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CRIME DIGEST
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• SIX ARRESTED IN LARGE POT BUST: CERES - Six men were arrested during the execution of a Friday search warrant at 3831 Hatch Road which resulted in the discovery of 98 mature marijuana plants, over 200 pounds of dried pot and four guns.

The Ceres Police Street Crimes Unit, working with detectives, executed the search warrant at 6:20 p.m.

These six men were charged with cultivation of marijuana: Miguel Madrigal, 62, Rodrigo Garcia, 26, Hugo Garcia, 26, Alejandro Lopez, 28, Maria Valenzuela, 51, and a 17-year-old boy.

Four of the Ceres residents had federal immigration holds placed on them. Lt. Brent Smith said one of the men had previously been deported back to Mexico.

The marijuana crop was so large, he said, that it required a dump truck and two large trailers to haul away.

• HIT AND RUN DUI: CERES - Lelia Rennels, 50, of Keyes, was arrested Thursday, Sept. 29 after she allegedly ran her white Chevy Blazer SUV into a 2008 GMC Envoy while driving drunk.

The crash occurred at 5 p.m. in the 1600 block of Mitchell Road. Rennels fell out of her vehicle during the impact and then got back behind the wheel and drove off, fleeing northbound on Mitchell Road into Modesto. Police found her badly damaged Chevy near the airport on Tenaya Drive and Rennels walking in the parking of the former Lumberjack building.

She was booked on charges of drunk driving and hit and run.

• DUI CRASH ENDS IN ARREST: CERES - Steven Borrelli, 37, of Modesto, was arrested Sept. 25 for drunk driving after driving his vehicle into a traffic signal pole, sheering it off at the base.

Police said that Borrelli was heavily intoxicated when he crashed at 8:12 p.m. at Hatch and Moffet roads. A bystander followed Borrelli to the area near Food 4 Less.

• TEEN ARRESTED AT SITE OF POT GROW: CERES - A 17-year-old boy was arrested and charged with the illegal cultivation of marijuana on Saturday while his family is off visiting Mexico.

Police said the boy, whose identify was not released, was tending to 20 mature plants being grown inside the house in the 1900 block of Walnut Avenue. Seven pounds of dried pot was also seized.

Each plant was capable of producing 7 to 10 pounds of marijuana with a street value of $14,000.

Officer James Riley arrested the boy at 1:12 p.m. He was charged with cultivation of marijuana. Charges await the adults when they return, said Lt. Brent Smith.

• AUTO ZONE THEFT ENDS IN ARREST: CERES - Police arrested Candis Munoz, 35, of Modesto, Saturday after she allegedly swiped fuses for a car inside the Auto Zone, then tried to flee with her unsuspecting driver realizing she was being chased after.

Munoz apparently pilfered the fuses and was detected and chased down. She ran out of the Mitchell Road store at 2:44 p.m. and jumped into the car she arrived in. Munoz told the male driver to quickly take off, not realizing why. On his way out of the lot the driver hit another car.

Munoz was located at Walmart across the street and arrested for commercial burglary and felonious theft with prior convictions.

• OLD ASSAULT ENDS IN NEW ARREST: CERES - A Sept. 9 assault with a deadly weapons case resulted in the Sept. 24 arrest of suspect James Osborne, 18, of Ceres.

Officer John Vera found Osborne who allegedly fought a minor inside Smyrna Park. Osborne allegedly struck a 16-year-old boy in the left eye while holding a metal padlock in his fist.

Osborne has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon.

• DRUG CHARGES: CERES - A 23-year-old Modesto man faces gun and drug charges following a stop on his car on Sept. 23.

Antonio Melgova was driving in the area of Central and Industrial avenues at 1:43 p.m. when Officer James Riley stopped him for a moving violation. The officer found in the parolee's 2006 Chevy Silverado pickup a loaded handgun next to a baggie of methamphetamine. Also found were a glass pipe, several rounds of ammunition and meth in his pants pocket.

Melgova, also driving on a suspended license, was charged with possession of meth, possession of a loaded firearm, and violating the terms of his parole.

• ASSAULT ENDS IN ARREST: CERES - Jared Freeman, 25, of Ceres, was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon for an alleged attack with a knife on another person.

Police said a physical fight broke out between Freeman, who was armed with a kitchen knife, and another male over a property dispute on Saturday. The fight broke out at 10:20 p.m. in the 3400 block of Sunburst Court.

Officers say that Freeman swung the knife at his victim but missed.