Crime

One of the victims in South County's “landscape scammer” case says the man convicted of taking $350 for tree trimming work that was never finished is not paying his court-ordered restitution.

A former Gilroy Unified School District trustee was handcuffed and led away holding back tears Thursday following a formal apology to his family and the community of Gilroy, but the display of raw emotion did little to sway the outcome of his sentence.

Police arrested a Morgan Hill man Sunday who allegedly hurt his wife in a physical altercation on suspicion of misdemeanor battery.Morgan Hill Police were called to a residence on the 100 block of Warren Avenue about 4:15 p.m., where a married couple who lives there were in a physical argument, according to MHPD Sgt. Carson Thomas. Charles Splees, 80, pushed his 80-year-old wife who fell down, resulting in a complaint of pain, police said. The female victim was transported to Saint Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy, police said. The suspect was booked at Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of misdemeanor battery, Thomas said. 

Here's your latest digest of criminal happenings in Gilroy, including a violent case of child abuse, a robbery of marijuana at gunpoint, assault with a deadly weapon and a high-speed pursuit.

The 45th out of 46 federally charged defendants in Operation Garlic Press – the 16-month, 39-agency undercover investigation led by Gilroy Police that spanned March 2010 to October 2011 – was sentenced Thursday in federal court, according to a press release from U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag.

The Gilroy Police Department responded to a variety of crimes this week including sexual assault, a hit and run, a discharged air gun and assault with a deadly weapon. Arrests are recorded from the GPD's blotter dating Nov. 11 through Nov. 18.

A Morgan Hill man driving a stolen vehicle tried to run from police and fought with an officer before he was arrested Thursday, according to a press release from the Morgan Hill Police Department.A Morgan Hill patrol officer located a stolen Honda driving north on Monterey Road Thursday morning, police said. The officer attempted to pull the vehicle over but the driver led police on a brief high-speed chase. The driver, later identified as James Nickell, 41 of Morgan Hill, lost control of the vehicle while attempting to make a sharp turn on Glen Ayre Drive, police said. The vehicle went up a dirt embankment and rolled back down. Nickell exited the vehicle and attempted to flee on foot, but he was tackled and fought with the officer, police said. Nickell was arrested and booked at Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of narcotics, assaulting an officer, failure to yield and committing a felony while out on bail, police said. Anyone with information about this incident can call Morgan Hill Police Department at (408) 779-2101 or the anonymous tip line at (408) 947-7867. 

A 78-year-old woman died after she was hit by a vehicle while walking near a south Morgan Hill intersection Friday night, police said.

Burglary