Members of the Multi-Agency Detail Combating Auto Theft (MADCAT) arrested a Soledad man Tuesday morning, March 24 after observing him arrive at a Salinas Courthouse in a stolen vehicle. On March 24 at approximately 11:00 a.m., MADCAT task force members observed 41-year-old Ricardo Otero of Soledad pull into the Salinas Courthouse parking area driving a vehicle that had been reported stolen out of San Jose. Deputies contacted Otero outside the courtroom where he was scheduled to appear for a pending auto theft case. Otero was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Monterey County Jail. He was booked on the following charges: • California Vehicle Code 10851(a) (Unlawful Driving or Taking of a Vehicle) • Penal Code 12022 (Commission of a Felony While Released on Bail/Own Recognizance) • California Vehicle Code 14601.1(a) (Driving With a Suspended License)
SALINAS, California- Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni announced on March 23 that on March 12, 2026, the Honorable Jennifer O’Keefe sentenced Noel Aguilera Ledesma to 25 years to life in prison for the 2010 murder of his ex-girlfriend, Yvette Martinez. A jury convicted Ledesma, formerly of Soledad and Yuma, Ariz., of first-degree murder in February 2026. In early 2010, Martinez and Ledesma dated, but they subsequently broke up. Despite the breakup, they remained connected to each other. For months, Ledesma attempted to persuade Martinez to get back together with him. However, in mid-September, Martinez began dating another person. On October 9, 2010, Martinez went out with friends and her then-boyfriend. She went out drinking in Salinas and then went to a corn maze with her boyfriend. She saw a different friend at a Salinas restaurant before heading home. Throughout the night, Ledesma was calling and texting Martinez’s cell phone, but she largely ignored his t...