Gonzales Man Sentenced to 38 Years and 8 Months in Prison for 2021 Fatal Shooting, 2022 Attempted Murder and 2023 Jail Stabbing

SALINAS, California- Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni announced on May 23

that on May 20, 2025 37-year-old Jesus Tejeda of Gonzales, was sentenced to 38 years and 8

months in prison after pleading no contest to voluntary manslaughter with the personal use a

firearm, attempted murder, and assault with a deadly weapon in furtherance of a gang, which arose

from three separate incidents in 2021, 2022 and 2023, respectively.

On December 13, 2021, Christopher Connor was shot in the side of his head while driving his

vehicle at the intersection of Nacional Court and Clark Street in Salinas. The vehicle then crashed

into a wall of the apartment complex at the intersection. The shooter left the passenger seat of the

vehicle, got into a vehicle that was following them, and fled the scene. After months of

investigation, Tejeda was identified as the shooter, but no motive for the shooting was ever

revealed.

On January 5, 2022, before he was identified in the fatal shooting, Tejeda was driving a stolen

vehicle near a farm in Gonzales. Another person, the attempted murder victim, was in the vehicle

with Tejeda. In front of numerous eyewitnesses, Tejeda and the victim exited the vehicle, and

Tejeda began to assault him, causing the victim to fall to the ground. Tejeda then grabbed a 55-

pound filled cinderblock and threw it at the victim’s head, knocking him unconscious. Tejeda then

fled the scene in the vehicle and was apprehended by law enforcement after leading them on a

dangerous, high-speed chase. The victim suffered great bodily injury, but he was uncooperative

with law enforcement and refused to provide any statement as to what happened or why it

happened.

On March 9, 2023, while in custody pending prosecution for the above offenses, Tejeda and

multiple other Norteño criminal street gang members in the Monterey County Jail coordinated with

each other to stab another inmate in their jail pod. Tejeda and other co-conspirators repeatedly

stabbed the inmate, inflicting great bodily on the victim, in furtherance of a criminal street gang.

Tejeda was sentenced by Judge Mark E. Hood. The homicide case was primarily investigated by

Detective John Richardson of the Salinas Police Department.

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Fatal 3 Vehicle Accident Involving Wrong Way Driver on Highway 101 Outside of King City on January 10

A fatal multi-vehicle collision happened on Saturday night, January 10 at 9:51 p.m. on northbound Highway 101 outside of King City. According to the King City CHP a 2016 Toyota Tacoma driven by 65-year-old Paul Lee Cooper of Otis, Oregon was heading the wrong way going southbound in the northbound lanes south of Jolon Road, while a 2006 Toyota Corolla driven by 33-year-old Dinora Maribel Gomez of Salinas was heading northbound on Highway 101 south of Jolon Road in the #1 lane and a Honda Accord driven by 36-year-old Ignacio Sangerman of King City was also traveling northbound on Highway 101 south of Jolon Road but was in the #2 lane. Due to Cooper's level of impairment his vehicle went the wrong way on Highway 101 going directly into the path of Gomez' vehicle causing the rear of her car to crash with the front of the vehicle driven by Sangerman. Cooper was arrested, sustaining major injuries and was transported to Natividad Medical Center in Salinas where as of January 12 is...

Monterey County DA Releases Preliminary Information Concerning an Officer Involved Shooting Incident that Occurred Outside of Soledad on December 16

SALINAS, California- Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni on December 19 released preliminary information concerning the officer involved shooting (OIS) which occurred at about 1:20 a.m. outside the city of Soledad on December 16, 2025. Just before 1:00 a.m., Monterey County Sheriff’s Deputy Carlos Pina, who has been a peace officer for 10 years all with MCSO, and Deputy Blain Councilman, each in separate patrol cars, were dispatched to 32097 McCoy Road. A resident at the farm labor camp reported a suspicious individual with a handgun whose white Honda 4 door sedan was parked in space 18 at the complex. Before parking there, the suspect drove around and around, stopped in front of the reporting party’s (RP’s) truck, and got out. The RP could hear music. Deputy Pina drove the lead patrol car and arrived just after 1:20 a.m. His dashcam video, which does not record sound but which he installed on his own and at his own expense, depicts the following: He drove down ...

King City City Council Announces Selection of José Arreola as New City Manager

January 7, 2025-Following an extensive recruitment process, José Arreola has been selected by the King City City Council to be its next City Manager. Arreola will replace Steve Adams, who is retiring after serving in the position for the past 10 years. Arreola was selected from 31 applicants and 8 finalists for the position. The King City City Council will formally consider the proposed city manager contract at its meeting on Tuesday night, January 13. Arreola's first day on the job is scheduled to be February 23. José Arreola has a distinguished career of serving the community with a particular commitment to youth. He has worked for the City of Salinas for 12 years as their Community Safety Program Manager, Community Safety Administrator and Assistant to the City Manager. Among other responsibilities, Arreola has led several programs to eliminate gang violence which aligns well with the City of King’s efforts and priorities. Prior to that, Arreola worked as an Educa...

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