Author: KYMA

Karina Bazarte

CALEXICO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – The Calexico Police Department (CPD) says two people turned themselves in Monday following a fight near the border over the weekend.

According to a press release, it happened in the area of E. First Street after 4:30 a.m. Saturday after a caller said multiple people were involved in a fight, with one of them being “armed with a baseball bat.”

CPD says two minutes later, officers arrived where they found a 39-year-old man “suffering from blunt force trauma to the face and bleeding from the head.”

CPD also says the suspects left the area before officers arrived and were not found at the time.

According to CPD, officers conducted an investigation, with them interviewing the victim and witnesses, “collecting surveillance footage and gathering other relevant evidence.”

CPD says officers eventually were able to identify all the suspects involved, and were able to obtain and serve a search warrant at one of the suspect’s homes in Calexico Monday, but the suspect was not found.

However, two of the suspects, according to CPD, turned themselves in, with the primary suspect, a 33-year-old man from Calexico, being arrested and booked into Imperial County Jail on attempted murder charges.

The second suspect, on the other hand, was “interviewed and released, pending further investigation and potential criminal charges,” CPD says.

CPD says they are aware of cellphone footage being shared across social media, and says the footage has been collected and is currently under review for “evidentiary purposes.”

They also say the victim is alive and is currently recovering from his injuries, and that the people in uniform, shown in the video, were Port Security officers, not officers with the department.

The investigation is ongoing, and if anyone has information regarding the case, call CPD at (760) 768-2140 or email police@calexico.ca.gov.

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Skylar Heisey

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Trial dates are set for the man charged with murdering a woman and her unborn baby in Yuma.

29-year-old Alexander Delcid faces 14 felony counts, including two counts of murder, in the shooting death of Alexis Rodriguez in September of 2023.

Delcid is also being charged with attempted murder of a 34-year-old man who was with Rodriguez when she was killed.

Delcid once again rejected a plea offer, which would have sent him to prison for 29 years, in court Tuesday.

His trial is set to begin on October 1 and is expected to last six weeks.

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Dillon Fuhrman

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) says YFD Deputy Fire Chief John Louser completed a process which awards the professional delegation of “Chief Fire Officer” (CFO).

According to a press release, the Commission on Professional Credentialing met last Monday “to confer the delegation,” with Deputy Chief Louser becoming “one of only 2,000 CFOs worldwide.”

CPSE says the program “is a voluntary program designed to recognize individuals who demonstrate their excellence” in seven of the following measured components:

Experience

Education

Professional development

Professional contributions

Association membership

Community involvement

Technical competence

CPSE also says, “All applicants are required to identify a future professional development plan,” and says the designation is valid for three years.

To learn more about Louser’s designation, read the press release below.

026 CFO-Press-Release LouserDownload

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Michelle Leal

SOMERTON, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY/T3) – In Somerton, nearly 800 new housing units, including houses and apartments, are planned over the next five years.

The first three projects ready to break ground include Somerton 1898 with 54 homes, Las Estrellas Phase Seven with 104 homes, and a multifamily complex with 150 apartments.

City leaders say this will fuel both residential and economic growth.

“This will really help us support our infrastructure. If we’re bringing in new retail to the community, we have to balance that with housing growth so that it all works hand in hand,” said Louie Galaviz, Somerton City Manager.

City officials say these developments will be key to attracting national chains and new retailers, alongside recent projects like the new high school.

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Manoah Tuiasosopo

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – A Yuma man is being processed by U.S. Border Patrol in Florence, Arizona and his family is demanding answers.

They say he was wrongfully detained despite being a recipient of the federal DACA program.

Outside the U.S. Border Patrol Station in Yuma, family members of 27-year-old Jose Valdovinos have been gathering to protest his arrest and call for his immediate release.

Valdovinos’ wife says they were pulled over Sunday night without a clear explanation after leaving a local gas station.

“We were at Circle K, we went to get a drink before he went to his mom’s house…They got behind us. We rolled down the window, they asked us both if we were U.S. citizens. I said, ‘Yes, I am a U.S. citizen, he has DACA.’ Once they heard DACA, they immediately switched up. They told me that DACA is no longer considered legal entry to the U.S.,” says Flores.

Footage from the traffic stop shows Valdovinos and his family confronting law enforcement asking for clarity on why he was being detained.

DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, is a federal immigration policy that grants temporary protection from deportation for those brought to the U.S. as children.

It allows for work authorization, renewable every two years, but does not provide a path to citizenship or permanent legal status.

Flores explains, “I provided all the legal paperwork they could possibly ask for. I’ve sent transcripts, paystubs, he’s been working since he got out of high school, he has his diploma. They have no reason to detain him for so long.”

Valdovinos has lived in Yuma since he was two years old and has been married to his longtime girlfriend for over a year.

She says this experience has shaken her trust in local authorities.

“It’s crazy because you want to feel safe around YPD, you want to feel safe around Border Patrol, and they’re supposed to target criminals, but they’re targeting people like us, people that work, people that don’t get into criminal stuff, people that don’t do drugs, it’s crazy, it’s honestly insane we don’t feel safe,” Flores expressed.

In a statement, Valdovinos’ sister says the fight for his release is just beginning and that this is about more than just one person.

“We’re going to continue to push because I know my brother. He’s a Yuma community member and has been since the age of two. We’re ready to fight because we know who he is. So, we are demanding for his immediate release because this is a huge injustice to the DACA community,” Estela Valdovinos stated.

According to immigration policy, Valdovinos could be released, held longer, or even placed into removal proceedings depending on his DACA status, immigration history, and any potential criminal record.

We’ve reached out to U.S. Border Patrol for comment and are still waiting for a response.

We’ll continue to follow this developing story and bring you updates as we learn more.

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Adrik Vargas

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – A free helpline that connects Arizonans to housing, food, utilities, healthcare, and other critical resources could be at risk without more funding.

211 Arizona, operated by Solari Crisis and Human Services, uses live operators to guide callers step-by-step to get the help they need.

“Not helping people with these basic needs upstream ends up being very costly and expensive downstream,” said Tara Bingdazzo with 211 Arizona. “Investing in 211 saves our state and our taxpayers a lot of money down the road.”

Without new funding, Bingdazzo says the service could lose its live operators or shut down completely.

“If we can help somebody with their basic needs today, helping their children get food, helping them find shelter, then that prevents them from being in a life-threatening emergency down the road,” she said.

Governor Katie Hobbs secured state funding for the program this year, and APS contributed more than $1 million to support it. However, that funding only runs through June 2026.

“Since COVID March of 2020, 211 Arizona has been operating year to year with one-year grants with really no promise of another year after that,” Bingdazzo explained. “So we have perpetually been in a position every year securing funding for the next year.”

The help 211 provides can’t be replaced.

“Live answer and a call agent can help ask questions that that person isn’t asking for themself. You know, why are you having trouble paying your power bill? Is it because you’ve lost work? Perhaps there’s some vocational rehab services that would also benefit you so that you can get back on top of things.” she said.

In June alone, more than 52,000 Arizonans called 211 for help.

Bingdazzo says the best way people can help is by letting elected officials know how vital 211 is and by continuing to use the service themselves.

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Karina Bazarte

JACUMBA, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – A married couple from Brawley are going viral after claiming they were racially profiled when Border Patrol stopped them.

The couple says they were on their way to the dentist in San Diego, but decided to stop in the area Jacumba last week.

That’s when George and Esmeralda Doilez who are U.S. citizens were stopped by a Border Patrol agent.

“We saw white trucks that were not marked either going back and forth but we didn’t think anything of it because we are American Citizens why should we be scared in our own county,” said George.

The couple said the agents were first wearing masks and lower it when he started talking.

George says the agent claimed he was looking for an undocumented person in the area and he was doing U-turns. That’s when his wife decided to record the whole encounter.

“It all happened in the first ten minutes where he switched it came from an illegal Mexican on the loose…a drug dealer activity going on and possible smuggling, and then it turned into I’m just out here for a YouTube experience and called me a YouTuber several times, and we have never had a YouTube account till now,” George shared.

Esmeralda says she was scared because she didn’t know what was going to happen.

“The guy next to me was so jumpy I did not know. I had my seatbelt on and I kept thinking, ‘Okay, if they do mash the window and they try to pull me out I have my seatbelt on and I am going to get chocked and I didn’t want to get my belt off because oh she is trying to do something,” said Esmeralda.

In the video, you can see George pulls out his I.D. and puts it on the window for the agent to see. The agent then sees the I.D.

George says Border Patrol called a K9 unit to search their car and found a small amount of legally purchased marijuana.

After the search, in the video you can hear the agent saying he can seize their vehicle and ticket them for having cannibas, instead let the couple go off with a warning.

The couple believes they were racially profiled and that other people could also fall victim. .

“If you are a person of color brown, yellow, pink…whatever you are, if you don’t fit their description and their ethnicity you are in trouble and at risk of being searched,” said George.

The encounter lasted for about 40 minutes, and Border Patrol has not commented on the stop.

Watch the full YouTube video here.

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Manoah Tuiasosopo

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – In just its second year, The Army JROTC program at Yuma High School is showing impressive growth.

The Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps focuses on leadership development, discipline, and community service.

The program requires students to maintain strong academics, participate in drill and ceremony, and serve on color guard teams.

JROTC offers a wide range of benefits whether students plan to pursue a military career or simply want to build confidence and character.

Yuma Union High School District (YUHSD) says the program was created in response to the student’s requests.

“That was from student demand. It’s not easy to get a ROTC or JROTC in our schools. Students were interested in it. It’s one of the most popular classes at Yuma High School and it will continue to grow as well,” says Eric Patten, the Chief Communications Officer at YUHSD.

The district hopes the program can grow to compete at the national level alongside other JROTC programs like the Rifle Team at Kofa High School.

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Karina Bazarte

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – The Imperial Valley Mall will be hosting a fashion show this weekend in honor of the first week of school.

Alicia Swaim, General Manager of the mall, says the clothing store Dillard’s will be modeling their back to school and fall season clothing.

She says Dillard’s will have about 20 models and music will be provided by DJ Vibe.

“It has been a while since we’ve had a fashion show, so this will be the first one that we had in quite sometime. It will be one before out food court gets remodeled. We are going to do a complete remodel, [and] we are under new ownership,” Swaim expressed.

The fashion show is set to begin at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 16 at the Imperial Valley Food Court.

The event is free and open to the public.

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Madeline Murray

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – A man is behind bars after hitting an 11-year-old girl on the corner of Woodard Junior High School and leaving the scene of the crash.

The Yuma Police Department (YPD) says the girl was riding her bike when she was hit by a car while using the crosswalk Friday.

When police arrived at the scene, the driver, a 31-year-old man, had already taken off, but he did turn himself in the next day.

YPD says if anyone is ever in this situation, do not panic and stay at the scene.

“One thing we want to ask the public is, you know, if you get into an accident, most of the time, it is a civil traffic violation, so you just get a small ticket, your not going to go to jail…just remain on scene, because once you leave the scene of an accident without remaining there until police arrival, it turns into a misdemeanor offense, and then, that’s when you get jail time.”

Hayato Johnson, Public Information Officer, Yuma Police Department

A neighbor, Flora Garcia, says she’s not surprised it happened saying, “It’s too much irresponsibility of the cars that go through here, they take U-turns in the middle of the street right in front of the entrance, I’ve seen them do it there before.”

Garcia says it can sometimes even be parents who cause chaos during drop-off and pick-up times.

“Parents come picking up their kids in a rush, I don’t know if it’s ’cause they are just getting out of work, but they are in a rush,” Garcia explained.

YPD says officers respond to similar issues in school zones on an average of one to two times a week, and would like to remind drivers to pay attention to the road.

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