Tag: morgan hill

The mother of Tara Romero, 14, a victim of last November’s drive-by shooting in west Morgan Hill was asked to leave the courtroom during a hearing Friday for the five suspects accused of the murder. 

A 3.5 magnitude earthquake woke up those sleeping-in Sunday morning in the Bay Area, rattling at its epicenter about 9 miles north of Morgan Hill at 10:31 a.m., according to the United States Geological Survey.

Murder charges for Antolin Garcia Torres - the 21-year-old suspect accused of kidnapping and killing 15-year-old Sierra LaMar - ride the wake of a harried criminal past that includes arrests for assault, obstructing officers and having sex with a minor.

After a suspect was arrested in connection with the disappearance of 15-year-old Sierra LaMar, the community’s reaction has ranged from shock to relief to sorrow. 

Antolin Garcia Torres, 21 of Morgan Hill, was charged Thursday with murdering Sierra LaMar, 15, who has been missing since March 16.

UPDATE: The arraignment hearing for Antolin Garcia-Torres, the Morgan Hill man accused of kidnapping and murdering Sierra LaMar, was continued one week and will now take place at 2 p.m. May 31, at the Santa Clara County Superior Court Hall of Justice in San Jose.

Antolin Garcia-Torres' mother, Laura Torres, sobbed outside her home at Maple Leaf RV Park when she thought about her son being taken away and charged with the murder of 15-year-old Sierra LaMar, a crime she is certain he didn't commit.

Police arrested a man in connection with the disappearance of Sierra LaMar who has prior arrests and has been linked to at least one incident in a string of unsolved assaults against women in 2009 at two Morgan Hill grocery stores. 

Sheriff’s search and rescue personnel will be conducting a search effort in the area of south Morgan Hill this afternoon, according to Santa Clara County Sheriff spokesman Sgt. Jose Cardoza. The ground search operation will focus on open fields and construction sites and zones in south Morgan Hill.

Anyone who saw a red Volkswagen Jetta with a black hood in north Morgan Hill or south San Jose around the week of March 16 is asked to contact the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office, because investigators have linked the vehicle to the disappearance and kidnapping of Sierra LaMar.