MADERA COUNTY – A 41-year-old Michigan man is behind bars, accused of trying to smuggle marijuana into Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) in Chowchilla. Sheriff’s deputies were called to CCWF Sunday afternoon, Feb. 23, where William “Bill” Leroy Waltz of Burlington, MI, was being detained after corrections guards caught him with the contraband, says the Sheriff’s Office.

MADERA COUNTY – Sheriff John Anderson is warning residents about a cold caller phoning citizens, and claiming to be their grandson. The most recent scam occurred Friday, when an 82-year-old Coarsegold woman received a call from 559-640-7072. The person on the other end told her he had been in an accident and needed her to wire him $1,000.

Pop tops, Do you save them? For many years now, we have been saving pop tops. They don’t just come off of soda cans. There are soup cans and tuna cans; just look around your kitchen. They are easy to collect and clean. Eons ago, when we lived in Orange County, a dear lady at our Philanthropic Educational Organization (P.E.O.) ...

MADERA COUNTY – Sheriff John Anderson is crediting a tip phoned in to Crime Stoppers as leading to the arrest of a Madera man, accused of smashing the front windows of Madera County’s Courthouse in early hours of Feb. 7. Early Friday morning, Feb. 21, Madera County Detective Adam McEwen arrested 29-year-old Andrew Biscay at the suspect’s home on O ...

MADERA COUNTY – A vehicle fire on Highway 41 just north of the 22-Mile House caused some traffic back-up on Wednesday, Feb. 19. Just before 10 a.m., reports began to come in of a white Caravan on fire along the roadway, though the location was reported by one motorist as Yosemite Springs Parkway, by another as near the Highway 145 ...

COARSEGOLD – A 14-year-old Coarsegold youth is back behind bars booked on burglary and drug charges. Sheriff John Anderson says this juvenile was one of three teenagers arrested last month for vandalizing the Yosemite Lakes Park Clubhouse, and setting stolen property on fire in the densely populated area of Coarsegold. The juvenile, whose name cannot be released due to his ...

MADERA COUNTY – The Madera County Board of Supervisors will host an informational workshop on Tuesday, Mar. 4, at 10 a.m. to discuss the development of a strategic response to drought conditions as well as future countywide water policies. “We have faced three consecutive years of drought and the impacts are devastating,” said Tom Wheeler, Board Chairman and District 5 ...

FRESNO – Two California Highway Patrol officers lost their lives today while responding to a call on Highway 99 when their patrol car crashed into a guard rail near Kingsburg. The accident happened just before 6 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 17, near the Sierra Street exit. “This is a very sad day for us at the CHP as we say ...

MADERA COUNTY – Fresno fugitive Brandunn Wilson, who was considered by the Sheriff’s Office to be armed and dangerous, is now behind bars. Brandunn Wilson, 19, wanted in both Fresno and Madera Counties, managed to elude authorities last month during a pursuit in North Fork. Wilson, who was wanted on a felony drug warrant out of Fresno County, and felony ...

MADERA COUNTY – Jay Varney, 53, has been the Chief of Police for the City of Chowchilla since 2004, and hopes to become the next Sheriff of Madera County. Varney has over 30 years of law enforcement experience, including over 18 years in leadership positions at the sergeant, lieutenant, and chief of police levels. In his current position, Varney oversees ...