Page 6 - Mid Valley Times 8:1:19 E-edition

Thursday, August 1, 2019 | A6 | Mid Valley TiMes
Dinuba's 36th annual National Night Out event set for Aug. 6
Brief fire near Reedley Cemetery
Reedley Firemen's Association / Photo Contributed
A brief vegetation fire just west of Reedley Cemetery the evening of July 28 burned a small area along the east bank of the Kings River. Reedley firefighters quickly extinguished the brief blaze, which was reported around 9 p.m. There was no damage to cemetery property.
Another scare at Reedley Beach involves
5 swimmers
MVT Staff Report
For the second straight week, Reedley emergency crews re- sponded to a possible drowning incident at Reedley Beach in Reedley. But while there again was a brief scare for young swim- mers, there were no injuries.
The latest incident occurred July 27, shortly before 6:30 p.m. Reedley fire officials received call of a possible drowning, and upon arrival determined that five children — ranging in age from 4 to 17 years — were play- ing in the water and at some point went under for an un- known amount of time.
The five children were trans- ported to area hospitals as a pre- caution, but all were expected to fully recover.
MVT Staff Report
The city of Dinuba will be participating in the 36th Annual National Night Out on Tuesday, Aug. 6.
The free family event will be held at the Dinuba Downtown Entertainment Plaza from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and will include family fun, games and enter- tainment.
National Night Out is a national event that aims at promoting
DECOY
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Sanger restaurants and bars.
The police conduct different kinds of com- pliance checks on a reg- ular basis to attempt to reduce the availability of alcohol to minors, said police chief Silver Rodriguez.
Minor decoy opera- tions have been a part of local law enforcement's compliance check rou- tine since the 1980s.
When the program first began, the violation rate of retail establish- ments selling to minors wasashighas40to50 percent. When conduct-
community awareness about police programs such as drug preven- tion, community ori- ented policing, neigh- borhood watch pro- grams and many other anti-crime efforts.
For more informa- tion, contact Lt. Rus- sell Son at the Dinuba Police Department at (559) 591-5914. For booth information, contact Michele Tapia at Dinuba Parks and Community Services at 591-5940.
ed on a routine basis, the rate has dropped in some cities to as low as 10 percent or even be- low, said Rodriguez.
In 1994, the Cali- fornia Supreme Court ruled unanimously that use of underage decoys is a valid tool of law enforcement to ensure that licensees are com- plying with the law.
This project is part of the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control’s Minor Decoy / Shoulder Tap Grant Project, funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Adminis- tration.
ESQUIVEL Continued from page A1
The Diocese of Fresno in- formed St. Anthony parishioners the same day that they notified parishioners at St. Catherine's Catholic Church in Dinuba that their priest, the Rev. Raul Diaz,
would not be facing criminal charges by Tulare County regard- ing an accusation of inappropriate contact with a minor.
Like Esquivel, Diaz remains on administrative leave while the diocese continues its own inves- tigation.
Dinuba man convicted of molesting child
MVT Staff report
A Dinuba man has been con- victed of 12 counts of lewd acts upon a child and now faces up to life in prison, said the Tulare Coun- ty District Attorney’s Office.
On Thursday, July 25, in De- partment 10 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, a jury found Eduardo Rodriguez, 36, of Dinuba guilty of 12 counts of lewd acts upon a child under the age of 14. The jury also found true the special allegation of substan- tial sexual conduct and that one
Eduardo Rodriguez
of the crimes was committed against multi- ple victims. All counts against Rodriguez are felonies and considered strike offenses.
The crimes reportedly occurred be-
occurred in various areas within Tulare County.
Sentencing is set for Sept. 6, 2019, in Superior Court where Rodriguez faces 29 years-to-life in state prison. He will also be re- quired to register as a sex offend- erfortheremainderofhislife.
Presiding over the case was Judge Kathryn Montejano. The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Chelsea Wayt of the Crimes against Children Divi- sion and was investigated by De- tective Jose Nevarez of the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office.
tween Oct. 25, 2016 and Oct. 24, 2017 against a female who was eleven-years-old at the time of the sexual assaults. All twelve crimes
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