Big Valley News
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FRESNO COUNTY - A total of 15 suspects, all men, have been arrested and booked into jail on various charges related to possessing and sharing Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) and arranging to meet with a child for sex.
They range in age from 19 to 42 years old. The arrests are a result of “Operation Creeper Ban”, which was a multi-agency operation conducted from June 9th to 13th, 2025. The majority of arrestees have since posted bond, been assigned a court date, and released from custody.
BAKERSFIELD - The United States has obtained a default judgment against Bakersfield residents Juvenal Salazar and Javier Salazar Sr. and Van Nuys resident Ricardo Covarrubias, a maintenance worker, manager, and owner, respectively, of rental properties in Bakersfield, in a case brought by the United States alleging sexual harassment and retaliation in violation of the Fair Housing Act, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.
The lawsuit alleged that from December 2018 through March 2019, Juvenal Salazar sexually harassed a female tenant by repeatedly asking her to engage in sexual acts with him, describing the sexual acts he wished to engage in with her, and persistently commenting on her appearance. According to the complaint, on two occasions, Juvenal Salazar touched the tenant’s body without her consent, and he surreptitiously took photographs of framed pictures of her and her daughter.
FRESNO - On May 19, 2025, a federal judge sentenced three members of the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang who were convicted at trial of a racketeering (RICO) conspiracy that included multiple murders, drug trafficking, fraud, and robbery.
Francis Clement, 58, was found guilty by a jury in February 2025 of RICO conspiracy and five separate counts of murder in aid of racketeering for the murders of Allan Roshanski, Ruslan Magomedgadzhiev, Michael Brizendine, James Yagle, and Ronnie Ennis. Each of these murders was committed while Clement was in state prison. Clement was sentenced to life in prison. There is no parole in the federal system.
FRESNO - A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment today against Preston Nelson-Kestner, 21, of Oakhurst, charging him with stalking, distribution, and possession of images of child sexual exploitation, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.
According to court documents, between October 2023 and Feb. 13, 2024, Nelson-Kestner used social media applications including OnlyFans, Instagram, and TikTok to engage in a course of conduct that caused, attempted to cause, and would be reasonably expected to cause substantial emotional distress to an adult victim in Fresno.
LOS ANGELES - The Trump Administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stay the district court’s order in NTPSA v. Noem, which has preserved Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for over 350,000 Venezuelan immigrants who cannot safely return to Venezuela.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem attempted to end the protections days after taking office in January. However, the federal district court put her decision on hold pending a final resolution in the case, finding that the secretary’s decision appeared to be motivated by racial bias toward Venezuelans and violated the law governing TPS.
FRESNO - In a win for civil rights amid the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign, a federal district court in California issued a preliminary injunction barring the U.S. Border Patrol from using stop-and-arrest practices that violate federal law and the U.S. Constitution.
U.S. District Judge Jennifer Thurston’s ruling in United Farm Workers v. Noem applies to future Border Patrol operations conducted in the Eastern District of California, which stretches inland from Bakersfield to the Oregon border.
FRESNO - On Saturday, April 19, 2025, shortly before 5:15 pm, officers were dispatched to a ShotSpotter activation at Los Viejones Barbershop, located at 201 North Van Ness Avenue, Suite A. Officers determined that a shooting occurred inside and outside of the business. Two gunshot victims were located at the scene, and a third was found a short distance away.
One of the victims, 44-year-old Jampier Quintero, was transported to Community Regional Medical Center, where, despite lifesaving efforts, he was pronounced deceased on April 20, 2025. The two additional Hispanic male victims, ages 20 & 17, were treated at CRMC for gunshot wounds and later released.
