Crime, Fire & Courts

A man died in a fire that engulfed a home in Aptos late Tuesday night.  Central Fire Division Chief Nigel Miller said firefighters were met with a multi-story home on the 1900 block of Seascape Boulevard fully engulfed in flames just before 11:30pm. “We got a...

A man living in a homeless encampment in the Arana Gulch area was arrested Tuesday after he was found with illegal drugs, cash, police scanners and a passel of high-end stolen bikes totaling more than $30,000. Joshua Morris, 35, was charged with grant theft, possession...

A Watsonville man was arrested on the night of Feb. 26 after he tried to outrun Watsonville Police during a traffic stop. When WPD made a traffic stop on East Lake Avenue, 31-year-old Jose Alberto Sanchez leapt from the car and fled on foot, WPD...

Watsonville Police Chief David Rodriguez on Nov. 25 arrested an armed Watsonville gang member carrying a backpack with drugs and ammunition after a brief chase. Issac Sigala, 18, is facing several felony charges including illegally possessing a firearm, participation in a criminal street gang and...

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...

Local law agencies found a large stash of illegal firearms ammunition following a routine car stop. According to the California Highway Patrol, officers in April stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation in Santa Cruz County. The officers learned that the driver had a suspended...

The City of Watsonville on Thursday announced that Police Chief Jorge Zamora is retiring, with his last day set for Aug. 30. The retirement will end a law enforcement career of more than three decades. Zamora began as a police cadet when he was 15, and...

Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies and Pajaro Valley Unified School District officials are investigating after a bag containing a firearm and ammunition was found at Aptos High School. A mask was also found nearby, PVUSD spokesman Alejandro Chavez said in a press release. PVUSD has notified...

Kimberly LaBore, who has spent more than two decades behind bars for her part in a 1998 robbery and killing—and who was sentenced to 62 years to life for the crime—has been granted parole. Gov. Jerry Brown in 2017 commuted that sentence to a 20-year...

Tow operator Kevin Chavez works on righting a VW sedan after it rolled off of Buena Vista Drive early Thursday morning. The California Highway Patrol said a male driver lost control of the VW Jetta around 6:30am while traveling westbound on the 600 block...