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San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas announced the arraignment of Hector Nunez, 33, following a traffic stop. On September 15, 2026, Nunez was arraigned in Department 8C of the San Joaquin County Superior Court by Judge Chrishna Martinez. He faces drug trafficking charges, including a weight enhancement for possessing an excess of 20 kilograms (over 50 pounds) of fentanyl. Judge Martinez set bail at $500,000. If convicted on all charges, the defendant faces up to 24 years in State Prison.

San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas announced that 38-year-old Benjamin Lawless of Indiana pled guilty to human trafficking of a minor and was sentenced to eight years in state prison. Lawless pled guilty to a violation of Penal Code 236.1(c)(1), human trafficking of a minor with the intent to distribute obscene matter, carrying a lifetime mandate to register as a sex offender. Following his term in California state prison, he will be extradited back to Indiana to face separate criminal charges.

De’Arius Wilson and De’Andre Watts have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms for their roles in the shooting death of Richard Anthony Guerrero outside Cal Park Liquor in November 2024.

D’Angelo Webb has been sentenced to 74 years to life in state prison following his conviction for the first-degree murder of Brandi Hornsby and the violent attack on her mother, Tonya.

The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office announced the formal arraignment of former Stockton City Council Candidate Desiree Lynch following a public corruption investigation. The charges allege that Lynch perjured herself by registering to vote and filing as a candidate using residential addresses where she did not live, resulting in six felony counts filed as follows:

San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas announced that Paul Anthony Thomas was sentenced today to 16 years in state prison. The sentencing follows a June 25, 2026, trial before the Honorable Judge Lance Jacot, where a San Joaquin County jury found Thomas guilty of six felony charges, including manufacturing a controlled substance and the possession for sale of cocaine, cocaine base, methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl. Due to a prior 1997 "strike" conviction for continuous sexual abuse of a child, Thomas faced heightened sentencing exposure.

(EDITED TO CORRECT: Lynch’s new court date is September 2, 2026.) On August 19, 2026, San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas announced the arrest of Stockton City Council Candidate Desiree Lynch following a public corruption investigation. The charges allege that Lynch perjured herself by registering to vote and filing as a candidate using residential addresses where she did not live, resulting in five felony counts filed as follows:

The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office announced that a jury has returned 11 felony guilty verdicts against Antonio Abarca, 33, of Stockton, for the sexual assault of two young victims. The convictions include special enhancements for causing great bodily injury and for committing crimes against multiple victims. With these verdicts, Abarca faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas announced that 53-year-old Walter Merritt of Los Angeles County was remanded into custody yesterday afternoon, August 11, 2026, facing major narcotics charges that carry a maximum exposure of nearly 20 years in state prison. The Honorable Judge Jose set bail at $300,000 and signed a strict 1275.1 bail hold, ruling that the sheer volume of drugs seized would pose a severe danger to society if released into the community

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.