Category: kion-local-news

Ricardo Tovar

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) – Kevin Durran Hart has been sentenced to 26 years to life for the 2023 murder of his then-girlfriend’s mom, Jackie Robinson.

The sentencing occurred this morning, with six of Robinson’s family members speaking at the sentencing.

According to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office, Hart had beaten Robinson to death during an angry outburst, believing Robinson’s daughter had been unfaithful to him.

Seaside Police had found Hart covered in blood in Robinson’s home, with unsuccessful attempts made to save Robinson.

Man found guilty of first-degree murder in 2023 in Seaside, Monterey County DA’s Office

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 were 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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jose.romo

CAPITOLA, Calif. (KION-TV) — Major improvements are on the way for 41st Avenue in Capitola, a popular corridor known for drawing both locals and tourists.

Last week, the city of Capitola approved plans to revitalize one of its most frequently visited streets, with a focus on enhancing pedestrian safety and attracting more businesses to the area.

KION spoke local residents and business owners to find out what improvements they would like to see included in the project.

The city is hoping that this revitalization will not only improve the street’s aesthetics but also make it more welcoming to businesses, visitors, and residents alike. The proposal focuses heavily on pedestrian safety, a key concern for many of the area’s business owners and residents.

Krystal Black, owner of The Closet Shopper on 41st Avenue, voiced her concerns about pedestrian safety, particularly the traffic hazards in the area. “They put in these little blinking lights here, but it doesn’t seem to deter cars from rolling through. I’ve seen plenty of people almost get hit on the street,” Black shared.

With many tourists visiting her store on foot and walking from nearby hotels, Black believes that making the area safer for pedestrians will encourage more people to walk around and shop, especially in an area with limited parking options.

Other local business owners agree that improved pedestrian safety is essential for boosting their sales. Garry Butler, the owner of Two Birds Books, commented, “We get a lot of walk-by traffic, but there’s a lot of vehicle traffic as well. So having it be more pedestrian-friendly would be great.”

The city’s plan aims to address this issue, ensuring that pedestrians and cyclists can safely navigate the busy corridor. Keith Bishoff, a resident of Capitola and avid cyclist, expressed his desire for better protection for bikers. “I would prefer, as I was mentioning, inside bike lanes, protected by the cars. It would be nice,” Bishoff said.

One thing all parties agree on is the urgency to get these improvements underway. Garry Butler pointed out, “Building projects can take a while to get through planning and those kinds of things, so if they’re going to do something, having it be as fast as possible would be great.”

The city has committed to beginning public outreach efforts later this year, with the goal of finalizing the plans by early 2026.

Residents, businesses, and visitors alike are eager for these changes to take place, hoping that a safer, more attractive 41st Avenue will not only improve the quality of life in Capitola but also help boost the local economy.

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Jeanette Bent

KING CITY, Calif. (KION-TV) — King City Police Department announced the funeral service for Officer Ryan Kenedy on April 3rd.

The service is being held at San Carlos Cathedral in Monterey at 10 a.m. Thursday.

Officer Kenedy died unexpectedly after a medical emergency on duty around 12:45 a.m. with King City Police calling the loss “immeasurable.”

King City police sergeant passes away unexpectedly Tuesday in a medical emergency

King City Police announced Tuesday that Sergeant Ryan Kenedy experienced an “apparent medical emergency” while on duty that resulted in his unexpected passing around 12:45 a.m.

Police say that Sergeant Kenedy’s passing is an “immeasurable loss” and they are mourning along with his family.

According to King City Police, Sergeant Kenedy began his career at the station in July 2014 as a Patrol Officer and then was assigned as a detective to South County Major Crimes Unit in April of 2020.

They say that Sergeant Kenedy was later transferred to the King City Police Department Investigations Unit before being promoted to Police Sergeant in January 2020, where he served until his passing.

King City Police say that Sergeant Kenedy was survived by his wife.

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Lindsey Selzer

CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA CA. – City council in Carmel-by-the-Sea is set to vote on an ordinance that would update their anti-camping regulations. Right now it bans people from sleeping and camping in public parks, streets, and sidewalks

The city is looking to give a more detailed definition of the act of human habitation. This would keep unhoused people from staying in public spaces. The police department would still clean up any leftover mess, but will hold personal property for up to 90 days.

Commander Todd Trayer with the Carmel-by-the-Sea Police Department said he hopes this process is seen as more humane. 

“This really ensures that we memorialize that when we do hold the items for 90 days, that we’re doing it with dignity,” Trayer said. “We’re keeping them within a process to protect the property for the people that are having their items held.” 

Commander Trayer said that there are not many unhoused people in Carmel-by-the-Sea, but there are definitely a few. 

“There are some people that are going through some tough times,” Trayer said.”And they do often pass through Carmel. So we do see it at certain times.” 

Kevin Cesario lives in Carmel. He is for the ordinance. 

“I definitely have seen an uptick of panhandling over the last several years,” Cesario said. “I do think it’s a bit of a problem, not necessarily the largest pressing concern that our community has, but it certainly is an issue.” 

Cesario said the city relies heavily on business from tourists. He believes it’s essential to make sure the area is clean. in order to keep the local economy flowing. 

“I do believe it’s important to clean up all those areas,” Cesario said. “Especially if there’s defecation outside of bathrooms and natural hazard waste. But in terms of their personal items and personal property, if storing it for 90 days adds a level of fairness to it, I don’t think it’s necessarily going to hurt everybody, as long as it’s in the budget.” 

The Carmel-by-the-Sea Police Department also said they can provide resources such as shelter information to anyone they find unhoused in the city and if you see anything that is toxic or should not be on the sidewalks to please call the police department. 

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Dania Romero

SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV) — While Fire Station 1 in Salinas is getting a makeover, Fire personnel and engines have been stationed at Sherwood Hall since January.

“As part of that process and the ARPA funding, American Rescue Plan Act funding, we undertook a major renovation of fire station 1 that necessitated the crews moving out for some time,” says Sam Klemek, Fire Chief.

According to the city of Salinas, Fire Station 1 is one of the busiest stations in Salinas, responding to about 30% of the calls across the city in 2024.Chielf Klemek says response time has been slightly impacted given the increase in manual operations

“We’ve only seen about a minute or two increase in our response times just because of the nature of the way sherwood hall is set up and just the logistics of having to lock gates, unlock gates, move equipment, lock them behind you. It’s a very manual operation that takes a little extra time,” says Klemek.Other challenges? Converting this community center into a makeshift fire station.

“With temporary facilities to house a dozen people 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, was the biggest challenge. We had to look at the major operation that goes on at station one. It houses not only an engine company, a fire engine company but our truck company, our chief, our mechanics program, our hazardous materials program. There’s a lot that goes at Fire Station One that had to be logistically divided,” says Klemek.

“As incidents are occurring, you can look at that here. You can see all the temporary wiring that was placed in here for the alert system to let us know when calls are coming in and to monitor 911.””That’s their sleeping. Each of the dorms have the alerting system, so if the engine company’s getting toned out, it’s not waking the truck company up, vice versa,” says Paul Fenwick, Batalian Chief.

Around a dozen people are here 24 hours a day. Fenwick says overall operations here have run smoothly since January, but is counting down the days until they can work out of the newly renovated station 1.

Chief Klemek says they hope to go back by July of this year.

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Mickey Adams

SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV) — Salinas Police confirm they’re investigating a bank robbery at the Mechanics Bank on North Davis in Salinas.

Police say it happened around 3 p.m. on Tuesday.

Police also telling KION they weren’t able to bring any suspects in custody but there’s no danger to the public at this time.

No suspect information was immediately available from police.

This is a developing story

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Victor Guzman

MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV) — The CHP is confirming one person is dead after a crash south of Salinas along Abbott Street.

CHP officers at the scene tell KION two vehicles collided head-on, with one person pronounced dead in the aftermath. The victim has been identified as 53-year-old Humberto Lopez Castrejon of Soledad.

The crash was reported just after 1 a.m. along Abbott near the Mann Packaging facility.

The other individual was transported to Natividad for treatment.

No identifying information was immediately available about the victim.

CHP Dispatch also confirms to KION that the off-ramp from Northbound 101 onto Abbott was shut down for a brief time.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

This is a developing story

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Victor Guzman

SOQUEL, Calif. (KION-TV) — A 73-year-old man is dead after being hit by a car on Highway 1 in the early morning hours near Soquel Avenue.

According to California Highway Patrol, the accident happened around 5 a.m. as a 44-year-old woman was driving southbound on Highway 1.

The unknown man was walking on Highway 1 when the driver then hit the victim, who sustained injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

All lanes reopen on Highway 1 at Soquel Avenue hours after deadly crash

Update 8:33 a.m. – All lanes of traffic reopened on Highway 1 at Soquel Avenue.

CHP shutting down Highway 1 at Soquel Avenue after deadly crash

The CHP confirms they’re investigating a deadly crash in Santa Cruz County along Highway 1 near Soquel Avenue.

Southbound Highway 1 in the area is closed as a result.

The CHP says traffic is being diverted onto Morrissey Boulevard as they continue to investigate.

No identifying information of the vehicle/s involved was provided.

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