Upcoming court dates for crimes and matters. All hearings are scheduled for South County Courthouse in Morgan Hill, unless otherwise noted.
Antolin Garcia Torres
The Morgan Hill resident is charged in the murder and kidnapping of 15-year-old Sierra LaMar. Sierra is still missing, and authorities suspect she is dead.
- July 31: Plea hearing at 9:30 a.m. at the Hall of Justice in San Jose.
Stacy Lonnberg
The 51-year-old Gilroy woman was charged with two counts of murder and child endangerment after she was allegedly driving under the influence when she crashed on Highway 85. Her daughter and husband died in the crash Jan. 14.
- Sept. 12: Plea hearing at 2 p.m. in the Hall of Justice in San Jose.
Ben Tan, Olivia Soza-Mendiola
Two former leaders of the Mexican American Community Services Agency who allegedly used employees’ retirement savings to pay for school operational costs, and are now being charged with felony grand theft and could face up to three years in prison.
- Aug. 29: Plea hearing at 2 p.m. in Dept. 23 in the Hall of Justice in San Jose
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James Francis Lee
Lee faces manslaughter and drunken driving charges after he crashed his vehicle into a parked car along Highway 101 while driving home from a heavy metal concert, killing 4-year-old Gilroy resident Jose Cortes-Diaz.
- Sept. 24: Trial begins at 9 a.m.
Guerrero sisters
Yvonne Guerrero, 19, of Gilroy, and Veronica Guerrero, 27, of San Jose, are in custody for attempted murder. They were arrested Sept. 10 by the Gilroy Police Department. A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a third suspect, Carlos Montoya, of Milpitas, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.
- July 23: Preliminary trial hearing at 8:45 a.m.
Murder of Tara Romero
Esmeling Bahena, 18 of Morgan Hill; Ricardo Diaz, 19 of Morgan Hill; Fernando Mateo Lopez, 20 of Gilroy; Primitivo Hernandez, 23 of San Jose; and Ramon Gutierrez, 17 of Morgan Hill. The five young men are charged with murder and attempted murder, with a special circumstance of carrying out the crime in the interest of an illegal street gang, in relation to the Nov. 4, 2011 murder of Tara Romero, 14, near the intersection of Cosmo and Del Monte avenues in Morgan Hill. Three other Morgan Hill teens were shot and injured in the drive-by attack.
- July 26: Judge will make a decision whether or not defendants can use un-redacted police reports.
Hit and run of Joshua Valdez
Sandra Arias, 28 of Morgan Hill, is charged with felony hit and run causing injury in relation to an accident June 16 in which Joshua Valdez, 22 of Morgan Hill, was critically injured. The accident happened near the intersection of Butterfield Boulevard and San Pedro Avenue.
- Aug. 10
