An unknown suspect got away with less than $200 after robbing
three field workers today with a single-barrel shotgun on
Scagliotti Road.
The armed robbery occurred at 12:50 p.m. today in a field in the
900 block of Scagliotti Road, between San Felipe and Fairview
Roads, sheriff’s Lt. Roy Iler said.
Man uses shotgun to rob field workers today
An unknown suspect got away with less than $200 after robbing three field workers today with a single-barrel shotgun on Scagliotti Road.
The armed robbery occurred at 12:50 p.m. today in a field in the 900 block of Scagliotti Road, between San Felipe and Fairview Roads, sheriff’s Lt. Roy Iler said.
At the time, three workers were in a field working when a black sport utility vehicle – either a Toyota 4Runnner or a Nissan Pathfinder from around 2000 – pulled up to one of the workers sitting in a car near the field. The suspect got out of the vehicle with a single-barrel shotgun and in Spanish, told the man to give him his wallet and money.
The suspect then shot a round toward the ground to “show he meant business,” Iler said.
The victim gave the suspect his wallet and cell phone. The suspect then proceeded to get the wallets from the two other men who were in the field. After doing so, the suspect got in his vehicle and left, headed westbound on Fallon Road.
Authorities report that the suspect got less than $200 and a cell phone.
He is described as a 5 feet, 10 inches tall, 215 pounds and Hispanic, with a shaved head and face. He was wearing a black-and-white Pendleton shirt and black pants during the robbery.
If you have any information about this incident, call Detective Ed Nino with the sheriff’s office at (831) 636-4080.
Police arrest suspect in restaurant stabbing
Hollister police officers arrested a suspect in connection with a stabbing that occurred at Los Cuates restaurant on Friday. Police apprehended the 17-year-old male suspect after receiving a tip from a citizen, according to a press release from the department.
Officers were dispatched to the restaurant in the 200 block of San Felipe Road around 6:15 p.m. Friday of a report of a stabbing. On the scene, police found a large amount of blood on the sidewalk at the entrance to the restaurant. Inside the restaurant, police found two victims, according to the statement.
One of the victims had a serious stab wound to the arm and the other had a possible broken nose and other lacerations. Both were transported to Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital for further medical attention after being treated by personnel from the Hollister Fire Department and American Medical Response, according to police.
Officers were informed of a citizen that followed the juvenile suspect in his or her vehicle at a safe distance who provided details on the subject including his license plate, a vehicle, his location and direction of travel. Police quickly found the vehicle after learning this information and stopped it in the area of Sunnyslope Road and Buena Vista Street. The suspect and evidence from the crime were found in the vehicle, police allege.
One of the victims reported the suspect initially contacted him inside the business and asked him about his gang involvement. The victim denied any gang involvement and then was immediately stabbed by the suspect, according to police. The other victim tried to assist the initial victim and sustained injuries from the struggle.
If not for the citizen’s involvement in reporting information about the case, the crime wouldn’t have been solved as quickly as it was. The release said the police department commends those who contacted and assisted the police department in the investigation and encouraged community involvement and assistance.
If you have more information on this crime or others, police encourage calling the Hollister Police Department at (831) 636-4330. You can also report information anonymously through WeTIP at (800) 78-CRIME.
First local death reported from H1N1 flu
San Benito County health officials reported that the county has had its first fatality, an 80-year-old woman, from complications of the H1N1 virus on Monday.
The victim, a county resident, was hospitalized in another county and died Monday, according to a press release from the Public Health Division.
In San Benito County, there have been eight reported H1N1 hospitalized cases and one death. In California, the total number of hospitalized cases is 1,806 with 152 deaths occurring as of Tuesday, the release said.
“First and foremost, we would like to convey our deepest sympathy to the family of this patient,” said Dr. Elizabeth Falade, the county’s health officer, in the release. “A death in our community reminds us that the H1N1 virus is widespread and among us. Although this should not be cause for alarm, everyone should remain vigilant in helping to prevent the spread of the flu, either from the yearly seasonal or the new H1N1 flu virus.”
The vast majority of cases of swine flu have caused mild or moderate illness and most patients fully recover. However, Falade said “the tragic California H1N1 deaths this spring and summer reveal that we are facing a global influenza pandemic and we need to continue precautions to protect ourselves, our families, our co-workers and our community.”
The county’s Public Health Division recommends the following precautions to help prevent the spread of the virus:
– Cover your coughs and sneezes with your elbows, sleeves or with a tissue. Dispose of the tissue after each use. Coughing into your hands can spread germs to others.
– Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
– Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth; even after washing your hands.
– Avoid close contact with sick people.
– Stay home and away from others if you are sick.
A vaccine against the virus is currently in production, and county health officials say it should be available in the late fall or early winter.
The symptoms of the virus are similar to the symptoms of regular or seasonal flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some patients have reported diarrhea and vomiting associated with the H1N1 virus.
If you or someone you know develops symptoms of the virus, the release recommends following these steps.
– It is not necessary to be tested for the virus in most cases.
– Contact your healthcare provider by phone, especially if the ill person is an infant or a young child; or if you are pregnant or have a health condition such as diabetes, heart disease, asthma or emphysema.
– Ask your healthcare provider about medications that may help relieve the symptoms of the flu.
– Stay home and away from others until at least 24 hours after you are free of fever – 100 degrees Fahrenheit or 37.8 degrees Celsius – or signs of a fever without the use of fever-reducing medications.
– Get plenty of rest and drink clear liquids.
– Avoid close contact with others.
For more information on the H1N1 virus, visit The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Web site at www.cdc.gov.
San Benito County will be holding a free influenza clinic on Nov. 3 at the Veterans Memorial Building in Hollister. Anyone wishing to receive a vaccination against the seasonal flu may do so at that time. Initially, the H1N1 vaccine will be preferentially given to children, pregnant women, health care workers and people with underlying medical conditions as the vaccine becomes available. Seniors and healthy middle-aged persons should get the seasonal flu vaccine shot or flumist. Your doctor may be offering seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccine, as well.
Sheriff’s search team finds missing man with Alzheimer’s
The San Benito County Sheriff’s Office search-and-rescue team this morning found an 89-year-old county resident with late-stage Alzheimer’s disease after he had gone missing around midnight Monday.
Lt. Roy Iler said thanks to a good response by the search-and-rescue team of about six or seven, the man was found.
“Between the patrol (officers) and the search and rescue, they worked well together.”
A call went out to deputies on patrol about the man who “wandered off” and was last seen on McMahon Road, not far from Spring Grove School. He was last seen with his adult son, whom Iler said was his caregiver.
Deputies circulated the area but didn’t find the man. Due to the late stage of the disease, officials called out the search-and-rescue team “to get a better search going.” The search-and-rescue team got to the area between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m.
Around 7:15 a.m., the man was found “a few parcels away” at a neighbor’s house, sleeping in the yard of a neighbor’s residence in the bushes. He was medically cleared for any injuries and is reported to be at home.
SBC coroner identifies Hollister victim from weekend wreck
The county coroner’s office has confirmed the identity of one victim from Saturday morning’s fatal accident as 47-year-old Raymond Mattos of Hollister, while detectives have traveled to King City to conduct follow-up work in identifying the second victim, an office spokesman said today.
The two men were killed in Saturday’s accident shortly after 5 a.m. on Highway 156 just outside of Hollister. Five other occupants in one of the vehicles were injured and airlifted to various hospitals, according to the California Highway Patrol, though there is no update on their conditions.
Mattos was driving a 1997 Chevrolet pickup truck that collided with a 1993 Chevrolet van with the total of six occupants, including the unidentified deceased man. The man in the van died after going unconscious as the vehicle became engulfed in flames, according to the CHP. The Hollister man died upon impact.
Lt. Roy Iler of the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office – which includes the coroner’s office – confirmed Mattos as the accident victim and also noted how detectives were in King City today to help find the identity of the second victim. He also confirmed that the damage to the King City man’s body from the fire has caused the problems in officially identifying him.
