Jose Bello pleads not guilty Monday at arraignment
Jose Bello, who gained national attention after criticizing the enforcement of U.S. immigration policy, pleaded not guilty to murder Monday at his preliminary arraignment in Tulare County Superior Court.
The 24-year-old was arrested Thursday in Bakersfield and booked into a jail in Tulare. Co-defendants Jesus Manjarrez, 23, and Dan Eli Perez, 38, were also arrested on suspicion of killing Douglas Cline.
Cline was found dead in a Terra Bella orchard Oct. 15. A probable cause declaration from the Tulare County Superior Court said Manjarrez and Perez saw the shooting, but that Bello was the shooter.
Bello, a former Bakersfield College student, criticized U.S. immigration policy in a poem he read at a Kern County Board of Supervisors meeting in 2019 titled “Dear America.” He was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement 36 hours later on suspicion of driving under the influence, an offense from months ago.
His story gained widespread attention, with professors signing a letter protesting his arrest and NFL players Josh Norman and Demario Davis helping to pay his bail. Bello was then released from custody.
Bello is being held without bail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 3.
In an unrelated case, Bello was arrested in September on suspicion of drugs and weapons charges in Kern County. A pre-preliminary hearing in that case is scheduled for next month.
Bakersfield Police Department officers responded to a report of a “subject down in the roadway” at approximately 1:25 a.m. Monday, according to a BPD news release.
Officers who arrived at the location in the 5200 block of Panama Lane found a man suffering from gunshot wounds. They attempted life-saving efforts, but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.
There is no suspect information being released at this time, police said.
The identity of the victim will be released by the Kern County coroner’s office at a later time. Anyone with information regarding this case can contact Detective Max Hernandez at 661-326-3534, or the Bakersfield Police Department at 661-327-7111.
A man died Sunday from gunshot wounds he sustained on Weedpatch Highway, according to the Kern County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies were dispatched at 9:21 p.m. to the 500 block of Weedpatch Highway regarding a shooting. There they found a man who had a gunshot wound to the torso, the KCSO said in a news release.
The man was taken to a hospital where he died, deputies added.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information can contact the KCSO at 661-861-3110 or the Secret Witness line at 661-322-4040.
A man died Saturday in Rosamond from gunshot wounds, according to the Kern County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies were dispatched at 10:24 p.m. to the 2500 block of Diamond Street for a report about a victim with a gunshot wound. First responders administered life-saving procedures, but Nicolas B. Archuleta, 23, died at the scene, the KCSO said in a news release.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information can contact the KCSO at 661861-3110 or Secret Witness at 661-322-4040.
A Bakersfield man was found dead in the Beardsley Canal on Saturday, according to the Kern County coroner’s office.
Trenton Micheal Jones, 22, was found in a vehicle submerged within the canal, near Fruitvale Avenue and Snow Road, the coroner said.
His death was confirmed at the scene.
A man died in Arvin after crashing into another vehicle Saturday, according to the Kern County coroner’s office.
Devon David Arn, 20, was driving west on Highway 58, east of Tower Line Road, at the time of the crash. The San Luis Obispo man died at 10:08 p.m. at the scene.
The Kern County coroner’s office identified a motorcyclist who crashed into a semitrailer and died Friday.
William Alan Summers, of Highland, rode the motorcycle into the semitrailer on northbound I-5 on-ramp from Highway 166. The 73-year-old man died at the scene.
A Bakersfield woman died in a traffic accident Friday, according to the Kern County coroner’s office.
Carmen Romero Vidal, 23, crashed around 12:09 a.m. on Stockdale Highway at Renfro Road. She was transported to Kern Medical, where she died.
The Bakersfield Police Department arrested two men on suspicion of five carjacking offenses last week.
Starting Wednesday, the BPD said it received reports of five such incidents at different times and places in Bakersfield.
Joshua Taylor and Emmanuel Grundy, both 19, are suspected to have approached drivers while they were outside their vehicles, brandished a firearm and then fled in the victims’ cars, police said. Police officials said the pair matched the descriptions given by witnesses in a handful of similar incidents, according to a BPD news release.
Police officers found Wednesday one of the stolen vehicles on the 3400 block of Wible Road. Taylor reportedly fled from the vehicle on foot, was caught by officers and then taken into custody. Officers found a loaded handgun in his waistband, according to the news release.
The news release states Grundy was found Thursday in a vehicle reported stolen along the 900 block of Pacheco Road. Grundy did not comply with officers’ orders and led them on a short vehicle pursuit, according to officials.
He allegedly lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a structure at Palla Elementary School. The damaged vehicle then caught fire. No students were present, authorities said.
Anyone with information about this case can call the BPD at 661-327-7111.
CHP officials announced a Maximum Enforcement Period set to begin at 6:01 p.m. Wednesday and continuing through 11:59 p.m. Sunday.
Throughout the Thanksgiving holiday and weekend, all available CHP officers will be on patrol, looking for unsafe driving practices, including seat belt violations, speeding, distracted driving, and signs of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, according to officials.
During the 2020 Thanksgiving MEP, 33 people died on roadways within CHP jurisdiction, 14 of whom were not wearing seat belts, according to a CHP news release. The CHP also made 868 arrests of drivers suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.