Latest news with #KernCountySuperiorCourt
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kern County is in compliance with Free Speech Policy as part of agreement with Attorney General Bonta: report
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The first annual report assessing Kern County's progress in implementing and complying with the Free Speech Policy — a countywide policy approved by the California Department of Justice — says the county has been 'substantially' following the policy so far. On April 11, a notice of filing of the first annual report was posted on the Kern County Superior Court website. The annual report, filed by designated Free Speech Retained Expert Barry McDonald, found the county 'was in substantial compliance with its obligations' under the stipulated judgment for the initial oversight period from Dec. 8, 2023 to Dec. 7, 2024. RELATED: DOJ enters stipulated judgment with Kern County One complaint was filed under the Free Speech Policy during this period but, ultimately, no violation of the county's Free Speech Policy was established, according to the report. Erin Briscoe-Clark, the chief communications officer for the Kern County Administrative Office, told 17 News the complaints cannot be shared with the public as they are confidential personnel documents. In September 2021, the California Department of Justice began investigating Kern County to determine whether the Supervisors violated the free speech rights of a coalition of community-driven organizations as well as a small business. According to the claim filed in the Kern County Superior Court, several supervisors who were on the board at the time refused to approve the contracts due to the contractors reportedly expressing support for the defunding of law enforcement agencies. The contracts aimed to assist the county with its public health response to COVID-19 in 2020. 'I think that that is a radical political agenda that gives me great pause in awarding a contract with an organization that took on that cause,' one supervisor said. 'This is Kern County. We're not Seattle. This is where we support law enforcement, and we want more resources to go to law enforcement.' Mother of Ricardo Aguilar seeks over $3 million in claim filed against county Investigators determined the county violated the rights of local organizations, the DOJ entered into an agreement with Kern County. The agreement required the county to: Adopt and disseminate a countywide Free Speech Policy Designate a county complaint coordinator Develop and provide annual training to members of the Board of Supervisors and other county personnel The policy was designed to prevent the county of Kern from discriminating against county employees, potential employees and contractors for exercising their free speech rights. The policy states the county employees are also prohibited from unlawfully discriminating against, harassing or retaliating against other employees, potential employees and contractors for free speech or filing a complaint under this policy. The agreement also enlisted a free speech retained expert who is in charge of assessing the county's compliance with the Free Speech Policy and submitting three annual reports during the oversight period to Attorney General Rob Bonta and the county. Never miss a story: Make your homepage The agenda for the Kern County Board of Supervisors meeting scheduled for Tuesday said the board would discuss the case with the Office of County Counsel in a closed session. County Counsel Margo Raison told 17 News the exact contents of the closed session cannot be disclosed, only saying the counsel will be updating the board regarding the status of the agreement. Raison said the county is currently in the second year into the agreement. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
10-year-old California girl made TikTok about 'getting kidnapped, lmao.' Then she went missing.
New details have emerged in the case against a Sacramento County man accused of kidnapping a 10-year-old girl whom he met on the online gaming platform Roblox. Matthew Naval was arrested on April 13 after authorities say they found him with the missing girl and her pet bird in an Elk Grove strip mall, over 250 miles from her Kern County home. Naval has pleaded not guilty to multiple felony charges for kidnapping and lewd acts with a minor. Naval, 27, told a deputy from the Kern County Sheriff's Office that the girl had said she was 18. He said he agreed to pick her up so she could "escape" verbal abuse at home and they could be together as a couple, according to a report submitted by the deputy and filed in Kern County Superior Court. Naval allegedly admitted she looked younger in person, telling a deputy he thought she was maybe 17. He ended the interview by saying, "I think it would be best if I don't know how old she is," the deputy's report says. His attorney, Mark Anthony Raimondo, told The Times that Naval has mental health challenges and may have autism. The day before the girl went missing, she posted a video on TikTok with the caption, "First time getting kidnapped, lmao," and footage shot out of a car window, according to a report filed by a deputy. She also told friends she was going to pay someone to kidnap her, according to another deputy's report. Read more: Girl was kidnapped by man who messaged her on Roblox, officials say. 10-year-old found safe The girl told an Elk Grove Police officer that Naval picked her up around midnight to hang out at a park. She said she got distracted talking with him and did not realize that they were heading away from her home in the city of Taft until around three hours later, the officer wrote in court documents. She told the officer she wanted to go home at that point, but didn't tell Naval because she did not know how to ask, documents say. When asked by a sheriff's deputy what she would like to see happen to Naval, she said, "I would like to know that he doesn't do it to anyone else," the deputy reported. The pair allegedly met on Roblox in March and had chatted on Discord for several weeks. Naval claims he didn't know what she looked like until he picked her up in April, according to court records. He allegedly told law enforcement that they had masturbated together online — him with his camera on and her with her camera off, according to a deputy's report. He said that he kissed her on the lips "a few times" and held her hand during their drive, but that they did not have any sexual contact. He also told a deputy that if they got a hotel and she would have been willing to have sex he would have "seriously considered it," the document states. He tried to get a motel room for them to stay at in Fresno, court documents state, but was turned down because he lacked two forms of identification. Raimondo argued that Naval did not understand the nature of the situation or the girl's age, given his mental health challenges. "I think Roblox has to take some responsibility here. I think the parents have to take some responsibility," he said. "The penalty for this travesty, which is a really, really huge misunderstanding, should not fall on Matthew's shoulders alone." In an interview with local news station KGET, Naval said he did not learn her real age until he was arrested and that it "sickens" him every time hears it. "I should've been more careful," he told the outlet. "I should've been more questioning when it came to having that person involved." Read more: Chilean man groomed 13-year-old girl he met on Roblox before flying to U.S. to meet her, police say Roblox is an online platform where users can design their own games and invite others to play. It reports having 97.8 million daily active users with a core demographic of children and teens. Naval told a sheriff's deputy that the Roblox is "kiddish," but he plays it for the "social aspect." The platform has drawn criticism for how it can be used by pedophiles to message children, and in extreme cases, kidnap them. Roblox has said that it takes any behavior on its platform that doesn't abide by its standards "extremely seriously." 'We continuously evolve and enhance our safety approach to catch and prevent malicious or harmful activity," the company said in a 2024 statement. "This includes text chat filters to block inappropriate words and phrases, and not allowing user-to-user image sharing on Roblox." A family member reported the girl missing when she was not in her bed around 8 a.m. on April 13, according to court documents. A relative said the girl did not have a history of running away or mental health issues, but that he had taken away her phone in the past because she was communicating with strangers on applications. Later that day, family members used a "find my device" app to see that her cellphone was near Elk Grove and connected to a network called "Matthew's Wifi," according to a deputy's report filed in court. They also found a friend of the girl on Roblox with the username "TheMatt3798." Deputies say they then learned the account was registered to a Matthew Naval, who lived in Elk Grove. Naval was also the registered owner of a 2014 Honda Civic that license plate readers had captured driving through McKittrick in Kern County at 3:17 a.m on April 13 and then farther north in Kettleman City in Kings County at 4:10 a.m., authorities say. The Sheriff's Office contacted the Elk Grove Police Department for assistance. Officers then found the girl and Naval at a strip mall near his home and took him into custody, according to authorities. Naval is being held in a Bakersfield jail in lieu of $1.35-million bail, according to Kern County inmate records. He was charged on April 18 with a count of kidnapping, a count of kidnapping a child under 14 to commit lewd or lascivious acts, two counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14, a count of exhibiting harmful material to a minor, a count of contacting a minor with intent to commit a sexual offense and a count of contacting a minor to commit a sexual offense, all felonies, court records show. Naval has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is scheduled to appear in court on June 25. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
15-05-2025
- Los Angeles Times
10-year-old California girl made TikTok about ‘getting kidnapped, lmao.' Then she went missing.
New details have emerged in the case against a Sacramento County man accused of kidnapping a 10-year-old girl whom he met on the online gaming platform Roblox. Matthew Naval was arrested on April 13 after authorities say they found him with the missing girl and her pet bird in an Elk Grove strip mall, over 250 miles from her Kern County home. Naval has pleaded not guilty to multiple felony charges for kidnapping and lewd acts with a minor. Naval, 27, told a deputy from the Kern County Sheriff's Office that the girl had said she was 18. He said he agreed to pick her up so she could 'escape' verbal abuse at home and they could be together as a couple, according to a report submitted by the deputy and filed in Kern County Superior Court. Naval allegedly admitted she looked younger in person, telling a deputy he thought she was maybe 17. He ended the interview by saying, 'I think it would be best if I don't know how old she is,' the deputy's report says. His attorney, Mark Anthony Raimondo, told The Times that Naval has mental health challenges and may have autism. The day before the girl went missing, she posted a video on TikTok with the caption, 'First time getting kidnapped, lmao,' and footage shot out of a car window, according to a report filed by a deputy. She also told friends she was going to pay someone to kidnap her, according to another deputy's report. The girl told an Elk Grove Police officer that Naval picked her up around midnight to hang out at a park. She said she got distracted talking with him and did not realize that they were heading away from her home in the city of Taft until around three hours later, the officer wrote in court documents. She told the officer she wanted to go home at that point, but didn't tell Naval because she did not know how to ask, documents say. When asked by a sheriff's deputy what she would like to see happen to Naval, she said, 'I would like to know that he doesn't do it to anyone else,' the deputy reported. The pair allegedly met on Roblox in March and had chatted on Discord for several weeks. Naval claims he didn't know what she looked like until he picked her up in April, according to court records. He allegedly told law enforcement that they had masturbated together online — him with his camera on and her with her camera off, according to a deputy's report. He said that he kissed her on the lips 'a few times' and held her hand during their drive, but that they did not have any sexual contact. He also told a deputy that if they got a hotel and she would have been willing to have sex he would have 'seriously considered it,' the document states. He tried to get a motel room for them to stay at in Fresno, court documents state, but was turned down because he lacked two forms of identification. Raimondo argued that Naval did not understand the nature of the situation or the girl's age, given his mental health challenges. 'I think Roblox has to take some responsibility here. I think the parents have to take some responsibility,' he said. 'The penalty for this travesty, which is a really, really huge misunderstanding, should not fall on Matthew's shoulders alone.' In an interview with local news station KGET, Naval said he did not learn her real age until he was arrested and that it 'sickens' him every time hears it. 'I should've been more careful,' he told the outlet. 'I should've been more questioning when it came to having that person involved.' Roblox is an online platform where users can design their own games and invite others to play. It reports having 97.8 million daily active users with a core demographic of children and teens. Naval told a sheriff's deputy that the Roblox is 'kiddish,' but he plays it for the 'social aspect.' The platform has drawn criticism for how it can be used by pedophiles to message children, and in extreme cases, kidnap them. Roblox has said that it takes any behavior on its platform that doesn't abide by its standards 'extremely seriously.' 'We continuously evolve and enhance our safety approach to catch and prevent malicious or harmful activity,' the company said in a 2024 statement. 'This includes text chat filters to block inappropriate words and phrases, and not allowing user-to-user image sharing on Roblox.' A family member reported the girl missing when she was not in her bed around 8 a.m. on April 13, according to court documents. A relative said the girl did not have a history of running away or mental health issues, but that he had taken away her phone in the past because she was communicating with strangers on applications. Later that day, family members used a 'find my device' app to see that her cellphone was near Elk Grove and connected to a network called 'Matthew's Wifi,' according to a deputy's report filed in court. They also found a friend of the girl on Roblox with the username 'TheMatt3798.' Deputies say they then learned the account was registered to a Matthew Naval, who lived in Elk Grove. Naval was also the registered owner of a 2014 Honda Civic that license plate readers had captured driving through McKittrick in Kern County at 3:17 a.m on April 13 and then farther north in Kettleman City in Kings County at 4:10 a.m., authorities say. The Sheriff's Office contacted the Elk Grove Police Department for assistance. Officers then found the girl and Naval at a strip mall near his home and took him into custody, according to authorities. Naval is being held in a Bakersfield jail in lieu of $1.35-million bail, according to Kern County inmate records. He was charged on April 18 with a count of kidnapping, a count of kidnapping a child under 14 to commit lewd or lascivious acts, two counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14, a count of exhibiting harmful material to a minor, a count of contacting a minor with intent to commit a sexual offense and a count of contacting a minor to commit a sexual offense, all felonies, court records show. Naval has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is scheduled to appear in court on June 25.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Newsom loses bid to exit fracking lawsuits
A Kern County judge ruled Thursday that Gov. Gavin Newsom will remain a defendant in a trio of lawsuits brought against his administration by local oil producers arguing the governor overstepped his authority when he imposed a de-facto ban on fracking in 2021. Kern County Superior Court Judge Bernard C. Barmann Jr. denied the administration's request for summary judgment that would have excused the governor from the cases. State agencies were to remain defendants regardless. The lawsuits, which are headed for a bench trial set to start Sept. 2, could decide the fate of a controversial oil-field technique that at one point accounted for up to a fifth of all oil produced in California, virtually all of it in Kern County. Plaintiffs Chevron USA Inc., Aera Energy LLC and the trade group Western States Petroleum Association allege Newsom had acknowledged prior to imposing the de-facto ban that he lacked legal power to prohibit fracking but did it anyway to appease environmental groups. Fracking injects water, sand and small concentrations of toxic chemicals deep underground at high pressure to release oil and gas that is otherwise hard to access. Environmental groups say the practice risks polluting groundwater and air. California's oil industry says there is no evidence of such contamination despite decades of use in the state. The state Legislature went through a long process more than a decade ago to establish regulations governing fracking. But in 2021, the state oil and gas supervisor began denying oil producers' permit applications for the stated purpose of climate action rather than technical reasons. The administration carried out an administrative ban on fracking last year in order, it said, to protect life, health, safety, property and natural resources, as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It remains to be seen whether the lawsuits against Newsom will have any effect on that formal prohibition. Meanwhile, it has been almost four years since California has authorized a frack job in the state. Deputy Attorney General Clint Woods argued in Barmann's courtroom Thursday morning that there is no dispute the state oil and gas supervisor at the time denied fracking permits, not the governor, and so the appropriate remedy is to consider whether to order permits be issued by the primary permitting agency involved, now called the California Geologic Energy Management Division. "You don't get to sue up the chain of command every time there is a directive from the executive" branch of government, Woods said. He added that the plaintiffs' request that Newsom not tell his appointees to issue fracking permits amounts to a violation of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Woods emphasized it is not the administration's intent to imply the governor can't be sued. "We're not arguing that the governor's above the law. We're not," he said. Plaintiffs attorney Jeffrey Dintzer, in his counter-argument, referred to statements made by the state oil and gas supervisor at the time, Uduak-Joe Ntuk. Ntuk said in a deposition that a member of Newsom's cabinet, Secretary Wade Crowfoot of the California Natural Resources Agency, told him that "the governor was no longer comfortable with (Ntuk) approving any more (fracking) permits" and told Ntuk "to find a way to stop issuing permits" or face termination. Dintzer said the state Legislature has decided oil producers are entitled to fracking permits and that the governor must stop telling the acting state oil and gas supervisor not to issue them. "All the evidence is that this is a case of abuse of authority by a governor who knowingly and illegally issued an order and threatened an officer of government to issue a ban on (fracking) permits legally sought and (which) … met all the technical requirements," Dintzer said. He added later, "This is a case about the governor and his unlawful activities." Chevron said in a statement after Thursday's hearing that its fracking permit application at issue in the case met CalGEM's technical requirements and that the agency's permit denial was illegal. "The hearing brings visibility to the executive office's attempt to sidestep the law to advance a political agenda against an industry that is essential to providing affordable, reliable and lower carbon energy to Californians," the company stated. "The state's politically motivated effort to decrease oil production in California increases energy prices for inflation weary California consumers and makes the state more dependent on oil imported from other parts of the world." Many possible outcomes of the case remain on the table, including approval of previously denied fracking permits and possibly an end to the existing ban on the procedure. The next hearing in the case is set for March 12.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UPDATED: State DOJ charges Scrivner with 3 felony counts of child endangerment, 2 firearm counts
The state Department of Justice filed felony charges Friday afternoon accusing former Kern County Supervisor Zack Scrivner of three counts of child endangerment and two counts of illegal possession of an assault rifle, capping a nearly 10-month investigation into one of the county's most senior politicians. A four-page complaint in Kern County Superior Court says Scrivner got into bed with and inappropriately touched a child while under the influence of mood-altering drugs. It says he hurt two minors during a struggle to prevent him from harming himself with a firearm and that he was found to be in possession of an AK-47 style rifle and an AR-15 style rifle. Scrivner faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison if convicted of all charges. 'No one is above the law,' Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a news release. 'At the California Department of Justice, we will continue to fight for the people of California and hold those who break the law accountable.' His office did not respond Friday to a series of questions about the case. At Scrivner's mid-afternoon arrangement, the defendant stood clean-shaven in a suit and tie as he entered a plea of not guilty to all charges. Soon after, Bakersfield defense attorney H.A. Sala spoke on his client's behalf, saying they look forward to seeing the state's evidence come out. "We firmly believe after that he will be exonerated," Sala told reporters outside the downtown courthouse. Later, addressing a question about more than two dozen firearms in Scrivner's possession, he said, "This is Kern County. Probably everyone in Kern County has 30 to 50 firearms." Word that Scrivner faces criminal charges represents a reversal of fortune that seemed almost unimaginable a year ago. He was less than halfway into his fourth term as a county supervisor, having been first elected to the board in 2010 after serving as a Bakersfield city councilman for six years. Before that, Scrivner worked on the staff of former state Sen. Jean Fuller, and before that, was a field representative for then-Assemblyman Kevin McCarthy. Additionally, he is, or was, the patriarch of a politically powerful Republican dynasty: Scrivner's wife and his mother have served on various boards around Kern and his aunt, Cynthia Zimmer, is the county's district attorney. Scrivner's pre-preliminary hearing was set for the morning of May 1. He was released on his own recognizance on condition that he avoid alcohol and drugs and stay away from any firearms or dangerous weapons. He was ordered to have no contact with his children and wife and stay at least 100 yards away from their homes, places of work and vehicles. Sala asked court Commissioner Sally Ackerknecht earlier that the court seal all discovery matter filed with the court for the case. She granted the request. Sala later told reporters he asked that the records be sealed so that the trial can play out in court, not in the news media. Notably, the state's complaint repeatedly uses the words "child abuse," but the penal code it references regards child endangerment, with no mention of the word abuse. The Kern County Superior Court website uses the phrase "willful cruelty to child" in reference to those three charges. Sala said the terms could be interchangeable. The charges largely match accusations Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood described two days after the alleged event during a news conference at his headquarters in Oildale. The sheriff said at the time that the children involved were Scrivner's own. On Friday, Youngblood said he had not read the complaint and had no comment. Scrivner's wife of 18 years, Christina, said in a statement she was encouraged that the charges are a step toward safety and justice for her children. She remains focused on her children and their needs, she added. "My children and I will continue to cooperate with all law enforcement agencies and remain confident that the truth will be revealed as the facts in this case navigate our justice system," she stated. All three counts related to alleged child endangerment say Scrivner's actions took place under conditions likely to produce great bodily harm and death. In the case mentioning alleged sexual activity, but not specifically sexual abuse, he is accused of causing the child to suffer "unjustifiable physical pain and mental suffering." In one of the two counts of child endangerment relating to the alleged struggle to gain control of a firearm, the complaint said one of the children seriously aggravated an unidentified existing injury. The minors' identities were redacted. The charges provide at least a partial answer to a question troubling many county residents who have wondered for more than nine months what would become of Scrivner following an extraordinary series of events in April of last year. On April 24, Kern County Sheriff's deputies were seen removing boxes, bags and ammunition cans from Scrivner's family home in Tehachapi. That set off rumors and speculation that prompted the County Administrative Office to inform employees the same day that work on the case continued and no information was being released to the public. As Youngblood explained a day later at his news conference along Norris Road, the incident began the night before the raid, on April 23, a Tuesday. That's when he said Zimmer called the sheriff in an "emotional and worried" state asking him to send deputies to the Scrivner family home. In normal circumstances, that kind of work would have been left to the Tehachapi Police Department. Youngblood later said his department was more appropriate to handle the incident because it had greater resources to respond to it. The sheriff told reporters Zimmer had called him saying Scrivner was armed and having a psychotic episode. Later Zimmer called back, Youngblood said, to inform him her nephew had been disarmed but that he was still "having an episode." Zimmer did not respond to a request for comment Friday. Youngblood said there was reason to believe Scrivner had sexually assaulted one of his children, prompting another of the four of them to stab him twice in the torso. Deputies found Scrivner "armed and suicidal," he said, before they disarmed him and began an investigation. About 30 firearms were seized from Scrivner's home, along with electronics and a small amount of psychedelic mushrooms, Youngblood noted. The sheriff said Scrivner was taken to Kern Medical for treatment of his stab wounds. Youngblood promised a "proper" investigation that would deliver "definitive answers." At that time, Scrivner had not been booked into jail and there was no word on his whereabouts. Youngblood said he thought he knew where the supervisor was but that he was unsure. Youngblood said because of Scrivner's relation to Zimmer, and the conflict that would create, the state Attorney General's Office and the Tulare County Sheriff's Office had been contacted about taking over the investigation and possibly filing criminal charges. (On May 2 the state Attorney General's Office said it had agreed to review whether to file criminal charges against Scrivner.) Immediately following Youngblood's news conference, Sala hosted a news conference at his offices along H Street in Bakersfield. Sala told reporters there was no corroborated evidence of any assault, only that the supervisor was so distraught over his pending divorce case that one of his children stabbed him during a struggle to keep him from killing himself. Sala accused Youngblood of publicizing accusations without conducting a full investigation. He said Scrivner, having been a public servant for so long, "deserves better" and asked the public to "walk it back a little bit and keep an open mind and not jump to conclusions and assumptions about what happened." But some members of the public did anyway. With Scrivner absent from the Board of Supervisors, a range of speakers during the board's May 7 public comment period called for his resignation. The next day, Sala announced Scrivner was away from his job as supervisor on a medical leave of absence. Not until Aug. 1 did Scrivner formally resign from the board. More than four months later, following an election that drew half a dozen candidates, former Bakersfield City Councilman Chris Parlier was sworn in to represent the county's District 2 on the county Board of Supervisors. Meanwhile, as Scrivner's divorce case proceeded in Kern County Superior Court, Christina Scrivner was granted sole custody of their children, as well as a temporary restraining order for them and herself. Since then, Scrivner has argued he cannot pay any child support. At the next hearing in the divorce case, set for March 10, unnamed witnesses to the events at the Scrivner home on April 23 — including minors — are scheduled to testify with regard to the restraining order against the former supervisor. Lawyers on both sides of the divorce case could not be reached for comment Friday. Much of what is known about Scrivner's life since the night of the alleged incident has come to light through the divorce proceedings. He said in a court declaration that he is a full-time student at Cal State Bakersfield pursuing a master's degree. It said Scrivner was expected to start his final semester in January. Supervisor Parlier called the situation involving Scrivner "horrible and tragic and the justice system's going to have to play out." He said Friday he was happy to be representing District 2 and that its residents "are really excited to have representation again." Chairman Clayton Campbell of the Kern County Republican Central Committee said Scrivner is not currently affiliated with the party and "we want to see the process run its course." Campbell, a Bakersfield criminal defense attorney, said the lesson to take from the filing of charges is that "no matter what … your political clout is, the criminal process still applies to you." "He is entitled to (a system of justice) that applies to everybody, and that includes being held accountable if you commit a crime as well as the presumption of innocence if you've been accused," he said. "It doesn't matter if you're on the Board of Supes."
