Crime

Four drivers were arrested for Driving Under the Influence and a fifth driver was arrested for a narcotic-related violation Friday evening during the Gilroy Police Department Traffic Unit’s DUI/Driver’s License checkpoint.

Gilroy Police officers responded to an attempted bank robbery at approximately 4:36 p.m. Friday at Citibank, located at 7050 Camino Arroyo in Gilroy.

Antolin Garcia Torres, the Morgan Hill man accused of kidnapping and killing Sierra LaMar, declined to enter a plea yet again Thursday at the Hall of Justice in San Jose today, as the attorneys involved in the case have yet to complete the evidence sharing process.

The five suspects – including three men from Gilroy – accused of kidnapping a woman two weeks ago in the area of Compton, sexually assaulting her and threatening to force her into prostitution have a felony settlement conference today, Aug. 30, in the Hall of Justice in Riverside.

The ongoing investigation into allegations of sexual abuse against a former YMCA child care worker has not uncovered any victims beyond the four identified by investigators in the first couple weeks since the suspect’s arrest, according to a YMCA official.

An ongoing battle waging between the City of Gilroy and an “Internet cafe” the state Attorney General has called an “illegal gambling operation” took another turn shortly before 4 p.m. Aug. 22 at 1325 First St. in Hecker Pass Plaza.

This week, Gilroy police responded to thefts, burglaries, weapons violations and drug-related crimes. Here's a few incidents:

Police throughout Santa Clara County arrested 57 motorists suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs during the first weekend of the annual Labor Day DUI crackdown campaign, according to a press release from the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office. The arrests were made from just after midnight Friday through midnight Sunday, authorities said. The crackdown effort, known as “Avoid the 13,” included a DUI and driver’s license checkpoint at the intersection of Dunne Avenue and Joleen Way in Morgan Hill, where officers arrested one DUI suspect, according to Morgan Hill police. The Gilroy Police Department will conduct a similar checkpoint in Gilroy Friday night, also as part of the annual effort by local law enforcement to keep impaired drivers off the roads during one of the summer’s busiest holiday periods, according to police.Residents can receive real-time updates on checkpoint activities and DUI arrests by following the Sheriff’s Office on Twitter at @SCCOSHERIFF, according to Sheriff’s Sgt. Kurtis Stenderup. Funding for the Avoid the 13 campaign, which includes saturation patrols as well as checkpoint activities, is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, authorities said. The summer campaign will continue through midnight Monday, Sept. 2, according to the press release. 

The Gilroy Police Department responded to a variety of crimes in the last week or so, including assault with a deadly weapon, unlawfully causing a fire, possession of hypodermic needles or syringes and being drunk in public. Arrests are recorded from the GPD’s blotter dating Aug. 8 through Aug. 15.

The Gilroy Police Department Traffic Unit will be conducting a DUI/drivers license checkpoint Friday at an undisclosed location within city limits between the hours of 9 p.m. and 3 a.m.