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CAR TIED TO TURLOCK SHOOTING FOUND: The getaway car police believe was used in the shooting death of Roger Villanueva, 26, of Turlock has been recovered, according to the Turlock Police Department. The white 2005 Nissan Altima has been sent to the Department of Justice laboratory in Ripon for processing, police said. The suspects in the shooting remain at large. Alvaro "Tito" Saldana, 23, and Raymond "Raymo" Gutierrez Jr., 28, both of Turlock, are believed by authorities to have lured Villanueva from a May 25 barbecue to the back yard of an abandoned Angelus Street home before shooting him multiple times, police said. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Brandon Bertram at 668-5550, ext. 6623, or leave an anonymous tip by calling CrimeStoppers at 521-4636.
BUILDINGS SPARED FROM GRASS FIRE: Firefighters put out a fast-moving grass fire Saturday afternoon just south of Kansas Avenue and west of Highway 99 before the flames reached nearby homes and a motel, according to the Modesto Fire Department. No injuries were reported, and the fire did not damage any structures, said Modesto Fire Battalion Chief Hugo Patino. Gusty northerly winds moved the fire quickly, so firefighters preplanned access routes and defensive strategies to protect the nearby structures. The blaze torched about an acre of dry yellow grass on a vacant lot between the Travelodge motel at 722 Kansas Ave. and the homes along Loletta Avenue to the south. The vacant lot drops into a steep embankment that meets the Highway 99 southbound lanes, where the fire burned some dry grass. Smoke stalled traffic for a few minutes, but California Highway Patrol officers kept drivers moving through the area safely as firefighters worked on the blaze. Firefighters had the fire under control in 27 minutes, Patino said. The cause and origin of the fire had not been determined.
CORONER'S OFFICE LOOKS FOR KIN OF MAN CRUSHED BY CAR: Stanislaus County coroner's officials were looking Saturday for the family of a man who died Friday after a car, held up by makeshift jacks, collapsed onto him. Francisco Nevarez, 47, died at a Modesto hospital because of injuries from the collapse. Stanislaus County sheriff's detectives said it appeared Nevarez was trying to steal the tires and rims of a parked Cadillac in south Modesto. The detectives say they believe the makeshift jacks failed and caused the vehicle to move toward Nevarez, crushing him. Coroner's officials said they have two aliases for Nevarez, but have had no luck in finding his family. Nevarez also is known as Jose Nunez and Jose Francisco Linares, officials said. Sheriff's officials said Nevarez was a transient who lived in the Modesto area. As of Saturday afternoon, coroner's officials had not determined where Nevarez lived originally. Officials ask members of Nevarez's family to call the coroner's office at 567-4500.
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