Big Valley News
Central Valley's Independent News Source
MADERA. – The Madera Police Department will be conducting a DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoint on November 9th, 2019, at an undisclosed location within the city limits between the hours of 7:00 pm to 2:00 am
DUI Checkpoints like this one are placed in locations based on collision statistics and frequency of DUI arrests. Officers will be looking for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment, with officers checking drivers for proper licensing.
MADERA – Another Madera County Administrator has been arrested for driving under the influence. In the most recent case, Madera County Chief Administrative Officer Eric Fleming was pulled over and cited following a night out on July 3, 2019, by the Fresno City Police Department.
Fleming announced via email Thursday afternoon to the Madera County Board of Supervisors and Madera County Council Regina Garza after learning of a pending story about the arrest in the Madera Tribune to be published this weekend.
FRESNO - Sandra Haar, 59, of Merced, was sentenced on Monday by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neil to five years in prison and ordered to pay $6,107,846 in restitution for health care fraud and conspiracy to receive kickbacks, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. Haar was ordered to self-surrender on Jan. 15, 2020, to begin serving her sentence.
Haar was the founder and chief executive officer of Horisons Unlimited, a nonprofit public benefit corporation that provided health and dental services in Merced and surrounding communities. According to court documents, between January 1, 2014, and March 2017, Haar orchestrated a scheme to bill Medicare and Medi-Cal for services she knew were not reimbursable, and she profited by over $3.7 million from her fraud.
FRESNO - A Madera County woman was sentenced today to 16 years and 8 months in prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release, for aiding and abetting the production of child pornography, announced Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott.
Ashley Maddox, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd, after pleading guilty on May 24 to one count of aiding and abetting the production of child pornography. Maddox came to the attention of law enforcement during an investigation of an offender in Fort Pierce, Florida.
MADERA - Bill Coate of The Madera Tribune has been chosen as one of 25 recipients of the Golden Quill Award, presented in recognition of fair, insightful and accurate reporting on public school news by print, broadcast, and online news media representatives.
Other area winners of the Golden Quill Award are news anchor Juanita Stevenson of Fresno-based KSEE 24 – NBC and news photographer Alex Ruiz of Fresno-based KFSN 30 – ABC.
