MADERA – The only defendant to reject a plea deal from the District Attorney’s office in connection with the October 2014 attempted take-over at the Chukchansi Gold Resort and Casino, is headed toward trial. District Attorney David Linn announced yesterday, following a hearing in Department 22 of the Madera Superior Court, that his office will be proceeding to a preliminary ...

MADERA COUNTY – The last in a trio of men convicted of kidnapping 26 school children and their bus driver near Chowchilla in 1976 will appear before the California Parole Board on Nov. 19. Frederick Woods, along with his two conspirators Richard and James Schoenfield, pleaded guilty to the crime in Alameda County Superior Court in 1977, and were all ...

KERNVILLE — The destruction of petroglyphs on a Native American archaeological site has a man facing serious consequences in federal court. Christopher James Harp, 58, was indicted by a grand jury in Fresno on Oct. 22 for a felony charge of depredation of public resources with damage exceeding $1,000. Harp was arrested on Oct. 8 as a result of an ...

MADERA – Two mountain area juveniles have been arrested by Cal Fire Battalion Chief Bernie Quinn, and are now booked in Madera County Juvenile Detention Facility. The pair are suspected of starting the Sundance Fire near Oakhurst that closed Road 420 and prompted the evacuation of dozens of residents on the afternoon of Sept.13. The District Attorney’s Office will file a ...

BASS LAKE – The man charged with misdemeanor involuntary manslaughter in the death of David Flores, 13, of Fresno, who died after being run over by a jet ski at Bass Lake on June 27, was back in Bass Lake Superior Court today. Phat Chau, 55, of San Jose, appeared with his attorney Michael Idiart this morning, and after discovery ...

MADERA – A Coarsegold man was found guilty yesterday in Madera Superior Court of nine counts of child molestation. James Salsgiver, 59, faces 195 years to life for his convictions: on three counts of sodomy, 25 years to life each. On three counts of oral copulation, the sentence could be 15 years to life each. And on three counts of ...

MADERA – The juvenile who was charged with two felonies for starting the Willow Fire appeared in court today while in custody of the Madera County Juvenile Detention Facility. The minor, through his attorney, waived time for the jurisdictional hearing originally scheduled for Friday, Aug. 28, for the purposes of obtaining a psychological evaluation for the Court. The minor will ...

MADERA COUNTY – The next time you are summoned to appear for jury duty, the experience is likely to be far more pleasant as you report to the brand new Madera County Courthouse that replaces the century-old building in which the court has been operating. On Friday, Aug. 14, several hundred people gathered for a ribbon cutting and tour of ...

MADERA – The juvenile who allegedly started the Willow Fire that burned over 5,700 acres near North Fork, appeared in Madera Superior Court this morning, and was ordered detained in the Madera County Juvenile Detention Facility while awaiting his next court appearance, scheduled for Aug. 28. The boy is accused of starting the fire on Saturday, July 25, by playing ...

MADERA – The minor who started the John West fires last year near Oakhurst appeared in Madera Superior Court today in response to a petition filed, alleging that he had violated the order issued by Superior Court Judge James Oakley, spelling out the terms of his probation. His violations involved inappropriate activities, such as taking pictures and being in close ...