FBI Seeking Seven Indicted Gang Members Wanted for Gun and Drug Offenses

The FBI is asking for the public’s help to locate seven men indicted in federal court for charges including narcotics trafficking and firearms offenses in Kern County. The indictments are culmination of a lengthy investigation by the Kern County Violent Crime Gang Task Force, an FBI task force comprised of the Bakersfield Police Department, Kern County Sheriff’s Office, California Highway Patrol and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

In November, 19 individuals were federally indicted and arrested during a sweep. The seven indicted yet still at large are believed to be in California, possibly in Fresno County, Kern County and Los Angeles County.

Names and ages of the seven wanted by the FBI are as follows:

■Joseph Gage, 36

■James Jerome Gage, 32
■Stacy Hodges, 39
■Deondray MacGregory, 37
■Tyrone Leon Paul, 33
■Sidney Walker, Sr., 36
■Tony Wright, 36

Photos of each of the men are here.

Individuals with information regarding whereabouts of these individuals are asked to contact the FBI in Bakersfield at (661) 323-9665 or the Kern County Sheriff’s Office at (661) 861-3110 or the Bakersfield Police Department (661) 327-7111. Tips may also be sent electronically to https://tips.fbi.gov.

California Man Arrested in Kidnapping of Mother from Oregon

Kern County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 55-year-old Marshall Goldberg Friday at about 4:15 p.m. at a motel in Frazier Park, California. Goldberg’s 85-year-old mother, Doris, was found safe. She is undergoing a medical evaluation at a nearby hospital this evening. Doris Goldberg was considered endangered because she has Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Frazier Park is about an hour south of Bakersfield.

Deputies were alerted to Goldberg’s location after some citizens, who had seen the recent publicity about this case, contacted them and told the deputies that they believed Goldberg was staying at that motel. Goldberg faces charges kidnapping, custodial interference and contempt of court charges out of Jackson County (Oregon) for taking his mother from her Ashland home in May. The FBI recently obtained a federal fugitive warrant for Goldberg.

Goldberg is in the Kern County Jail. In the coming days, it will be up to Jackson County authorities to arrange Goldberg’s extradition back to Oregon.

Bakersfield Man Charged with Lasering Sheriff Helicopter

FRESNO, CA—United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment today charging Jeffrey Lee Gentry, 33, of Bakersfield, with interfering with the safe operation of a Kern County Sheriff’s Department helicopter by shining a hand-held laser into the cockpit.

The case is the product of a joint investigation conducted by the FBI, the Bakersfield Police Department, and the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, as part of the Bakersfield Laser Strike Working Group (LSWG). The LSWG investigates laser strike cases and includes the U.S. Attorney’s Office, FBI, Transportation Security Administration (TSA), California Highway Patrol, Kern County District Attorney’s Office, Kern County Airport Police, Kern County Sheriff’s Office, Kern County Fire Department, Bakersfield Police Department, and Bakersfield Fire Department. It was created in early 2010 in response to numerous incidents in Bakersfield involving lasers aimed at aircraft cockpits. Assistant United States Attorney Karen A. Escobar is prosecuting the case.

Court documents and hearings in this case indicate that on November 6, 2010, a powerful green laser beam tracked a Kern County Sheriff’s Department helicopter during a routine patrol in Bakersfield. The beam struck the cockpit four times while the aircraft was flying 500 feet above the ground and temporarily blinded and disoriented the pilot and spotter, causing the aircraft to veer off course. The pilot and spotter were able to pinpoint the origin of the laser beam to Gentry’s residence, where Bakersfield Police officers found Gentry, who retrieved the laser from within his residence and handed it over to the officers.

Lasers, an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation, pose a safety hazard to flight operations. The focused beams of a laser light remain powerful at extended viewing distances and can expose pilots to radiation levels above those considered to be flight safe. Brief exposure to even a relatively low-powered laser beam can cause discomfort and temporary visual impairments, such as glare, flash blind, and afterimages. The effect is amplified when the viewer is wearing goggles or eyeglasses. Both the pilot and spotter were wearing night vision goggles at the time of this incident. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), incidents involving laser illumination of aircraft occur daily and occur with significantly higher frequency in the Western Pacific Region.

U.S. Attorney Wagner stated, “The lasering of an aircraft is a serious offense, which compromises the safety of flight crews and passengers and can cause significant damage to their vision.”

Gentry is scheduled to appear for arraignment on the indictment before a United States Magistrate Judge in Fresno on Friday, March 4, 2011. He is in custody.

If convicted, Gentry faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory sentencing factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

The charge is only an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Anyone with information regarding the lasering of an aircraft should contact the FBI. The number for the Bakersfield Office of the FBI is (661) 323- 9665.

Closing in on 800 books

Police-Writers.com, a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books added three police officers who have brought the total number of books by police officers to nearly 800. Added where Victor Cass, William Nikkel and Jack Mullen.

In 1991, Victor Cass joined the Pasadena Police Department. An artist and writer, Victor is a graduate of the Art Center College of Design. In addition to his duties as a police officer, he has created a diverse portfolio of artwork; designing the cover of the Pasadena Police Department’s “Pasadena Welcomes the World” pamphlet for World Cup Soccer matches at the Rose Bowl to having original paintings exhibited a prestigious art galleries. From 1994 to 1997, Victor Cass served as a patrol officer and a Community Policing Officer. In 1998, he was promoted to detective; and, in the same year designed the official logo for the XXXIII California Police Summer Games.

Victor Cass’ published his first book, Love, Death, and Other War Stories: Tales of Crime and Punishment in the Wild West, in 2005. According to the book description, “What the beautiful people don’t know can hurt them, as the bodies pile up in Pasadena.”

William A. Nikkel, a detective with the Kern County Sheriff’s Department (California) wrote Isle of Bones. According to one reviewer, “We are introduced to Jake Stone , a cop who's been through the trenches and wants some peace in his life. Unfortunately, trouble won't leave him be and we ride with Jake to see when, and if, he'll live to drink another Carta Blanca. First off, I have to say what I liked best about this book is how well William A. Nikkel sets the scene. You almost feel like you're at the bar or on the deck of a boat in the dock. Secondly, though it's not the first time we've seen a lonely character down on his luck, you will find yourself pulling for Stone to get out of the way of danger.”

Jack Mullen is a retired sergeant from the San Diego Police Department. He has written two novels: Behind the Shield, In the Line of Duty and Behind the Shield 10cc. On reviewer of Behind the Shield wrote, “Vincent Dowling is a fascinating, fully developed character who should live on in a long series of novels by this talented storyteller. Ex-cop Jack Mullen knows his businesses -- homicide investigation and writing -- and the result is a gripping plot, wonderful characters, a tight story, a lot of insight into the police world. In short, a great read. I want to see more by Jack Mullen.” Jack retired to the State of Washington.

Police-Writers.com now hosts 356 police officers (representing 148 police departments) and their 790 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.