OAKDALE – A 28 year old man was arrested following a stabbing at an apartment complex that left one victim dead and two others wounded Wednesday morning.
Officers with the Oakdale Police Department responded to a report of a stabbing at about 10:48am at an apartment building near the corner of South 6th and G Streets. Arriving officers located several stabbing victims, and an individual upstairs that ran into an apartment unit. That individual was identified as a suspect according to Oakdale Police Chief Scott Heller, who also responded to the scene.
Officers called to the suspect to exit and surrender but he refused to come out of the apartment. Additional resources were called to the scene, including assistance from outside agencies. The Stanislaus County Sheriff SWAT team, along with several deputies, arrived to offer help with the situation. At one point the barricaded suspect tossed firecrackers or some type of explosive out of an open window.
Authorities used “less than lethal” rounds to disable surveillance cameras around the apartment, while they continued their attempts to reason with the suspect. He eventually agreed to surrender during the noon hour, exiting the apartment with his hands up. He was taken into custody without further incident.
Two women were rushed to the hospital for treatment of injuries. A man in his late 30’s was pronounced deceased at the scene from wounds consistent with the attack.
“Officers exercised extreme restraint during the incident, trying to call the suspect out of the apartment while he was being uncooperative, throwing explosive firework devices,” Chief Heller said. “He eventually did give up.”
Chief Heller identified the suspect as 28 year old George Grass. He was booked on charges including homicide, domestic violence, resisting, arson, and assault with a deadly weapon. He was held without bail and awaited a court date.
The events leading up to the stabbing, the weapon used, and the relationship between all individuals involved remained under investigation.
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.
Beth XoXo
August 20, 2020 at 2:59 pm
Glad the suspect is Jail good job officer he killed one person let him die in jail those kind of people are deserve to be punish ..