Crime Reports

GONZALES — Monterey County District Attorney’s Office announced June 25 that a jury found Jose Omar Soto Velasquez of Gonzales guilty of felony domestic violence and dissuading or intimidating a witness. Velasquez and Jane Doe had been dating approximately one year and lived together for...

GREENFIELD — A Greenfield patrol officer observed a vehicle driving unsafely on July 6 at about 9:30 p.m.  The officer initiated a traffic stop, but the driver fled, traveling half a mile at about 20 mph. After stopping, the driver — Manuel Soto, 33, of...

GONZALES — A Gonzales man was sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison after he was found guilty of stabbing animals inside a school property in February 2023, Monterey County prosecutors said. Jose Jesse Marquez, 31, was handed a jail term of 19 years and...

SOLEDAD — On the morning of June 18, Soledad Police detectives, with assistance from the Greenfield Police Department, Cal Fire, Monterey County Probation Department, California State Parole and members of the South Monterey County Task Force, served two simultaneous search warrants in the cities...

GREENFIELD — In late May, patrol officers from the Greenfield Police Department responded to a local elementary school regarding a report of sexual assault of a minor by an adult. An 8-year-old girl reported being sexually abused by an adult known to her, police said....

SOLEDAD — Salinas Valley State Prison inmates Alberto Cortez and Jaime Romero have each been convicted by a jury of murder, announced the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office on June 3. Cortez was convicted of first-degree murder with the special circumstance of multiple murder, based...

SALINAS VALLEY — Monterey County District Attorney’s Office has released additional preliminary facts surrounding the officer-involved shooting that occurred Monday on Highway 101 northbound near Soledad. At about 5:30 p.m. on June 3, a person armed with a handgun got out of a black Mazda...

CENTRAL COAST — Scammers continue to take advantage of Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) customers.  In fact, in 2023, PG&E received nearly 43,000 reports from customers who were targeted by scammers impersonating the company, and customers lost approximately $875,000 in fraudulent payments, with the...

MONTEREY COUNTY — The Housing Authority of the County of Monterey (HACM) has received copies of misleading ads circulating on social media platforms, luring individuals with promises of “Affordable Housing Programs” or similar enticing titles. One advertisement stated, “Section 8 Waiting List Now Accepting Applications”...

MONTEREY COUNTY — Monterey County collected more than $70 million in marijuana taxes but spent just $93,000 for youth drug education — the top priority set by residents — according to a civil grand jury report. Some of the largest expenditures the grand jury noted...