“This was a proactive approach to public safety, helping to make the foothill and mountain communities in Fresno County safer for residents and visitors.  Using the resources of local, state and federal law enforcement officers provides added expertise and protection to the operation and law enforcement.”

CSLEA President Alan Barcelona

FRESNO COUNTY – On July 15,2026, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office conducted a Gold Star Operation in various foothill and mountain communities such as Prather, Auberry, Tollhouse and Shaver Lake.

This proactive operation was comprised of approximately 130 personnel from 17 local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, including California State Parks and California Department of fish and Wildlife.  The law enforcement officers were divided into several teams and given assignments to track down dozens of people, including probationers, parolees, arson registrants, sex registrants and wanted fugitives.

At the end of the operation, the law enforcement officers visited 41 locations, conducted nine probation searches, two parole searches and made 12 arrests.

Some of the most notable arrests included:

Mark Cruz, 36, of Auberry for outstanding warrants out of Clovis for evading police, ramming a police car and illegal possession of firearms.

Ronnie Lovejoy, 26, of Friant for outstanding warrants for parole violation and illegal possession of weapons.

Adrian Johnson, 44, of Auberry for outstanding warrants for domestic violence and illegal possession of weapons.

This operation not only provided a public safety service to the residents of northeastern Fresno County, but it also helped foster a better working relationship between different law enforcement personnel. The benefits are that officers can share information, improve communication as a team and offer added protection to one another when contacting potentially danger individuals.

The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office extended its appreciation to following Gold Star allied agencies for their assistance.

• Fresno Police Department

• Clovis Police Department

• California Highway Patrol

• Fresno County Probation

• California Department of Parks & Recreation

• National Forest Service

• Reedley Police Department

• Selma Police Department

• U.S. Marshals Service

• Sanger Police Department

• Madera County Sheriff’s Office

• Fresno County DA Investigators

• CDCR – Parole Agents

• California Department of Fish & Wildlife

• Coalinga Police Department

• Kingsburg Police Department