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San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas has announced that Vincent Lemus was sentenced to 50 years to life in state prison. The Honorable Judge Hoyt handed down the sentence following a November 2025 trial where a San Joaquin County jury found Lemus guilty of seven felony charges, including elder abuse, assault with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment, and criminal threats.

San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas announced the formal arraignment of Craig Allen Montalvo on 26 felony counts, including lewd acts by force on a child under 14, sexual penetration of a child under 10, and possession of child sexual abuse material. Montalvo is currently being held without bail. There are five charged victims in the case, and the offenses are alleged to span a 25-year period.

San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas announced that 61-year-old Rodney Dartanyon Alexis Smith was sentenced on July 20, 2026, to 49 years and 8 months to Life in state prison. The Honorable Richard Mallett handed down the sentence after a jury found Smith guilty of all charged felony counts, including forcible rape, oral copulation of a minor, sexual penetration by force, and multiple counts of lewd acts with a child under 14.

San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas announced the formal arraignment of Carla Lockhart and Fernando Reyes Valles following a large drug bust that uncovered dangerous amounts of fentanyl, other street drugs, and a loaded gun. The defendants appeared before Judge Guiliani in Department 8B of the San Joaquin County Superior Courthouse.

District Attorney Freitas announced today that on June 25, 2026, a local jury found defendant Paul Thomas guilty of multiple felony narcotics charges, including the operation of an active drug manufacturing laboratory.

STOCKTON, CA – San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas today announced the successful passage of Assembly Bill 46 (Nguyen) through the California Legislature. The critical public safety measure, co-sponsored by the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office and the California District Attorneys Association (CDAA), now heads to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk for signature.

A San Joaquin County jury previously found Scott Sherman, 40, guilty of first-degree murder for the fatal shooting of Felix Makinano in Lodi on October 3, 2023. Today, Sherman was sentenced to 50 years to life plus 3 years in state prison, the maximum allowable by law. The jury had also found true a firearm enhancement under Penal Code § 12022.53(d) and convicted Sherman of carrying a loaded firearm (P.C. § 25850) and possession of a controlled substance (H&S § 11377, misdemeanor).

The California Board of Parole Hearings has ordered a rescission hearing for James Dennis Lynch, the convicted murderer, rapist, and torturer responsible for the 1996 killing of 75-year-old Stockton resident Hilda Armanino Boggiano.

San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas announces that Andrew Collazo has been sentenced to 102 years to life without the possibility of parole for the May 15, 2018, murder of Rodrigo Ignacio. The sentencing, handed down by the Honorable Judge Barrera, marks the conclusion of a complex legal journey for a family that has waited eight years for justice.

Defendant Manvir Singh was held to answer on all counts following a preliminary hearing on June 10, 2026, in connection with a fatal multi-vehicle collision that occurred on May 19, 2026, on northbound Highway 99 near Harney Lane in Lodi.

Defendant Brett Blaisure resolved three active cases in San Joaquin County by pleading no contest to multiple felony charges involving illegal firearms and narcotics.

Roxanne Helus, owner and operator of a licensed residential daycare facility in Manteca, pleaded guilty on June 8, 2026, to felony child abuse/endangerment, involuntary manslaughter, and misdemeanor driving under the influence. The convictions stem from the death of a five-month-old child and the endangerment of multiple children entrusted to her care while operating the daycare facility.

District Attorney Ron Freitas announced that Alejandro Duran Mercado has been sentenced to 40 years to life in state prison for the second-degree murder of 29-year-old Cenobio Nicholas "Nick" Gallegos. The sentencing, held before the Honorable Judge Mallett, finalized a case involving a senseless 2021 daylight shooting in Lodi.

Defendant Jesus Antonio Tovar, 28, was sentenced on May 29, 2026, by the Honorable Roy Hashimoto to 24 years in state prison after pleading guilty to three counts of Forcible Lewd Acts with a Child (Penal Code section 288(b)), felonies and strike offenses under California’s Three Strikes Law.

San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas announces that defendant Adam Lopez has been held to answer on charges following a preliminary hearing regarding a violent attack involving gasoline and fire on July 10, 2025.

District Attorney Ron Freitas announced the arraignment of Manvir Singh this afternoon in the San Joaquin Superior Court. Singh faces multiple felony counts following a fatal multi-vehicle collision that occurred on May 19, 2026, on Northbound Highway 99 near Harney Lane in Lodi.

San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas announced today that state charges against Steven Rodriguez, 57, have been dismissed in lieu of the defendant being referred for federal prosecution.

A violent and unprovoked attack at a Tracy AMPM in the early morning hours of May 21, 2022, has resulted in a life sentence for defendant Rene Vega.

San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas announced that Joseph Estrada, a convicted felon, has been sentenced to six years in state prison following a substantial narcotics investigation.

A convicted violent offender who was granted compassionate release from state prison after claiming he was terminally ill has now been arrested again after allegedly being found driving with a sawed-off shotgun, ammunition, and stolen license plates.