Briefs: $40k in fire damage to Orosi home

Published online on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009

Fire caused an estimated $40,000 worth of damage to a mobile home Wednesday afternoon in Orosi, the Tulare County Fire Department reported.

Firefighters arrived at 13380 Avenue 428 just after 2 p.m. and found the home on fire. No one was home at the time of the blaze.

The cause is under investigation.

Woman saved from Merced apartment

Merced police rescued a woman Tuesday from an apartment that they called a "house of horrors," where authorities say her boyfriend raped and tortured her for months.

The Police Department said 37-year-old Daniel Ruben Gonzalez will be charged with aggravated assault, rape, torture, sodomy and false imprisonment. The charges were contained in a news release issued late Tuesday.

Investigators believe Gonzalez had been holding his live-in girlfriend in their apartment since at least mid-August.

Courts

Visalia woman guilty of murdering man

Velia Juarez, 39, of Visalia faces 25 years to life in prison after a jury found her guilty of first-degree felony murder Tuesday.

Police arrested Juarez last November in connection with the death of 60-year-old Jose Torrez Angulo. Juarez told police that she found Angulo lying in her backyard with a head wound. Angulo was taken to Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno, where he was pronounced dead from blunt-force trauma to the head.

Juarez told police that she was a friend of Angulo's but denied knowing anything about his death. After detectives confronted her with evidence, however, she told them that she and others planned to attack and rob Angulo. Sentencing will be Nov. 24.

Fire

$100,000 in damage to Visalia home

Fire caused $100,000 worth of damage to a Visalia home Tuesday, the Visalia Fire Department said.

The blaze was reported at 7:11 p.m. at 640 N. Chinowth St. and was confined to the attic. Thirteen firefighters controlled the blaze in 15 minutes, saving an estimated $150,000 worth of property. The cause was reported to be an electrical short.

Fresno blaze displaces five

Five people were displaced Wednesday after a fire at Senior Citizens Village at 1917 S. Chestnut Ave., the Fresno Fire Department reported.

The cause of the 9:17 a.m. blaze was an electrical short in an attic. An estimate of the damage was not immediately available.

The Red Cross is helping the displaced find temporary housing.

Health

Fresno offers prescription discount

A prescription drug discount card that could save people up to 20% on drugs not covered by insurance is being offered in Fresno, city officials said Wednesday.

The city is offering the cards through a program sponsored by the National League of Cities. The cards are free, and no membership fee is charged.

Most chain and independent drugstores accept the card. The program is administered by CVC Caremark, and there's no cost to the city to operate it, city officials said.

For details or to sign up for a card, visit www.fresno.gov/pdp.

Also ...

Symposium can be seen in Visalia, Oakhurst

Visalia and Oakhurst are two locations where the public can view the Sierra Nevada Conservancy's Web-based symposium from 8:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. today, featuring experts on forest issues ranging from wildfire reduction to building mountain economies.

In Visalia, the public can go to the Board of Supervisors chambers, 2800 W. Burrel Ave. In Oakhurst, the location is the Best Western Yosemite Gateway Inn, 40530 Highway 41.

Details: sierranevada.ca.gov/symposium.html.