Latest news with #YoloCounty
CBS News
4 days ago
- Health
- CBS News
California has more than a dozen confirmed cases of measles so far in 2025
A West Sacramento resident has a confirmed case of measles, health officials say, prompting a contact tracing effort in Yolo County. The Yolo County Health and Human Services Agency announced the case on Friday, noting that it was California's 13th confirmed case so far in 2025. Contact tracing was underway after health officials learned that the person with measles had visited Sutter Davis Hospital recently. Patients, visitors and staff who were at the hospital emergency room from May 31 to June 1 between 10:12 p.m. and 1:42 a.m., along with June 2 between 2:42 p.m. and 1:23 a.m., are being contacted. Health officials are still investigating where the West Sacramento resident contracted measles. "This case of measles in our community is a good reminder that while international travelers and those traveling to outbreak areas within the U.S. are at highest risk of measles, residents can also encounter measles during travel to non-outbreak areas or even within our local community," said Dr. Aimee Sisson, Yolo County Public Health Officer, in a statement. The West Sacramento person with measles is recovering at home with a mild illness, health officials say. The person's vaccination status was not known. Public health leaders are particularly concerned over measles cases due to how contagious it can be. More than 1000 confirmed cases of measles have been reported in the U.S. so far this year, according to the CDC, compared to just a total of 285 cases in 2024. California's 12 other confirmed cases of measles this year are spread across a number of counties: Fresno, Los Angeles, Orange, Placer, Riverside, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Tuolumne.
CBS News
6 days ago
- CBS News
Yolo County increases fine for illegal fireworks use to $1,000 per violation
WOODLAND — One month out from the July 4 holiday, Yolo County is cracking down on illegal fireworks use. At Tuesday's Board of Supervisors meeting, the Board unanimously approved amendments to the county's illegal fireworks ordinance for the first time in nearly 25 years. What used to be a first-time violation of only $100 for illegal firework use in unincorporated parts of the county is now ramped up to $1,000 per firework violation, ten times higher. The move follows in the steps of the City of Woodland, which the county consulted as it worked to adopt its new ordinance. Woodland implemented the new $1,000 fine last year. The city's fire and police departments both call it a success, saying the steep fines send a strong message and keep people safe on one of their busiest nights of the year: July 4. "We don't want to have to, between us and the fire department, respond to people significantly injured or, in the case we had several years ago, an entire house burn down," said Sgt. Ryan Bowler with the Woodland Police Department. Woodland PD also ramped up their enforcement with the ramped-up fine. The Nail 'Em app allows neighbors to anonymously report nearby illegal firework usage, which prevents those calls from tying up police dispatch lines. Woodland PD also started warning homeowners with door hangers to let them know a potential violation had been observed before issuing a citation. Anything that is not considered a "safe and sane" firework is illegal in the city of Woodland. The department reports they've already seen illegal fireworks popping off this week. "Last year, we did utilize our drone team on the 4th of July, which was beneficial to see where the fireworks were coming from," said Bowler. "We are expanding our drone team in general as a department, so having the opportunity to go out and help with the enforcement of this is critical to the mission of preserving property and preserving lives if somebody is significantly injured." On July 4, 2024, Woodland PD says it issued 33 illegal firework citations, totaling over $110,000 in fines. That does not include a criminal citation and arrest of one man who was fined a whopping $120,000 after being found with 120 illegal firework mortars last year. The new fines are helping the city reduce fire risk. "I think it does make a difference. It's decreased calls into our dispatch center, we've been able to catch people in the act and in the process of," said Bowler. Yolo County's crackdown comes as fire season is in full force. The perfect example came Tuesday when Woodland Fire crew raced to fight a fast-moving fire near E Kentucky Ave. and County Road 102. It's a picture of what they are trying to prevent now, one month out from July 4, when fireworks can spark unintentional fires that can rapidly spread out of control. Yolo County's new ordinance goes a step further than bumping up the fine. It also bans "safe and sane" fireworks in the county's fire risk zones labeled "high" and "very high" risk as designated by Cal Fire. Maps show much of the county west of Esparto falls into that category. "I think it'll be good for the rural fire departments also," said Matt Flint, Woodland's Fire Marshal. Flint says one year in, the city's stricter fines have been a success story. "We saw a dramatic decrease in fires and also grass fires, calls for service," said Flint. "It's an exciting time that Woodland is being a pioneer in firework safety." Yolo County's new crackdown ordinance is expected to be in effect by the July 4 holiday. Woodland PD says residents can report illegal fireworks to their designated email line at fireworks@ and on the Nail 'Em app.
CBS News
7 days ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Grass fire burns north of Woodland near E. Kentucky Avenue
Firefighters are battling a grass fire near Woodland in Yolo County on Tuesday. The fire is burning near E. Kentucky Avenue, between N. Pioneer Avenue and County Road 102, north of the Woodland city center. Woodland Fire officials are urging people to avoid the area so emergency vehicles have full access to the scene. Exactly what started the fire is unclear. Scene of the fire near Woodland. Woodland Fire Department This is a developing story.
CBS News
29-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Yolo County man believed to be wrongfully convicted of rape has 378-year sentence vacated by judge
WOODLAND -- A Davis man now believed to be wrongfully convicted of serial rape saw his nearly 400-year prison sentence vacated in Yolo County Superior Court earlier this month. The judge ruled the testimony from the named victim was not credible and pointed to new evidence that could have made a difference if presented at his trial. Ajay Dev hugging family members after his release from prison Patty Pursell Ajay Dev has spent 16 years behind bars at Mule Creek State Prison for a crime he has always maintained he never committed. Ajay was released on Friday, May 23 on his own recognizance, meaning with no bail requirement set, despite requests from the District Attorney's office for a $500,000 bond. "There was a lot of time lost. A lot of good years lost," said Patty Pursell, Ajay's sister-in-law, who has helped fight for his freedom since his 2009 conviction alongside hundreds of "Ajay's Advocates" she has rallied over the years in support of his innocence. Ajay's Habeas Corpus hearings, the process when a court examines the legality of a person's detention or conviction, have been ongoing for seven years now. "The tears just started rolling. It was, 'Oh my gosh, I can't believe it,' " said Pursell of the judge's May 16 ruling. "To be in prison all that time and know that you're innocent, that was the hard part. We kept trying to do everything we could and we couldn't get anybody to listen to us that was official." Ajay was convicted of the serial molest and rape of an adopted family member who he helped bring stateside from their native country, Nepal. The allegation by the named victim, Sapna Dev, was that her adopted father raped her three times per week over a period of five years. Ajay has maintained his innocence and now he walks free, finally able to reunite with his wife Peggy and their two sons. "When he was arrested, Ajay's oldest son was two and my sister was pregnant with the other. He was in jail and didn't get to see his child be born," said Pursell. In a statement submitted to the court, Ajay said of his two sons: "The absence of fatherhood has been the most difficult while doing time for a crime I never committed. You gave me a purpose to live. I cannot wait to be home with you." His original sentence was 378 years and four months in state prison for 76 counts of sexual assault against his adopted daughter. "It is the most outrageous sentence I have ever seen," said Jennifer Mouzis, who represented Ajay Dev in the Habeas Corpus hearings. Mouzis has been working on the case for five years and says there was no actual evidence that a crime ever occurred. Ajay Dev, pictured right, moments after release from prison Patty Pursell "There was a lot of indication it didn't happen and not a lot of evidence it did happen. When I looked at it, I saw more and more cracks in the armor," said Mouzis. "If you stripped away some of the stereotypes used to gain a conviction, some of the implicit bias incorporated into the trial about Nepali culture and people from Nepal, if you strip that away, there really wasn't evidence it occurred." In court, Mouzis presented new evidence debunking an alleged pretext phone call "confession" by Ajay. Mouzis says enhancing the original phone call proved that confession never happened and that the original translation of the Nepali language portion of the conversation, allowed to be translated by the named victim in court, asserting he admitted to the rapes was a fabrication. Plus, the defense team introduced into evidence for the first time the fact that the named victim had been convicted of perjury and passport fraud in Nepal in order to obtain immigration benefits. In addition, Mouzis argued Sapna allegedly admitted she was never raped. "There were additional witnesses in Nepal where the victim admitted she was lying about the charges specifically for the purpose of gaining reentry to the United States and citizenship in the United States," said Mouzis. Sapna was ultimately granted American citizenship in light of the case and her cooperation with prosecutors. Judge Beronio of Yolo County Superior Court found the new witnesses alleging Sapna lied to be credible and vacated Ajay's conviction, writing in her ruling that, "Based on my review of this entire case, I believe that in fact Mr. Dev could be innocent of these charges." The Yolo County District Attorney's Office declined to provide a comment to CBS13 for this story. In a victim impact statement from Sapna that was read in court, she maintained that her allegations are truthful. Even though Ajay has been released and his sentence vacated, his court battle is not over yet. He will be back before a judge on June 13, when the District Attorney could decide to retry the case or dismiss it. The DA has the right to retry the case based on the new evidence discovered and presented in court during the Habeas Corpus hearings. In addition, the attorney general could step in and decide to overturn Judge Beronio's ruling.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Sacramento suspect arraigned in Davis Picnic Day shooting case
The man accused in the Davis park shooting that wounded three people and triggered chaos amid UC Davis' Picnic Day pleaded not guilty to charges, but a Yolo Superior Court judge rejected prosecutors' demands to increase his bail Wednesday in Woodland. Yolo County prosecutors labeled Joseph Allen Davis a danger to the community; at 19, a member of the Oak Park Bloods street gang with a history of gun crimes who walked with a loaded weapon onto a crowded Davis park before the shootout that sent revelers scrambling from the gunfire. Two teens and a 24-year-old were wounded in the April 12 shooting at the end of one of the city's signature events — the annual welcome to the University of California, Davis, campus. Davis police teamed with state and federal investigators in the search for clues as Davis leaders tried to reassure a city shaken by the shooting. Davis police and Sacramento County sheriff's deputies arrested Davis on May 23 at his Sacramento home. Detectives found an illegal assault-style rifle at the home during the arrest, the Police Department said. 'He put himself in the situation of a shootout where three individuals were shot,' Yolo County deputy district attorney Carolyn Palumbo told Yolo Superior Court Judge Clara Levers. 'He's a felon in possession of a firearm by a gang member in a park that was populated by people, including kids. He's a public safety risk.' Yolo County prosecutors said Davis was a felon on probation and faced a separate Sacramento gun charge from an October 2024 incident when he allegedly opened fire at a crowded Community Park in Davis. Davis faces five felony and misdemeanor charges in the Picnic Day shooting, including felony possession of a weapon by a person previously convicted of a felony; felony possession of an assault weapon; felony possession of a weapon by a person under 30 years of age with a prior juvenile conviction and wardship; possession of ammunition by a person prohibited from owning or possessing a firearm; along with misdemeanor possession of a large capacity magazine. Gun convictions in Sacramento's juvenile courts means Davis cannot possess firearms until he turns 30. All were laid out in a four-page complaint filed Tuesday by Yolo County District Attorney's Office prosecutors that also shed light on Davis' juvenile criminal history. Prosecutors filed a case enhancement in their charging document alleging Davis' prior convictions as an adult or sustained petitions in the youth courts 'are numerous or of increasing seriousness.' Davis, freed on bond, appeared for the Wednesday hearing before Levers. Davis sat in one of the gallery's rows before the afternoon hearing, wearing an oversized sweatshirt pulled up to his eyes, as he told a bailiff he had not yet hired an attorney. Davis was then assigned a public defender. Davis had posted bond on $45,000 bail following his arrest Friday in Sacramento by Davis police and Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies. At Davis' arraignment Wednesday, prosecutors demanded bail raised to $300,000, but Yolo Superior Court Judge Clara Levers reluctantly let Davis' bail stand ahead of his next appearance June 23 in Yolo Superior Court. 'I'm troubled, but I'm left with the charges' filed, Levers said, ordering Davis to check in weekly with Sacramento County Probation Department, not associate with known gang members and appear in person for all court dates. His newly appointed defense counsel, Lisa Lance, had argued that Davis appeared on his own Wednesday due to the $45,000 bail amount and that weekly check-ins to his Sacramento County probation officers — not increased bail — were enough to ensure he made future appearances. Prosecutor Palumbo disagreed: 'To say the community is safe because he's on probation is not true. Every time he leaves the house, he's armed because he's a gang member. His appearing in court is not the issue. Public safety is the issue.'
