The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s office has identified partial skeletal remains that were discovered in a riverbed off Highway 129, east of Rogge Lane, near Aromas, 30 years ago. After remaining a mystery for decades, the remains have finally been identified as belonging to 13-year-old Laura O’Malley from Queens, New York.
Crime
Posted inWatsonville / Pajaro
Watsonville police seek help identifying church vandal
The Watsonville Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a man recorded throwing a brick through the window of St. Patrick’s Catholic Parish on March 14.
Posted inWatsonville / Pajaro
Swastikas among ‘disturbing’ graffiti appearing in Watsonville
The City of Watsonville says it is seeing a rash of “disturbing graffiti incidents” across the community recently, including swastikas.
Posted inLatest News
Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office offers help spotting scams after locals victimized for $175K, warns of tax-season danger
With tax season ramping up ahead of the April 15 filing deadline, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office is publicizing recent scams that have cost county residents thousands and offering tips on avoiding similar attempts.
Posted inLatest News
UCSC police release sketch of suspect in sexual battery incidents
The UC Santa Cruz Police Department has released a sketch of a suspect wanted in two sexual battery incidents that happened on campus, one on March 7 and another on Feb. 20, in an effort to identify the individual.
Posted inLatest News
Scotts Valley police charge Mountain View man in 1990s child sexual assault
Scotts Valley police arrested a Bay Area man this week on multiple charges of child sexual assault for crimes that investigators allege date back nearly two decades.
Posted inLatest News
UCSC investigating reports of voyeurism, burglary in campus residential buildings
UC Santa Cruz’s police department and Title IX Office are investigating reports of voyeurism in three residential buildings on campus, incidents possibly linked to earlier burglary reports.
Posted inLatest News
Three suspects flee after Monday night shooting in Watsonville; no injuries reported
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a shooting Monday night on San Andreas Road; no injuries were reported.
Posted inLatest News
Juror in Gonzalez trial urges reform of state bill that prevented him from being charged as adult, allows repeat chances for release
A juror who served in Adrian Gonzalez’s trial for release is speaking out against Senate Bill 1391, which barred the prosecution of people under the age of 16 as adults, and allows Gonzalez – who raped and murdered 8-year-old Madyson Middleton in 2015 – repeat chances at release. Joan Hoyt is urging state lawmakers to change the bill, and state Sen. John Laird says he intends to keep the conversation moving within the Legislature.
Posted inLatest News
Attorneys deliver closing statements in Adrian Gonzalez trial; jury begins deliberation
The attorneys in Adrian Gonzalez’s trial for release gave lengthy closing arguments on Tuesday before the court sent the jury to deliberate on the fate of the 25-year-old convicted of the 2015 murder of Santa Cruz 8-year-old Madyson Middleton. Prosecutor Tara George argued that Gonzalez is nowhere near ready for release and continues to deceive people about who he really is, while Gonzalez attorney Charlie Stevens said that he is not the same person he was when he committed the crime nearly a decade ago and has learned to deal with the mental health issues that created the conditions for the crime.