News

Missing Person Case Turns to Murder Investigation

MADERA - The Madera County Sheriff’s Office must announce the murder of 19-year-old Melanie Stephanie Rios Camacho, who has been missing since last Friday. Two suspects, 23-year-old Vicente Alexandro Jasso and 22-year-old Jose Cornelio Lopez-Hernandez, both of Madera, are currently in custody for their roles in her death.

Melanie was last seen leaving her work Auto Zone on Gateway Dr. in Madera) at 10:15 pm on Friday, November 24^th, by a co-worker. Nearby video surveillance shows Melanie’s 2014 white Nissan Altima vehicle leaving northbound Gateway shortly before 10:30 pm. Around 11:00 pm, Melanie sent a text message to her mom letting her know she planned to meet with a friend after work.

Former Madera County Supervisor Jesse Lopez Passes Away at Age 94

MADERA - Former Madera County Supervisor Jesse Lopez passed away last week after a brief illness. Born Jesus H.'Jesse' Lopez to Sara and Marcelino Lopez on April 30, 1929, in Sonora, AZ. He married Sally Ramirez in 1950, and they raised six children. Sadly, Jess passed away on November 15, 2023.

He was preceded in death by his wife Sally, his son David Lopez, his grandson Ricardo Lopez, his siblings Alvaro Lopez, Marcelino Lopez, Mary Arriola, and Sara Rodriguez, and his parents. He is survived by his children Hope Lopez (Raul Alejo), Jesse Lopez Jr (Gloria), Virginia Salas (Candelario), Alvaro Lopez (Bertha) and Sally (Becka) Marmolejo (Louie). He is the brother of Robert Lopez, Amapola Houk, and Grace Romero. Jesse had 21 grandchildren, 40 great-grandchildren, and 13 great, great grandchildren.

Former San Jose State University Director Of Sports Medicine Sentenced For Groping Female Student Athletes

SAN JOSE – Scott Shaw, a former San Jose State University (SJSU) Director of Sports Medicine, was sentenced today to serve 24 months in prison for unlawfully touching female student-athletes under the guise of providing medical treatment. The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Beth Labson Freeman, United States District Judge for the Northern District of California.

“Today’s sentence sends a clear message that public school officials who exploit their positions of authority to sexually abuse and harass students will face serious consequences for their actions,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will not tolerate violations of civil rights committed under the guise of legitimate medical treatment by those in positions of power and trust.”

Operator of Central California Bio-Lab Indicted for Distributing Adulterated and Misbranded COVID-19 Tests and Lying to Authorities

FRESNO - A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment today against Jia Bei Zhu, aka Jesse Zhu, Qiang He, and David He, 62, a citizen of China who formerly resided in Clovis, charging him with distributing adulterated and misbranded medical devices in violation of the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and for making false statements to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between January 2020 and March 2023, through the companies Universal Meditech Incorporated (UMI) and Prestige Biotech Incorporated (PBI), Zhu sold hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 test kits to companies throughout the United States. UMI and PBI were based in Fresno and Reedley and did not obtain pre-market approval, pre-market clearance, emergency use authorization, or other applicable exemptions from the FDA as was required. UMI and PBI received millions of dollars for the sales of the test kits.

Kern Valley State Prison Investigating Death of Incarcerated Person as Homicide

DELANO – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) officials are investigating the death of an incarcerated person at Kern Valley State Prison (KVSP) as a homicide. At 2:55 p.m. on Oct. 14, two incarcerated people, Roland C. Corona and Luis Alvidrez, allegedly attacked another incarcerated person, Isaac Duran, with an inmate-manufactured weapon.

Duran sustained multiple stab wounds and was transported to outside medical for a higher level of care. On Nov. 9, at approximately 9:14 p.m., he was pronounced deceased while under the care of medical staff at Kern Medical Center – Bakersfield. No staff or additional incarcerated people were injured.

Bitwise Industries Founders Charged for $100 Million Fraud Scheme

FRESNO - Irma Olguin Jr. and Jake Soberal, the founders and leaders of the failed Fresno-based technology company Bitwise Industries, self-surrendered today on a federal complaint charging them with conspiring to commit wire fraud and taking more than $100 million from various businesses and individuals, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

“The defendants could have chosen simply to admit the failure of Bitwise’s business model. Instead, they used lie after lie to pull over $100 million into a dying venture through fraud,” U.S. Attorney Talbert said. “Olguin and Soberal fabricated bank statements, lied to investors, provided false financial information to their board of directors, forged documents, and used buildings Bitwise no longer even owned as collateral for loans, all while lining their own pockets. Our office will continue to investigate and prosecute those responsible for such financial crimes, and we are grateful for the hard work of the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation and the civil enforcement work of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.”

Arrest Made in Bakersfield Firearms Trafficking Investigation Involving Over One Hundred Guns Found at Crime Scenes

BAKERSFIELD - Joshua Ruic Kimball, 40, of Bakersfield, was arrested today on a criminal complaint for unlawful trafficking of firearms controlled by the National Firearms Act and for unlawful trafficking of firearms in violation of state law, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

The criminal complaint was unsealed following the arrest. Kimball will appear on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christopher D. Baker in Bakersfield.