Big Valley News
Central Valley's Independent News Source
MADERA - One person was injured after an afternoon shooting at the Vallarta Shopping Center parking lot in Madera on Christmas Day. Both the gunshot victim and male suspect shooter fled the scene in different directions prior to officers’ arrival.
The male victim later returned to the scene and was found to have sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to a Fresno hospital. The wounded man is expected to survive his wounds.
SACRAMENTO - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California has entered into an agreement under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with the owner of the El Dorado Motel in Twain Harte, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced today.
In the agreement, Golden State Hospitality Management LLC, which owns and operates the motel, agreed to make a series of modifications to the motel to create a fully ADA-complaint unit in order to provide better access for guests with disabilities. The motel has also implemented a remote check-in option for guests who use wheelchairs.
FRESNO - Christopher Contreras, 29, of Fresno, pleaded guilty today to one count of attempted coercion of a minor and one count of enticement of a minor, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Contreras used the messaging application Skout, text messages, and Snapchat to engage in sexually explicit communications for approximately one week with a person he believed to be a 13-year-old female. He then traveled to a location in Fresno on July 31, 2020, to meet the purported minor for sexual activity. He was actually communicating with undercover law enforcement investigators. They arrested Contreras and booked him into the Fresno County Jail, where he was released on bail.
FRESNO - Jeffrey Michalk, 44, of Fresno, was sentenced today to three years and nine months in prison for conspiracy, theft of public money, and aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, between June 2020 and January 2022, Michalk worked with Fresno residents Steve Gomez, 41, and Michael Dugan, 49, to cash counterfeit U.S. Treasury checks throughout the Central Valley. The criminal conduct included approximately 264 fraudulent checks and a loss of over $500,000. The trail of counterfeit checks spanned different counties and involved checks forged to be made payable to the defendants and others.
FRESNO - Miguel Leyva, 36, of Wasco, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft charges for his role in a long-running credit card fraud scheme, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court records, between February 2016 and August 2022, Leyva and his partner and co-defendant, Karina Arceo, stole the personally identifiable information (PII) for more than 125 victims. They stole much of the PII from patient files at healthcare providers in Kern County, where Arceo worked.
MADERA - Last week, the Madera County Sheriff’s Communications Center received a call from an area hospital regarding a patient under their care who had sustained injuries inconsistent with the reported event.
MCSO Deputies initiated an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident. They confirmed the victim, 44-year-old Mandy Burriel, was transported by EMS from the 16000 block of Krohn St in Madera on 12/14/23 for a reported fall. The victim’s boyfriend, 52-year-old Scott Allen, was the reporting party.
FRESNO - The City of Fresno has agreed to resolve findings of violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) at the Fresno Amtrak intercity rail station, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. The rail station, located at 2650 Tulare Street, is owned by the City of Fresno and serves passengers using trains to reach destinations up and down the San Joaquin Valley.
Under the agreement announced today, the city made accessibility modifications to exterior and interior portions of the station, including repairs to curb ramps, the waiting room, and the station’s restrooms. This agreement is part of a nationwide effort by the Department of Justice to improve accessibility at the nation’s rail stations. In 2020, the Department of Justice also entered into a nationwide settlement with Amtrak regarding ADA compliance at its stations.
