(KION) - A structure fire broke out at a home in Prunedale off Manzanita Circle on Manzanita Circle for a single-story home a woman is left grieving not only the loss of her home and possessions Fire crews are deeming this home a total loss who has been living in this home for 13 years says she does not understand how this fire could have started was warming up her car in the driveway when she noticed flames pouring out of her home but I lived there for 13 years for my whole life in there Nearby neighbors who saw the black smoke a few houses down say the flames moved fast "My daughter and I were backing up out of our driveway to go to school and I looked over and saw a big plume of black smoke so we drove over there real quick," said Stockton Fire crews say they got to the home in less than 10 minutes "We had a total of three North County units on scene with 12 personnel along with one medic unit from AMR on arrival was probably approximately 50% involved," said Rick Parker Division Chief with the North Monterey County Fire Department Lenore says there was nothing she did out of the ordinary before leaving her home and her son's belongings from the military Friends and neighbors of Lenore rushed to the scene once they got word of the incident to provide support and comfort Lenore tells me the Red Cross has contacted her and will be relying on their support Fire crews were unable to tell me where in the home the fire started Dania Romero is an reporter at KION News Channel 46 Sergio Berrueta has been in the news for quite awhile going from studying print media to entering the realm of broadcast Berrueta started his professional news career in Eureka as a newscast producer for North Coast News (now The Northstate’s News) at KAEF ABC 23 in 2022 He pivoted a year later in 2022 going from behind-the-scenes to in front of the camera as a multimedia journalist for Redwood News Channel 3 (KIEM/KVIQ) also in Eureka Berrueta studied journalism at Humboldt State University (now Cal Poly Humboldt) earning his Bachelor’s Degree social media manager and editor-in-chief of the university’s El Lenador the only bilingual publication in all of Humboldt County Berrueta had earned his Associate’s Degree at East Los Angeles College in 2019 after beginning his educational journey in 2012 He also was on staff for the ELAC’s publication Berrueta has also been in education as an AmeriCorps tutor in East Hollywood from 2017 to 2019 and served in a government role as a National Hometown Fellow for Lead for America with the City of Arcata in 2021 Berrueta is an avid amateur cinephile having written about films in free time attempting to get through a backlog of video games enjoys visiting new places along the California Coast and trying to keep up with the latest music and podcasts KION 46 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here EEO Report | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Community Guidelines | FCC Applications | Do Not Sell My Personal Information (KION-TV) -- SPCA Monterey County is looking for insight into a man impersonating a veterinarian in Monterey County the man has been providing veterinary care without a license including exams prescribing medications and performing surgeries at his home One dog has also allegedly died in his care Investigators within SPCA believe there may potentially other victim out there the most recent unlicensed procedure was on Blackie Road in Prunedale with another home on McGowan Drive in Salinas used to perform operations SPCA in partnership with Monterey County Deputies and District Attorney Investigators served a search warrant They found 14 dogs in varying states of neglect 12 French bulldogs were without food and water four of which had no access to ventilation or sunlight Two horses were also seized and returned to their respective owners after As the case is currently active and ongoing those with any information can call SPCA Humane Investigations Officer Emily Leon at 831-264-5436 (KION-TV) -- A Prunedale man has been arrested after a nearly 6 hour and a half standoff at their home on Sunday morning Monterey County Sheriff's Office served a search warrant at the home of 83-year-old Frederick Pierce on the 16000 block of Avery Lane at 7:30 a.m MCSO detectives learned that Pierce was a convicted felon with multiple firearms registered in his name after a previous response to Pierce's home on December 19 MCSO deputies served a civil eviction from the property instead returning inside before deputies attempted to enter the home It was then that Pierce armed himself with a rifle and the deputies retreated with no more attempts made to get Pierce out of the home While multiple attempts to remove Pierce from the home yielded no results deputies obtained a search warrant for possession of a stolen firearm SWAT handled the search warrant with the MCSO Crisis Negotiation Team and Monterey County Behavioral Health trying to connect with Pierce via phone As it became clear Pierce would not be leaving the home SWAT team members entered to make an arrest It was then that Pierce threw a knife at the SWAT members and fought members before being arrested Pierce suffered minor injuries along with one SWAT team member Both were taken to a local hospital for treatment Pierce now faces multiple charges including being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition resisting a police officer and assault with a deadly weapon I’ve been an international professional writer and performer for over 25 years I find the intersection between all of these skills lands itself somewhere under the term “storytelling.” March 14: Monterey County Sheriff's Office has arrested a suspect in connection with the shooting death of an 18-year-old at a Prunedale sideshow The suspect is an unidentified 17-year-old arrested on March 12 after being extradited to Monterey County from the Sacramento area 18-year-old Adrian Puga was killed on November 9 When CHP and MCSO deputies arrived at the scene they found Puga on the ground with gunshot wounds Puga was sent to a local hospital before dying from his injuries Over 20 warrants were served in the Sacramento area after MCSO picked up a lead from tips and videos This read to the identification of the suspect Sacramento Police Department's SWAT team assisted in the arrest of the suspect This is not the first one in our community This needs to stop," MCSO Sheriff Tine Nieto said at the press conference Neito also called for stronger laws against sideshows including impounding cars "Nothing seems to work unless we take away cars and its cost people money It's like people don't care about the lives that are taken during incidents like this," Nieto continued The suspect is currently being held in Monterey County Juvenile Hall (KION-TV) -- The Monterey County Sheriff's Office confirms one person is dead after a shooting at a sideshow event in Monterey County late Saturday night Investigators identified the victim as 18-year-old Adrian Puga of Salinas They also say the suspect hasn't been caught According to their preliminary investigation deputies say they responded to calls about the event and shooting in the area of Prunedale Road and Blackie Road deputies along with CHP officers found a single victim with gunshot wounds "We don't know if our suspect was someone on foot or in a vehicle," says Commander Andres Rosas at the Monterey County Sheriff's Office." The agency says no suspect is in custody at this time They also tell KION they're trying to learn more about how many cars were at the event at the time of the shooting with some numbers ranging from 20 to 100 vehicles "We don't have suspect information we can supply to the public," said Commander Andy Rosas A young male lost his life during this event Right now we're seeking help from the community." Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective R Geng at 831-253-6029 or Detective Sergeant N Victor Guzman is the Assistant News Director at KION News Channel 5/46 (KION-TV) -- The County of Monterey is currently inviting the public to weigh-in on a potential roundabout being installed in Prunedale at the Castroville and San Miguel Canyon intersection and the county is hoping that people will comment on how they think this will or will not impact traffic in the area "This project would replace the existing one-way stop-controlled intersection located at Castroville Boulevard and San Miguel Canyon Road with a single-lane roundabout," wrote the county in a statement Wednesday The county says that this project follows a community meeting that happened last August requesting resident and commuter feedback on navigating that intersection The project was an Initial Study Mitigated Negative Declaration (ISMND) and is available for review and comment from the public The county is offering three in-person review options: In addition to this, they say that a copy of the project report can be requested by emailing PWFPSupportStaff@countyofmonterey.gov or calling (831) 755‑4800 A structure fire in Prunedale on Friday saw flames jump from a mobile home to a barn North county fire says the mobile caught on fire while a person was working on the engine That fire spreading to the nearby barn -- both being called complete losses at the scene The mobile home was completely engulfed in flames while the barn was about 75% involved in the fire according to firefighters North county fire says they were battling the fire for about three hours and all occupants of the home were accounted for and no injuries have been reported Morning Producer for KION News Channel 5/46 (KION-TV) -- The Monterey Superior Court has deemed 39-year-old Vicente Joseph Arroyo of Salinas as competent to stand trial for allegedly shooting around 80 animals on the 16000 block of Avery Lane in Prunedale early September Sheriffs say that Arroyo was at the location shooting animals for almost three hours before deputies were able to locate and arrest him It is unknown if drugs or alcohol were a factor in the shooting (KION-TV) -- The Monterey County Sheriff's Office confirmed Tuesday that a suspect has been arrested after firing multiple shots from multiple hand- and long guns at 3:25 a.m this happened on the 16000 block of Avery Lane in Prunedale and about 80 animals were murdered as a result of the shooting goats and a variety of other types of birds The Monterey County Sheriff's Office began receiving multiple calls about numerous shots fired in the area team responded due to visibility and terrain limitations Sheriff's deputies said that it took about three hours to located the suspect but that he was taken into custody around 6:30 a.m The suspect is identified as 39-year-old Vicente Joseph Arroyo of Salinas according to the Monterey County Sheriff's Office Arroyo was charged with five felons and his bail went from originally $50,000 to $1,000,000 A curfew was placed on residents in the area while deputies investigated the scene and the order was lifted later Tuesday morning after the suspect's arrest according to the Monterey County Sheriff's Department The sheriff's office also said that Seaside Fire and Gonzalez Police teamed up to locate where the shooting was coming from because the shot echos made it difficult to pin-point Almost all of the animals involved in the shooting died and the SPCA recovered a few injured animals that were later euthanized due to the severity of their injuries "What happened on Tuesday was a tragic situation The SPCA Humane Investigations team assisted the Monterey County Sheriff's Department at the horrific All the animals involved were found deceased except for five severely injured parakeets who needed to be humanely euthanized to end their suffering sad day but we're hoping our work collecting evidence will help the Sheriff's Department with this case and prevent this from happening again." This investigation is ongoing and the sheriff's office is saying that there is currently no threat to the community They said more details will be released as they become available (KION-TV) -- The Monterey County Sheriff's Office said a Prunedale Christian Academy teacher was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor The sheriff's office identified the suspect as Michael Louis Moon they received reports of a sexual assault taking place involving a juvenile and a teacher back on November 7th Moon is listed in the jail log as a 22-year-old on multiple charges Moon was arraigned on Wednesday and pled not guilty according to the Monterey County DA's office They also said that his next court date will be for a criminal protective order hearing on November 19 at 8:30 a.m The DA's office says that Moon is currently being held in custody The sheriff's office said they believe there's more victims in the case Anyone with information is asked to contact the Monterey County Sheriff's Office (KION-TV) -- Drivers may notice lots of litter throughout the stretch of castroville boulevard and dolan roads Sabrina Carrillo is a resident who is frustrated with the way these roads look in Prunedale Just garbage strewn all over both sides of the road And no one wants to see that it's never picked up and it just keeps building and building," Carrillo said Carrillo argues that it has been a consistent problem for the last six years with community members taking matters into their own hands "It becomes a hazard when community members decide to clean it up themselves and they're on the side of the road where it's 55 miles an hour and you can't see them around the corner and it's just endangering other people," Carrillo said Monterey county District 2 Supervisor Glen Church has heard a number of complaints in regard to the litter issue “The county in the last 20 or plus years has really cut back on its litter patrols And that's a part of a problem,” Church said There are also concerns of illegal dumping along with the litter issue Strides have been made to ease some of the littering like raising the fine for the first offense from $1,000 in the area to $2,000 Another litter deterrent is being comes from the county’s litter abatement pilot program to track people who may be illegally dumping "You have to have something that hurts people that are going to go and abuse the things and not be concerned about their neighbors not be concerned about just doing the right thing," Church said Carrillo still hopes something can be done to remedy the issue soon “I know that there's only so much that a supervisor can do in order to fix the issue The supervisor does represent our area and therefore represents us and how we feel And if you keep receiving complaints about it something needs to be done," Carrillo said We also reached out to the Monterey County Public Works who said the county has a litter abatement program to clean the garbage any data involving the abatement program has not been updated on their website since 2020 An 18-year-old Salinas resident has died after being shot during a sideshow event that occurred in the northern part of the county on Saturday according to Monterey County Sheriff's Office sheriff's deputies and California Highway Patrol officers began receiving multiple calls from the area of Prunedale Road South and Blackie Road in the unincorporated part of the county When first responders arrived to the scene The victim was rushed to a local hospital for treatment The victim has been identified as Adrian Puga of Salinas Neighbors say the sideshows and incidences of motorists doing doughnuts have been happening a couple times a week in the area and have increased in frequency over the last two years Active ongoing investigation by Monterey County Sheriff's OfficeMonterey County Sheriff's Office is conducting this active investigation and requests anyone who may have witnessed the incident or may have any information to contact Detective R Callers can remain anonymous when providing information (KION-TV) -- Caltrans announced a project to remove eucalyptus trees on a segment of Highway 101 north of Prunedale near Rocks Road begins on November 3 A single lane of southbound 101 will be closed overnight from the junction of US 101 and Highway 156 East to San Juan Road because of this project CHP is conducting traffic breaks of up to ten minutes on an intermittent basis in addition to the closures drivers can expect delays of up to 30 minutes Caltrans said no work is expected on Friday or Saturday nights (KION-TV) -- Five days after a deadly officer-involved shooting has identified the CHP officer who shot and killed a man while responding to a crash near Prunedale The newly released dashcam video this morning The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office released the identity of the office they say shot and killed a man with a knife on Saturday A newly released video shows CHP Officer Felix Prieto making contact with 42-year-old James Combs The incident took place Saturday evening on Highway 101 and Ralph Lane the video shows Officer Prieto responding to a solo vehicle crash into a guardrail around 7 p.m Officer Prieto then checks on Combs saying “Hey man The D.A.'s office says Combs is then seen walking towards Officer Prieto holding a knife saying "Drop the knife.” Officer Preito could be heard repeating the command multiple times before they moved out of frame Officer Preito reportedly fired two shots at Combs The D.A.'s office says the investigation is ongoing Those with any additional information can call the D.A.'s office Officer Prieto was placed on administrative leave following the shooting says they're investigating a CHP officer for shooting and killing a Salinas man while responding to reports of a crash on Saturday night identified the man as 42-year-old James Frederick Combs the CHP officer arrived at the scene at Highway 101 and Ralph Lane on March 15th The DA's office says that at 6:55 on Saturday the CHP responded to a crash involving one car "The da's analysis is determining if a crime was committed and so we are evaluating a whole range of crimes from a very low-level assault up to first-degree murder and everything in between," said Lana Nassoura Monterey County Assistant District Attorney How many shots were fired and where they landed on his body have not been released The purpose of our analysis and our investigation is to see if the use of force that the officer used amounted to a crime in the penal code," said Nassoura Lana says all the CHP vehicles are equipped with dash cams but was not able to confirm if it captured the incident "It's on the front of the vehicles and it records incidents that happen in front of the vehicle And so if the incident occurred in front of the vehicle and if the dash cam was on there could be potentially video of the incident We will be able to determine any intoxication-controlled substances The DA says the officer's identity will not be released at this time but did tell me he was not injured and will be interviewing him tomorrow That officer has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcoming of the investigation Katie Nicora is the Dayside Producer for KION News Channel 5/46 PRUNEDALE, Calif. (KION-TV) - In the weeks following the Prunedale animal shooting on Sept. 3 that left 81 animals dead new questions are emerging over why it took three hours to apprehend the alleged shooter The quiet Prunedale neighborhood on Avery Lane was rocked that morning by a barrage of bullets could be heard throughout the area “The only thing you're thinking about is just who were in the house," Jason Maynard said Maynard lives next to where officials arrested 39-year-old Vicente Arroyo Investigators said he was shooting for roughly three hours and killing those dozens of animals “Based on the environmental conditions and the darkness very difficult for them to pinpoint where exactly this gunfire was coming from," Monterey County Sheriff's Office PIO Andy Rosas said those challenges lead to them bringing in a swat team as well drones from Seaside Fire “Because of the thick vegetation in that area the drone couldn't actually pinpoint where the threat was coming from," Rosas said the onboard night vision cameras had trouble seeing through the vegetation the limited lightning resulted in the area essentially being pitch black When asked if sheriff's deputies believed people were potentially getting shot at any point “We have to rely heavily on what is being reported to us there was nobody that was reporting to us that their home or that they themselves were being fired upon.” Rosas emphasizes the report came in as “shots heard” as opposed to an “active shooter” While the suspect is in custody and the investigation continues that's not something that we've been able to obtain at this point” without injuring themselves or causing any any more damage," Maynard said This small Prunedale community continuing their own recovery building a memorial for the 81 animals lost According to the district attorney’s office 2 to further determine his mental competency to stand trial Detectives continue to ask the public for help in solving the case of murdered Salinas teen 9 in the North Monterey County community of Prunedale "The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office is informing the public that no arrests have been made in the Prunedale sideshow homicide case," said the Sheriff's Office in a press release "Although there has been social media chatter about another arrest that case is unrelated to our murder investigation." A GoFundMe has been set up by Puga's family to seek donations for funeral arrangements for the North Salinas High School graduate "It's a tragic loss for our whole family," wrote Michelle Puga "We are asking for any kind of donations to help us to put our brother to rest; we appreciate in advance any help." Homicide probe: Salinas teen shot dead at weekend sideshow in Prunedale sheriff's deputies responded to the area of Prunedale Road South and Blackie Road Neighbors say the area has become a popular site for young people to hold sideshows and do donuts over the last couple years and have gained in frequency over recent weeks before the fatal shooting they located Puga who had sustained an apparent gunshot wound Puga was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries Video of the incident has been circulating of the incident on social media and Monterey County Sheriff’s Detectives continue to ask the public to contact them with any information or photos the public may have of the Prunedale sideshow "We encourage anyone with information to please come forward as we continue our efforts into locating those responsible for Adrian Puga’s tragic death," sheriff's officials stated 2025 – Monterey County Sheriff’s Office officials report that the SWAT team has arrested Frederick Pierce age 83 after a 6 ½ hour standoff at a Prunedale home MCSO deputies attempted to serve Frederick Pierce a civil eviction from the 16000 block of Avery Lane Pierce failed to comply with the order and went back into the residence Deputies retreated from the residence and no further action was taken that day Detectives learned Pierce was a convicted felon with multiple firearms registered to him MCSO Detectives got an arrest warrant for Pierce for charges felon in possession of firearm and violating a court order Multiple attempts to take Pierce into custody away from his home were made with negative results Detectives also obtained a search warrant for Pierce’s residence after they learned he was likely in possession of a stolen firearm Additional attempts were made to arrest Pierce outside of his home the MCSO SWAT team conducted an operation to serve an arrest warrant on the residence to take Pierce into custody accompanied by Monterey County Behavioral Health were on scene and established contact with Pierce by phone it became evident he was not going to exit and SWAT team members made entry into the residence It was later determined during the arrest; Pierce had thrown a knife at SWAT team members but did not injure anyone Pierce also fought with SWAT team members before being arrested without further incident He sustained minor injuries and was treated at a local medical facility One MCSO SWAT team member sustained a minor injury during this operation as the door was breached open and was treated at a local medical facility Pierce was booked into the Monterey County Jail for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition He was also booked on his outstanding arrest warrant Source & photos: Monterey County Sheriff’s Office (KION-TV) -- The Monterey County Sheriff's Office said that around 12 p.m they received reports of damage consistent with gunshots fired into two RVs in one Prunedale camp ground in the 8700 block they received calls of two to six shots fired near the Park-And-Ride on Prunedale North Road It wasn't until Tuesday that reports of damage were called in One person reported that they thought they saw gunshots coming from a vehicle on Highway 156 They said there were no additional damage or injuries reported These reports come after homes in the Prunedale area were burgled on Sunday The sheriff's office is asking anyone who might have further information or notices any damage to their own property Monterey County Sheriff’s Office Held a Press Conference to Announce Significant Development in the Shooting Death of 18-Year-Old Adrian Puga During Prunedale Sideshow  2025 – Monterey County Sheriff Tina Nieto held a press conference on Friday to announce that a 17-year-old juvenile from Sacramento (pictured below on the right) has been arrested for the murder of 18-year-old Adrian Puga of Salinas Sheriff Nieto made the announcement before members of Adrian Puga’s family and members of the media that were present the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office and California Highway Patrol received multiple calls from the area of Prunedale Road South and Blackie Road for a report of a person that had been shot during a vehicle sideshow Monterey County Sheriff’s Deputies and CHP Officers located a single victim who had sustained gunshot injuries identified as 18-year-old Adrian Puga of Salinas (pictured above in left and middle photos) was transported to a local hospital for treatment where he later died of his injuries Related: Monterey County Sheriff Seeks Public’s Help with Information in Active Homicide Investigation at Prunedale Sideshow Sheriff Nieto stated that Monterey County Sheriff detectives immediately began investigating this incident including videos of the incident were provided by members of the community Detectives were able to determine that a sideshow event had taken place in the area and that it involved several persons of interest in the Sacramento area to include some at locations in the Sacramento area These search warrants led to the identity of the person responsible for Adrian Puga’s death the Sacramento Police Department’s SWAT team assisted in arresting a 17-year-old male suspect That juvenile has been extradited to Monterey County and has been booked into Juvenile Hall for one count of 187 PC Related: Monterey County Detectives Investigating Shooting at Vehicle Sideshow in Prunedale that Left an 18-Year-Old Salinas Man Dead Source & photos: Monterey County Sheriff's Office