Author: KION

Victor Guzman

GREENFIELD, Calif. (KION-TV) — Greenfield Police said officers disrupted a cockfighting operation on Friday night while patrolling a vineyard near the city.

Police said they found a large gathering along the 41000 block of Elm Avenue.

While approaching the group of people — more than 40 people ran away and escaped in various vehicles.

Police later found the gathering was for a cockfighting activity, which police said they strongly condemn due to its cruel nature and the abuse of animals involved.

Police said 14 roosters were recovered, but one other was found dead.

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office and SPCA are taking over the investigation.

Victor Guzman

Walan from Our Neighborhood Pet Project stops by the KION News Channel 46 studio to talk about Kitten Season and how people at home can volunteer!

Visit www.ourneighborhoodpetproject.org and click the volunteer tab at the top to find the forms needed to be a volunteer. You can also help the shelter with other programs they offer by clicking the other tabs available.

KTVU FOX 2

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION-TV) — Skeletal remains discovered from 30 years ago in a Santa Cruz County riverbed have been identified as those of a 13-year-old New York girl who was reported missing in 1975, officials said.

Remains were found in 1995

What we know:

Partial skeletal remains were found on March 22, 1995, in a riverbed off Highway 129 east of Rogge Lane. For decades, the victim’s identity remained a mystery, according to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office.

Initial DNA testing confirmed the remains belonged to a female.

Case reexamined 24 years later

Dig deeper:

The case was reexamined in 2019 and sent for additional forensic testing, including carbon dating, which determined the victim was likely born in the 1960s and died between 1977 and 1984, officials said.

Between 2022 and 2023, the sheriff’s office used advanced genetic genealogy to locate potential family members. They partnered with Othram, a Texas-based genetic genealogy company specializing in forensic DNA analysis.

Remains identified as missing New York teen

What they’re saying:

Scientists at Othram extracted DNA from the remains, developed a genetic profile, and conducted genealogical research to trace possible relatives. Through that work, they were able to identify the remains as those of Laura O’Malley, a 13-year-old girl from Queens, New York.

She was reported missing in August 1975, and her family had not heard from her since.

How did the victim end up in Santa Cruz County?

What we don’t know:

“It is not known when, or under what circumstances, Laura O’Malley arrived in California,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

Sheriff’s officials credited forensic advancements with finally providing answers to Laura’s family.

Othram noted on its website that “investigators are now working to piece together the details of her life and the events that led to her discovery in the Santa Cruz County riverbed.”

Authorities are urging anyone with information about the case to contact the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office at (831) 471-1121.

Jeanette Bent

CAPITOLA, Calif. (KION-TV) — Capitola Police announced Tuesday morning that they arrested a suspect for the fraudulent use of stolen bank cards after providing officers a false name and accumulating outstanding felony warrants for theft.

They said that thanks to surveillance footage as well as the suspect wearing a distinctive shirt, police were able to easily track him down.

According to police, the suspect is linked to organized retail crime throughout the state with the investigation ongoing.

Police say that the suspect has been booked in jail.

And despite Capitola Police citing a Tony Montana quote [“I always tell the truth. Even when I lie.”], they say that he did not give them Montana’s name as an alias.  

Jeanette Bent

DEL MONTE FOREST, Calif. (KION-TV) — CAL FIRE BEU announced Wednesday that at around 4 a.m. they were dispatched to a report of a stranded vessel in Stillwater Cove.

They said that upon arrival, crews were able to locate a 50-foot yacht that had run aground and was occupied by two people.

The fire department said that they made contact with the people on the boat and were able to safely rescue them from the yacht without injury.

The boat remained in Stillwater Cove until resources were able to safely tow it to the Monterey harbor, according to CAL FIRE BEU.

Jeanette Bent

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION-TV) — Watsonville Police announced Wednesday that they’ve solved an attempted murder case from September 8, 2024.

They said that a shooting at a shopping center on the 1700 block of Freedom Boulevard produced several spent shell casings that officers found in the parking lot.

According to police, there was no sign of a victim or a suspect at that time, but surveillance footage from the scene showed the suspected shooter approaching and confronting tow victims who were exiting a store.

They said that the victims could be seen on video running away and jumping into a nearby car.

The shooter was later identified as 19-year-old Pedro Taz Hernandez, and he opened fire as the car sped away, according to police. They said no one was injured during the shooting.

Earlier this month, detectives say that they served several search warrants but could not find Hernandez.

According to police, Hernandez later turned himself in, and they arrested a 17-year-old in connection to the case.

Hernandez faces multiple felony charges, including attempted murder, willful discharge of a firearm, shooting at a vehicle and assault with a firearm, according to police.

Jeanette Bent

KING CITY, Calif. (KION-TV) — King City is looking to address a recent uptick in youth violence as the city council took first steps in developing a comprehensive plan during Tuesday night’s meeting.

The city says that this is a response to the steady increase in gang violence that has erupted since the pandemic, citing that in 2023 there were 14 shootings, 24 shootings in 2024 and one shooting in 2025 so far.

The city says that data from 2024 was inflated due to the mass shooting, but trends are still at an “unacceptable” level.

The first phase of King City’s plan to end youth violence was adopted in 2017, and showed immediate results.

According to the city, the overall number of shootings that took place fell dramatically from 32 to one in its first year.

However, the report also showed that shootings in the city have been on the rise in recent years, leading the council to take action.

Victor Guzman

ROYAL OAKS, Calif. (KION-TV) — A Royal Oaks community is growing frustrated over the lack of bus service for students in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District.

Families start the school days around 6 a.m. before the sun is out waiting for their bus.

Some have flashlights, hot tea and blankets as they wait patiently, hoping the oncoming headlights could somehow be the bus they’ve been waiting for.

But families say over at least the last three months, the buses just don’t show up.

“It’s not just a few kids at this bus stop,” a mother says. “The schools want children to attend but the district isn’t picking them up!”

Families will often have to resort to adjusting their morning routines to take their kids to school instead.

They also tell KION when letting the district know about the issue, and the possibility of keeping their kids at school, the schools say a late or absent bus is not a reason for the student to be absent. That the parents are responsible for driving them to school at that point.

The district says they recognize the issue they’re dealing with and point to a bus driver shortage.

“We are short 19 drivers, and we have to cover 420 routes every week,” says PVUSD Transportation Director Sarah Lemke.

Families living up some hills face specific access issues for school buses, too. The conditions force families to depend on neighbors to take their children to bus stops to wait for buses. But it loops back to the main issue: The buses don’t show up.

From there, the families say they work to get their kids to school, with some having to travel over five miles away.

Some of the families we talked to say while the district has a service that lets them know if a bus is coming or not, they often get a notice right as the scheduled pick-up time passes, adding to the frustration.

“The district is a little different from others,” says Lemke. “Some districts have a two hour all call, this one has a one hour. Sometimes drivers will call, we call dispatches, and it could be hard to accommodate.”

PVUSD also provided a written statement.

“We recognize the urgency of the situation and are actively working to expedite the process while maintaining the necessary safety and certification standards.”

PVUSD says they are planning to launch a training class in May or June of this year for new drivers.

Ricardo Tovar

SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV) — The Monterey County District Attorney’s office announced Friday that 47-year-old Kevin Durran Hart of Patterson was found guilty of first-degree murder for killing 65-year-old Jackie Robinson in her Seaside home in 2023.

The DA’s office says that a jury found that Hart used a deadly weapon during the murder. They say that he will be sentenced on May 7 this year.

According to the DA’s office, Hart is facing 26 years to life in prison for the crime.

The DA’s office says that on May 5, 2023, Hart was angered when he thought his girlfriend was unfaithful to him, prompting an angry outburst on his then-girlfriend’s mother, Robinson.

He entered Robinson’s home and “brutally beat her to death,” according to officials.

Seaside Police say that they found Hart in the home covered in blood, and that efforts to save Robinson’s life went unsuccessful.

Central Valley man accused of murdering elderly Seaside woman pleads not guilty

SEASIDE, Calif. (KION-TV) UPDATE ON MAY 9, 2023, AT 3:48 PM- A man accused of murdering his girlfriend’s mother was arraigned in a Salinas courtroom Tuesday.

Kevin Durran Hart, 45, pled not guilty to charges of murder, with a special allegation he used a deadly weapon, and for resisting a peace officer, according to our reporter in court. He is due back in court on May 24 for his preliminary hearing. His bail remains set at $2,000,000, according to a Salinas judge.

His victim was identified as Jackie Robinson, 65, an usher at Bethel Missionary Baptists Church, according to Seaside Police.

ORIGINAL STORY

Seaside Police said they are investigating a murder that took place on Friday on the 1200 block of Hamilton Avenue.

Police said they arrived around 3 p.m. for a disturbance call. They found Kevin Durran Hart, 45, of Patterson, covered in blood, and a 65-year-old woman suffering from head trauma.

Hart attempted to fight the responding officers, but he was subdued. The victim, a long-time Seaside resident, was taken to the hospital but later passed of her injuries.

Hart was arrested and booked into Monterey County Jail for murder, attack with a deadly weapon causing great bodily injury, resisting a peace officer, torture, and kidnapping.

The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office said the defendant is accused of beating his girlfriend’s mother with his bare hands and a piece of glass from a nearby table.

On Monday, he was scheduled to be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. in a Salinas courtroom, but he refused transportation to court. His arraignment has been moved to Tuesday, said the district attorney’s office.

The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office filed charges for murder, with a special allegation he used a deadly weapon, and for resisting a peace officer, according to Seaside Police.

The district attorney’s office said his bail is set at $2,000,000.

Police will not yet release the name of the victim. When asked about how they knew each other, Seaside Police said they were not in a relationship and were acquainted.

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