FRESNO - Yesterday, Joey Barron (35, of Fresno) was sentenced to fifteen years to life in state prison for the crime of murder for his role as the driver in a fatal crash on January 2, 2021. The crash claimed the life of 30-year-old Andres Adrian Romero. The sentence was handed down by Judge Jonathan Conklin of the Fresno County Superior Court after he pled to the charge on August 6, 2024.
Barron was driving his vehicle westbound on Highway 168 just after midnight when he approached the Shields Avenue offramp. He lost control of his vehicle while driving at a high speed, causing it to go up the shoulder embankment and roll. The crash killed Barron’s passenger, Romero.
MADERA - Early last Thursday evening, Madera Police Officers were dispatched to the 900 block of S. Gateway Dr. regarding an assault with a deadly weapon. Officers contacted a female victim who reported she was driving into the alleyway of her apartment complex with her two young children when gunfire erupted and struck her vehicle. 
CHOWCHILLA -In the early afternoon of 11/16/24, the Madera County Sheriff’s Emergency Communications Center received a 9-1-1 call reporting a shooting in the area of Road 22 and Santa Fe Drive in Chowchilla. Deputies arrived on scene and discovered an adult female victim, who was airlifted to a regional hospital for treatment.
FRESNO - Sandra Munagay, 42, of Atwater, a Senior Correctional Officer at the United States Penitentiary, Atwater, 
FRESNO - On Oct. 31, 2024, a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment against Joel Damian Ortega, 35, of Merced, charging him with receipt and distribution of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. The indictment was unsealed following Ortega’s arrest yesterday.
