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Merced Sun Star ||
20-Dec-2012
MERCED – A former school bus driver accused of inappropriate conduct with a 17-year-old high school student was spared jail this week after reaching a deal with the prosecution. Efrain Orozco, 58, pleaded no contest to misdemeanor solicitation of a prostitute Wednesday. He was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to stay away from the victim, according to Deputy District ...
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Merced Sun Star ||
12-Dec-2012
MERCED – The case of five defendants accused of killing two men outside the Club Azul nightclub in Los Banos has come to a close, as all of the defendants have accepted plea agreements with the Merced County district attorney’s office. Prosecutors say the victims, Angel Rodriguez, 30, and Ruben Sanchez, 34, were members of the Mongols biker gang, while the defendants are members of the ...
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Los Banos Enterprise ||
16-Nov-2012
LOS BANOS - The suspected drunken driver involved in a traffic collision that killed a Los Banos fifth-grader earlier this month appeared in a Los Banos court this week, as family finalized funeral plans. Justin Nappi, 20, was at the Robert M. Falasco Justice Center on Wednesday for a preliminary examination and bail review hearing. Nappi stood without speaking, wearing glasses and a gray T-shirt ...
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Merced Sun Star ||
13-Nov-2012
MERCED – A 58-year-old school former bus driver pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Merced County Superior Court over accusations of inappropriate conduct with a 17-year-old high school student. Efrain Orozco is charged with one count of felony attempted unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor — a charge which could mean up to 18 months behind bars, if he is convicted. Orozco, who’s ...
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Merced Sun Star ||
5-Sep-2012
LOS BANOS - Footage from video surveillance cameras could play a role in the case against five defendants accused of killing two members of the Mongols biker gang outside a Los Banos nightclub last summer. They made a brief appearance in court Wednesday in the double homicide case. Twin brothers Armando and Mando Lopez, 22; along with Francisco Esquivel, 21; Joe Castillo, 26; and Isaac Bermea, 19, ...
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Merced Sun Star ||
11-Jun-2012
MERCED - A Livingston High teacher charged with having sex with her teenage student was released from jail Monday afternoon after a Merced County judge reduced her bail by 70 percent. Judge Marc Garcia lowered defendant Melody Carter-McCabe’s bail from $250,000 to $75,000 after hearing arguments from attorneys on both sides during a bail review hearing Monday morning. Jeffrey Tenenbaum, ...
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Merced Sun Star ||
7-May-2012
MERCED - The 43-year-old husband of slain Peterson Elementary School teacher Diane Romero could reach a plea agreement with prosecutors this week, which might put him in prison for life. Attorneys revealed in court Monday they expect a settlement in the case of Rodolfo “Rudy” Antonio Romero, 43, the sole suspect in the September 2010 stabbing death of Diane Romero, 44, at the ...
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Merced Sun Star ||
12-Jan-2012
MERCED - A Merced man accused of murdering his wife — a school teacher — is back at the Merced County Jail after state doctors concluded he’s fit to stand trial. But his attorney is challenging whether the defendant is indeed sane. Rodolfo “Rudy” Antonio Romero, 43, is the sole suspect in the September 2010 stabbing death of his wife, 44-year-old Diane Romero, at the ...
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