Local News

FRESNO - Detectives with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Special Investigations Division (SID) have arrested 42 year old Jorge Javier Gracia of Kerman. He has been booked into the Fresno County Jail and his bail is set at $1.2 million. The suspect pleaded not guilty Friday to terrorizing drivers who reported being shot at by a suspect who pulled up alongside them and fired.

Around 11:00 pm on January 8th, a man driving in the area of Whitesbridge and Goldenrod Avenues in Kerman noticed a man in a gray 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 4-wheel drive crew cab pickup truck pull alongside of him and point a handgun at him through a window. The victim, an off-duty corrections officer with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), pulled away and began to drive to a more populated area of the city.

COALINGA -  Property crimes detectives have arrested 25 year old Shannon Peterson of Opa-locka, Florida and 30 year old Laresha Brown of Oakland, California. Peterson faces multiple felony charges of burglary. His bail was set at $25,000 and he has since bonded out of jail. Brown faces multiple felony charges of burglary, as well as evading police and probation violation. Her bail is $76,000. However, she is not eligible to bail out on her probation hold. Brown is currently under Post-Release Community Supervision, which is part of AB 109. She has a prior conviction for evading police.

Around 6:00 pm on Monday, Fresno County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of vehicles that had been broken into in the parking lot of the Harris Ranch Inn near Interstate 5 and W. Dorris Ave. in Coalinga. Deputies learned that the burglary happened while the victims were eating at the restaurant. A window had been broken and several electronic items and pieces of luggage had been taken. While conducting an investigation, deputies learned of another vehicle that had been burglarized. Luggage was stolen from that vehicle as well.

FRESNO - Fresno Police Officers were dispatched to Harvest Elementary School Wedsnesday morning in regard to a report of an attempt abduction of a 6 year old female. Officers and detectives arrived at the school and questioned the six year old juvenile along with four other witnesses.

According to the parties, the juvenile victim and her 4 sisters were walking to school in the area of Forestiere and west Dakota Ave when they approached a white male near a parked vehicle. According to the six-year old, the male grabbed her wrist and jacket and attempted to pull her into the vehicle. Witnesses indicated a sister of the victim ran over to the male and stomped his foot. The caused the male to release the six-year old at which point all the juveniles ran from the area. The juveniles reported this incident to school personnel upon their arrival.

SACRAMENTO - Michael Carey Clemans, 57, of Sacramento, was sentenced today to life in prison for buying children, attempted travel and travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, conspiracy to travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, conspiracy to produce child pornography, attempted production and production of child pornography, and receipt of child pornography.

This case is the latest in a multi-year trend of child exploitation prosecutions focusing on defendants with prior sex offenses and those who abuse and record the sexual abuse of children. U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Sean Ragan, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Ryan L. Spradlin, Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones, Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert, and Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims joined forces today to highlight their sustained and collaborative efforts to identify and vigorously prosecute those who exploit and abuse children and trade in images depicting the sexual abuse of children.