BASS LAKE – A Coarsegold man has been arrested in connection with a bomb scare that closed down Road 274 on Monday near Bass Lake. The Madera County Sheriff’s Office received a call just before noon on Dec. 1, that a suspicious device was found in a trash can outside the Bass Lake Courthouse.

BOOTJACK – Highway 49 has now been reopened to through traffic after closing down due to a suspicious item in the roadway just after 11 a.m. this morning. The item was found to be a one-foot section of PVC pipe that was capped on either end to store welding rods. The roadway was closed to ensure public safety as the ...

BASS LAKE – Road 274 is closed near the Courthouse at Bass Lake due to a suspicious package left near the building, according to CHP. Eastbound traffic is being diverted at Road 222. It is not clear where westbound traffic is being detoured, but taking Road 432 from the Pines will take motorists around the closure. There is no estimated ...

BOOTJACK – Highway 49 in the Bootjack area is currently closed due to what is suspected may be a pipe bomb in the roadway, according the the Mariposa CHP Office. The road is currently closed between Ashworth Road and Indian Peak Road, as law enforcement awaits the arrival of the Bomb Disposal Unit from Merced Police Department. Motorists are advised ...

SIERRA NATIONAL FOREST – University scientists studying the effects of forest thinning on a species of small mammal did not expect to find evidence of toxic chemicals in the organs of their subject, the Pacific fisher. When post-mortem tests showed that fisher after fisher had the same significant amount of rodenticide in the liver, researchers looked not far afield and ...

FRESNO – Police and Sheriff’s deputies are searching for a man in the area of Farris and Herndon in northeast Fresno, after a high speed chase that began in North Fork. Brandunn Wilson, 20, is no stranger to law enforcement, having been the target of several chases in the mountain area, and numerous arrests. This afternoon, mountain deputies received a ...

MADERA COUNTY – The latest scam targeting citizens in Madera County involves someone impersonating Sheriff John Anderson. Anderson has issued a fraud alert, warning that you may get a call from someone posing as the Sheriff, and the caller ID will show the Sheriff’s Office main number, 559-675-7770. The caller will tell you he is Sheriff John Anderson, and will ...

MADERA COUNTY – A tenth suspect wanted in the attempted takeover of the Chukchansi Casino on Oct. 9 has turned himself in to authorities. Brian Lec Auchenbach, 38, of Gardnerville, NV, turned himself late yesterday afternoon. He was booked into Madera County Department of Corrections.

MADERA COUNTY – Sheriff John Anderson is warning residents about a man posing as a Sergeant with the “Warrants Division,” who is trying to con citizens out of their cash, telling them a warrant has been issued for their arrest. An Eastern Madera County woman received the call today and reported the incident to the Madera County Sheriff’s Office just ...

MADERA COUNTY – The biggest shopping days of the year are here, so Sheriff John Anderson is asking citizens, are you doing your part to protect yourself and your loved ones? Once again, Sheriff Anderson is releasing his annual list of safety tips, titled, “If I were a thief, you would now be a victim,” urging all citizens to take ...