Latest news with #SantaCruzSentinel
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Man Hospitalized After Huge Surf Flips Boat Near Santa Cruz Harbor
Rough seas and tough news out of Santa Cruz, Calif., yesterday. As a large, unruly swell slammed the coast, the National Weather Service issued a beach hazard statement for northern Monterey Bay, advising boaters and swimmers to be aware of dangerous conditions. For reference, nearby buoys were registering a northwest swell of 15 feet at 15 seconds, the kind of unruly energy that renders many lineups in Santa Cruz and beyond unridable. Despite regular dredging of the harbor, sand builds up in the winter. With the combination of enough sand and swell, the normally placid harbor mouth can see a well-overhead wave all the way across, a tricky scenario for any boater. On Thursday, the swell turned from tricky to downright dangerous. Just after 5 p.m., local firefighters and lifeguards were alerted to a capsized boat at the mouth of the Santa Cruz Santa Cruz Sentinel reported that first responders pulled one man from a 20-foot Bayliner that washed ashore upside down at Twin Lakes State Beach. 'The call was for a capsized vessel near the harbor mouth,' State Parks Public Safety Superintendent Capt. Gabe McKenna told The Sentinel. 'We had a very large northwest swell with a low tide during that time, and the transit out of the harbor and into the ocean was very dangerous.' Footage of the flip, which happened as the boat attempted to enter the harbor, ended up on the Instagram of The Qualified Captain, which documents boating mishaps and occasional boating-related disasters. The account claimed that there was a dog on board the boat but it did not survice the ordeal. First responders told The Sentinel they did not find any canine on the beach. The man was taken to a nearby hospital and the vessel was taken to the habror. "Once the boat passed the break and stayed maybe 600ft from the mouth for about 10 minutes, he attempted to come back in during a big set of waves," the captain explained. "He was able to swim to shore after capsizing. Unfortunately, the dog onboard did not make it."
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Yahoo
Jury decides man who killed 8-year-old Maddy Middleton should remain in prison
A 25-year-old man convicted of killing his 8-year-old neighbor when he was 15 years old will remain behind bars for at least two more years, a Santa Cruz jury has decided. Adrian Jerry Gonzalez pleaded guilty to the rape and murder of Madyson "Maddy" Middleton in the summer of 2015. Gonzalez was originally charged as an adult, but before his case went to trial, California passed a law that bars the state from prosecuting 14- and 15-year-olds as adults. Under Senate Bill 1391, Gonzalez would have been eligible to be released from prison when he turned 25, which happened last year. On Wednesday, a jury decided that Gonzalez should remain in custody, according to San Francisco Bay Area news station KTVU-TV. Prosecutors argued that due to the violent nature of Gonzalez's crime, he posed a risk to the community and should remain in custody. The jury began deliberating Monday after several weeks of testimony and evidence presentation in the case. Gonzalez took the stand during the trial and KTVU reported that he described killing his neighbor. 'This was an incredibly difficult case from 2015 and the impact that it has had on the community and we are still feeling the rippling effects of it almost 10 years later,' prosecuting attorney Tara George told the Santa Cruz Sentinel after the verdict was read. 'The work and effort that was put in by everyone involved in our community to keep all of us safe was a tireless effort on behalf of our jurors and so we thank them for their service.' Maddy lived in an affordable housing complex for artists with her mother and was last seen on the evening of July 26, 2015, riding her scooter. Prosecutors described in court documents how Gonzalez lured the girl to his apartment with the promise of ice cream, then raped and killed her. Her body was discovered in the apartment complex's recycling bin nearly 24 hours after she was reported missing. Gonzalez was reportedly seen watching detectives search through the bin and he was arrested the following day, police told The Times in 2015. Gonzalez was set to be tried as an adult when Senate Bill 1391 went into effect. A Santa Cruz Superior Court judge sought to transfer the case out of the juvenile court system, arguing that the law was unconstitutional, but the California State Supreme Court upheld the law in 2021. Shortly afterward, Gonzalez's case was sent back to juvenile court and he pleaded guilty to all the charges, including murder with special circumstances, one count of kidnapping and four sexual assault-related offenses. 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
20-02-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Jury decides man who killed 8-year-old Maddy Middleton should remain in prison
A 25-year-old man convicted of killing his 8-year-old neighbor when he was 15 years old will remain behind bars for at least two more years, a Santa Cruz jury has decided. Adrian Jerry Gonzalez pleaded guilty to the rape and murder of Madyson 'Maddy' Middleton in the summer of 2015. Gonzalez was originally charged as an adult, but before his case went to trial, California passed a law that bars the state from prosecuting 14- and 15-year-olds as adults. Under Senate Bill 1391, Gonzalez would have been eligible to be released from prison when he turned 25, which happened last year. On Wednesday, a jury decided that Gonzalez should remain in custody, according to San Francisco Bay Area news station KTVU-TV. Prosecutors argued that due to the violent nature of Gonzalez's crime, he posed a risk to the community and should remain in custody. The jury began deliberating Monday after several weeks of testimony and evidence presentation in the case. Gonzalez took the stand during the trial and KTVU reported that he described killing his neighbor. 'This was an incredibly difficult case from 2015 and the impact that it has had on the community and we are still feeling the rippling effects of it almost 10 years later,' prosecuting attorney Tara George told the Santa Cruz Sentinel after the verdict was read. 'The work and effort that was put in by everyone involved in our community to keep all of us safe was a tireless effort on behalf of our jurors and so we thank them for their service.' Maddy lived in an affordable housing complex for artists with her mother and was last seen on the evening of July 26, 2015, riding her scooter. Prosecutors described in court documents how Gonzalez lured the girl to his apartment with the promise of ice cream, then raped and killed her. Her body was discovered in the apartment complex's recycling bin nearly 24 hours after she was reported missing. Gonzalez was reportedly seen watching detectives search through the bin and he was arrested the following day, police told The Times in 2015. Gonzalez was set to be tried as an adult when Senate Bill 1391 went into effect. A Santa Cruz Superior Court judge sought to transfer the case out of the juvenile court system, arguing that the law was unconstitutional, but the California State Supreme Court upheld the law in 2021. Shortly afterward, Gonzalez's case was sent back to juvenile court and he pleaded guilty to all the charges, including murder with special circumstances, one count of kidnapping and four sexual assault-related offenses.
