Breaking News

On January 12, 2026, Travis James Bell, 47, was sentenced to 10 years and four months in state prison after entering guilty pleas to Forcible Rape (Penal Code 261(a)(2)), a strike offense under California’s Three Strikes Law, and Reckless Possession of an Explosive Device in a Private Habitation (Penal Code 18715(a)(3)), a felony.

San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas announced today that Jose Andres Garcia-Soto has been sentenced to five years in state prison following a major METRO Task Force operation that uncovered a conversion lab and 20 pounds of crystal methamphetamine in a residential neighborhood.

San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas announces that his office has filed charges against Jerica Anderson and Rochelle Beck following the California Highway Patrol’s seizure of approximately 108.75 pounds, more than 49 kilograms, of methamphetamine during a routine traffic stop on northbound Interstate 5.

San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas announced that Judge Hoyt sentenced Cyntrial Anderson to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 11 years. The sentencing follows Anderson’s conviction for the 2023 arson-murder that claimed the life of an elderly woman and caused catastrophic injuries to multiple survivors.

Pedro Fuentes, a high-ranking member (“Carnal”) of the Nuestra Familia and a shot caller for local in-custody Norteño gang members, pled guilty on December 11, 2025, to multiple felony charges stemming from gang-related violence and drug smuggling into a county jail.

San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas announced that Frederick Wesley has been sentenced to 60 years to life in state prison. The sentencing marks the conclusion of a violent March 2022 case that began with a hotel shooting in Lodi and ended in a fatal Stockton apartment invasion.

San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas announced today that Brian Sewell has been sentenced by Judge Lance Jacot to 40 years to life in state prison. The sentencing follows Sewell’s August 2025 jury conviction on nine felony counts stemming from a violent 2022-armed robbery spree targeting businesses across two counties.

Robert Fuentez pled guilty to two counts of attempted lewd acts upon a child (Penal Code §288(a)). Under the terms of the negotiated plea agreement, Mr. Fuentez faces a four-year state prison sentence. The conviction constitutes two-strike offenses under California’s Three Strikes Law and requires lifetime sex offender registration pursuant to Penal Code §290.

The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office announces the sentencing of Jesus Ramirez, who will serve 25 years in state prison for human trafficking, kidnapping, and violent assaults against two victims.

San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas announced today that Guadalupe Felix, of Stockton, was sentenced to 10 years in state prison after pleading guilty to multiple felony drug trafficking charges stemming from a large-scale narcotics operation.

The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office announces that on November 24, 2025, a jury found Joaquin Cruz guilty of three counts of first-degree murder for the March 22, 2019, killings of siblings David and Tiffany Connary and 18-year-old Remilio Castillo in Stockton.

District Attorney Ron Freitas announced the arraignment of Wesley Brownlee, 43, who is charged with a total of six counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, and multiple felony firearm-related enhancements in connection with a series of killings in San Joaquin County.

The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office charged two individuals: Mary Greenberg, 62 years of age, and Kramer Greenberg, 34 years of age, in connection with their attempts to tamper and prevent the testimony of a key witness in the prosecution of former Stockton Police Department Sergeant Nicholas Bloed.

San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas announces that the following four defendants have been arraigned on felony charges stemming from the burglaries of Lodi Pawn & Jewelry in October and Alba Jewelry in Sacramento in June of 2025.

San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas announces that the California Board of Parole Hearings has denied parole to convicted serial rapist Christopher Chessman for the maximum 15 years, an extraordinarily rare outcome achieved through the SJCDA's strong opposition and a survivor’s courageous testimony.

San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas announces Roxanne Denise Helus was arraigned in San Joaquin County Superior Court on one count of second-degree murder, and four felony counts of child abuse/endangerment. Following the arraignment, the Court ordered Helus remanded into custody with no bail, finding by clear and convincing evidence that no condition short of detention would reasonably protect public safety or ensure the defendant’s appearance in court. Helus faces a maximum sentence of life in prison for the following charges:

San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas announced today that Dominique Naylor and Jeffery Stewart, both associates of the Sutter St. Crip criminal street gang, have been convicted by jury of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and first-degree burglary in connection with a deadly retaliatory ambush at a private residence on September 23, 2023.

Cecilia Warren, former Executive Director of Creative Child Care, Inc. (CCCI), was arraigned on five felony counts for allegedly misappropriating $486,828.17 in public funds intended for Head Start and state preschool programs.

A San Joaquin County jury has found Scott Sherman, 40, guilty of first-degree murder for the fatal shooting of Felix Makinano in Lodi on October 3, 2023.

San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas announces that Douglas McCourt pled guilty to multiple felony counts of child sexual assault and admitted prior strike convictions, resulting in a total sentence of 50 years to life in state prison.