Turlock council candidate files restraining orders after being sued for defamation
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Coelho files two restraining orders while a teacher sued her for defamation.
- Judge denied Coelho's restraining order request against the substitute teacher.
- Defamation case and civil harassment hearing are set for spring 2026.
Turlock City Council candidate Kelley Coelho has filed two restraining orders — one against a Turlock Facebook group administrator and the other against the substitute teacher suing her for defamation. The latter was denied.
Coelho, an Army veteran and private investigator, is running to represent District 1.
“You guys might think that I’m going to stop my race because all of this stuff. Trust me, you guys are only giving me the fuel to keep running, and I might just jump for your spot, Mayor Bublak,” Coelho said Tuesday night, addressing the City Council.
Coelho filed the restraining order Feb. 2 against Vance Yarbrough, whom she has publicly accused of sexually harassing her daughter at Turlock Junior High School.
During a teaching assignment at TJHS in October, Yarbrough tried to have Coelho’s daughter removed from class for being disruptive. When the student tried to leave the classroom before campus security arrived, Yarbrough stood in the doorway and told her she needed to stay. The student alleged that Yarbrough grabbed her chest and waist and would not let her leave, according to court documents.
A police investigation determined no crime had been committed. Still, Coelho posted on multiple social media accounts accusing Yarbrough of sexual assault and alleging the school district covered it up in coordination with law enforcement.
In response, Yarbrough filed a defamation lawsuit against Coelho in December 2025, alleging her accusations damaged his future employment prospects and exposed him to potential physical harm.
Following a hearing Feb. 20 — during which the judge questioned Coelho’s daughter about her interactions with Yarbrough — the court denied the request for a restraining order against him.
“Court made no finding as to whether improper physical force was used. ... And the Court found insufficient risk of future harm,” reads the court documents.
A disclosure noted that Judge John Mayne, who is overseeing the case, was previously Facebook friends with Turlock police Officer Juan Arroyo, who investigated the alleged assault involving Coelho’s daughter. Mayne is also presiding over Coelho’s restraining order case against the Facebook group administrator.
Coelho filed a complaint stating she plans to appeal the case, alleging the judge refused to hear her testimony and declined to consider key evidence, including body camera footage.
She also cited a potential conflict of interest with Mayne and Arroyo being former Facebook friends and also noted that Turlock City Vice Mayor Rebecka Monez’s office is on the courthouse’s fifth floor.
Coelho requested that Mayne be removed from her cases.
“Although the requests were denied, my decision to file was based on documented concerns and my responsibility to protect my family,” Coelho told The Bee. “I respect the legal process and will continue addressing these matters lawfully and transparently.”
Dustin Dyer, Yarbrough’s attorney, said Coelho has a pattern of crying corruption when things don‘t go her way — first with the investigation at TJHS and now with the judge.
“She makes factually unsupported allegations that are proven to be unsupported, and then she says that … corruption is the only reason that she’s not getting what she wants,” Dyer said.
As for the defamation lawsuit, court documents show Coelho asked the court to dismiss Yarbrough’s complaint with prejudice and to award her legal costs and fees. She denied all allegations in the complaint.
A case management conference for the defamation lawsuit has been scheduled for April 13 at 9 a.m.
Accusations of corruption
During Tuesday’s Turlock City Council meeting, Coelho used the public comment period to criticize Police Chief Jason Hedden for commenting about her minor daughter’s case on Facebook back in November.
“You need to hold him accountable, plain and simple,” Coelho said. “If he was on my watch, he would have been terminated.”
She also called for Arroyo to be held accountable for allegedly covering up the investigation of her daughter.
In November, Hedden commented on a Facebook post about Coelho, tagging her and writing, “You can’t expect us to take you at your word that you have ‘evidence’ when you have given us nothing. … For lack of better terms, ‘put up or shut up!’”
In a statement to The Bee, Hedden said, “Ms. Coelho can make whatever claims she wants about me, but calling my officers corrupt is flat wrong. When they’re out there doing things right, I will stand shoulder to shoulder with them every single time.”
Restraining order sought against Facebook group admin
Coelho filed another civil harassment restraining order this month on behalf of herself and her two daughters against Ron Bridegroom, the administrator of the “SAVE TURLOCK” Facebook group, alleging defamation, online harassment, stalking and cyberstalking dating back to October.
The group has about 3,200 members and is primarily managed by Bridegroom, who shares city updates and his political opinions.
Bridegroom has posted about Coelho a couple of times, mainly criticizing her claims and her run for City Council. In turn, Coelho has accused Bridegroom of being paid by politicians to operate his platform and control the narrative, which he has denied.
“To be very clear, I receive no money or [any] other form of compensation for what I do here on Save Turlock or at City Council meetings, interacting with City Staff, our elected Officials at City Hall or the County,” Bridegroom posted in November. “I do not get paid to put out a narrative.”
In the police report, Coelho said that in addition to causing emotional distress to her and her daughter, her reputation as a City Council candidate was harmed by Bridegroom’s harassment.
“Despite not engaging with the suspect and taking steps to block them, [Bridegroom] has continued to create or use additional accounts and has encouraged others to target and harass me online,” Coelho wrote in the police report.
Her request for temporary orders was denied pending hearing because Coelho’s claims did not sufficiently show it to be a serious threat or cause of substantial emotional distress. A civil harassment for this case is scheduled for March 17.
Bridegroom did not respond to The Bee’s request for comment as of Thursday afternoon.
Coelho also has a lawsuit with state Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil, which she filed in June, alleging the senator directed a law enforcement officer to forcibly remove her from a press conference. Coelho alleges that this was in retaliation for her “vocal, persistent criticism of [Alvarado-Gil’s] performance as an elected official.”
In response to the complaint, Alvarado-Gil denied every allegation and demanded a jury trial.
This story was originally published February 26, 2026 at 4:00 PM.
