• DRUGS FOUND ON LOITERERS: CERES - Two persons who were hanging out and drinking beer in front of a closed business in the 1500 block of Morgan Road were arrested Tuesday, Dec. 15 after they were found with drugs.
Officer Julio Amador was rolling through the area at 10:47 p.m. and stopped to talk to John T. Walker. 30, and Whiteeagle A. Moreno, 30, both of Modesto. Walker was on parole and searched; he had methamphetamine in his pocket. He was arrested for possession of a controlled substance and violating the terms of his parole.
Moreno was found with prescription medication that was not hers. She was charged with possession of prescription medication without a prescription.
• STOLEN GOLF CART RECOVERED: CERES - Two 14-year-old Blaker Kinser Junior High School students were arrested Dec. 16 after they allegedly stole a golf cart from their school.
School officials called police at 4:11 p.m. to report the stolen cart. They suspected one student of taking the cart and went to the student's house and peek into the backyard. A screwdriver was used to take off the cart's top so that it wouldn't protrude above the fence line and be seen.
The students told police that they found the cart abandoned in a ditch. They were booked into Juvenile Hall on charges of auto theft, conspiracy to commit a crime and possession of a stolen vehicle.
Their names were not released because of their age.
• SUSPECT ARRESTED IN HOME INVASION: CERES - Police arrested an Oakdale man who allegedly broke into an elderly woman's Walnut Avenue home and stole her purse on Thursday, Dec. 17.
Fernando M. Lopez, 34, of Oakdale, was also identified as the man who tried to break into the same woman's house last February.
The woman knew Lopez as she hired him to do work previously.
At approximately 8:09 p.m. the victim called police to report that she had been victimized at her house in the 1800 block of Walnut. She said the man showed up at her door and asked to use the phone. She refused to let him in but left the door unlocked. He came back a while later and entered the house and grabbed her purse and ran out of the door.
Police used a canine to track Lopez's scent and Sgt. Dennis Perry located Lopez on Nimrod Drive. Recovered were some of his discarded clothing and the victim's purse.
Lopez was charged with two counts of residential robbery and making criminal threats to the woman.
Lopez allegedly terrorized the woman on Feb. 18. In that case Lopez knocked on the door saying his wife was not breathing and needed help. The suspect was told to go away but he then smashed the front window near the door and reached in and opened the door. The woman fetched her handgun but the suspect overpowered her and took the weapon and threatened to kill her if she called police. The suspect took the gun and the woman's purse before fleeing in an older model dark-colored pickup.
• PAROLEE FOUND WITH AMMUNITION: CERES - Officer Freddie Ortiz stopped a vehicle on Dec. 17 at Mitchell and Service roads and ended up arresting the passenger who jumped out and tried to run away.
Ernest Duenez Jr., 33 of Lathrop, was on parole and tried to discard a small amount of marijuana and a bag containing ammunition. He was charged with resisting arrest, possession of marijuana, being a felon in possession of ammunition and parole violation.
The car stop was made at 11:30 p.m.
The driver of the car fled.
• DRIVE-BY SHOOTINGS WITH B-BS: CERES - Drive-by shootings from a B-B or pellet gun caused damage at two residences the evening of Dec. 18.
The first shooting took place at 10:19 p.m. in the 1300 block of Herndon Road. A car window and front window of the house were shattered when someone drove by spraying shots. The caller said that a dark-colored four-door car fled the area.
Exactly 30 minutes later police were called to the 900 block of Musick Avenue where more property was shot. Windows of a 2002 GMC pickup and a 2000 Dodge van were shattered in a similar fashion.
The shootings were likely related, said Deputy Police Chief Mike Borges, possibly from a C02 pellet gun or a B-B gun.
• DRUNK DRIVING ARRESTS: CERES - Police pulled a number of drunk drivers from streets the weekend of Dec. 18-20.
At 10:41 p.m. on Friday, Dec 18, Uphinder Singh, 53, of Ceres, was arrested for DUI in the 2800 block of Service Road.
At 10:45 p.m. Osvaldo Becerra, 31, of Hughson, was arrested in the area of Whitmore and Lunar. Police said he was so highly intoxicated that he had trouble stopping his car without moving forward a few feet and repeating the process.
At 5:14 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 19 Peni Leota, 35, of Ceres, was arrested in the 1600 block of Richland Avenue after he left the IHOP parking lot intoxicated.
On Sunday, Dec. 20, Edward C. Bogan, 19, was arrested in the 2200 block of Ridgeway after he turned onto southbound Central Avenue from Hatch Road going into the northbound turn lane. Bogan told the officer that he hadn't been drinking but "smoking weed." The arresting officer detected the smell of alcohol on Bogan. He was arrested at 1:18 a.m.
Also on Sunday, at 1:25 a.m., police stopped Andrew Moreno, 20, of Modesto, after seeing him in the area of Montclair and Morgan. Someone called earlier to report a reckless driver and Officer Coey Henson saw a car that matched the description. Henson saw Moreno drive into the industrial area where he started spinning donuts. Moreno was arrested on DUI charges.
Finally at 2:52 a.m., Hector G. Chavez, 19, of Modesto, was arrested for DUI at Hatch and Herndon after being spotted weaving in and out of lanes.
• OUT OF CONTROL TEEN ARRESTED: CERES - A 15-year-old teenager in a group home in the 2500 block of Leslie Lane was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon on Dec. 21 after he threatened a caretaker with a fork.
Police were called at 11:33 a.m. when the habitual runaway threatened to stab the caretaker and spilled boiling hot water from the stove onto his pants.
The teen is 6-foot-1 and weighs 180 pounds, said Deputy Chief of Police Mike Borges.
• TWO ARRESTED FOR SHOPLIFTING: CERES - Two of three persons suspected of shoplifting at Kmart Dec. 21 were apprehended and arrested.
At 1:46 p.m. a store security guard called police after seeing three people work together to load up a purse with merchandise. When confronted the two males took off running across Hatch Road. Luis Gonzales, 18, was arrested for petty theft with prior conviction and conspiracy to commit theft.
A woman caught inside the store - Jessica Barrajan, 19, of Turlock - was arrested for burglary and conspiracy to commit a crime. The pair are accused of trying to make off with $100 worth of clothing.
The third suspect is still at large.
• DUI SUSPECT LIES TO OFFICER ABOUT NAME: CERES - Antonio Gutierrez, 36, of Modesto, faces charges of drunk driving and giving a false ID to an officer as a result of his contact with Officer Brian Peterson on Dec. 21.
At 8:35 p.m. Peterson stopped Gutierrez for weaving as he was driving his vehicle at Herndon Road and Sam Avenue. Gutierrez provided a false name since he had a DUI arrest warrant and driving as an unlicensed driver.
Gutierrez was charged with DUI, driving wihtout a license and giving false ID to an officer.
• WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME: CERES - A woman vandalized a vehicle belonging to a woman she believed was having an affair with her husband but police say it was a case of the victim being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Jennifer L. Flores, 26, of Turlock, was arrested on felony vandalism charges stemming from her conduct in the 3400 block of S. Central Avenue. She is accused of breaking a car window at 11:29 p.m.
Police said the 29-year-old victim was just picking up her children who were staying with her ex-husband's house. Also at the house was a male friend of the ex-husband who is having marital problems. That man's wife suspected his husband was having an affair and came to the residence to confront him at the same time the mother was picking up her children and made a false assumption, said Deputy Chief Mike Borges.
Flores was later arrested in Turlock.
• STABBING INVESTIGATED: CERES - A 19-year-old Ceres teen turned up at a local hospital in need of treatment for a stab wound he claimed was inflicted in or near Smyrna Park on Dec. 22.
The teen told police he was walking back to his house from the park at 10:28 p.m. when two males in black hooded sweatshirts jumped him for no reason and stabbed him in the upper arm.
Police said no further description of the suspects was offered.
Anyone with information on the crime is urged to call detectives at 538-5727.
• STORE BURGLARIZED: CERES - Someone broke into Stanislaus Farm Supply on Service Road in rural Ceres and stole goods on Wednesday, Dec. 23.
Police were made aware of the crime at 8:58 p.m. The thieves took chainsaws and clothing and gained entry by cutting through the door lock bolt. A witness saw three males wearing black hooded sweatshirts leaving the store in a small white four-door vehicle, possibly a Honda.
Anyone with information on the crime is urged to call detectives at 538-5727.
• CHILD ENDANGERMENT CHARGES: CERES - An extremely intoxicated Ceres man was arrested Dec. 23 after he allegedly got violent with his wife and small child in the 2400 block of Canyon Drive.
Police were called at 11:52 p.m. after Steven Saltsman, 48, of Ceres, allegedly grabbed his wife by the throat and pulled a Christmas tree down atop his four-month-old child, hurting both.
Saltsman was arrested for domestic violence and endangering a child. Deputy Police Chief Mike Borges said that Saltsman was so intoxicated that he thought police had stopped him in a vehicle.
• OFF TO JAIL ON CHRISTMAS DAY: CERES - A 30-year-old Modesto man was arrested Christmas Day for public intoxication charges after someone saw him standing in his living room with the front door open as he committed a led act in view of the street.
At 4:32 p.m. police were called to the 1300 block of Richland Avenue where Orlando Tovar was found very intoxicated, said Borges. He was charged with public intoxication.
• DRUNK DRIVER HITS WALL: CERES - Jordan M. Johnson, 20, of Modesto, was arrested on DUI charges Dec. 26 after he allegedly drove into bushes and a cinderblock wall in the 1600 block of Eastgate Boulevard.
The solo crash took place at 12:22 a.m. Johnson was standing on the curb when police arrived.
• LOADED GUN IN CAR: CERES - Two persons ran afoul of the law Dec. 26 during a 11:51 p.m. traffic stop in the 3600 block of Whitmore Avenue.
Officer Dan Fairchilds stopped the car for having expired registration tags. Regina Lewis, 25, was cited and released on charges of driving on a suspended license.
Her passenger, Matthew J. Bohannon, 28, of Escalon, was arrested after police searched the car and found a loaded weapon found under his front seat. Stashed in the trunk were police batons and a knife allegedly belonging to Bohannon. He was charged with carrying a concealed weapon in public and carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle.
The car was towed.
• BOOT SHOP BURGLARIZED: CERES - Police have few clues as to who stole a large amount of boots, belts and wallets from Pollo Western Boots in the 3900 block of Morgan Road on Dec. 26.
The business was hit between 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 26 and 10 a.m. on Dec. 27. The suspects pried open a business door.
Officer Julio Amador was rolling through the area at 10:47 p.m. and stopped to talk to John T. Walker. 30, and Whiteeagle A. Moreno, 30, both of Modesto. Walker was on parole and searched; he had methamphetamine in his pocket. He was arrested for possession of a controlled substance and violating the terms of his parole.
Moreno was found with prescription medication that was not hers. She was charged with possession of prescription medication without a prescription.
• STOLEN GOLF CART RECOVERED: CERES - Two 14-year-old Blaker Kinser Junior High School students were arrested Dec. 16 after they allegedly stole a golf cart from their school.
School officials called police at 4:11 p.m. to report the stolen cart. They suspected one student of taking the cart and went to the student's house and peek into the backyard. A screwdriver was used to take off the cart's top so that it wouldn't protrude above the fence line and be seen.
The students told police that they found the cart abandoned in a ditch. They were booked into Juvenile Hall on charges of auto theft, conspiracy to commit a crime and possession of a stolen vehicle.
Their names were not released because of their age.
• SUSPECT ARRESTED IN HOME INVASION: CERES - Police arrested an Oakdale man who allegedly broke into an elderly woman's Walnut Avenue home and stole her purse on Thursday, Dec. 17.
Fernando M. Lopez, 34, of Oakdale, was also identified as the man who tried to break into the same woman's house last February.
The woman knew Lopez as she hired him to do work previously.
At approximately 8:09 p.m. the victim called police to report that she had been victimized at her house in the 1800 block of Walnut. She said the man showed up at her door and asked to use the phone. She refused to let him in but left the door unlocked. He came back a while later and entered the house and grabbed her purse and ran out of the door.
Police used a canine to track Lopez's scent and Sgt. Dennis Perry located Lopez on Nimrod Drive. Recovered were some of his discarded clothing and the victim's purse.
Lopez was charged with two counts of residential robbery and making criminal threats to the woman.
Lopez allegedly terrorized the woman on Feb. 18. In that case Lopez knocked on the door saying his wife was not breathing and needed help. The suspect was told to go away but he then smashed the front window near the door and reached in and opened the door. The woman fetched her handgun but the suspect overpowered her and took the weapon and threatened to kill her if she called police. The suspect took the gun and the woman's purse before fleeing in an older model dark-colored pickup.
• PAROLEE FOUND WITH AMMUNITION: CERES - Officer Freddie Ortiz stopped a vehicle on Dec. 17 at Mitchell and Service roads and ended up arresting the passenger who jumped out and tried to run away.
Ernest Duenez Jr., 33 of Lathrop, was on parole and tried to discard a small amount of marijuana and a bag containing ammunition. He was charged with resisting arrest, possession of marijuana, being a felon in possession of ammunition and parole violation.
The car stop was made at 11:30 p.m.
The driver of the car fled.
• DRIVE-BY SHOOTINGS WITH B-BS: CERES - Drive-by shootings from a B-B or pellet gun caused damage at two residences the evening of Dec. 18.
The first shooting took place at 10:19 p.m. in the 1300 block of Herndon Road. A car window and front window of the house were shattered when someone drove by spraying shots. The caller said that a dark-colored four-door car fled the area.
Exactly 30 minutes later police were called to the 900 block of Musick Avenue where more property was shot. Windows of a 2002 GMC pickup and a 2000 Dodge van were shattered in a similar fashion.
The shootings were likely related, said Deputy Police Chief Mike Borges, possibly from a C02 pellet gun or a B-B gun.
• DRUNK DRIVING ARRESTS: CERES - Police pulled a number of drunk drivers from streets the weekend of Dec. 18-20.
At 10:41 p.m. on Friday, Dec 18, Uphinder Singh, 53, of Ceres, was arrested for DUI in the 2800 block of Service Road.
At 10:45 p.m. Osvaldo Becerra, 31, of Hughson, was arrested in the area of Whitmore and Lunar. Police said he was so highly intoxicated that he had trouble stopping his car without moving forward a few feet and repeating the process.
At 5:14 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 19 Peni Leota, 35, of Ceres, was arrested in the 1600 block of Richland Avenue after he left the IHOP parking lot intoxicated.
On Sunday, Dec. 20, Edward C. Bogan, 19, was arrested in the 2200 block of Ridgeway after he turned onto southbound Central Avenue from Hatch Road going into the northbound turn lane. Bogan told the officer that he hadn't been drinking but "smoking weed." The arresting officer detected the smell of alcohol on Bogan. He was arrested at 1:18 a.m.
Also on Sunday, at 1:25 a.m., police stopped Andrew Moreno, 20, of Modesto, after seeing him in the area of Montclair and Morgan. Someone called earlier to report a reckless driver and Officer Coey Henson saw a car that matched the description. Henson saw Moreno drive into the industrial area where he started spinning donuts. Moreno was arrested on DUI charges.
Finally at 2:52 a.m., Hector G. Chavez, 19, of Modesto, was arrested for DUI at Hatch and Herndon after being spotted weaving in and out of lanes.
• OUT OF CONTROL TEEN ARRESTED: CERES - A 15-year-old teenager in a group home in the 2500 block of Leslie Lane was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon on Dec. 21 after he threatened a caretaker with a fork.
Police were called at 11:33 a.m. when the habitual runaway threatened to stab the caretaker and spilled boiling hot water from the stove onto his pants.
The teen is 6-foot-1 and weighs 180 pounds, said Deputy Chief of Police Mike Borges.
• TWO ARRESTED FOR SHOPLIFTING: CERES - Two of three persons suspected of shoplifting at Kmart Dec. 21 were apprehended and arrested.
At 1:46 p.m. a store security guard called police after seeing three people work together to load up a purse with merchandise. When confronted the two males took off running across Hatch Road. Luis Gonzales, 18, was arrested for petty theft with prior conviction and conspiracy to commit theft.
A woman caught inside the store - Jessica Barrajan, 19, of Turlock - was arrested for burglary and conspiracy to commit a crime. The pair are accused of trying to make off with $100 worth of clothing.
The third suspect is still at large.
• DUI SUSPECT LIES TO OFFICER ABOUT NAME: CERES - Antonio Gutierrez, 36, of Modesto, faces charges of drunk driving and giving a false ID to an officer as a result of his contact with Officer Brian Peterson on Dec. 21.
At 8:35 p.m. Peterson stopped Gutierrez for weaving as he was driving his vehicle at Herndon Road and Sam Avenue. Gutierrez provided a false name since he had a DUI arrest warrant and driving as an unlicensed driver.
Gutierrez was charged with DUI, driving wihtout a license and giving false ID to an officer.
• WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME: CERES - A woman vandalized a vehicle belonging to a woman she believed was having an affair with her husband but police say it was a case of the victim being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Jennifer L. Flores, 26, of Turlock, was arrested on felony vandalism charges stemming from her conduct in the 3400 block of S. Central Avenue. She is accused of breaking a car window at 11:29 p.m.
Police said the 29-year-old victim was just picking up her children who were staying with her ex-husband's house. Also at the house was a male friend of the ex-husband who is having marital problems. That man's wife suspected his husband was having an affair and came to the residence to confront him at the same time the mother was picking up her children and made a false assumption, said Deputy Chief Mike Borges.
Flores was later arrested in Turlock.
• STABBING INVESTIGATED: CERES - A 19-year-old Ceres teen turned up at a local hospital in need of treatment for a stab wound he claimed was inflicted in or near Smyrna Park on Dec. 22.
The teen told police he was walking back to his house from the park at 10:28 p.m. when two males in black hooded sweatshirts jumped him for no reason and stabbed him in the upper arm.
Police said no further description of the suspects was offered.
Anyone with information on the crime is urged to call detectives at 538-5727.
• STORE BURGLARIZED: CERES - Someone broke into Stanislaus Farm Supply on Service Road in rural Ceres and stole goods on Wednesday, Dec. 23.
Police were made aware of the crime at 8:58 p.m. The thieves took chainsaws and clothing and gained entry by cutting through the door lock bolt. A witness saw three males wearing black hooded sweatshirts leaving the store in a small white four-door vehicle, possibly a Honda.
Anyone with information on the crime is urged to call detectives at 538-5727.
• CHILD ENDANGERMENT CHARGES: CERES - An extremely intoxicated Ceres man was arrested Dec. 23 after he allegedly got violent with his wife and small child in the 2400 block of Canyon Drive.
Police were called at 11:52 p.m. after Steven Saltsman, 48, of Ceres, allegedly grabbed his wife by the throat and pulled a Christmas tree down atop his four-month-old child, hurting both.
Saltsman was arrested for domestic violence and endangering a child. Deputy Police Chief Mike Borges said that Saltsman was so intoxicated that he thought police had stopped him in a vehicle.
• OFF TO JAIL ON CHRISTMAS DAY: CERES - A 30-year-old Modesto man was arrested Christmas Day for public intoxication charges after someone saw him standing in his living room with the front door open as he committed a led act in view of the street.
At 4:32 p.m. police were called to the 1300 block of Richland Avenue where Orlando Tovar was found very intoxicated, said Borges. He was charged with public intoxication.
• DRUNK DRIVER HITS WALL: CERES - Jordan M. Johnson, 20, of Modesto, was arrested on DUI charges Dec. 26 after he allegedly drove into bushes and a cinderblock wall in the 1600 block of Eastgate Boulevard.
The solo crash took place at 12:22 a.m. Johnson was standing on the curb when police arrived.
• LOADED GUN IN CAR: CERES - Two persons ran afoul of the law Dec. 26 during a 11:51 p.m. traffic stop in the 3600 block of Whitmore Avenue.
Officer Dan Fairchilds stopped the car for having expired registration tags. Regina Lewis, 25, was cited and released on charges of driving on a suspended license.
Her passenger, Matthew J. Bohannon, 28, of Escalon, was arrested after police searched the car and found a loaded weapon found under his front seat. Stashed in the trunk were police batons and a knife allegedly belonging to Bohannon. He was charged with carrying a concealed weapon in public and carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle.
The car was towed.
• BOOT SHOP BURGLARIZED: CERES - Police have few clues as to who stole a large amount of boots, belts and wallets from Pollo Western Boots in the 3900 block of Morgan Road on Dec. 26.
The business was hit between 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 26 and 10 a.m. on Dec. 27. The suspects pried open a business door.
