Crime, Fire & Courts

Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies are investigating after a body was found floating in the Pajaro River Sunday just beyond the levee, shown here behind a farm on the 100 block of Riverside Road near Blackburn Street.  Sgt. Zach West of the Santa Cruz County...

Morgan Hill Police on Thursday arrested a Freedom man after he allegedly traveled to Morgan Hill to sexually assault a 12-year-old girl. Alexis Javier Mendez-Gallardo, 21, was booked into Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of felony charges including rape of a child under 14;...

A San Jose man was arrested in Capitola on Oct. 5 on suspicion of the murder of a woman in San Jose.  Venko Gospodinov was booked into the Santa Clara County Jail for murder.  On Sunday around 2:50am, San Jose Police responded to a residence in...

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...

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...

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...

After their truck stalled in this flooded section of Elkhorn Road Saturday these men wait for help. Scores of motorists were turned away at the intersection at Hidden Valley Road at mid day. Heavy rains have flooded area roads, including Paulsen Road and San...

A Watsonville firefighter cleans up at the scene of a two-vehicle crash Tuesday afternoon on Center Street in Watsonville. Watsonville police said the female driver of an Infiniti G 35 was travelling eastbound on Center Street just east of Beck Street around 2:45 pm...

The public is invited to National Night Out, a series of gatherings held in communities throughout Santa Cruz County on Aug. 5 from 3-7pm. National Night Out Against Crime is a chance for people to meet the police officers, firefighters and first-responders who help them...