Crime

The Gilroy Police Department, in cooperation with the Santa Clara County Department of Public Health, conducted a sting operation Aug. 29 to check whether local tobacco retailers would sell to minors. Of the 26 businesses checked-23 or 88 percent-refused to sell tobacco to minors, while three retailers sold to underage decoys, police said.

A Los Banos man and suspect in a pending stalking case led police officers in a cross-town pursuit Aug. 27 that ultimately ended in his arrest, according to Gilroy Police Department Sgt. Pedro Espinoza.

The Gilroy Police Department made arrests for a variety of crimes this week, including attempted murder, sexual battery, kidnapping and possession of methamphetamine for sale. Arrests were recorded in the GPD blotter between Aug. 14 and 21.

An 89-year-old Hollister man died in a traffic accident in south Morgan Hill Saturday, Aug. 16, according to police. The Santa Clara County Coroner’s Office identified the fatal victim as Vincent Romano. Morgan Hill police said the two-vehicle accident on Monterey Road near the intersection of Middle Avenue is still under investigation. Preliminary police reports show the accident happened about 11:40 a.m. Aug. 16. Two vehicles collided head-on in the southbound lane of Monterey Road, briefly trapping an occupant inside one. It is unknown if Romano was a driver or passenger, or if any other injuries were reported.More details about this accident will be published as they are available. 

The Gilroy Police Department will be looking for drug or alcohol impaired drivers at an overnight checkpoint on Aug. 22, according to a GPD press release.

The Gilroy Police Department made arrests for a variety of crimes this past week, including possession of methamphetamine for sale, robbery, unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor and assault with a deadly weapon. Arrests were recorded in the GPD blotter between July 31 and Aug. 6.

Starting in October, South County residents will have to drive to Santa Clara or San Jose to contest traffic citations or file civil claims. Starting Oct. 6, Santa Clara County Superior Court will close the traffic, civil and small claims courts at the Morgan Hill Courthouse, according to a press release from Superior Court Presiding Judge Brian Walsh. The same court services will also close at the Palo Alto courthouse. Residents with traffic violations will have to travel to the Santa Clara Courthouse to contest their citations or pay fines. Those filing or fighting small claims or civil suits will have to go to the downtown San Jose courthouse. The closures are part of the local court’s effort to close an $8.5 million operating deficit due to “significant and continuing” cuts by the state of California, according to Santa Clara County Superior Court Executive Officer David Yamasaki. The closures won’t fill that entire gap, but the court is looking at other ways to reduce the remainder of the deficit, Yamasaki said. “Obviously, personnel represents the core of our budget, about 85 percent,” Yamasaki said. “We have to look at our personnel costs to help remedy this problem.”Currently, 22 staff people deliver traffic, civil and small claims court services out of the Morgan Hill and Palo Alto facilities. The loss of traffic court services will likely produce the heaviest impact on South County residents. The Morgan Hill facility serves about 22,000—or 13 percent—of the county’s total traffic cases, Yamasaki said. Civil and small claims in South County represent about 3 percent and 6 percent, respectively, of the county’s total, Yamasaki said.