KRKC COUNTRY

If you're looking to giveaway or donate some clothing or household items that you don't want or need anymore then a Goodwill donation trailer might be able to take them off of your hands on Friday, November 2, Saturday, November 3 and Sunday, November 4 from 10am to 4pm at California Gourmet Pizza located at 235 West Street in Soledad.  The event is being put on to help raise funds for South County Animal Rescue.

On Tuesday night, October 30 at around 5:30 pm Officers from the King City Police Department responded to a possible shooting that occurred on the 700 block of Canal Street in King City. While patrol units were on the scene, multiple gunshots were heard from the Salinas River. The Major Crimes Unit along with allied agencies including CHP air operations assisted. The investigation began as multiple people were contacted in the river and the investigation concluded that the shooting took place multiple hours prior to the arrival of the police and the people located in the riverbed were unrelated. The investigation also confirmed that a single bullet that damaged a window was caused due to a negligent discharge of a weapon earlier in the day. The discharged firearm only damaged property. No one was injured during this incident. The King City Police Department thanks all of the community members that assisted with their statements and the allied agencies who responded. The case was clo

A car caught on fire on a tow truck just after 1:30 pm on Tuesday afternoon, October 30 on Highway 101 Northbound, south of Greenfield near the Espinoza Road exit. The tow truck driver pulled over to the shoulder of the Highway almost immediately once he noticed that a 1955 Ford Thunderbird he was transporting was engulfed in flames. The Greenfield Fire Department extinguished the fire in the car within about 15 minutes, while the CHP was in charge of traffic control on Highway 101 Northbound during that time and the Greenfield Police Department was also on the scene. No one was hurt. The cause of the car fire is undetermined. 

If you have some items in your home or place of business that may take up a lot of space or that you are looking to get rid of then Waste Management may be able to help as they'll be putting on a waste removal cleanup event on Saturday, November 3 beginning at 8 am in the Mildred Parking lot at King City High School. Waste Management Public Sector Manager Kristin Skromme said they'll take tires, mattresses and appliances along with household hazardous waste materials that include batteries, light bulbs and paint. Skromme indicated that this will be the last event they'll be holding in King City until April of 2019.

Salinas, CA – Monterey County Elections is looking for community members to join a team of approximately 900 poll workers for the November 6, 2018 Statewide Midterm General Election. To serve as a poll worker you must be at least 18 years of age or older, a U.S. Citizen and a registered voter in California or a lawful permanent resident. High school students who are at least 16 years of age and in good academic standing may also volunteer. You can sign up by calling the poll worker line (831) 796-1485 or go online to www.MontereyCountyElections.us. Poll workers will serve on Tuesday, November 6, 2018 from 6:00 am to 9:30 pm. All poll workers must attend a mandatory training. Duties include, opening the polling place, assisting voters, closing the polls, and returning election materials. This is a paid volunteer opportunity. Those community members who are bilingual in English and any of the following languages: Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese, or Korean are also encouraged to apply.

King City, CA -- The Salinas Valley Fair Heritage Foundation (SVFHF) invites active 4-H and FFA participants from Monterey County to apply for the 2019 Heritage Foundation Scholarship. The successful applicant will receive the honor of raising the 2019 Heritage Animal for sale at the 2019 Salinas Valley Livestock Auction. Along with raising the Heritage Animal, the scholarship winner will receive a $2,500 scholarship, an embroidered Heritage Foundation jacket and an award buckle. In addition to the scholarship and awards, the Heritage Foundation will reimburse all expenses related to the feed and care of the Heritage Foundation animal. Salinas Valley Fair Heritage Foundation Scholarship Applications are available at www.SalinasVallleyFair.com or call Scholarship Coordinator, Ralph Rianda 831-385-0383. All materials must be postmarked no later than November 9, 2018. Interviews will be scheduled November 26, 2018 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in King City. The winner will be introduced and a

SALINAS, CA – On Friday, October 26, Congressman Jimmy Panetta (CA-20), co-chair of the Congressional Agriculture Research Caucus, introduced the Specialty Crop Mechanization Prize Challenge Act. The bipartisan legislation incentivizes innovative agriculture technology development and deployment.  The bill also encourages public-private partnerships between the agriculture industry and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop mechanization technology to alleviate workforce and cultivation shortfalls. "The Specialty Crop Mechanization Prize Challenge Act is an important way to inject innovative federal investments in the central coast of California’s agriculture industry," said Congressman Panetta.  "Research, development, and evaluation of new specialty crop technologies can help farmers, farmworkers, processors, and shippers at all levels of the supply chain." "Innovation in agricultural technology will benefit farmers and their employees, while stren

A 1 vehicle accident took place on Highway 101 Northbound off of Arroyo Seco Road in King City sometime after 1:30 pm on Friday afternoon, October 26. The CHP reports that the vehicle swerved into the center divide receiving moderate damage. The crash slowed up traffic for almost an hour. No one was injured. The cause of the accident is unknown.

A barn fire broke out on Wednesday, October 24 sometime after 12 pm off of Vineyard Canyon Road and Cross Country Road in Parkfield destroying the barn and a tractor. However, 2 harvesters were saved from the blaze which only scorched about 1/4 of an acre. No one was hurt. The cause of the fire was spontaneous combustion from hay in the barn. Cal Fire crews had 1 dozier and 2 engines on the scene throughout the day and night on Thursday, October 25 to make sure that the fire didn't flare up again.

A restraining order has been put on 57-year-old Peter Wells of Carmel who was discovered on Wednesday, October 24 as the man who left a threatening and hateful voicemail message to Monterey County Supervisors Luis Alejo and Simon Salinas that they listened to on Monday morning, October 22. The Sheriff's Department has decided not to pursue charges against Wells, but a civil investigation has been ordered by a Superior Court judge against Wells.

26-year-old Jorge Jasso of Soledad who was kidnapped from his home on the morning of Monday, October 22 on Marin Place in Soledad is still missing. According to Soledad Police Chief Eric Sills, Jasso was one of 14 suspected gang members charged in an FBI bust 2 weeks ago. They were indicted with a wide range of assaults, attempted murder, and drug trafficking. Jasso was charged with conspiracy to commit assault with a weapon in aid of racketeering. If convicted, the 14 men would all face life in prison. At first, the police initially thought that the motive behind the kidnapping was unknown. Jasso was supposed to be in court on the day he was forcibly removed from his home. Jasso also served time in the Monterey County Jail for gang related crimes. The Soledad Police Department and the FBI are still investigating the incident.

The Paso Robles Police Department was awarded a $130,100 grant on Wednesday, October 24 from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for a year-long enforcement and public awareness program. The traffic safety program is intended to educate the public on safe roadway habits and deter people from violating traffic laws or practicing other unsafe behaviors that lead to injuries and fatalities. “We are excited to again partner with the California Office of Traffic Safety(OTS) to focus on education and enforcement of our traffic safety plan” Chief Ty Lewis. The grant from OTS will fund various education and enforcement activities for the 2019 federal fiscal year (Oct. 1, 2018 to Sept. 30, 2019): • DUI checkpoints and saturation patrols to take suspected alcohol/drug-impaired drivers – and those unlicensed or with a revoked/suspended license – off the road. • Traffic safety education presentations for youth and community members on distracted, impaired and teen driving, and bicy

Southern Monterey County Republican Women Federated will be sending packages to servicemen and women in Afgahnistan serving in Harm's Way on Tuesday, November 6.  If you would like to participate in this ongoing project, please drop off the items for the troops at the Rustler office or call (831) 385-1333 and they will arrange to pick them up. SMCRWF is partnering with Operation Care and Comfort, an all volunteer 501 (c)(3) organization. A list of desired items for the troop boxes is available at the Rustler office and donations for postage are greatly appreciated.  For further information on this outreach project, call Karen Leonhard at (831) 385-1333.

At the King City City Council meeting on Tuesday night, October 23 at City Hall the Council approved the introduction of an Ordinance pertaining to amending Chapter 22 of the Municipal Code by establishing parking restrictions on 3rd Street adjacent to St. John Baptist Church. The King City City Council also approved the 2nd Reading and Adoption of an Ordinance pertaining to Commercial Cannabis Activity, odor control requirements and limitations by restricting translucent buildings within 500 feet of residential zoned properties and 750 feet from residential zoned properties to the south. 

Monterey County District Attorney Dean D. Flippo announced on Wednesday, October 24 that 50-year-old Alfredo Juarez Luna of Greenfield, California, was found guilty by a jury of 2 counts of violating a criminal protective order, and 1 count of vandalism after a 2-day trial. On March 28, 2018, Monterey County Superior Court Judge Thomas W. Wills issued a criminal protective order against Luna for a period of 1 year. The order prohibited Luna from coming within 100 yards of a woman that he knows, as well as her residence, vehicle, and place of employment. On 2 separate occasions, Luna violated the criminal protective order and was sentenced to 180 days in the Monterey County Jail. Within hours of his release from custody, Luna went directly to the woman’s work and confronted her again. After the woman and her co-workers ordered him to leave, Luna eventually complied. Then, 2 hours later, Luna violated the order a 2nd time by going to the woman’s home, banging on her door and demanding

The Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC) announced that the California Transportation Commission has awarded $2.7 million from the SB 1 gas tax to fund several projects in Monterey County. According to TAMC executive director Debbie Hale, “This money will enable them to further improve safety and enhance mobility in Monterey County.” She went on to add that, “Proposition 6 on the November ballot would remove this critical funding source and reduce their ability to construct many of the local planned road maintenance and regional projects throughout the county.” The projects funded by the Commission include safety improvements on a southern Monterey County bridge, building a transit facility in King City and providing funding for network integration to extend passenger rail service to Monterey County. The project allocations are: • $1.8 million to revamp the San Antonio River Bridge on US Highway 101 in Bradley from the State Highway Operations and Protection Program.

The Greenfield Fire Department responded to a store front sign that was on fire off of 3 El Camino Real early on Monday morning, October 22. Firefighters were able to put out the fire very quickly in a matter of minutes as the Greenfield Police Department assisted. The were no reports of any injuries and the cause of the fire is unknown.

King City's slurry seal project will begin Thursday, October 25 and is expected to be completed by Thursday, November 1. Slurry seal is a treatment applied on pavement to seal cracks and extend the life of the street before a full overlay is necessary. In 2018 the work for this slurry seal project will be done in the Rio Vista Drive area neighborhoods, the Royal Coach neighborhoods, Mildred north of Broadway, Orchard, Copley, and a portion of Vanderhurst and Queen north of King City. The schedule for each street can be viewed on the City’s website at www.kingcity.com. Please make sure no vehicles are parked on the street during the day the work is performed and do not drive on the street until barricades are removed or it will damage the work. You may contact City Hall at 385-3281 with any questions.

Members from the King City FFA chapter recently attended a conference in Hollister, and while there, they were notified that their chapter is ranked 3rd in the state of California. This is a huge accomplishment for the King City FFA chapter since there a total of 335 chapters in the state and they have been ranked 3rd.

CAL FIRE plans to conduct a prescribed burn on private property in the Gabilan Range east of Salinas in San Benito County on Tuesday, October 23 and Wednesday, October 24. The purpose of the project is to reintroduce fire to the ecosystem, thereby reducing hazardous fire fuels by removing brush and down woody materials, enhancing fire safety. This type of exercise also provides valuable hands-on training for fire personnel in fire suppression activities while working safely in a controlled environment. Smoke from this controlled burn will be visible from Hollister, Santa Clara Valley, Salinas Valley, and San Benito County. Weather conditions will be monitored and the burn may be postponed if burning conditions are found to be unfavorable. CAL FIRE is in close consultation with the National Weather Service’s Monterey office and the Monterey Bay Air Resources District to ensure that the burn takes place in appropriate weather conditions; the project may be postponed if conditions are n

A voice message threatening to kill 2 Monterey County Supervisors is being investigated by the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office. Supervisor Luis Alejo put up a portion of the hateful message on Twitter Monday morning, October 22 stating that he and Supervisor Simon Salinas began their Monday morning by hearing a voice message of death threats & hate speech. They closed their offices and alerted the Sheriff’s Department. The caller’s name was removed from the recording and it’s currently under criminal investigation.

On Monday, October 22 at approximately 8:30 AM, a home invasion and kidnapping occurred on the 1700 block of Marin Place in the City of Soledad. Two or more suspects forced entry into a home, struggled with the 26 year old male victim and then forcibly took him from the home. Witnesses said they were awakened by the sound of the front door of the residence being forced open and then what appeared to be a struggle with the victim. Witnesses said they heard at least 2 subjects yelling at the victim and telling him to be quiet before he was forcibly removed from the home. The reporting party immediately contacted 911 and officers responded directly to the home. Upon arrival, officers found evidence of forced entry into the residence and conducted a canvas of the area. The victim, Jorge Jasso, 26 years-old, 5'8", 180 lbs. brown eyes and brown hair, was last seen wearing only dark shorts and no other clothing. Multiple witnesses have been interviewed and there is no known mot

A Mayoral and Council political candidates forum was held on Thursday night, October 18 in the Greenfield City Council Chambers. Speaking at the forum in the race to fill 2 Council seats were Irene Garcia, Angela Untalon, Andrew Tipton, Jessica Madrid-Bautista and David Mendoza. Mayoral candidates Avelina Torres, Lance Walker and Raul Rodriguez also spoke.

On Sunday night, October 21 at around 6:55 pm Officers from the Greenfield Police Department were dispatched to a residence on the 50 block of 9th Street in regards to a stabbing that had occurred. Upon the officers arrival they found the victim in a room in the residence suffering from puncture wounds to the body. The officers performed life saving measures on the victim until they were relieved by paramedics from AMR. The paramedics were unable to revive the victim who subsequently died from his wounds. The preliminary investigation determined the victim got into a fight and was stabbed by the suspect. Investigators from the Major Crimes Unit were called to investigate the incident. The ensuing investigation revealed that the victim and suspect who are brothers were in a room in the residence when they began arguing, the argument escalated to a physical fight and the suspect, identified as 19-year-old Juan Jose Cervantes, allegedly stabbed the victim, 20-year-old Christian Elizond

Southern Monterey County Republican Women Federated will be registering voters of all parties at Safeway located at 530 Canal Street in King City on Saturday, October 20 from 10 am-4 pm. The deadline to register to vote in the November 6th election is Monday, October 22. If you have moved, changed your name or wish to change political parties, a new registration form must be completed. If you have reached the age of 18 on or before election day, November 6th, you may register to vote.  If you are age 16 or 17 you may pre-register to vote. For further information, please contact Karen Leonhard at (831) 385-1333 or karenleonhard@yahoocom.

With the Midterm General election just a few weeks away many people in Greenfield attended a Mayoral and Council political candidates forum on Thursday night, October 18 in the Greenfield City Council Chambers. Greenfield Mayoral candidates, Raul Rodriguez, Lance Walker and Avelina Torres gave opening and closing statements they all answered questions from the public involving a variety of different topics. 

Monterey County District Attorney Dean D. Flippo announced on Thursday, October 18 that 22-year-old Devonte Sirwet of Soledad, was sentenced to 6 years and 8 months in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation after pleading no contest to arson, first degree residential burglary, and felony animal abuse. This was the maximum sentence allowed under the law for these charges. Both the arson and burglary charges are strike convictions under California’s Three Strikes law. In December 2017, Sirwet’s escalating anger issues and substance abuse problems caused his mother to kick him out of their family home. Sirwet was furious. He sought revenge on March 27, 2018, by breaking into the house and stealing the family dog, Kato. Kato, a 5-year-old black pit bull, was a protective dog who loved his family and had a particularly close bond with Sirwet. There were no signs of forced entry or a struggle; it is clear Kato trusted Sirwet and willingly left the house with him. Sir

More details have been released regarding a fatal accident that occurred on Wednesday about 1 mile south of Chualar on Highway 101 Northbound. The collision took place at around 4:18 PM, as a big rig pulling two trailers, was attempting to make a left turn from US-101 southbound, across northbound US-101 traffic lanes, to enter an agricultural field east of the highway.  For reasons still unknown, the driver of the big rig  failed to notice a vehicle approaching in his location which was a 2005 Nissan Altima on US-101 northbound.  As the truck crossed the northbound lanes, the Nissan collided with the side of the second trailer, becoming wedged underneath.  Following the collision, the truck and trailer combination continued to travel towards the east shoulder of US-101 northbound, with the Nissan still lodged beneath. The driver of the truck-trailer combination was not injured. The 36-year-old male driver of the Nissan Humberto Ayala, was transported to Natividad Medical Center whe

One person was killed in a crash 1 mile south of Chualar on Highway 101 Northbound on Wednesday afternoon, October 17 sometime after 4 pm. The fatal accident involved a car and a semi. A driver had to be extricated from the car. The CHP reports that the car was at one point trapped under the big rig which was carrying water tanks, but no hazardous material. The northbound lanes on Highway 101 near Chualar were shutdown for a little while because of the collision. The cause of the accident is unknown at this time.

A structure fire sparked at around 7:44 am on Wednesday morning, October 17 off of the 6300 block of San Lucas Road in Lockwood. According to Cal Fire PIO David Clark, when fire crews arrived a residential structure, multiple outbuildings and a mobile home were engulfed in flames. The residential structure along with 1 outbuilding and a mobile home were destroyed in the fire. The residents that were residing in those structures were displaced and are being assisted by the American Red Cross. The blaze was fully contained and extinguished at 8:51 am. No one was injured. The cause of the fire is undetermined.

At the Gonzales City Council meeting on Monday night, October 15 the Council approved to authorize to have the City Manager to sign an agreement for an amount not to exceed $27,500 between the City of Gonzales and Willdan Financial Services for Special Tax Consulting Services for the Formation of an Enhanced Infrastructure District for Industrial/Manufacturing Land West of Alta Street.

SALINAS, CA – On Tuesday, October 16, District 20 Congressman Jimmy Panetta (CA-20) introduced the Farmworker Housing Improvement Act enhancing affordable housing resources and promoting program transparency. "On the central coast of California, there is an acute need for available and affordable farmworker housing," said Congressman Panetta.  "My legislation will address such a shortage by strengthening the Farm Labor Housing Loan and Grant Program, improving access to information for local non-profits, and increasing quality housing options for our farmworker community." The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Housing and Community Facilities Program administers funding for Farm Labor Housing and is the only federal program exclusively designed to increase access to affordable rental housing for America’s farmworkers.  The program’s Section 514 loans and Section 516 grants may be used to buy, build, improve, or repair housing for year-round

The Soledad Regional Stormwater Recharge Project is progressing on Front Street as you enter the city of Soledad from the north. The work includes piping upgrades to Gabilan Drive, San Vicente Drive and Front Street, as well as grading improvements to the retention basin adjacent to the Union Pacific Railroad. The objective of the project is to alleviate the potential for urban flooding caused by runoff from high points in the community to locations closer to the valley floor. This $2.6 million infrastructure project is funded by Storm Drain Impact Fees and will take care of most of the high priority stormwater management projects currently needed by the community. In addition, it will be able to manage large quantities of water at one time, the diameter of each concrete pipe is 6-feet and each 8-foot section of pipe weighs 12,000 pounds or 6 tons. The phase of this project that is currently rerouting traffic on Front Street is expected to be complete at the end of October 2018.

David E. Chardavoyne has resigned as General Manager of the Monterey County Water Resources Agency effective December 31, 2018. The Agency’s Board of Supervisors and Board of Directors along with Chardavoyne’s concurrence, elected not to renew his contract during the week of October 14, 2018. The parties expressed a desire for a new direction for the Agency as it moves forward with strategic planning, projects in cooperation with the Salinas Valley Groundwater Sustainability Agency, completion of the Interlake Tunnel project, and future work to meet the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s and California Division of Safety of Dams’ compliance projects at Lakes San Antonio and Nacimiento. Chardavoyne has worked for the Water Resources Agency for 7 years. Mr. Chardavoyne expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to lead the Agency and play a role in its many accomplishments. Board of Supervisors Chair Luis Alejo has worked with Mr. Chardavoyne since serving in the Californi

SOLEDAD – Salinas Valley State Prison (SVSP) officials are investigating the death of an inmate that occurred in one of the prison’s maximum security yards just after 9 pm. on Monday night, October 15th. 33-year-old inmate Armando Wehr was found unresponsive in his cell with multiple wounds. Officers quickly intervened and initiated life-saving measures and at 9:35 pm. Wehr was pronounced dead at the institution. No suspects have been identified at this time. SVSP administrators have limited inmate movement on the facility where the incident occurred to facilitate the investigation. Wehr, was received by CDCR in March of 2011 from Contra Costa County with a sentence of life with the possibility of parole for second-degree murder, plus 25 years for intentional discharge of a firearm. Officials said that a riot broke out at the prison's correctional training facility hours after the inmate was killed at the Soledad facility. The large fight began at around 8:30 am on Tuesday mornin

A brush fire broke out off of Highway 198 and Priest Road east of San Lucas on Saturday afternoon, October 13 at around 3:45 pm. The Pine Canyon Fire Department along with CAL FIRE BEU, CAL FIRE/Fresno County Fire and the Monterey County Regional Fire District were all paged to the scene. As of Tuesday, October 16 the fire had scorched 167 acres and was 100% contained. No one was injured and the cause of the fire is unknown.

At the Tuesday night, October 9 King City City Council meeting, the Council approved a King City Sports Field Improvement Plan. Due to overuse and lack of sufficient funds for maintenance, several of the City's sports fields are in poor condition. As a result, the City has developed a number of strategies to improve the fields over the next couple years and then enhance maintenance on an ongoing basis to keep the fields in better condition. The new plan will require a number of sports fields to be closed temporarily every 1 to 2 year period for maintenance and recovery. The first field to be upgraded is the City Park Softball Field, which will include leveling and reseeding of the turf. This project will be accomplished in partnership with the Adult Softball League. The Adult Softball League is coordinating the project and providing the majority of resources and labor. Therefore, the City would like to express its appreciation for their commitment to this effort. To accomplish thi

On Sunday night, October 14 at 5:15 pm, Officers responded to South Third Street in King City for a report of a victim who was suffering from a stab wound. Officers arrived on the scene and contacted the victim who was suffering from a laceration to his right leg. The victim informed Officers that the suspect, who was identified as 38-year-old Federico Torres, used a machete style weapon to swing towards the victim causing the injury to his leg. Officers were able to locate the suspect in a nearby residence and made the arrest for assault with a deadly weapon. Officers were also able to locate the weapon used in this crime. There were multiple people who witnessed this incident. Torres was transported to the Monterey County Jail. The King City Police Department would like to thank the witnesses who assisted in this investigation. Anyone with further information in regards to this case is encouraged to call the King City Police Department at (831) 386-5980 or the WeTip line at 1-800-7

On Monday, September 17, Officers from the Greenfield Police Department were dispatched to a residence in Greenfield in regards to a minor having sex with an adult. Due to the nature of the complaint the Investigation was turned over to the Major Crimes Investigations Unit. The ensuing investigation revealed that the suspect was engaging in sexual activity with female minors less than 14 years of age. The suspect would meet and friend potential victims on a social media site using a pseudonym and coerce them into meeting him to engage in sexual activity. Once the suspect met with the victim he would take them to motels in Greenfield and Soledad and engage in sexual activity. The investigators identified the suspect as 21-year-old Ricardo Isidro Najera of Greenfield. Najera was contacted on Wednesday, October 10 at 3:30 pm by investigators of the Major Crimes Investigations Unit and during this portion of the investigation was found to be in possession of child pornography. Najera wa

King City, CA -- The Salinas Valley Fair is seeking young adults for its Junior Fair Board (JFB).  As many as 35 members are selected to volunteer throughout the year on behalf of the Salinas Valley Fair. Their efforts include assisting at Fair events, providing outreach along with the planning, developing and coordinating of events.  This year’s Junior Fair Board will have the added honor of serving during the 75th Annual Salinas Valley Fair and the celebrations planned to recognize this milestone.  “Our Junior Fair Board is a tremendous asset to our organization providing over 1,800 volunteer hours, annually. Their service ensures that the Salinas Valley Fair provides quality programs to our growing community”, says Salinas Valley Fair CEO, TJ Plew.  “This year the need for applicants is greater than in year’s past.  Most of the members from last year have graduated high school or have aged out of the program.  We are seeking twenty-six more members to work with the nine Junior F

King City Police Chief Robert Masterton Promoted Officer Ricardo Robles to the Rank of Sergeant on Thursday, October 11. Sergeant Robles is 19 year veteran of law enforcement who started his career as a King City Police Explorer in 1994 where he learned about the basic and interworkings of a police department as well as the responsibilities of a police officer. He participated in ride-a-longs with police officers, worked crowd control at community events such as the Salinas Valley Fair and the Concourse De Elagance in Monterey. In 1996 , Robles attended law enforcement classes at Hartnell Community College and upon completion of the classes he was appointed as a Level 1 Reserve Officer, while in 1998 Sergeant Robles attended the Regular Basic Police Academy at Gabilan College and upon graduation from the police academy in 1999 he was appointed as a regular full time officer with the King City Police Department. During his tenure with the King City Police Department, Sgt. Robles has s

On Thursday morning, October 11 at 5:00 am, 22-year-old Nathaniel Weatherly of San Miguel, but who was a local transcient living in Northern San Luis Obispo County was attempting to walk or run across US-101, North of the 13th Street Over crossing in the Paso Robles city limits when he was struck by an unknown vehicle that was driving southbound on 101. The vehicle continued driving and left the scene without notifying law enforcement or emergency services of the collision. Weatherly suffered fatal injuries as a result of this collision and was pronounced dead at the scene. Southbound 101 was closed and traffic was diverted off at 17th Street in Paso Robles, to allow the CHP to investigate. The traffic on northbound 101 was not effected by this collision or the subsequent investigation. Southbound 101 was re-opened at 7:20 am. If anyone has any information regarding this collision, please call the Templeton CHP Office at (805) 434-1822. This felony hit and run investigation is ongoi

On Tuesday, October 9  District 20 Congressman Jimmy Panetta (CA-20) announced that California FarmLink received federal grants and loan capital totaling over $1,086,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of Rural Development. California FarmLink received an Intermediary Relending Program loan totaling $1,000,000 to relend for business and community development initiatives in rural areas of Monterey, San Benito, Santa Cruz, and the surrounding counties. The funds will support at least 40 small businesses in rural California, which will help create 80 rural jobs and save 200 rural jobs. The organization also received a $50,000 Rural Business Development Grant to provide technical assistance and access to loan capital to low-income, immigrant, and beginning farmers, as well as a Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program Grant totaling $36,523 to provide technical assistance to microentrepreneurs and microenterprises across the central coast of California.

]A lot of people made their voices heard for over 2 hours at the Greenfield Council meeting on Tuesday night, October 9 in a public hearing involving an appeal of the city of Greenfield Planning Commission's adoption of a resolution approving the design for the development of a 168-Unit High Density Ag worker employee housing project at 360 Walnut Avenue as part of the Walnut Avenue Specific Plan. After over 2 hours of discussion, a motion was made by Mayor Pro Tem Avelina Torres to affirm the Greenfield Planning Commission's action and approve the design review of the project. The motion was denied. Greenfield Mayor Jesus Olvera-Garcia then made a motion to reverse the Planning Commission's action, deny the design review and to move forward at working with the developer on alternative options. However, Contractor Mike Avila with Avila Construction mentioned that he is not in agreement in doing so. The motion passed 4 to 1.

A 1 vehicle accident that took place off of New Pleyto Road by Lake Antonio at the North Shore Gate sometime before 3 pm on Tuesday, October 9. There were no injuries. The cause of the crash is unknown.

A 2 vehicle collision occurred off of Lago Marsino on Highway 101 southbound between Greenfield and King City sometime after 1:30 pm on Tuesday, October 9. The crash involved a sedan and a big rig with both drivers picking up minor injuries. The sedan was totaled from the crash. Th cause of the accident is unknown.

The King City City Council met on Tuesday night, October 9 at City Hall. Contracts and Grants Analyst Elia Zavala with Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority provided a 2017 Waste Management Performance report for the City of King. Zavala went over how much garbage was collected in the residential sector, the commercial sector and what type of items were collected. Zavala said that in the residential sector Waste Management collected 5,155 tons of material with 63% of it being trash, 16% was recycling items and 21% was yard waste, while from 2016 to 2017 Waste Management had a 6% increase in trash that was collected along with 1% in yard waste and 14% in recycling. Zavala feels that this increase may have to do with the population going up. In the Commercial sector Zavala stated that Waste Management collected 6,562 tons of material in 2017 with 83% of it being trash, 12% was recycling items and 5% was yard waste, while from 2016 to 2017 there was a 7% increase in commercial trash coll

On Saturday night, October 7, a deputy conducted a vehicle check on a suspicious vehicle on Central Avenue in King City. The deputy that located the vehicle found Jamie Alvarado asleep in the drivers seat. The deputy believing that the man may be intoxicated looked through the windows for alcohol containers, but instead saw a handgun lying within reach of the man. Deputies were able to detain Alvarado without incident and also determined that Alvarado was intoxicated. King City CHP Officers arrived and conducted a DUI investigation and determined that Alvarado had been driving impaired and placed him under arrest for DUI and possession of the firearm.

Deputies from the South Monterey County Patrol Division contacted Jesse Lillibridge recently to investigate possible animal cruelty to a dog. As they were talking to Lillibridge about suspected animal cruelty, Deputy Farley discovered Lillibridge was in possession of 14 grams of cocaine, 4.3 grams of marijuana, over 1300 pills of Adderall, approximately 100 pills of Ecstasy, 22.6 grams of mushrooms, 4 Xanax pills, 56.2 grams of an edible Marijuana product and over $6,800 dollars. Lillibridge was also in possession of 116.4 Grams of an unknown substance, which is suspected to be an illegal synthetic drug and is being tested by the Crime Lab at the Monterey County Sheriff's Department. Lillibridge was arrested and booked into the Monterey County Jail on numerous drug related charges.  None of the animals were injured during this investigation and have since been turned over to Monterey County Animal Control for safe keeping. According to Monterey County Sheriff's Deputy Mark L

According to the Greenfield Police Department, they were notified sometime during the week of October 1, 2018 that a Greenfield resident received a telephone call from a person claiming to be a City employee. The person was trying to set up an appointment to go to the residence to test the lead level in the water. Public Works has informed the Greenfield PD that they are not testing the water and that this was not a City employee who called. Please do not set up an appointment with this individual. Remember to always ask for identification should a person come to your residence claiming to be an employee of the City or any other government entity.