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April 11, 2026

Inmate dies after altercation with correctional officers at CTF in Soledad

Correctional Training Facility
SOLEDAD — Correctional Training Facility (CTF) Investigative Services Unit is investigating the death of an inmate who died after he attacked correctional officers during an altercation. On March 21, at about 11 a.m., officers were releasing inmates from their cells when 61-year-old inmate Joseph Altamirano...

Gonzales man arrested for allegedly molesting 3 juveniles

Police arrest crime
GREENFIELD — Greenfield Police Department has announced the arrest of a Gonzales man who allegedly molested three juvenile victims in South Monterey County. On March 14, two juveniles reported sexual abuse by Eleuterio Ortiz, 38, of Gonzales. Following the report, Greenfield detectives, with the support of...

Firefighters extinguish house fire in Soledad

House fire Soledad
SOLEDAD — Soledad Fire Department firefighters, along with crews from Greenfield Fire Department and CTF Fire, responded to a residential structure fire in the area of Metz Road and East Street in Soledad on March 7 at about 3:30 p.m. All occupants were safely...

Monterey County DA’s Office warns against rental property scams

Scams
MONTEREY COUNTY — Monterey County District Attorney’s Office is alerting Monterey County residents and visitors that an increase in scams have affected renters and properties for rent. The scams vary in sophistication but share the same core fraud: the suspect will pose as the property...

Salinas Valley reels from deadly shooting at King City party

King City Police Department press conference
SALINAS VALLEY — Four residents were killed and seven others injured following a shooting Sunday night outside a home on Second Street in King City, and now a $20,000 reward is being offered to help capture the suspects involved. The four killed have been identified...

Greenfield man gets 17 years in prison for lewd and lascivious acts upon minor

Law judge court
GREENFIELD — Monterey County Judge Rafael Vazquez sentenced Greenfield resident Juan Pablo Aragon-Herrera, 38, to a total term of 17 years in state prison on Feb. 27. On Nov. 17, 2023, a Monterey County jury convicted Aragon-Herrera of committing lewd and lascivious acts upon a...

Jury convicts Soledad man of murder and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated

Law judge court
SOLEDAD — David Merino Ramirez, 32, of Soledad was convicted by a jury of murder, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and driving on a suspended license on Feb. 16. On Aug. 21, 2020, around 9 p.m., Ramirez was driving northbound at speeds exceeding 80 mph...

Monterey County DA’s Office warns against government impersonation scams

Scams
MONTEREY COUNTY — Monterey County District Attorney’s Office is alerting Monterey County residents of online scams that have been hitting the community. The scams begin with a text message or email warning the recipient of some potentially fraudulent charges on their account. When the person...

Carjacking leads to vehicle pursuit; 3 juveniles arrested in Soledad

Police arrests
SOLEDAD — On Jan. 28, at about 7:43 p.m., a Monterey County Sheriff’s Office deputy spotted a vehicle that was driving erratic and unsafe on Highway 101. A records check revealed the vehicle was taken recently during a carjacking in Gonzales. The deputy followed the...

Double murder investigation underway near Soledad

Police Crime
SOLEDAD — Monterey County Sheriff’s Office and California Highway Patrol responded Sunday at about 6:45 p.m. to a report of individuals being chased in a vehicle in the 41000 block of Los Coches Road, south of Soledad. When units arrived, they found two unresponsive males...

Local News

Sykes Hot Springs

Monterey County Sheriff’s Office investigating suspicious death in Ventana Wilderness

MONTEREY COUNTY — Monterey County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a suspicious death in the Sykes Hot Springs area of the Ventana Wilderness in the...