Crime

The company that owns a tanker truck that spilled more than 1,000 gallons of gasoline onto U.S. 101 last week has already shelled out $27,000 in cleanup costs and expects the total bill for the accident to continue growing.

Michael McVey never had a chance to say goodbye to his beloved dog after a pair of thieves stole his car and ditched it in San Jose, while his female Akita, named Keiko, was waiting in the back seat. They left the animal to die, leaving her inside McVey’s Nissan Pathfinder for four days before authorities located the vehicle and found Keiko dead.

Monday’s hearing for Antolin Garcia Torres on charges of murder and attempted carjacking was rescheduled for April 16, according to a Santa Clara County Superior Court spokesman.

Following a four-month investigation that relied heavily on public views of surveillance camera footage, police arrested three South County residents for their alleged involvement in an October shooting outside a Campbell nightclub, authorities said.

Cleanup crews remained at the scene of a 1,700-gasoline spill - resulting from an accident involving a tanker truck - on U.S. 101 in Morgan Hill Friday afternoon. The traffic accident happened about 1 a.m. Thursday, when the 8,500-gallon tanker collided with a speeding 350Z Nissan in southbound traffic between the Tennant Avenue and San Martin Avenue exits, according to authorities. The collision caused the truck to leave the roadway on the right shoulder, spilling its contents into the environment. The driver of the truck was transported to area hospital with a complaint of pain, authorities said. The accident prompted staff from Fish and Game, the Coast Guard, Santa Clara Valley Water District, Cal Trans and Santa Clara County Hazmat to respond, shutting down traffic for several hours, according to authorities. And the fuel spill caused authorities to issue a mandatory evacuation of about 15 to residents living in the area near the crash. Cal Trans cleanup crews remained at the scene Friday until about 3 p.m., slowing down southbound traffic due to the closure of the western lane, according to CHP Officer Lopez. Authorities will return to the scene Monday to “do a final check and cleanup,” Lopez said. 

An 8,500-gallon gasoline tanker spilled thousands of gallons of fuel after colliding with a speeding motorist along Highway 101 south of Tennant Avenue early Thursday morning.

The Gilroy Police Department responded to a variety of crimes this week, including attempted murder, burglary, abandonment of a child, possession of tear gas and unlawful sexual intercourse. The arrests were recorded in the GPD blotter Feb. 18 through 25.

Gilroy Police Officers were dispatched to an armed robbery at 9:02 p.m. Tuesday at a Subway restaurant located at 340 E. 10th St., states a press release sent out by the GPD.

Monday’s trial date for four of the five suspects accused of killing Morgan Hill teen Tara Romero in a Nov. 4, 2011 drive-by shooting was continued, according to Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Peter Waite. The new trial date for Fernando Mateo Lopez, 21 of Gilroy; Ricardo Diaz, 20 of Morgan Hill; Esmeling Bahena, 19 of Morgan Hill; and Primitivo Hernandez, 24 of San Jose was rescheduled for an April 1 trial date at the Hall of Justice in San Jose, Waite said. The fifth suspect, Ramon Gutierrez, 18 of Morgan Hill, was found incompetent to stand trial for the charges against him at a hearing earlier this year, and remains in a mental hospital for treatment until he is able to face the charges, authorities said. The five suspects are charged with murder and five counts of attempted murder for their alleged involvement in the Feb. 4, 2011 drive-by shooting near the intersection of Cosmo and Del Monte avenues. They are also charged with special enhancements for carrying out the crime for a criminal street gang, according to authorities. Romero, a 14-year-old freshman at Sobrato High School, was killed in the incident. Three of her friends and former classmates were also shot and injured during the attack which took place while the teens were standing outside the Village Avante apartment complex awaiting a ride home. The teens had been out celebrating the birthday of another teen friend who was standing with them when a Chrysler 300 occupied by the five suspects drove slowly through the intersection and opened fire without stopping, according to authorities. The five suspects - identified by police as associates of the Sureno street gang - were arrested just hours after the drive-by shooting, police said.All five suspects have been in custody in Santa Clara County Jail since their arrest. During a preliminary hearing in June 2013 at the Hall of Justice, Morgan Hill officers testified Bahena, Gutierrez and Diaz told police after their arrest that on the night of Nov. 4, 2011, all five suspects were traveling together in the Chrysler when someone in the vehicle opened fire on the group of teens standing on the corner of Cosmo and Del Monte avenues.Those three suspects denied pulling the trigger, and insisted they did not go out that night planning to shoot anybody, officers testified.They also told officers that the shooting might have been the result of an ongoing “beef” with rival Norteno gang members at the Village Avante apartment complex. This feud, which started weeks before the incident that led to Romero’s death, included incidents of vandalism and even an Oct. 31, 2011 drive-by shooting outside the apartments that did not result in any deaths or injuries. The victims in the Nov. 4, 2011 shooting were not involved in any gang activity, and were likely mistakenly targeted by the five suspects, police said. 

Police arrested a man early Sunday morning who allegedly hit another man in the head with a shovel following a drunken altercation, according to authorities. Morgan Hill police responded to the 90 block of Bisceglia Avenue about 12:15 a.m. Sunday and located the adult male victim who had been struck in the face and head with a shovel, according to a press release from MHPD. The victim was transported to San Jose Regional Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said. Officers canvassed the south Morgan Hill neighborhood and gained information from a witness that led to the arrest of Juan Martinez, 24 of Morgan Hill. Martinez had been hiding on the roof a nearby residence, police said. During the investigation police determined that Martinez and the victim had gotten into a physical altercation after a night of “heavy drinking,” authorities said. Martinez was booked at Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, police said. Anyone with information about this incident can contact MHPD at (408) 779-2101, or the anonymous tip line at (408) 947-7867.