A Shafter sex offender has been arrested for alleged possession of child pornography. Erik Ruiz was taken into custody Friday morning after a search warrant was executed in the 100 block of Frances Avenue. Authorities say Homeland Security Investigations, the Secret Service, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation assisted Shafter police in the…… Read More
KUZZ News
truck driver identified after crashing into canal
The Kern County Coroner’s Office has determined the cause of death of a big-rig driver who crashed into the California Aqueduct south of Bakersfield. Raul Navarro, 32, of Calexico, Mexico, was driving a truck that left the roadway and entered the aqueduct on Interstate 5 near Laval Road in December 2024. Navarro died of accidental…… Read More
suspected dui driver taken to jail
A Bakersfield woman accused of killing a young married couple in a DUI crash has been booked on suspicion of two counts of murder. Annabell Correa, 21, was taken to jail Friday after recuperating in the hospital from injuries she suffered during the accident March 16 that took the lives of Max and Desiree Mooney,…… Read More
fatal pedestrian accident southwest of bakersfield
A pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle along Weedpatch Highway early Friday morning. The California Highway Patrol reports the accident just before 6 a.m. at Weedpatch Highway and Kernita Road. The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene. The CHP shut down Weedpatch Highway between Redbank and Kernita roads for the investigation.… Read More
man who attacked wife with scissors sentenced
A Bakersfield man will spend five and a half years in prison after being found guilty of attacking his wife with a pair of scissors while she was holding their 1-year-old child. Wildson Morales, 36, assaulted his wife after they returned home from a party April 4, 2025. He threw her on the floor and…… Read More
stabbing suspects in custody
Two men are in custody following a fatal stabbing in east Bakersfield. Larry Chavez, 42, and Troy Chavez, 35, were apprehended Thursday on suspicion of murder after the killing of Jason Mena, 21, in the 3100 block of Pioneer Drive in January. They’re being held without bail. Michelle Ballantine, 62, was also arrested on suspicion…… Read More
in-custody death at lerdo jail
The Kern County Coroner’s Office has released the identity of a man who died in custody at the Lerdo Justice Facility. Jose Tovar, 50, of Shafter, was found unresponsive at around 3:30 a.m. Thursday and was pronounced dead about thirty minutes later. It’s the second in-custody death at Lerdo within a week. 28-year-old Angel Balbuena…… Read More
man found with fake gun at bakersfield medical clinic
Police arrested a man Thursday after he was found with a fake gun at a central Bakersfield health clinic. It happened around 10:30 a.m. at Kern Medical’s REACH and GROW clinic on 34th Street. The man was taken for a mental evaluation at Behavioral Health and Recovery Services. There’s no word yet on his identity.… Read More
kern health officials concerned about measles in fresno county
Health officials in Kern County are keeping a close eye on the measles after a second case was reported Wednesday in Fresno County. KUZZ’s Jeff Lemucchi reports people most vulnerable to the measles are children under one year old, unvaccinated people, pregnant women, and people with compromised immune systems. You’re advised to contact your health…… Read More
repeat sex offender sentenced
A registered sex offender who exposed himself to two teenagers in northwest Bakersfield has been sentenced to prison. John Searls, 37, was sentenced March 13 to six years in prison after pleading no contest to a charge of indecent exposure. It happened in June 2023 when Searls pulled his car up neat to two girls…… Read More
