Crime, Fire & Courts

A Felton woman died early Saturday morning in a head-on crash on Highway 9 north of Felton.  The California Highway Patrol said the 80-year-old woman was driving a red 1967 Volkswagen Beetle northbound on Hwy 9 at an undetermined speed around 8:20am.  Meanwhile, a 24-year-old Santa...

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,...

A man was arrested late last month on multiple felony charges after he ditched a loaded gun and ran from Capitola Police. The incident began when Capitola Police conducted a traffic stop for vehicle code violations near the Capitola Mall. As the stop began, a...

A fire late Wednesday morning in Watsonville destroyed two vehicles in the area of Brennan Street and Freedom Boulevard. Firefighters reported no injuries. The blaze erupted at about 10:15am in a 2024 Tesla and a Ford F150 van that were parked next to each other. Witnesses...

A late-night fire destroyed a truck at the Restore, a thrift shop in downtown Watsonville run by Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay.  Firefighters responded to reports of a vehicle fire at 555 Main St. at 11:15pm and found a Ford F550 pickup fully engulfed in...

Editor's note: This story was updated at 10:50am on April 10 with new information. Watsonville officials said Friday that a proposed plan to house a designated sexually violent predator at a Main Street motel has been halted after the property owner withdrew, citing community opposition. The...

A man was swept from the rocky shoreline at Soberanes Point at Garrapata State Park Saturday and is reportedly still missing. The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office said two women and one man were swept to the sea by a huge wave around 3pm Saturday. While...

A Hollister man was arrested Aug. 19 after months of investigation into a series of violent incidents earlier this year. Enrique Fuentes, 37, was charged with shooting into an occupied residence and gang enhancements. He was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail without bail, jail...

Monterey County Sheriff’s deputies on Saturday arrested two women who were allegedly running an unlicensed daycare center after a 3-month-old infant died in their care. Maria Marquez, 62, and her daughter, Johanna Marquez, 35, both of Royal Oaks, were charged with involuntary manslaughter, felony child...