Crime, Fire & Courts

Construction work has begun on Main Street, between 5th Street and E. Lake Avenue, which will mean occasional closures, Watsonville officials said. Work will take place from 9am to 3pm, Sept. 2 through Oct. 3. Both northbound and southbound lanes of Main Street will have...

The 12-year-old girl who took her mother’s car and went on the run Saturday—and her 12-year-old boyfriend who joined her—have both been found In Santa Clara and are safe, according to Watsonville Police spokeswoman Michelle Pulido. Neveah Castillo reportedly drove off in a light blue...

An 86-year-old Fresno man was convicted on Aug. 26 for a double-murder committed more than three decades ago in Prunedale. According  to Monterey County Sheriff spokesman Andres Rosas, Ira Ulyesses Bastian murdered George Smith, 67, and Eva Thompson, 79 in a Prunedale restaurant on Nov....

Watsonville Police Chief Jorge Zamora (left) is recognized by detective Colin Travers Friday during a farewell lunch at the Watsonville Police Department. Following 33 years of service with WPD, Zamora worked his way through a list of ranks and titles, including Chief for the...

Highway 1 was shut down for four hours early Monday when a dump truck slammed into the Freedom Boulevard overcrossing to Highway 1 in Aptos.  The California Highway Patrol said the truck was traveling northbound on Highway 1 at an unspecified time. The truck’s bed...

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...

At an upcoming meeting, the Watsonville City Council will consider renewing a contract with Atlanta, Ga.-based Flock Safety, which has installed 20 license plate reader cameras throughout the city. Watsonville signed a two-year contract with Flock in 2023 for $132,000. In the past six months, the...

The California Highway Patrol is reminding the public to remember laws governing motorized bicycles after a child suffered minor injuries recently when two of the bikes collided on Soquel Drive near Capitola. Both riders were minors, the CHP said. The CHP defines a motorized bicycle as...

Watsonville Police investigate a four-vehicle crash on South Green Valley Road Tuesday morning. Michelle Pulido, spokeswoman for Watsonville Police, said an unlicensed teen male was traveling southbound on Green Valley in a Ford F350 pickup around 10:30am when he plowed into a Ford F150...

A woman from Utah who went missing on Nov. 6 at Rio Del Mar State Beach has been found and is safe, according to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office.  “Danielle Staley has been located and is safe and uninjured,” the SCSO said. Authorities did not...