The pretrial process of an accused murderer has been delayed for late next month per the request of the defendant.
At the Kings County Superior Courthouse, defendant Jose Paez, 36, requested an extension on his arraignment while his family arranges to hire an attorney. Madera lawyer Melina Benninghoff confirmed to the court via Zoom that the family of Mr. Paez was working to retain her services.
Paez asked for two months as they acquire the funds necessary, but Judge Barnes declined that amount of time, setting the new date for Aug. 24.
Paez also asked for more time at his first court appearance in the case on July 14.
The Lemoore City Council ratified an emergency declaration and got an update on an explosion which killed one and destroyed a water tank last week during a special session Monday.
The June 21 explosion dumped 1.5 million gallons of water, threw a water tank 70 feet in the air, and caused a wave which took out solar panels, communication with the pump station and killed contractor Dion Jones, a 41-year-old father of three.
The council passed the declaration 4-0, with Mayor Jared Lyons absent from the special session.
The tank that ruptured in Lemoore held 1.5 million gallons of water. Gary Feinstein for The Sentinel
Jun. 25—Two men are in jail after a weapons bust in Kings County. On Friday morning, a search warrant was executed in the 700 block of Olympic Ave. in the City of Lemoore. The search warrant was executed by members of the Central Valley Regional SWAT Team and the search of the residence was performed with the assistance of the Kings County Major Crimes Task Force and the Kings County District .
HANFORD â Fallen officers were remembered while those currently serving were given gratitude at a ceremony for Kings County law enforcement on Wednesday morning.
Sunday marked the beginning of National Police Week. As is the custom in Kings County, the memorial marked the week s half-way point. Corcoran Police Chief Gary Cramer gave the opening remarks at the Kings County Government Center.
âTodayâs an opportunity for us to remember the sacrifice of the seven men whose names are on the memorial behind me,â Cramer said. âAnd the sacrifice made by all the fallen officers in California during 2020.â
Members of the Hanford, Lemoore and Corcoran departments, along with the Kings County Sheriffâs office, Kings County District Attorneyâs Office and California Highway Patrol were in attendance for the event, which also included a 21-gun salute performed by personnel from Naval Air Station Lemoore.