On Friday, March 17th, 2023, at 6:07 pm, the Turlock Fire Department, Turlock Police Department, and American Medical Response were dispatched to a reported injured person at Ferreira Ranch Park, 460 Sandy Way, Turlock, after a child had fallen off the play structure.
When crews arrived on scene, they found a seven-year-old boy who had taken a 10-foot fall. The boy complained of stomach pains and was air transported by PHI Air Medical Services to a regional trauma center with unknown injuries.
Officers investigated the incident and determined that there was nothing criminal about it.
On Sunday, January 15th, 2023, at 9:23 am, the Turlock Fire Department, Turlock Police Department, and American Medical Response were dispatched to a reported injured person at 1210 Lander Ave, Turlock, after a man had accidentally cut an artery in one of his legs with one of the weapons in the martial arts studio.
The victim was eventually ground-transported by American Medical Response to a local hospital.
“My brother is doing very well actually, he gets out the ICU today,” the victim’s sister, Charnelle Williams, commented on a Facebook post. “Thank you to everyone involved that helped save him. He can still teach class from a wheelchair,” she continued.
On Sunday, November 13th, 2022, at 9:12 pm, the Turlock Police Department, Turlock Fire Department, and American Medical Response were dispatched to a reported industrial accident at KFC, 2705 W Monte Vista Ave, Turlock.
When crews arrived on scene, they found an 18-year-old employee suffering from first and second-degree burns to his upper torso caused by contact with boiling hot water that was at least 200 degrees. He was airlifted by CALSTAR Air Medical Services to a regional burn center.
It’s currently unknown how exactly the incident occurred.
On Thursday, October 20th, 2022, at 8:37 am, the Turlock Police Department announced that they had been made aware of a potential threat to Turlock High School, 1600 E Canal Dr, Turlock.
The Turlock Unified School District later specified that the threat had originated during a conservation between two students the day prior, in which one student told the other to, “not come to school tomorrow.”
The Turlock Police Department stated that the school resource officer assigned to Turlock High, Officer Jessica Clark, was able to identify the two involved students and began working with them and school staff to investigate the threat.
It was later determined that there was no actual threat directed towards the school or students.
Prior to it being determined that there was no threat, the Turlock Police Department had assigned extra officers to patrol Turlock High as a precautionary measure.
On Saturday, October 1st, 2022, at 10:44 am, the Turlock Rural Fire Protection District was dispatched to a reported aircraft emergency at Turlock Airpark, 521 E Greenway Ave, Turlock.
As firefighters were responding, they received additional information that a small airplane had to make an emergency landing after an engine failure and that the correct location of the incident was in a field at the intersection of E Warner Rd and Harper Rd.
With the new location, the Denair Fire Protection District was dispatched.
Firefighters arrived on scene and found that the plane had safely landed with neither of its two occupants or anyone in the area injured.
What exactly led up to the engine failure and other details remain unknown.
On Wednesday, September 7th, 2022, at 11:21 pm, the Turlock Police Department, Turlock Fire Department, and American Medical Response were dispatched to a reported vehicle collision with injuries at the intersection of Fulkerth Rd and N Tully Rd, Turlock, after a man had been found lying unconscious in the roadway, suspected of being struck by a vehicle.
When crews arrived on scene, they found a bystander performing CPR on the man. He was determined to be breathing and had a pulse, so CPR was stopped.
There were no signs that the man had been run over, so crews suspected that he was suffering from an opioid overdose. Narcan was administered and the man woke up a few minutes later. He was ground transported by American Medical Response to a local hospital.
On Friday, August 26th, 2022, at 10:00 pm, the Turlock Police Department held a driving under the influence and driver’s license checkpoint in the 3700 block of Geer Rd, Turlock.
The checkpoint location was chosen based on a history of DUI arrests and collisions.
The primary purpose of checkpoints is not to make arrests, but to promote public safety by deterring drivers from driving impaired.
During the checkpoint, officers looked for signs that drivers were under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
“Whether traveling locally or taking a longer road trip to see friends and family, please have a game plan for how to get home safely,” said Turlock Police Sergeant Joseph Dusel. “There is never a good excuse for driving under the influence or using drugs that impair,” he continued.
The average first-time DUI arrest typically costs about $13,500 and also comes with an automatic suspended driver’s license for a minimum of four months. If someone is injured, you could be sent to state prison. If someone is killed, you could be charged with murder.
Funding for the checkpoint was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Safety Administration.
The checkpoint lasted for about three hours, resulting in seven arrests. Only one of those seven arrests was for driving under the influence. Every five vehicles were stopped and every following five vehicles were allowed to continue through.
Aleana Khoshaba, 25, of Turlock, was arrested and released on a citation on charges of driving with a suspended driver’s license.
Gianni Medeiros, 19, of Turlock, was arrested and released on a citation on charges of driving without a valid driver’s license.
Jerren Pickett, 33, of Modesto, was arrested and booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center on charges of providing false identification to a peace officer, driving without a valid driver’s license, and possession of a controlled substance, as well as some misdemeanor and felony warrants for domestic violence, narcotics, and weapon related charges. His vehicle was also impounded.
Emanoel Agha, 37, of Turlock, was arrested and released on a citation on charges of driving with a suspended driver’s license. His vehicle was also impounded.
Benjamin Torres, 33, of Turlock, was arrested and released on a citation on charges of driving with a suspended driver’s license.
Clarytzel Tostado, 27, of Modesto, was arrested and booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with a blood alcohol content of .08 or greater after she had ran over some cones, displayed objective symptoms of being under the influence, failed standardized field sobriety tests, and blown a .08 or greater in a preliminary alcohol screening device. She was also issued an administrative driver’s license suspension order by the California Department of Motor Vehicles and her vehicle was impounded.
An unknown male was arrested and booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center on unknown charges after causing a disturbance while Tostado, who he was with, was being arrested.
On Wednesday, August 17th, 2022, at 10:48 am, a Turlock Police officer assigned as a neighborhood resource officer as well as a Turlock Police neighborhood preservation officer were conducting an enforcement contact on an illegally parked recreational vehicle in the 2600 block of Polous Dr, Turlock.
As Neighborhood Resource Officer Ian Rodriguez approached the side door of the RV, two aggressive dogs emerged and charged at him. In an effort to get the dogs to stop, Rodriguez deployed pepper spray at them and began retreating. As Rodriguez was retreating, he lost his footing and fell to the ground.
Realizing his pepper spray canister was depleted, the dogs were still aggressing towards him, and in fear for his own safety and that of the nearby neighborhood preservation officer, Rodriguez drew his firearm and an officer involved shooting occurred.
After Rodriguez discharged a single round, both dogs retreated back into the RV. The owner of the dogs then came out and cooperated with officers.
The Turlock Police Department’s Animal Services Unit responded to the scene and took custody of the dog who suffered what appeared to be non-life threatening injuries from the gunshot.
“Although this unfortunate incident could have been avoided, had the dogs been properly contained, the Turlock Police Department will ensure the injured dog gets medical treatment,” said Turlock Police Lieutenant Russell Holeman. “We are pleased that neither of our officers, or the dog owner, were injured as a result of this incident,” he continued.
The investigation remains on-going. Anyone with information that could assist in the investigation is encouraged to call Detective Brandon Bertram at 209-664-7323.
On Wednesday, May 25th, 2022, at 10:29 pm, the Turlock Police Department, Turlock Fire Department, and American Medical Response were dispatched to a medical aid at Swanson-Centennial Park, 2101 Pinto Way, Turlock, for a subject overdosing on fentanyl at the picnic tables of the park.
Police were the first to arrive and they found the patient unconscious. They administered three doses of Narcan, which eventually made the patient come to prior to firefighters’ and paramedics’ arrival.
Just nine minutes later, at 10:38 pm, the Turlock Police Department was dispatched to a security check in front of La Mo Cafe, 310 E Main St, for a subject passed out on a bench with another subject giving him sternum rubs trying to wake him up.
Officers arrived on scene and found the patient unconscious and exhibiting symptoms of an overdose, so they asked for the Turlock Fire Department and American Medical Response to respond, while they tried to revive him. Officers administered two doses of Narcan and the patient eventually came to just as firefighters arrived on scene.
The patients from both calls were ground transported by American Medical Response to local hospitals. They are expected to make full recoveries.
Opioid overdoses have increased over the past couple years and typically there’s at least one that occurs in Turlock every day.
Police officers are dispatched to all overdoses as they are already out in the field and typically arrive much quicker than fire and medical personnel, especially at night when firefighters are asleep at their station. All Turlock Police patrol vehicles are required to have a minimum of two Narcan doses before being put into service at the beginning of each shift. If at any point during the shift there’s less than two remaining in the patrol vehicle, officers are required to stop by the station and stock up as soon as practical.
Narcan, which contains Naloxone, is an extremely effective and fast opioid reversing agent that can make an opioid overdose victim come to within minutes. Those who are given Narcan should still be taken to the hospital to be treated immediately, as Narcan only stays in the system for a limited amount of time, much less than the actual opioids. If not treated at a hospital by the time the Narcan runs out, the patient could go back into an overdose and can die.
Fentanyl is the most common opioid which causes these overdose. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid typically used to treat patients with chronic severe pain or severe pain after a surgery. It acts similar to morphine, however, is about one hundred times more potent. It’s so potent that one kilogram of it has the ability to kill 500,000 people and one backpack full of it has the ability to kill everyone in the State of California plus more.
Illicit fentanyl is typically manufactured in foreign countries and is smuggled into the United States through Mexico to be sold on the illegal drug market.
Sometimes, fentanyl in mixed in with other drugs on the illegal drug market to increase their potency. People aren’t told this and sometimes overdose on it without even knowing that they’re specifically taking it.
If you know or suspect that someone is selling fentanyl, please call the Turlock Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit at 209-668-5550 extension 6780. You could save lives.
On Friday, March 18th, 2022, at 10:43 pm, the Turlock Fire Department was dispatched to a reported potential structure fire at Arco AMPM, 2301 Fulkerth Rd, after an employee had called to report that smoke had filled the inside of the gas station.
When firefighters arrived on scene, there was a light haze inside the business. They began investigating and determined the source of the smoke to be a heating appliance.
Firefighters removed the appliance from the building and worked on smoke removal for a few minutes. There was no actual fire.
On Sunday, March 6th, 2022, at 2:04 am, the Turlock Police Department, Turlock Fire Department, and American Medical Response were dispatched to a reported sick person at Minerva’s Furniture Gallery, 250 Market St, Turlock.
When crews arrived on scene, they found a heavily intoxicated male heavily bleeding from his right arm because he had fallen into a window and shattered it, causing several cuts.
The subject was ground transported by American Medical Response to a local hospital with minor injuries.
Employees from the business immediately responded to the scene and arranged for repairs to be made within a few hours.
On Tuesday, December 28th, 2021, at 4:26 pm, the Turlock Police Department, Stanislaus State Police Department, Turlock Fire Department, and American Medical Response were dispatched to a reported sick person at Mister Car Wash, 980 W Monte Vista Ave, Turlock, after a single shot was heard in the area and a subject was found in his vehicle at a vacuum bleeding out.
When crews arrived on scene, they found a male subject with a gunshot wound unresponsive and bleeding out in the driver seat of his vehicle. A Glock 9 millimeter handgun was also found with the subject.
The subject was ground transported by American Medical Response to a local hospital with major life threatening injuries.
The subject’s vehicle was authority towed away from the scene to be processed for evidence.
At this point, this is believed to be a suicide attempt or accidental self-inflicted injury, however, the investigation is still in its early stages and that subject to change at any time.
It is currently unknown if the subject is still alive or if he has succumbed to his injuries.
On Thursday, October 14th, 2021, at 7:50 pm, the Turlock Police Department was dispatched to a reported suspicious person in the parking lot of Walmart Neighborhood Market, 2480 Geer Rd, Turlock.
Officers arrived in the area and noticed a subject matching the description of the suspicious person, later identified as Donald Kando, 42, of Turlock, in the parking lot of 7 Eleven, 2500 Geer Rd. Officers got out with Kando and conducted a records check on him which revealed that he had previously been trespass admonished from Walmart Neighborhood Market, was on probation, and was a sex offender out of compliance with his registration terms.
Kando was detained and searched as allowed by the terms of his probation.
Because officers did not actually see Kando in the Walmart Neighborhood Market parking lot, they were unable to arrest him for trespassing and no one who saw him wanted to make a citizen’s arrest.
Kando had been in jail all year after being arrested on January 1st for not being in compliance with his registration terms, and since he was just released a little over a week ago and did not have enough time to get in compliance, he was lectured and released.
It is currently unknown what exactly made someone call in to report Kando.
Kando is well known within the Turlock community and has been panhandling for over 15 years. At times, he can be aggressive towards women, the elderly, and children. Kando also used methamphetamines prior to his January 1st arrest, however, he has not yet been seen using them since his release.
On Thursday, September 16th, 2021, at 1:20 pm, the Turlock Police Department, Turlock Fire Department, and American Medical Response were dispatched to a reported vehicle collision with injuries at the intersection of N Thor St and E Main St, Turlock.
When crews arrived on scene, they found a single vehicle involved, which was a black Lincoln SUV.
The driver and passenger of the vehicle were both uninjured. The vehicle had collided with a pedestrian, who suffered minor injuries and was ground transported by American Medical Response to a local hospital.
The vehicle sustained no damage and was able to be driven away from the scene.
It is currently unknown how the collision occurred.
The driver of the vehicle, an elderly Assyrian woman, did not know much about the legal system and thought that she was going to go to jail for striking the pedestrian. Because of this, she was very distraught and couldn’t stop crying. Officer Paul Heppner, an 18-year veteran of the Turlock Police Department, who has received many awards and recognitions throughout his career, assured her that that wouldn’t happen and comforted her by hugging her for over a minute and speaking to her.
A photo of Heppner hugging the woman was shared in the Turlock Police Scanner Facebook group, which gained almost a thousand reactions and 159 comments in just under a day. One of the commenters, a former officer with the Turlock Police Department stated, “Heppner is one of a kind. We need more Heppner in this world.” Another commenter stated, “He is truly an amazing person. I still remember he comforted my son when he started crying because his stuff got stolen after a break in at our home. It’s been over 10 years since then. Glad to see he hasn’t changed.”
On Saturday, September 4th, 2021, at 10:00 pm, the Turlock Police Department held a DUI and driver’s license checkpoint at the intersection of Geer Rd and Fullerton Rd, Turlock.
The checkpoint location was chosen based on a history of DUI collisions and arrests. The primary purpose of checkpoints is not to make arrests, but to promote public safety by deterring drivers from driving impaired.
During the checkpoint, officers looked for signs that drivers are under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
“The safety of our community is and always will be our mission,” said Sergeant David Hall. “We are looking for impaired drivers because driving under the influence is dangerous and puts others on the road at risk.”
The Turlock Police Department reminds the public that impaired driving is not just from alcohol. Some prescription and over-the-counter drugs may also interfere with driving. Always follow directions for use and read warning labels about driving or “operating heavy machinery”, which includes driving a vehicle. While medicinal and recreational marijuana are legal, driving under the influence of them is not.
If you plan on drinking or taking medications that may impact your ability to drive safely, plan on staying at home.
Drivers charged with a first-time DUI face an average of $13,500 in fines and penalties, as well as a suspended license.
Funding for the checkpoint was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The checkpoint lasted about three hours, and three arrests were made.
A 17-year old male juvenile was arrested and released on a citation on charges of driving without a license.
Shante Angus, 25, of Turlock, was arrested and booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center on charges of driving with a suspended license, as well as several warrants, one of which was for a felony.
Rosa Rodriguez, 52, of Turlock, was arrested and released on a citation on charges of driving without a license.
All three people who were arrested were given the opportunity to call someone to take their vehicle, which they did.
On Monday, August 16th, 2021, at 2:57 pm, the Turlock Police Department was dispatched to a reported man with a gun at Osborn Elementary School, 201 N Soderquist Rd, Turlock.
When officers arrived, they did not locate anyone in the area matching. Officers made contact with school officials who stated that an unknown parent of a student ran into the office, advised staff of the man with a gun, and then ran back out.
Staff reacted by placing the school on lockdown, however, the lockdown was quickly lifted after officers ensured that the school was clear. Students were released to go home as soon as the lockdown was lifted as the bell had already rung.
On Tuesday, May 11th, 2021, Turlock Police Animal Services officers were made aware of a residence in Turlock that was over the legal limit of three dogs per household. Animal Services officers made contact with the resident, who said the animals were believed to be strays found around Turlock and agreed to surrender the animals.
On Wednesday, May 12th, 2021, Animal Services removed 49 dogs from the property. It is believed that the dogs increased in population from breeding. All the dogs have been examined, are currently being treated, and none will be euthanized. The dogs have all been scanned for microchips, however, none had any.
Animal Services is currently holding all the dogs until Tuesday, May 18th, 2021 to give anyone who lost their pet time to reclaim them if they are among this group. After Tuesday, a list of up to 50 people will be created of anyone interested in adopting a dog. On the following Tuesday, May 25th, 2021, a drawing of names will take place; first drawn gets first pick.
The drawing will be featured live on the Turlock Police Animal Services Facebook page, which you can access by clicking here. Any dogs not adopted will be released to animal rescues.
Beginning Tuesday, May 18th, 2021, to place your name on the list for the animal drawing, please contact Animal Services at 209-656-3140 Monday through Saturday, between the hours of 10:00 am and 2:00 pm.
As a reminder, please spay or neuter your pets to help control the pet population. Low cost spay and neuter program information can be found at the Animal Services website, which you can access by clicking here. In addition, please microchip your pets just in case they get lost or run away, so that they can be safely returned home. Animal Services will microchip your pet by appointment. Please call 209-656-3140 Monday through Saturday, between the hours of 10:00 am and 2:00 pm.
On Sunday, May 2nd, 2021, at approximately 3:30 pm, the Turlock Fire Department received a call of an animal rescue at Niagra St and W Monte Vista Ave. Engine 33 was dispatched.
Engine 33 arrived on scene a few minutes later and found a mother duck standing next to a storm drain that a majority of her ducklings had fallen into. Fire Captain Shaun Walker and Firefighter Lance Bickle immediately hopped into action and rescued the ducklings from the nasty smelling drain, reuniting them with their mother.
On Friday, March 5th, 2021, at approximately 4:15 pm, the Turlock Police Department received a call of a stabbing that had just occurred in the 500 block of Angelus St. Officers responded and arrived on scene within minutes.
Upon their arrival, they located two victims, a man with a dog bite and another with a minor stab wound. The one with the stab wound was transported to a local area hospital.
Officers began investigating and learned that a dog owner had taken his three year old pit bull out for a walk when its leash broke and it got loose. The dog ran to a nearby individual and bit his leg when a third individual picked up a garden hand tool to stop the dog. However, in the ruckus, the dog’s owner was stabbed with tool.
Animal Services placed the dog on a 10 day quarantine at home to make sure the bite didn’t transmit rabies.
On Tuesday, September 1st, 2020, shortly after 8:30 pm, the Turlock Fire Department received a call of a working structure fire in the 1100 block of Wickel St. The Turlock Fire Department responded with Battalion 4, Engine 31, Squad 32, and Engine 34. Additionally, as part of a resource sharing agreement, the Ceres Fire Department responded with Battalion 3 and Engine 15. Turlock Irrigation District, Pacific Gas and Electric, and American Medical Response were also dispatched. Engine 34 arrived on scene about 5 minutes later. Upon their arrival, Captain 34 reported nothing visible on the outside and the occupants of the residence evacuating. Captain 34 assumed Wickel command and put Engine 34 in the investigation mode.
Battalion 4 and Engine 33 arrived on scene shortly after. When Battalion 4 arrived on scene, he assumed command from Captain 34 and setup a command post on the front left side of the residence. Due to nothing showing, Engine 31 and Squad 32 were told to level one stage off of Oxford Ave until it was decided whether they were needed or not. After a short investigation, it was determined that the culprit was a malfunctioning HVAC system.
When this was determined, all staged and incoming resources (utilities and ambulance) were cancelled. The remaining units on scene assisted the residents with smoke removal from their residence. Command was terminated around 9:20 pm, and all fire units went clear and available.
On Saturday, July 11th, 2020, at approximately 7:10 pm, the Turlock Fire Department received a call of smoke coming from inside an apartment at Brentwood Apartments, located at 1301 N Denair Ave. Engine 31 was dispatched to investigate. Upon their arrival, they located significant smoke coming from inside an apartment. At this time, the incident was upgraded to a potential structure fire, which added Battalion 4, Engine 33, and Engine 34 to the call. All residents in that building were also evacuated.
Battalion 4 arrived on scene to assume command. Crews then began investigating to locate the source of the smoke. During the investigation process, crews located an overheated HVAC system on the roof of the apartment complex which was causing the smoke. Crews worked to turn the electricity and gas to that system off and air out the apartments with the smoke. Once this was done, command was terminated, and all fire units went clear and available.
Turlock Area News 