Crime, Fire & Courts

Santa Cruz County on Monday named Sandra Mendez as its next chief probation officer, selecting a veteran corrections administrator with more than 20 years of experience in community-based justice programs. Mendez will take over leadership of the county’s Probation Department on Feb. 2, county officials...

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...

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a body that was found along the Pajaro River levee west of the Main Street Bridge that connects the community of Pajaro to Watsonville. On Monday the Sheriff's Office identified the man as 36-year-old Jesus Alfonso Duarte Figueroa...

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office has identified the body found on Its Beach May 9, just off the shoulder of Lighthouse Point on the west side of Santa Cruz, as Noah Lee Kim, 21, of Los Angeles. Kim and another man, both reported to...

A car shot off of northbound Green Valley Road at Doering Lane around 5:30am Tuesday and sheered a utility pole off at the base.  The car then careened across a sidewalk and through a wood fence before coming to a stop in an agricultural field.  California...

The body of a 15-year-old male who went missing July 23 in Watsonville in the Laken area off of Holohan Road was found in the waters of College Lake over the weekend. Nicholas Magana-Zamora was last seen around 11am on July 23 after leaving his...

This story has been updated from a previous version with additional information. Watsonville Police on Friday afternoon arrested a Watsonville woman who allegedly robbed the Bay Federal Credit Union on the 1400 block of Main Street. Elizabeth Rojas, 34, was charged with robbery and attempted robbery....

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...

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...

Monterey County Sheriff’s Deputies on Wednesday—with the help of a Belgian Malinois K9 officer named Rocket—arrested a Watsonville man after he was found with a large stash of illegal drugs. Rodrigo Roy Marquez, 45, was charged with possession of narcotics for sale, driving on a...