Crime

The Gilroy Police Department made arrests for a variety of crimes the past week, including burglary, vehicle theft, possession of a dirk or dagger and indecent exposure. Arrests were recorded in the GPD blotter—a public document obtained under the California Public Record's Act—between Jan. 6 through 13. All suspects remain innocent until proven guilty, and an appearance in the arrest log does not signify guilt for the listed crime/s.

The Gilroy man killed Jan. 9 when a Union Pacific vehicle slammed into his pickup truck was identified Friday as Donald Williams, 54; the cause of death was suffocation, the Santa Clara County Corner-Medical Examiner said.

Officers representing 13 county law enforcement agencies arrested 422 individuals for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, according to a final “Avoid the 13” report released Jan. 5 by the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department.

A Gilroy woman has died of her injuries following a crash on Christmas Day outside of Gilroy, the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office confirmed Monday. Socorro Alfaro, 64, was injured in a two-vehicle wreck near the intersection of Roop Road and New Avenue at approximately 12:30 p.m. Dec. 25.She succumbed to her injuries—complications of multiple traumatic injuries due to the collision—just after 6:15 p.m. New Year’s Eve, according to the Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office.The wreck occurred when Alfaro, driving a Chrysler PT Cruiser, was heading westbound on Roop Road when she failed to yield at the intersection and turned southbound onto New Avenue, according to the California Highway Patrol. The PT Cruiser collided with the left side of an SUV headed southbound on New, which caused the SUV—a Toyota RAV4—to roll over onto the southbound shoulder of the road, authorities said.While Alfaro suffered serious injuries during the wreck, she was conscious and provided a statement to the CHP. She told authorities she was driving between 20 and 30 miles per hour when she turned onto New Avenue, saw the oncoming vehicle but was unable to stop in time to prevent the wreck.The driver of the RAV4 was transported to a local hospital as a precautionary measure, but sustained no serious injuries, according to the CHP.

A man suspected of stabbing a 74-year-old Gilroy woman to death is scheduled to submit a plea Jan. 13, after he turned himself in earlier this month.

A 14-year-old girl who had been missing since Christmas Eve has returned to her home in Salinas, according to Salinas police.

The Gilroy Police Department made arrests for a variety of crimes over the past week, including battery on a police officer, assault with a deadly weapon, rape, stalking and possession of a controlled substance for sale. Arrests were recorded in the GPD blotter between Dec. 12 through 28. All suspects remain innocent until proven guilty, and an appearance in the arrest log does not signify guilt for the listed crime/s.

Gilroy City Hall, 7351 Rosanna St., is being evacuated this morning after smoke began filling the building, according to Gilroy Police.

In the shadow of civil unrest and protests following the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, Mo., President Barack Obama is asking Congress for $263 million to put a camera on every law enforcement officer in the country—and local officials are taking notice.

A collision between a big rig and a car blocked both lanes of traffic on Highway 152 near Canada Road and Frazier Lake Thursday afternoon.