Ceres police detectives have arrested a suspect in connection with the March 31 stabbing of two Turlock men behind Sweet Lu's Bar at 3014 Fourth St., Ceres.
The victims in the 1:12 a.m. attack are both recovering. A 22-year-old Turlock man was stabbed eight times and his 23-year-old friend stabbed twice.
Detectives learned that the victims entered the bar at 1 a.m. with a 20-year-old Turlock woman who was to meet with a former co-worker, John Paul Lopez Jr., 33, of Modesto. A short time later the two groups separated. As Lopez made his way out of the bar, the Turlock women made a comment to Lopez that inspired an argument between them, said Sgt. Jose Berber. The older victim asked Lopez to back off and stop insulting the woman and after a heated exchange, Lopez challenged the man to a fight outside in the back of the bar. Lopez and the victim met outside where a fight ensued. Fearing that Lopez would harm the victim, the woman came back inside the bar and asked the younger victim to help his friend.
The 22-year-old joined the fight. Lopez allegedly produced a knife and cut and stabbed the 22-year-old man eight times. The 23-year-old Turlock man was stabbed twice.
Both men were transported to a local hospital for treatment of their non-life threatening injuries and have been released from the hospital.
Lopez was arrested and booked at the Stanislaus County Jail for two counts of attempted murder. Detectives know an unidentified man tried to separate the 23-year-old Turlock man and Lopez before the stabbing occurred. They are encouraging this individual or any witnesses who have information in reference to this incident to contact Detective Derek Perry at 538-5730.
• WALMART THEFT GETS DANGEROUS: CERES - A 36-year-old Modesto woman was arrested Wednesday, April 3 after she allegedly pulled a knife and threatened to kill a security officer attempted to stop her from stealing a television from the Ceres Walmart store.
The security officer called 911 at 4 p.m. after he watched Tanya Shanklin, 36, of Modesto, pulling a cart out the door of the garden department entrance with a 32-inch Emerson flat screen TV and cleaning supplies. The guard confronted Shanklin who pulled a knife and threatened to kill him.
Officer Jeremy Lewis found Shanklin in the parking lot and arrested her on charges of robbery and making death threats.
• FALSE CRIME REPORTED TO GET POLICE AWAY FROM TRESPASSING SUSPECT: CERES - Police say that a woman called 9-1-1 to falsely report a shooting at another location in an attempt to lure police from the house where she was hiding during a trespassing investigation.
Officers were at a vacant home in the 1800 block of Walnut Avenue at noon on Wednesday, April 3. The house's interior has been "destroyed" by squatters who have broken into the structure by homeless people, said Lt. Brent Smith. Damage to the house includes removal of electrical wiring and the wood flooring. Police cleared the scene and were outside the house when 9-1-1 dispatchers received a call from a woman on a cell phone who claimed she was shot while at McDonald's on Morgan Road, even making up that she was shot from someone in a black SUV that was westbound on Whitmore Avenue on its way to Crows Landing. When officers learned that no one had been shot, they suspected the call was a lure to get officers away from the Walnut Avenue house.
A police canine was placed inside the house in an attempt to flush out any suspects inside when officers heard a voice of a woman coming from a cabinet giving herself up. Police found transient Jennifer Gibbons Sharp, 31, with a cell phone in her hand that matched the phone that made the 9-1-1 call.
Described as a parolee at large, Sharp was booked for falsely reporting a crime and parole violations.
• DRUG APPARATUS FOUND IN CAR STOP: CERES - An April 2 car stop ended with the arrest of the driver on drug charges.
Officer Lorenzo Beltran stopped a car in the 1600 block of Redwood Road at 4:30 p.m. Suspecting the car to contain drugs, Beltran asked for Officer Joe Wren to bring canine Zeus who sniffed out something hidden in the console. Police found a hypodermic syringe and meth pipe and then booked driver Jeremy Goodman, 21, of Modesto, on possession of drug paraphernalia.
• DUI CRASH ON OVERPASS: CERES - A crash on the Pine Street/ Highway 99 overpass on Thursday evening, April 4 ended with a driver being arrested for drunken driving.
The crash occurred at 6:05 p.m., when Anthony Ruben Marin, 27, of Ceres, was westbound in a silver Acura and veered into the path of an eastbound Toyota Tundra. Marin told police that he looked down at his cell phone at the time of the crash but officers observed him showing signs of alcohol intoxication.
He was taken to Doctors Medical Center in Modesto for the drawing of a blood sample to determine blood alcohol content and then arrested for DUI.
The crash was non-injury.
• FIGHT ENDS IN DUI ARREST: CERES - A report of a Thursday fight between a driver of a black Jaguar and a resident of the 1900 block of Glen Harbor Drive led to the arrest of the car for drunken driving.
Police showed up after the 11:04 p.m. call was made and found Frank Gray, 45, of Modesto showing signs of being drunk. He refused to take a field sobriety test and so was arrested and taken to Doctors Medical Center in Modesto for the drawing of a blood sample to determine blood alcohol content and an arrest for suspicion of DUI.
• RIDE OF TWO MEN ENDS IN ALCOHOL ARREST: CERES - Two allegedly intoxicated men were arrested Friday morning after their car was stopped by an officer who spotted it weaving down Hatch Road.
Officer Kiashira Ruiz stopped Driver Daniel McGill, 29, of Modesto, who was driving a white 2005 Hyundai Elan at 1:59 a.m. At one point the car nearly side collided with the patrol car. When Officer Ruiz pulled the car over near Les Schwab Tires, the driver collided into the curb.
McGill failed a field sobriety test and was taken to Doctors Medical Center for a blood sample to be drawn. He was arrested on suspicion of DUI.
Passenger Frank Shamblain, 28, was arrested for public intoxication.
