OAKHURST — Road 426 east of Oakhurst is currently blocked by power lines down in the road near the Llama Ranch. The exact location is at the top of Road 426 just past the 25 mph turn near Oak Ridge Drive. The lines were reportedly knocked down by trucks hauling wide loads of modular homes, as witnesses saw the trucks ...

MADERA COUNTY – The sale of counterfeit goods, including dangerous medications, has been the focus of recent investigations and arrests in Madera County. The District Attorney is expected to file charges as early as Monday against two men arrested by special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Thursday afternoon during the execution of state ...

OAKHURST — Two juveniles were taken into custody after allegedly hitting an employee with a car in an Oakhurst restaurant parking lot while attempting to get away without paying their bill. Just before 3 a.m., on Monday, Sept. 5, the Madera County Sheriff’s Office received a call that three male subjects were refusing to pay their check at Denny’s. The ...

MADERA COUNTY — Sheriff Jay Varney and the Madera County Sheriffs Office welcomed seven new Citizens on Patrol (COP) volunteers to the force on Wednesday, Aug. 31. Sheriff Varney administered the Oath of Office to Janice Guthrie, Lloyd Green, Jarrett Dean, Hal Parks, Chris Reese and John Arredondo during a graduation ceremony held at the Sheriff’s Office in Madera. Jon ...

BASS LAKE — A Labor Day vacation for a Southern California family turned into a dangerous rescue at Angel Falls in Bass Lake on Saturday. Angel Falls is a well-known destination along Willow Creek where many locals and visitors go to hike and play in the water. The Madera Sheriff’s Office was notified about 11:15 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 3, ...

MADERA COUNTY — It’s with a heavy heart that Sheriff Jay Varney announces the passing of Retired Sergeant Chuck Reiring. Sgt. Reiring started as a reserve deputy with the Madera County Sheriff’s Office in 1971 before being hired as full time Deputy Sheriff in 1975. During his 32 years with the Madera County Sheriff’s Office, Sgt. Reiring worked as a ...

COARSEGOLD — A single-vehicle roll-over crash yesterday afternoon ended with one man being taken into custody for suspicion of driving under the influence. At 7:46 p.m., on Friday, Sept. 2, Justin Potter, 40, of Coarsegold, was westbound on Road 415 in a 2004 Chevy Tahoe just west of the Coarsegold Elementary School near Wildwood Lane, when he failed to negotiate ...

OAKHURST — An elderly North Fork man was airlifted after he crashed his vehicle on Deadwood just south of Oakhurst this evening. Just after 10:30 p.m., a woman called 911 to report having seen a car drive off the roadway about two miles south of Victoria Lane on Highway 41, but was unsure of the location. It took about 20 ...

MADERA COUNTY — Sheriff Jay Varney is very pleased to welcome the two newest additions to the Madera County Sheriff’s Office. “Nacho” is a one-and-a-half year old Belgian Malinois and “Gastone” is a two-year-old Belgian Malinois. Both dogs were imported from France. Deputy Logan Majeski will be Nacho’s handler and Deputy Eric Jackson will be Gastone’s handler. All four just ...

NORTH FORK — Over 18,000 marijuana plants were eradicated during a major bust in the North Fork area last Friday, and two suspects were taken into custody. Sheriff’s deputies and U.S. Forest Service law enforcement descended on a property east of North Fork along Road 225, just after 7:30 a.m. on Aug. 26, to eradicate a large grow. Mary Grillett, ...