Author: KYMA

Adrik Vargas

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The Yuma Police Department (YPD) is warning residents about a growing number of online scams involving blackmail, often starting on social media and leading to major financial losses, and in some cases, emotional trauma.

Scammers are targeting victims through social media, dating apps, and messaging platforms. According to police, they often pose as someone young and friendly, ask for explicit photos, and then threaten to release those images unless money is sent.

Local victims have reported losing between $50 and $80,000, sometimes their entire life savings.

“The majority of the cases are the elderly, the senior citizens,” said Officer Hayato Johnson with YPD. “Obviously, some of them are widowed, lonely or single, so they’ll target them, because they know they have a life savings so they know someway they’ll get money out of them.”

Police say most of these scams are being run by people overseas, making it difficult to track the criminals or recover the money.

“We’ve seen a lot of people get depressed over these cases,” Officer Johnson added. “Some have even taken their own lives.”

Rosie Decker, a concerned Yuma resident, says she’s been targeted before and urges others to be cautious.

“I think the best thing that they can do is just anything that comes from your phone, even phone calls, don’t answer it,” she said. “Just take your time and do your research.”

Police say if something doesn’t feel right, trust your instincts.

“If you suspect you’re being scammed, stop what you’re doing immediately,” said Johnson. “Don’t continue to prolong the relationship, or send any more money. Stop immediately and block the number.”

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Eduardo Morales

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – New evidence that lead to the dismissal of the murder trial involving two twin brothers could see another man go free.

Manuel Trujillo was sentenced to 20 years in prison in the shooting of 15-year-old Cesar Aguilar, alongside twins 25-year-old David and Adrian Perez-Arzola.

Trujillo pled guilty to second-degree murder after he was sentenced in 2023.

Now, Trujillo is going through a petition for post-conviction relief following this recent development.

“He’ll be able to argue that he should not have taken the plea, or would not have taken the plea if this evidence had been provided to him,” said Dallin Marcy, the Yuma Deputy Attorney.

The prosecuting attorney shares how the new information obtained affected this case.

“Because of the information I got, it shifted that belief from ‘I believe we have a reasonable likelihood of conviction here’ [to] ‘I don’t believe that there is a reasonable likelihood of conviction based on this new evidence,'” Marcy says.

If Trujillo’s request is granted, his case could be retried and possibly dismissed.

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Eduardo Morales

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Jose Lopez has been given two consecutive life sentences without parole along with additional decades of prison time.

Lopez was convicted of murdering 20-year-old Ande Blackthunder and 19-year-old Danny Garcia.

The shooting took place nearly two years ago and Lopez was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and five counts of aggravated assault this past March. 

Lopez will serve this time without a possibility for parole.

In a statement given to the judge, Lopez says he understands the reaction from all families of those involved in the case.

Lopez can appeal the sentencing, and according to his attorney, has indicated he will do just that.

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Manoah Tuiasosopo

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – A captain with the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) earns his degree from the National War College program.

Captain Kelly Milner shared what he learned and how he can apply it to his job with the sheriff’s office.

Milner, the Detention Bureau Commander with YCSO, starts by saying, “I am an adamant believer that leaders are lifetime learners.”

That’s exactly what he did when he earned his Master of Science degree in National Security Strategy at the National Defense University in Washington DC.

Milner shares, “It was a steep learning curve being there, but definitely an honor being sent by the National Guard.”

Milner is also a Lieutenant Colonel for the Arizona National Guard and was chosen by the branch to attend the prestigious 10 month program.

The curriculum at the National War College prepares senior military and civilian leaders for strategic leadership, global threats, and interagency coordination.

Milner shared what he learned during his courses and says he looks forward to using those skills to benefit the community.

“They were about understanding the context of a country, and working with that country or partner nation, to make them stronger. I think I can apply some of those principles here, as far as working with my peers, and developing some strategies to continue to improve the services we provide to Yuma County,” he explained.

Milner has been with YCSO since 2002 and has over 30 years of military experience under his belt.

He says he would gladly take the opportunity to take a course again if it were to present itself in the future.

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Dillon Fuhrman

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – A GoFundMe has been created to help the family of a Yuma man who drowned after rescuing two children over the weekend.

The GoFundMe said 51-year-old Jeffrey Brady moved from California to Yuma two months ago, where he “bought a new home to create a safe and peaceful space for his loved one,” which were his girlfriend and his 84-year-old father who is blind.

According to the GoFundMe, Brady’s girlfriend “had left her job in San Diego to become the full-time caregiver” for Brady’s father.

According to the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO), a group of people were at the Horseshoe Island sandbar when two boys, ages 10 and 12-years-old, “were pulled off the shallows by the current,” prompting Brady to swim out and keep them afloat until a boat arrived.

The man removed the boys, who the GoFundMe said were Brady’s girlfriend’s nephews, from the waterway, but YCSO says he struggled to stay afloat. He then went underwater and did not resurface.

After local agencies found and pronounced Brady dead, the GoFundMe was created to not only help his family, but to honor his life.

“Jeff’s sudden passing has left a devastating void emotionally and financially. His twin brother Greg is now left to carry the weight of two households, including funeral expenses and daily needs, on a single income. The burden is heavy, and the road ahead will be long,” the GoFundMe expressed. “Jeff Brady died a hero, but he lived as one too.”

The GoFundMe has a goal of $25,000 with $2,600 raised so far. If anyone wants to donate to the GoFundMe, click here.

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Dillon Fuhrman

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – The City of El Centro says Main Street between 11th and 12th Street will be closed Monday night.

According to a press release obtained by KYMA, the closure, which starts at 9:00 p.m., is to allow crews to perform construction activities related to the city’s new Police Station project.

Courtesy: Google Maps

The street will reopen Tuesday at 5:00 a.m.

For more information about the closure, call the City of El Centro Engineering Division at (760) 337-5182.

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Dillon Fuhrman

YUMA COUNTY, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The Yuma County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) is investigating a drowning which left one man dead.

YCSO says they “received a report of a possible drowning in the waterway near Hidden Shores Resort” Saturday at around 12:15 p.m.

According to YCSO, a group of people were at the Horseshoe Island sandbar when two teens “were pulled off the shallows by the current,” prompting a man to swim out and keep the teens afloat until a boat arrived.

The man removed the teens from the waterway, but YCSO says he struggled to stay afloat. He then went underwater and did not resurface.

In addition to YCSO, the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office, Federal Fish and Wildlife units and Border Patrol Air/Marine units arrived and searched the area.

Dive team members from YCSO, Border Patrol and the Yuma Police Department responded to assist in the search, YCSO said.

At around 7:20 p.m., YCSO said the man, identified as 51-year-old Jeffrey Brady of Yuma, was found and was pronounced dead on scene.

The investigation remains ongoing, and if anyone has any information regarding the case, call YCSO at (928) 783-4427, call 78-CRIME to remain anonymous, or visit YCSO’s website to submit an anonymous tip.

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Karina Bazarte

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – Imperial County workers may be heading towards a strike after the Board of Supervisors approved only a 6% salary increase.

Negotiations for a new contract began back in April.

So far, the county has presented five different proposals.

The union is holding firm on its demand for a 10% raise spread out over two years.

The county agreed to part of the workers’ demands, approving a 6% raise with 3% coming in 2025 and the other 3% in 2026.

“This is the first time, I believe in the 1980s that was the last strike that they had, but they haven’t had any challenges since the county has always offered two and half or three percent. With all this inflation, we can’t continue at those numbers anymore,” said Ruth Duarte, negotiations agent for Teamsters Union Local 542.

We reached out to the county, but only a press release was sent to us stating that on June 24, they presented their final and best counteroffer. 

The workers contracts expired on July 1.

The union says they will be holding a meeting with county workers Wednesday.

Depending on what happens during the meeting, a strike could happen as early as next week.

A response from Imperial County can be read below:

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Eduardo Morales

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The Yuma City Council voted to approve an annual purchase of technology and services worth over $8 million.

It will be used for the technology used for all departments within the city.

The city explains what kind of technology this money will be used for.

“It encompasses software to cyber security tools and software that we can use as well as enterprise applications just like Word or productivity tools just like that,” said Jason Smith, the assistant in I.T.

Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls explains why it is important to stay on top of the technology.

“By doing this year after year and staying current, it is in the long run the most efficient and effective way. You don’t get lag issues. You don’t get unsupportive software issues,” Mayor Nicholls says.

The city also explains why it is so important to keep up to date with this technology.

“Every day, every hour, there are bad actors out there trying to find different ways to get in, so it’s extremely important that we stay ahead of them and with industry best practices and standards,” Smith said.

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Eduardo Morales

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The trial of the twin brothers charged with murdering a Yuma teen has been dismissed, and the brothers are no longer in custody.

Defense Attorney Aaron J. Reed explained that Wednesday, around noon, they received an email saying the state found out about additional exculpatory evidence.

This is evidence that tends to exonerate the accused party and evidence that is helpful to the defense.

Reed says the brother of the victim changed his story about what happened the night of the shooting.

The state then filed a motion to dismiss the charges based on that information.

“It was previous information that none of the parties knew, including the prosecutor, including the police officers, the detectives, nobody knew the information,” said Reed.

The suspects in the case are 25-year-old twins David and Adrian Perez-Arzola.

Both were charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, aggravated assault and attempted armed robbery.

Reed says the case has been dismissed with prejudice meaning it can never be re-tried.

The brothers were released from custody Wednesday evening.

We reached out to the Yuma County Attorney’s Office for comment and are still waiting for a response.

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