DRIVE-BY SHOOTING AT HOMES: CERES - Police investigated two drive-by shootings on Sunday, May 3.
At 9:41 a.m. a resident in the 1500 block of Hackett contacted police to report finding numerous shell casings in the roadway near his home. He told police that he heard shots fired at approximately 3:40 a.m., and when he got up at 9:30 a.m. he found the casings. Some appeared to have been flatten as if they were in the street and driven over.
Later at 1:14 p.m. officers were dispatched to the 3300 block of Castiglione for more shell casing found in the street. The reporting party said they heard shots at about 1:30 a.m. She located what appeared to be two bullet holes in her home. More large caliber shell casings were located in the intersection of Castiglione and Graham Lane.
"We are unsure if these are two different incidents or if both of these are related to the drive-by shooting that took place in the 1600 block of Sungate on May 3 at 3:42 a.m.," said Deputy Police Chief Mike Borges.
RECKLESS FLIGHT FROM OFFICER: CERES - A 21-year-old driver is facing numerous felony charges including, causing serious injury while evading a peace officer, driving while intoxicated, weapons violations and leaving the scene of a traffic collision. Jeffery Aguilar also had several outstanding warrants for his arrest.
The arrest came after Ceres officer Jason Brock saw Aguilar driving a Mazda MX6 recklessly at 9:38 p.m. on Saturday, May 9 as he made a turn onto Hatch Road from Herndon Avenue. Brock tried to stop Aguilar but he accelerated away rapidly making a U-turn to head east bound Hatch Road. As Aguilar turned onto Herndon Avenue and proceeded northbound, he failed to stop at the red light at Herndon and Joyce. He struck another motorist's vehicle who had a green light, causing serious injuries to the other driver.
Aguilar fled the scene on foot but was later pointed out to officers as he attempted to hide in a laundry room at 1226 Herndon Court. A Sheriff's canine led a team of officers to his location. Aguilar was considered armed and dangerous and would not comply with officers demands to come out of the room. The canine was deployed and pulled Aguilar out of the room as he continued to resist arrest. Aguilar was eventually arrested and treated for dog bites.
Police found several guns inside the Mazda, one being illegal.
ATTEMPTED KIDNAPPING ALLEGED: CERES - A 38-year-old man was arrested Saturday, May 9 after he allegedly tried to kidnap a female in the Mitchell and Don Pedro road area.
At 4:02 a.m. officers were dispatched to the area for an attempted abduction. Four females said that Joseph Marrujo, 38, pulled up to them in the parking lot of 3240 Mitchell Road in a white Volkswagen Bug. One of the victims went over to the vehicle to see if they could get a ride. Marrujo allegedly began to act strangely and said he had a gun and attempted to pull one of the females into the car. Her friends were able to pull her away from him and he sped off taking purses of two of the women.
Marrujo was found making a westbound turn from Mitchell Road onto Hatch Road. Marrujo turned into the Jack in the Box parking lot on Hatch Road where he was arrested without incident.
Two purses were located inside the VW. The victims had only minor injuries caused during the struggle.
Besides the attempted kidnapping charge, Marrujo was booked for robbery and drug charges. He also had a no-bail warrant out of San Jose Police Department for narcotic related offenses.
STORE GRAB GOES BAD FOR WOMAN: CERES - Richland Ace Hardware store employees led police to the arrest of a 38-year-old woman who allegedly attempted to steal identities from a desk on May 3.
At 4:14 p.m. employees at the Richland Shopping Center store were trying to detain a female whom was caught inside a back office rummaging through a desk. As they were waiting for the police to arrive Deanna West ran out the back door but employees caught her in the 2500 block of Mary Avenue. As she was being detained, she spit at one of the employees. She tried to conceal some credit cards, and drivers license which had been stolen from a home in the 2500 block of Fifth Street. Police found a small amount of what is believed to be methamphetamine on her.
West, who was described as homeless, was arrested for burglary, possession of stolen property, possession of a control substance, assault, and parole violation. She was also on parole for forgery.
BIKE THEFT ALLEGED: CERES - Jesus Rodriguez, 20, of Ceres, was arrested after he allegedly stole a bicycle and punched its 15-year-old owner in the face on May 3.
At 7:11 p.m., police received a report of a bicycle theft in the area of Richard Way and Gene Way. The victim said Rodriguez saw him and a friend and made a comment about being a "blue ragger," an apparent reference to the teen being a Surreno gang member. There are no indications that the victim was involved in any gang activity.
Rodriguez then allegedly pulled the bicycle out from beneath the teen but the victim fought back and was struck in the head. The victim and his friend contacted the victim's father who then began to look for Rodriguez and found him. Rodriguez allegedly threatened to kill the victim and his party and then contacted police.
Officer Vanessa Garcia and Brian Petersen responded. Garcia located Rodriguez at Nadine and Herndon where he began to try to outrun her on the bicycle. She attempted to cut him off, and he jumped from the bicycle and continued to run away. During the pursuit Officer Petersen accidentally struck a dog with his vehicle as it ran into the street after the suspect.
Rodriguez was eventually caught as he stopped running in the 1300 block of Steele Avenue. Rodriguez was arrested for robbery and resisting arrest.
BELLIGERENT PARTY GOERS ARRESTED: CERES - Five men were arrested after they confronted an officer who wanted them to tone down a party in front of apartments in the 1900 block of Darrah Street on May 3.
At 10:41 p.m. Officer Joe Wren and other officers made contact with the large group. Earlier in the evening Wren was providing extra patrol in the area when he spotted the group. When he turned a spotlight on them, they came up to a four-foot fence and began yelling at him, saying things like "Move your a-- along" and "Get the f--- out of here." Wren came through a second time and met similar responses.
With back-up officers, Wren contacted 10 subjects. None of the men lived in the area but many were consuming alcoholic beverages in violation of the city municipal code. It was later confirmed that some of the men were ingesting control substances which heighten their aggressive behavior towards the police.
Larry Calhoun, 20, of Modesto, was arrested for possession of control substance, being under the influence of a control substance, and resisting arrest.
Fabian Chavez, 25, and Eli Chavez, 24, both of Ceres, were both arrested for public intoxication.
Jermaine Frazier, 23, of Modesto, faces charges of possession of a control substance and possession of a switch blade knife.
Robert Cummings, 19, of Ceres, was arrested for being under the influence of a control substance.
STOLEN ITEMS RETURNED: CERES - Police helped reunite a person and his custom tricycle taken in a burglary two years ago.
At 9:35 a.m. on Wednesday, May 6, a victim of a commercial burglary contacted police about seeing some of his property offered for sale on the internet website Craigs List. The seller listed a Ceres location. The victim's shop, which specialized in building custom tricycles, was burglarized two years ago. During the theft the victim had over $60,000 worth of tools and one tricycle stolen. The lost of the tools forced him to close his business.
Officer Jason Brock handled arranged a meeting with the man who took out the craigslist ad. With the assistance of our detectives they contacted the suspect and were able to recover the tricycle. A search of the suspect's residence located no further items. There was no evidence to arrest the man for possession of stolen property since he claimed he found the tricycle abandoned in the area Central and Sequoia around Darrah Street.
PROWLER ARRESTED: CERES - Charles Kirkland, 21, was arrested May 7 after he was found prowling in the area of 2000 block of Freda Way.
Alert residents called police at 2:15 a.m. to report the prowler and Officer Jose Amador found Kirkland, a transient. Kirkland dropped a stereo face plate. He was found with other items taken from a 1996 Saturn.
Kirkland was arrested for possession of stolen property, and possession of burglary tools.
TWO ARRESTED FOR DRUGS: CERES - Two persons were arrested May 7 after police were called by residents in the 2000 block of Nimrood for suspicious persons. The caller was suspicious of two people who were sitting in a parked car in front of a vacant house that had an open front door.
At 11:02 p.m. police showed up and questioned Rito Vasquez, 24, of Ceres, who was on probation and searchable. His passenger, Darlene Martinez, 25, of Modesto, had a warrant for her arrest for possession of control substance. Police found drugs in the area where Vasquez was seated, along with a smoking device for control substances. Vasquez was arrested for possession of control substance and possession of smoking device for control substance. The officers were assisted in their search by Sgt. Deidre Borges and her police canine, Bee.
At 9:41 a.m. a resident in the 1500 block of Hackett contacted police to report finding numerous shell casings in the roadway near his home. He told police that he heard shots fired at approximately 3:40 a.m., and when he got up at 9:30 a.m. he found the casings. Some appeared to have been flatten as if they were in the street and driven over.
Later at 1:14 p.m. officers were dispatched to the 3300 block of Castiglione for more shell casing found in the street. The reporting party said they heard shots at about 1:30 a.m. She located what appeared to be two bullet holes in her home. More large caliber shell casings were located in the intersection of Castiglione and Graham Lane.
"We are unsure if these are two different incidents or if both of these are related to the drive-by shooting that took place in the 1600 block of Sungate on May 3 at 3:42 a.m.," said Deputy Police Chief Mike Borges.
RECKLESS FLIGHT FROM OFFICER: CERES - A 21-year-old driver is facing numerous felony charges including, causing serious injury while evading a peace officer, driving while intoxicated, weapons violations and leaving the scene of a traffic collision. Jeffery Aguilar also had several outstanding warrants for his arrest.
The arrest came after Ceres officer Jason Brock saw Aguilar driving a Mazda MX6 recklessly at 9:38 p.m. on Saturday, May 9 as he made a turn onto Hatch Road from Herndon Avenue. Brock tried to stop Aguilar but he accelerated away rapidly making a U-turn to head east bound Hatch Road. As Aguilar turned onto Herndon Avenue and proceeded northbound, he failed to stop at the red light at Herndon and Joyce. He struck another motorist's vehicle who had a green light, causing serious injuries to the other driver.
Aguilar fled the scene on foot but was later pointed out to officers as he attempted to hide in a laundry room at 1226 Herndon Court. A Sheriff's canine led a team of officers to his location. Aguilar was considered armed and dangerous and would not comply with officers demands to come out of the room. The canine was deployed and pulled Aguilar out of the room as he continued to resist arrest. Aguilar was eventually arrested and treated for dog bites.
Police found several guns inside the Mazda, one being illegal.
ATTEMPTED KIDNAPPING ALLEGED: CERES - A 38-year-old man was arrested Saturday, May 9 after he allegedly tried to kidnap a female in the Mitchell and Don Pedro road area.
At 4:02 a.m. officers were dispatched to the area for an attempted abduction. Four females said that Joseph Marrujo, 38, pulled up to them in the parking lot of 3240 Mitchell Road in a white Volkswagen Bug. One of the victims went over to the vehicle to see if they could get a ride. Marrujo allegedly began to act strangely and said he had a gun and attempted to pull one of the females into the car. Her friends were able to pull her away from him and he sped off taking purses of two of the women.
Marrujo was found making a westbound turn from Mitchell Road onto Hatch Road. Marrujo turned into the Jack in the Box parking lot on Hatch Road where he was arrested without incident.
Two purses were located inside the VW. The victims had only minor injuries caused during the struggle.
Besides the attempted kidnapping charge, Marrujo was booked for robbery and drug charges. He also had a no-bail warrant out of San Jose Police Department for narcotic related offenses.
STORE GRAB GOES BAD FOR WOMAN: CERES - Richland Ace Hardware store employees led police to the arrest of a 38-year-old woman who allegedly attempted to steal identities from a desk on May 3.
At 4:14 p.m. employees at the Richland Shopping Center store were trying to detain a female whom was caught inside a back office rummaging through a desk. As they were waiting for the police to arrive Deanna West ran out the back door but employees caught her in the 2500 block of Mary Avenue. As she was being detained, she spit at one of the employees. She tried to conceal some credit cards, and drivers license which had been stolen from a home in the 2500 block of Fifth Street. Police found a small amount of what is believed to be methamphetamine on her.
West, who was described as homeless, was arrested for burglary, possession of stolen property, possession of a control substance, assault, and parole violation. She was also on parole for forgery.
BIKE THEFT ALLEGED: CERES - Jesus Rodriguez, 20, of Ceres, was arrested after he allegedly stole a bicycle and punched its 15-year-old owner in the face on May 3.
At 7:11 p.m., police received a report of a bicycle theft in the area of Richard Way and Gene Way. The victim said Rodriguez saw him and a friend and made a comment about being a "blue ragger," an apparent reference to the teen being a Surreno gang member. There are no indications that the victim was involved in any gang activity.
Rodriguez then allegedly pulled the bicycle out from beneath the teen but the victim fought back and was struck in the head. The victim and his friend contacted the victim's father who then began to look for Rodriguez and found him. Rodriguez allegedly threatened to kill the victim and his party and then contacted police.
Officer Vanessa Garcia and Brian Petersen responded. Garcia located Rodriguez at Nadine and Herndon where he began to try to outrun her on the bicycle. She attempted to cut him off, and he jumped from the bicycle and continued to run away. During the pursuit Officer Petersen accidentally struck a dog with his vehicle as it ran into the street after the suspect.
Rodriguez was eventually caught as he stopped running in the 1300 block of Steele Avenue. Rodriguez was arrested for robbery and resisting arrest.
BELLIGERENT PARTY GOERS ARRESTED: CERES - Five men were arrested after they confronted an officer who wanted them to tone down a party in front of apartments in the 1900 block of Darrah Street on May 3.
At 10:41 p.m. Officer Joe Wren and other officers made contact with the large group. Earlier in the evening Wren was providing extra patrol in the area when he spotted the group. When he turned a spotlight on them, they came up to a four-foot fence and began yelling at him, saying things like "Move your a-- along" and "Get the f--- out of here." Wren came through a second time and met similar responses.
With back-up officers, Wren contacted 10 subjects. None of the men lived in the area but many were consuming alcoholic beverages in violation of the city municipal code. It was later confirmed that some of the men were ingesting control substances which heighten their aggressive behavior towards the police.
Larry Calhoun, 20, of Modesto, was arrested for possession of control substance, being under the influence of a control substance, and resisting arrest.
Fabian Chavez, 25, and Eli Chavez, 24, both of Ceres, were both arrested for public intoxication.
Jermaine Frazier, 23, of Modesto, faces charges of possession of a control substance and possession of a switch blade knife.
Robert Cummings, 19, of Ceres, was arrested for being under the influence of a control substance.
STOLEN ITEMS RETURNED: CERES - Police helped reunite a person and his custom tricycle taken in a burglary two years ago.
At 9:35 a.m. on Wednesday, May 6, a victim of a commercial burglary contacted police about seeing some of his property offered for sale on the internet website Craigs List. The seller listed a Ceres location. The victim's shop, which specialized in building custom tricycles, was burglarized two years ago. During the theft the victim had over $60,000 worth of tools and one tricycle stolen. The lost of the tools forced him to close his business.
Officer Jason Brock handled arranged a meeting with the man who took out the craigslist ad. With the assistance of our detectives they contacted the suspect and were able to recover the tricycle. A search of the suspect's residence located no further items. There was no evidence to arrest the man for possession of stolen property since he claimed he found the tricycle abandoned in the area Central and Sequoia around Darrah Street.
PROWLER ARRESTED: CERES - Charles Kirkland, 21, was arrested May 7 after he was found prowling in the area of 2000 block of Freda Way.
Alert residents called police at 2:15 a.m. to report the prowler and Officer Jose Amador found Kirkland, a transient. Kirkland dropped a stereo face plate. He was found with other items taken from a 1996 Saturn.
Kirkland was arrested for possession of stolen property, and possession of burglary tools.
TWO ARRESTED FOR DRUGS: CERES - Two persons were arrested May 7 after police were called by residents in the 2000 block of Nimrood for suspicious persons. The caller was suspicious of two people who were sitting in a parked car in front of a vacant house that had an open front door.
At 11:02 p.m. police showed up and questioned Rito Vasquez, 24, of Ceres, who was on probation and searchable. His passenger, Darlene Martinez, 25, of Modesto, had a warrant for her arrest for possession of control substance. Police found drugs in the area where Vasquez was seated, along with a smoking device for control substances. Vasquez was arrested for possession of control substance and possession of smoking device for control substance. The officers were assisted in their search by Sgt. Deidre Borges and her police canine, Bee.
