Crime, Fire & Courts

Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni has begun an investigation into an officer-involved shooting on the Highway 101 northbound at Ralph Lane in Prunedale on March 15.  The California Highway Patrol was dispatched to a report of a solo vehicle collision with a guardrail on...

Watsonville firefighters battle flames erupting from a car in Pajaro Wednesday evening. Capt. Thomas Outzen of North Monterey County Fire said there were no apparent injuries, and that the gas tank appeared to have ruptured in the small sedan, leading to a stubborn and...

A tow operator cleans up the area where a driver smashed into a utility pole Friday morning on Airport Boulevard at Roache Road. Watsonville Police said the male driver was traveling southbound on Freedom Boulevard just before 9am when he lost control of his...

​​Law enforcement officials in Monterey County rescued a possibly suicidal man who was threatening to jump off the  San Miguel Canyon Road overpass on Sunday. According to the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to assist the California Highway Patrol for a report of a...

Watsonville Police rounded up nearly 1,000 pounds of illegal fireworks after they uncovered a group of people—including a teenager—suspected of selling dangerous fireworks in Watsonville and across Santa Cruz, San Benito, and Monterey counties.  Watsonville Police spokeswoman Michelle Pulido said an investigation led them to...

An 84-year-old Bay Village resident was injured Tuesday morning after he was struck by a man on an electric bike on the Salsipudes Creek levee. Michelle Pulido of Watsonville Police said the victim was struck on a wide pedestrian path around 10:45am. The suspect...

The Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office filed charges against a registered sex offender who recently exposed himself to a woman in Watsonville. James Dineen, 27, is accused of exposing himself to a woman walking near Center Street while parked in his gray Toyota Camry,...

An Aptos man was arrested on March 21 for several sex crimes involving minors. Kevin Hurley, 67, was charged with lewd and lascivious acts with a child and dissuading a victim or witness, among other charges. He faces a life sentence if convicted. Hurley was not in...

Public defenders in Santa Cruz County will join colleagues across California and the nation April 23 in a coordinated protest highlighting what they describe as chronic underfunding and unmanageable caseloads that threaten defendants’ constitutional right to counsel. Chief Public Defender Heather Rogers is urging community...