Category: kion-local-news

Sergio Berrueta

SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV) – The Salinas Police Department is investigating a fraud scheme targeting the community through a fake scooter company.

According to Salinas Police, a company called the “Lightning Shared Scooter Company” has falsely promised people they could invest their own money into electric scooters and earn monthly payments.

However, the victims invested thousands of dollars, up to $50,000, and never saw any return on investment. Salinas PD has contacted 45 victims, who have lost a combined total of $250,000.

Salinas PD is telling residents to be skeptical of “too good to be true,” research companies before investing, and never send money to someone you’ve never met in person.

If anyone has been a victim or has been contacted, call Salinas Police at 831-758-7321.

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jose.romo

HOLLISTER, Calif. (KION-TV) — Hollister Police announced the arrest of a suspect in connection to the 4th of July drive-by shooting that took place on San Benito Street.

Police saying that they continued pursuing the case with the assistance of city-owned surveillance cameras as well as the department’s Flock Safety system, which is what helped police detect the suspect’s vehicle.

“Detectives further identified the front passenger, reported by the victims as the shooter, through footage captured by the city’s downtown surveillance network,” they said.

Police saying that during the course of the investigation, they issued over six search warrants and finally on August 6, were able to arrest 30-year-old Ruben Eduardo Vargas of Hollister.

Police say that Vargas was arrested and booked into the San Benito County Jail for attempted murder.

Hollister Police searching for 4th of July drive-by shooting suspect, community reacts

HOLLISTER, Calif. (KION-TV) — The Hollister community is shaken up. Many of them are still unsettled after a drive-by shooting on Friday, the 4th of July.

“I thought it was fireworks at first, but later on, when I came out, it didn’t turn out to be fireworks,” says Christian Mendoza, who recalls hearing the shots. 

Authorities are still in search of the suspect involved in the shooting that left a 15-year-old with non-life-threatening injuries. 

Hollister police said the incident took place Friday, July 4, on the 1000 block of San Benito Street. Police report that a white sedan with dark-tinted windows shot towards a dark blue Chevrolet truck parked nearby. The 15-year-old sustained an injury to the head, likely caused by shattered glass. Neighbors nearby are saying these types of incidents should not take place in their community. 

“It started feeling a little bit unsafe,” says Christian, who moved into the community with his parents about six years ago. “A couple of years ago, there started being incidents like shootings and stuff like that. Not necessarily near where I live, but in this town,” he adds. 

Christian’s dad, Mateo, says their community is usually quiet and not much happens. “I was home enjoying the Fourth of July when I heard some gunshots. I knew they weren’t fireworks. The community needs more patrolling. We have to be alert,” he adds. 

Detectives say the suspect is still at large. They ask the community to share any details by calling Hollister police at (831) 636-4330. Those who choose to remain anonymous can report to the authorities by calling (800) 78-CRIME.

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Ata Shaheen

SOLEDAD, Calif. (KION-TV) — August 5 is National Night Out with law enforcement agencies across the country working to strengthen ties to the people they police.

Sheriff’s Deputy Richard Riley usually spends his workdays as a member of the air support unit ready to hop in a plane and fly out if someone’s in crisis, but Tuesday evening, he was manning a much smaller plane, with much smaller pilots.

“Oh, they love it. You can manipulate all the controls. They’re asking. Okay. We’re, some of the controls actually make the wings function,” said Deputy Riley.

Families getting to play games and interact with local law enforcement in a casual, fun environment is what the national night out in Soledad is all about.

“I see nothing but positive vibes.I mean, that’s what we’re out here for, to let people know that, you know, we’re not bad guys. You know, we’re just humans. We want to interact with you. We want you to interact with us,” said Riley.

But on a day-to-day basis, contact between law enforcement and regular folks tends not to be all smiles.

“Obviously if you’re going to a in action call you don’t necessarily want it at that time is you’re there to ruin their day as far as they think. But I mean, just driving around the street or interacting with the jail. For the most part, everybody has good. But you know, they know we have a job to do,” said RIley.

And Soledad leaders say their little town stands out in a big way when it comes to the philosophy behind patrolling the streets.

“The relationship is great. Our police department does, so much to help our community. They do a lot when it comes to, community policing. And, yeah, they have a great relationship with the businesses, with our residents, and with everybody at large,” said Maria Corralejo with the Soledad Chamber of Commerce.

Police Chief Patrick Valenzuela has only been in town for about a month and said one of the things that drew him here was an emphasis on community policing.

“We should be going out there. We shouldn’t be trying to make arrest all the time. We’re about we’re people centered, and so we want to help them just as much as anything else, right? It’s important for people to feel like they can come to us anytime. And if we’re not doing our job and being police friendly, they don’t want to contact us,” said Chief Valenzuela.

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Maxwell Glenn

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) – For the second straight year, Alex Palou dominated at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, going back-to-back on the iconic course.

He led 84 of 95 laps, for his third win at the track in the last four years.

Sports Director Maxwell Glenn takes a look back at IndyCar’s return to the Central Coast and looks ahead to the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.

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Sergio Berrueta

KING CITY, Calif. (KION-TV) – A case of stolen diesel fuel led to a diesel spill in King City early this morning.

According to the California Highway Patrol, a farming tanker tipped over on the side of the road near Clark and Paraiso Springs Road.

The trailer had been stolen from nearby property and used to steal fuel from the same property.

As they drove down the road, the trailer became detached, spilling onto the roadway.

The amount of diesel spilled is unknown as the situation is under investigation.

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Jeanette Bent

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION-TV) – A man is being indicted on four counts of wire fraud stemming from alleged misrepresentations of his software company and music streaming service.

According to the Northern District of California, 70-year-old Hank Risan was arrested Tuesday morning before making his initial court appearance in San Jose.

The indictment was filed on July 31 and unsealed August 5, claiming that Risan of Santa Cruz allegedly sold stock and stock conversion in his software company, Media Rights Technologies, Inc. (MRT), as well as his music streaming service, BlueBeat, Inc., according to the Northern District of California.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office saying that investors were told false claims of BlueBeat’s copyright ownership of approximately 2.5 million songs by various well-known artists; false and misleading comparisons and valuations of BlueBeat; false claims of imminent acquisition of BlueBeat by a multi-national media and entertainment conglomerate; and false claims of association and involvement with the companies by a former undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce.  

They say that an example of this came from November 3, 2020 when Risan told investors that he “received a very favorable comparable regarding the BlueBeat Catalog” and noted, “To put that news in perspective, BlueBeat contains approximately 2.5 million songs and $10K per song brings music to my ears. You can do the math!”

The indictment alleges that BlueBeat did not own the copyrights to the 2.5 million songs, the valuations of MRT and BlueBeat were fictional, the advertised multi-media conglomerate was not in the process of acquiring BlueBeat or its catalog, and the former Commerce official was not involved with BlueBeat.

According to Northern District of California, “Risan allegedly induced investors to purchase approximately $1,959,187 in stock and stock conversions, and to make payments characterized as ‘loans.’”  

The U.S. Attorney’s Office saying that, in total, Risan got approximately $3,165,859 from the charged scheme and allegedly used the fraudulently obtained funds to pay personal credit cards, purchase collectables, and make mortgage payments on his personal residence.

Risan was then released on a $100,000 unsecured bond with his next district court appearance expected to be on October 8.

If convicted, the Attorney’s Office says that the defendant faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for each count of wire fraud.

The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI.  

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Sergio Berrueta

MONTEREY, Calif. (KION-TV) – A person is dead after a fatal crash near Reservation and Blanco Roads in Marina.

According to the California Highway Patrol, the crash happened around 9:57 p.m. when a GMC SUV from Seaside, which was traveling southbound on Reservation Road, south of Blanco Road.

The driver of the vehicle, a 16-year-old from Seaside, struck a pedestrian. The driver stayed on the scene of the crash.

The pedestrian suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver remained uninjured.

It is unknown whether alcohol or drugs were a factor in the crash.

If you or anyone you know has any information about this incident, please call the CHP Monterey Area office at (831) 770-8000 or email MontereyCHPTips@chp.ca.gov.

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Madison Wilber

CENTRAL COAST, Calif. (KION-TV) — A state corrections officer announced a lawsuit against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) over alleged abuse at multiple state prisons, including one on the Central Coast.

The lawsuit claiming that officials within the department sexually assaulted and violently hazed the plaintiff, in what he describes as a “toxic work environment” at Corcoran and Salinas Valley state prisons.

In the complaint Eric Beam says that he worked for the CDCR for years, claiming that fellow officers burned him with department issued pepper spray, crushed his foot and demonstrated sexual assault.

Beam also claims he was tied to a wheelchair and left in the inmate shower area. This, he says, was witnessed by his supervisors although they did not intervene.

Beam saying that these actions were a part of the culture within the prison called the “code of silence.” 

In the claim, Beam names specific guards as well as the warden at Salinas Valley State Prison.

KION has reached out to both the CDCR as well as Salinas Valley State Prison with requests for comment on the lawsuit, but have not heard from either.

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Jeanette Bent

SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV) – An outbuilding outside of a home caught fire earlier this afternoon in Salinas with no injuries.

According to Monterey County Regional Fire, crews arrived to find the building 50 percent involved. No hazardous materials were found within the structure.

Crews from Marina Fire, Salinas Fire, and Monterey Regional Fire aided in the knocking down of the fire, which took about 20 minutes with mop-up currently.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Witnesses report a fire near Highway 68

SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV) — A witness sent in images of a fire erupting near Highway 68 Tuesday around 4:50 p.m.

KION has reached out to Salinas Fire but have not heard back yet.

This is a developing story and more information will be added once details are available.

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to KION that the fire has been put out.

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jose.romo

SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV) — Healthcare coverage for DACA recipients is seeing a change. Covered California is reporting that thousands of individuals with DACA will no longer be eligible for coverage under the Affordable Care Act come the end of August. 

“If one of the parents might be on Medi-Cal, they’re not gonna lose their coverage,” says Doug McKeever, Chief Deputy Executive Director for Covered California. “They will continue to be covered by Medi-Cal. It’s only those who are identified as a DACA recipient who will be impacted by this decision.”

This comes after the Trump administration deemed “dreamers” as ineligible, changing the definition of lawfully present to exclude DACA recipients. 

“With that federal money going away, they’re now gonna be required to pay the full (amount),” adds McKeever. “So there are some really difficult and tough decisions that are gonna need to be made by the DACA recipients on whether they even remain covered because they may not be able to afford to do so.”

Doug explains that it is difficult to estimate the overall change in premiums these individuals will face, as each coverage plan is different. They recommend calling the county Medi-Cal offices to check if they are eligible. 

Data from Covered California estimates that 2,300 DACA recipients will be affected by this decision change. Meanwhile, Hartnell College is saying they are ready to continue providing resources to its students. 

“Being a student is stressful anyway, but then having that additional layer of undocumented status or being from a mixed-status family adds that additional layer of stress.” 

Gabriela Lopez with Hartnell College understands that this adds a burden to some students who already face various struggles. Through a partnership with the UFW, they can access free legal consultations.

“We also offer mental health support services. We work with a licensed clinical social worker from the community that you’ll offer support groups, not only here at the main campus in Salinas, but also at our South County educational centers. 

Covered California adds that DACA recipients have the remaining thirty days to seek health coverage alternatives. Their office is reaching out via mail and phone calls to inform those who will be impacted.

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