Latest reporting from the Public Safety desk.
Public Safety
A storm system hitting the Central Coast on Wednesday, Oct. 21, brings a rare 2–4% tornado probability near Big Sur, waterspout risk and debris-flow danger near the Timber and Plaskett fire burn scars, prompting urgent safety warnings for Monterey County residents.
Public Safety
A low-pressure system arriving Tuesday evening is expected to bring up to three-quarters of an inch of rain to Monterey County through Thursday, with the National Weather Service warning of debris-flow risk near the Timber and Plaskett fire burn scars south of Big Sur and hazardous surf along the coast.
Public Safety
View MoreMonterey County prosecutors charged Ofelia Garcia Ortega, 36, with two felonies and two misdemeanors in connection with the Baby Angelita investigation, alleging she used forged documents to put her 14-year-old daughter to work and kept the girl out of school.
Public Safety
View MoreThe Monterey County Sheriff's Office confirmed Sunday that a 14-year-old girl was rescued in Mexico and her father, Sergio Galvez Perez, was arrested during the operation. Galvez Perez faces three felony counts in Monterey County Superior Court connected to the Baby Angelita investigation.
Public Safety
View MoreThe Timber Fire jumped 29 percentage points in containment over the weekend, and the Monterey County Sheriff's Office lifted evacuation warnings for 11 zones, while the nearby Plaskett Fire reached 99% containment with command transferring back to Los Padres National Forest.
Public Safety
View MoreThe Pacific Grove Police Department's weekly media log for Sept. 19-26 recorded 22 incidents, including a death investigation on Lincoln Avenue, a DUI arrest on Asilomar Avenue, a domestic battery report and phone harassment charges.
Public Safety
View MoreHighway 1 reopened Monday through Big Sur between mile markers 11.1 and 19.0, and the Monterey County Sheriff's Office lifted evacuation warnings for five Plaskett Fire zones while downgrading three others from orders to warnings.
Public Safety
View MoreThe Monterey County Sheriff's Office downgraded the Plaskett Fire evacuation order to a warning for two Big Sur zones on Friday, Sept. 11, while Highway 1 remains closed between Kirk Creek and Los Burros Road and a virtual evacuation point operates from the Carmel Valley Branch Library.
Public Safety
View MoreMore than 100 California sea lions have been sickened by domoic acid poisoning along Monterey Bay in 2026, overwhelming the Marine Mammal Center's Castroville triage office with up to 600 hotline calls a day and prompting safety warnings for beachgoers at Del Monte Beach, Seaside and other local shores.
Public Safety
View MoreMonterey County District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni issued a statement calling a 14-year-old girl a victim of abuse in the Moss Landing infant death case, contradicting the Sheriff's Office, while the Board of Supervisors prepares for a Sept. 22 vote on a $2.8 million Flock camera contract that drew unanimous public opposition.
Public Safety
View MoreThe Plaskett Fire in Big Sur reached 61% containment on Sept. 9 after burning nearly 30,000 acres, but Cal Fire warns dry fuels could revive the blaze as a heat advisory grips the Central Coast and air quality warnings extend to downwind Peninsula communities.
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