At least three Ceres school campuses were hit by thieves who vandalized air conditioning units and stole other metal objects.
Someone stole copper from a unit at Walter White Elementary School on Thursday, Nov. 14. There were little clues when the report was taken at 8:48 a.m. as to who did the deed.
When school resumed after the three-day Veterans Day holiday, Nov. 9-11, staff at Don Pedro Elementary School noted that a rooftop air conditioning unit was damaged, and that brass flag holders on the side of some buildings were taken. Also missing were the brass P-trap fittings for the water fountains. Over $800 in damage was inflicted, making this grand theft.
Blaker Kinser Junior High School reported a similar theft the day before.
Ceres Police also reported the following incidences in the past week:
• GUN FOUND IN TRAFFIC STOP - A 25-year-old Modesto man was arrested Friday after he was found with a gun in the backseat of a stopped car.
At 8:59 p.m. Ceres Police Officer Carlos Quiroz made a stop on a red 1990 Acura Integra for having expired registration. The driver pulled over into the alley next to Wells Fargo Bank. The officer noticed open beer containers in the car and learned that the driver, David Thomas, 24, of Modesto, was driving on a suspended license. He was cited and released for the offense.
However, as the occupants were being cleared, Officer Jose Beltran spotted that rear seat passenger Michael White, 25, was moving toward an automatic handgun and was ordered away from it. White was arrested on charges of possession of a concealed handgun.
• PURSUIT GOES TO HUGHSON - Police were led on a high-speed pursuit on Thursday that started at the Ceres Walmart and ended with two arrests.
An officer with the Ceres Police Department Street Crimes Unit noticed two suspicious men getting into a silver 1992 Honda Accord in the Walmart parking lot at 11:30 p.m. The following officer saw the driver fail to stop from the parking lot to Hatch Road. The officer tried to pull over the eastbound car but the driver accelerated to speeds of up to 90 mph as items were being thrown from the car.
When the car reached Santa Fe, it turned southbound and pulled over.
Driver Kasey Parish, 32, of Delhi, was arrested for leading police on a pursuit.
His passenger, Adam Vargas, 30, of Turlock, was arrested for being in possession of a modified driver's license and possession of stolen property.
Police attempted to find the items thrown from the vehicle but were not successful.
• TWO INJURED IN BULL FIGHT - Two persons were seriously injured by a bull at the Ceres Flea Market over the weekend and police and fire officials expressed concerns about copious amounts of alcohol that were being served.
An estimated 500 persons were in attendance at the bull fight with some who were intoxicated interfering with medical personnel attempting to get to the two injured men.
"The event was not known to our officers," said Ceres Police Lt. Brent Smith who noted "we had a difficult time getting in to find the men."
• DAY CARE PROVIDERS CHARGED WITH CHILD PORN - A Turlock couple that operated a daycare center out of their home has been arrest on federal child pornography charges.
Adam Henry, 35, was arrested on suspicion of receiving and distributing child pornography. His wife Angele Henry, 34, was arrested on suspicion of possession of child pornography and using a concealed camera to view an underage person's body in a private room.
The arrests were part of a joint investigation by the Ceres Police Department's high-tech crime unit and the Federal Bureau of Investigations.
The arrest, made Wednesday, was the second time Adam Henry has been the focus of a child pornography investigation. In September he was arrested by the Ceres Police Department and had his home and business searched. He was charged with two felony counts of possession of child pornography. The charges were dismissed the same day as his arrest on federal charges.
The Ceres Police Department has not stated what led investigators to start looking into Adam Henry in the first place.
Wednesday morning the Ceres investigators returned to the Henry's residence at 1131 Burman Drive with FBI agents to conduct a second search. Law enforcement did not specify what items may have been taken from the Henry's home.
The couple operated the Turlock Early Enrichment Center out of their home since March 2012. The state is responsible for issuing daycare licenses and a facility's check did not return a listing for the Turlock Early Enrichment Center. The daycare was listed with the website Angie's List and had a Facebook page until the arrest.
It's unknown how many children may have been filmed, but investigators suspect some of the children who visited the daycare center might have been recorded and are asking people who utilized the daycare to contact Ceres Police Detective Britton Moore at 538-5627. Callers can also make an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers and may be eligible for a cash reward. Tipsters can call (866) 60-CRIME, text "274637" with TIP704 in the wording, or visit http://www.modestopolice.com/crimestoppers.
