MODESTO – Two children who were abducted from the Riverside area Thursday may be in the Modesto area according to authorities.
Gino Costello age 9, and Memphis Zeko age 5, were last seen with their father Nicholas Zeko according to the California Highway Patrol. They were last seen at about 10:00pm in Riverside County. Nicholas Zeko is also said to have two felony and four misdemeanor warrants.
Mariela Costello, 32, is also reported to be with them. Authorities say they are believed to be in imminent danger.
The four are said to be traveling in a 2005 white Ford Expedition with gold trim. The plate of the vehicle is California V449G0.
Nicholas Zeko is 34 years old, 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs 205 pounds. He has brown hair and blue eyes and was last seen wearing a black tee shirt, blue jeans and black shoes.
Mariela Costello is 32 years old, 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 115 pounds. She has black hair and eyes and her clothing is unknown.
Gino Costello is 9 years old and is 4 feet 4 inches tall. He weighs 62 pounds and has brown hair and eyes. His clothing is unknown.
Memphis Zeko is 5 years old and 3 feet 7 inches tall. He weighs 42 pounds and has brown hair and eyes. His clothing is unknown.
Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to call 911 immediately.
Carlos Rodriguez is an Emmy Award winning photojournalist specializing in public safety and natural disasters. His passion for local news stems from a deep commitment to his community, with a selfless mission to inform the citizens of the valley. As he worked on assignment for 19 days at the devastating Camp Fire in Paradise, California, he spent most of his time helping survivors contact their loved ones to let them know they were ok. Carlos is a veteran of Univision, FOX, and Telemundo TV stations and a native of Modesto, California.
TURLOCK – James Hooker, the man who gained national attention after it was revealed that during his time as a teacher had been in a relationship with one of his students, was arrested by police Tuesday night on charges of lewd acts with a minor.
Hooker, 54, had been under investigation by the Turlock Police Department since May 17th. The victim in this case who is now an adult, was in contact with authorities on an unrelated matter when she disclosed to police that her relationship with hooker began when she was a 15 year old middle school student. The victim told authorities that they had met on social media, and their relationship continued until she turned 18, when they were married. Turlock authorities then began their investigation.
Evidence and statements were gathered by Detective Navarro, which led to the issuing of an arrest warrant for Hooker. He was arrested Tuesday by the Ceres Police Department and booked into the Stanislaus County Jail. As of time of publication, he did not appear in jail records.
Because of the attention Hooker gained previously, including an appearance on the Dr. Phil Show, authorities believe there could be additional victims, and are asking for anyone who may have come into contact with Hooker to come forward.
“Getting James Hooker off the streets is a victory for the community and especially for potential victims who may have been at risk,” said Detective Navarro in a press release. “This is an important step, but our work is far from over. We believe there could be other victims out there, and we will continue to follow every lead to ensure justice is served.”
Hooker faces charges of lewd acts with a minor 14-15 years old and possession of material depicting sexual conduct of a person under 18.
Below is a video of an interview we shot with James Hooker during his first investigation.
MODESTO – A man broke in to the Queen Bean Coffee House overnight, causing damage to the building and stealing the register.
A heartbreaking message was posted on the business’ social media pages, reporting the incident.
“We were robbed last night! This is devastating news. They ransacked the back of house and stole our register and Clover POS system. We have called the police and will be dealing with this terrible news today. Unfortunately, we will be closed until further notice. We have no register to ring up customers and we have damages to clean up.”
“If this individual looks familiar please report him or let us know. He appears well dressed with a groomed beard and jewelry, white jacket and a beanie. We will be looking at our other cameras to find more pictures of this terrible person. Anything you could do to help is appreciated.”
New owner Sam Pierstorff recently purchased the business with his wife, much to the enthusiasm and support of the community. The patio was recently undergoing removal to make way for a new build.
Anyone with information regarding this individual is encouraged to contact the Modesto Police Department and refer to incident number MP24025995.
MODESTO – A fire at a duplex home in West Modesto late Friday afternoon injured two people.
At about 4:40pm firefighters were dispatched to a duplex home on the 1700 block of Erie Avenue for a report of a fire. The duplex sits just east of Robertson Road Elementary School.
Arriving fire personnel reported heavy smoke conditions from the front of one of the duplex units. Additional firefighters responding to combat the blaze soon encountered heavy fire.
Within 15 minutes, the fire appeared to be under control, but not before also damaging the neighboring unit. A damage estimate was not available at time of publication.
A man and a woman were assisted by medical personnel into waiting ambulances for care of unspecified injuries.