportedly…… Read More
A woman killed in a head-on-crash in Taft has been identified. The Kern County Coroner’s Office says Brandy Naff, 38, died at the scene Monday. The California Highway Patrol says her SUV crossed into oncoming traffic and hit a big-rig. The truck driver from Tennessee suffered minor injuries. There’s no word what caused the crash.… Read More
A 32-year-old man is behind bars after an alleged attempted murder in Lamont. Kern County Sheriffs deputies say Michael Ortiz broke into a home in the 9100 block of South Fairfax Road Tuesday morning, wrapped a blanket around the victim’s head, and stole a phone and some tools. Hours later, a call about a stolen…… Read More
The Kern County coroner has revealed the cause of death for an east Bakersfield baby. The one-month-old was found unresponsive at a home on Washington Street near Potomac Avenue in late November and died several days later at Valley Children’s Hospital in Madera. The coroner says the cause of death was blunt force trauma to…… Read More
The City of Bakersfield has received a $22.8 million grant to address substance abuse in Bakersfield and Kern County. The grant from the State of California’s Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure allows the city and county to join efforts to create a 65-bed substance use treatment facility for adults and perinatal women. In February, the Bakersfield…… Read More
A person with signs of trauma was found dead inside a vehicle near Wasco. Kern County Sheriff’s deputies responded around 9 a.m. Tuesday to the area of Dresser and Western avenues where the man was pronounced dead at the scene. No suspects have been identified or arrested. Anyone with information is asked to call the…… Read More
A DUI checkpoint lands four Bakersfield drivers in jail. Police made the arrests Friday night in the 2400 block of Union Avenue. Twenty eight people got tickets for driving without a license and five drivers were cited for for driving on a suspended license. Out of 1,204 vehicles which passed through the checkpoint, fourteen drivers…… Read More
Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood announced Monday he’s supporting Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco for California governor. Bianco announced his candidacy in February. Bianco is a Republican who blames the state’s problems such as soaring gas prices, high crime rates, and uncontrolled homelessness on Democrats. Bianco has been the sheriff of Riverside County since 2018.…… Read More
A Bakersfield man has pleaded guilty to shining a laser at a Kern County Sheriff’s helicopter. Federal prosecutors say Brett Hair, 23, struck the aircraft at least fifteen times while it flew near Meadows Field Airport last September. Deputies tracked the laser to a home where Hair allegedly aimed the beam directly into the cockpit.…… Read More
