Crime

Tracy's Kimball High evacuated due to bomb threat

Submitted by Paul Janes, News 10 Web Producer

Monday, March 18th, 2013, 6:24pm

TRACY, Calif. - Kimball High School in Tracy was evacuated at 8:55 a.m. on Monday due to a bomb threat.

According to Tracy Unified School District spokeswoman Jessica Cordoza, the bomb threat was discovered on the wall of the boys locker room. Students were quickly evacuated from classrooms to the stadium following the discovery.

Tracy police were notified and responded to investigate and provide traffic control in the area.

Students whose parents showed up to pick them up were allowed to leave. All other students were being held at the stadium until the end of the school day, said Cordoza.

It was frustrating for parents. Some questioned the evacuation procedure and the time it took to get their kids.

"If there's a threat in this school ... see how many people are in the radius of the threat?" said parent Jim Vierra. "No planning whatsoever."

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Woman shot, killed; boyfriend arrested for homicide

Submitted by Maneeza Iqbal on Friday, March 15th, 11:07 pm

FRENCH CAMP, CA - A woman was shot and killed in a south French Camp neighborhood Friday evening.

The shooting happened at a home on the 10,200 block of South Janet Road, Sacramento County sheriff's Deputy Jim Cannon said.

When deputies got to the home, they found a 40-year-old woman with a gunshot wound; Cannon said the woman died at the scene.

Deputies detained two men and interviewed them at the scene. One of the men was the victim's long-time boyfriend and the other man was the boyfriend's relative.

After questioning the two men, deputies arrested the victim's boyfriend, 37-year-old Juan Naveratte Valdez, Cannon said. He was arrested for homicide.

Cannons said the victim's children were home when the shooting happened, but did not witness the crime.

The motive behind the shooting is unclear at this time.

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Tracy police urge end to school threat hoaxes

Submitted by News10 Web Staff

Thursday, March 14th, 2013, 6:40pm

TRACY, CA - A fed-up-sounding Tracy Police Department has issued a no-nonsense appeal to students to halt the numerous threats to local high schools.

In the last three days, the department says there have been several such hoaxes, including one at Tracy High school on Wednesday. There, two graffiti messages saying a bomb would go off on campus Thursday were found in two boys' restrooms. The school was evacuated and police and K9s spent the afternoon searching the campus. No bomb materials were found.

Authorities suspect the threats this week were an effort to disrupt standardized testing.

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Burglary spree reported in Tracy

Submitted by News10 Web Staff

Friday, March 8th, 2013, 12:00pm

TRACY, CA - Six Tracy homes were targeted by burglars Wednesday and Thursday, police say.

The crimes were committed in the northwest and southwest areas of the city. They were on 2900 block of Reyes Lane, 800 block of Windsong Drive, the 400 block of Arezzo Way, twice in the 1300 block of Merced Way, and the 1900 block of Pheasant Run Court.

Police Sgt. David Sasser said witnesses reported seeing two to four men knocking on the front doors of residences, possibly to determine if anyone was home. The burglars gained entrance to the homes in each case by forcing open the doors.

The men at the doors were described as black, between 20 and 30 years old and wearing blue beanie hats. Witnesses saw the men in a blue or teal blue, four-door car that may have been an early 2000s model Saturn or a Honda.

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Employee claims he was fired for reporting racism

Submitted by Suzanne Phan, Reporter/ Multi-media Journalist

Tuesday, March 5th, 2013, 7:48am

LATHROP, Calif. - Allegations of rampant racism at Diamond Pet Foods in Lathrop sparked a federal lawsuit by three African American workers who claim they were fired for trying to report the problem.

Ronberto Collins says his supervisor and co-workers used the N-word on the job and specifically targeted the three employees.

"It was bad, I mean like daily, almost daily in the breakroom, changing room," said Collins.

Collins said the problem was so bad, he secretly tape recorded it to prove his point.

One of the recordings apparently captures a fellow employee saying: "I'm a mother f---- leader, n-----, not a f----- follower!"

Collins is now part of a federal lawsuit against the San Joaquin County pet food manufacturing company and Volt Temp Agency.

He says he tried to report the racial comments multiple times--both verbally and in writing.

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Man in Manteca propane truck standoff arrested

Submitted by Maneeza Iqbal on Friday, March 1st, 6:43 pm

MANTECA, CA - A man who was taken into custody after a nearly five hour standoff with police inside a propane tank truck Wednesday night was arrested and booked into jail Thursday.

Jason Stowers, 32, was arrested after he was released for Doctor's Hospital in Modesto on Thursday, Manteca police Lt. Tony Souza said.

Stowers is accused of driving his car into a propane tank - which caught fire- shooting a man, exchanging gunfire with police and then barricading himself inside the cab of propane tank truck for hours. Sgt. Jodie Estarziau said Stowers was forced out of truck after SWAT threw gas into cab.

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Salida home burglary caught on camera

Submitted by News10 Web Staff

Friday, March 1st, 2013, 6:01pm

SALIDA, CA - The Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department has posted a video on its Facebook page of a recent home burglary. Detectives need help identifying the man who stole jewelry, electronics and a safe so heavy it had to be dragged down the stairs.

"It's a great picture and we're hoping with your help, and the community's help, we can identify the suspect in this case," said Sheriff Adam Christianson.

VIDEO: Salida burglary

The burglary happened about 10 days ago while Maria Godina was out of the house taking her son to school. She was shocked when she got home about an hour later.

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