Merced County Sheriff's Office

What a great evening at the Hilmar Dairy Festival! 🐄🚁🎆

Our team had the opportunity to connect with hundreds of community members throughout the night. Visitors got an up-close look at our helicopter, toured our new Command Post, explored the SWAT vehicle, and met members of our team!

The evening was filled with great conversations, community connections, and plenty of smiles, all topped off by an incredible fireworks show that was a huge hit. Thank you to everyone who stopped by to visit with us, we always enjoy being part of this amazing community!

OFFICIAL STATEMENT: CLARIFICATION REGARDING MAY 26 ARREST

The Merced County Sheriff’s Office is issuing a clarification to correct misinformation circulating online regarding a recent arrest at the John Latorraca Correctional Center located on Sandy Mush Road. The individual arrested is not a Deputy Sheriff and has never been employed by or affiliated with the Merced County Sheriff’s Office or Merced County.

On May 26, 2026, 66-year-old private investigator Darren Hise arrived at the John Latorraca Correctional Center to speak with an incarcerated individual. Mr. Hise had been court-contracted to assist this individual, who is currently representing themselves.

During a routine search inside the facility, custodial deputies located six concealed bindles hidden in Mr. Hise's waistband. Inside the bundles, deputies discovered approximately 150 grams of concentrated cannabis and approximately 30 grams of to***co.

Mr. Hise was immediately arrested and booked into the Merced County Jail on the following charges, knowingly bringing drugs and contraband into a correctional facility transportation of concentrated cannabis, conspiracy to commit a felony and gang enhancements.
This remains an ongoing investigation. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office.

Please direct all media requests to Public Information Officer Alexandra Garcia: [email protected] (209) 875-2385

What a great day at the Merced Western Days Rodeo Kick-Off!

Our team had a fantastic time meeting community members, answering questions, and being part of this year’s celebration at Bob Hart Square. Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth to say hi! We always appreciate the opportunity to connect with the people we serve!

We hope everyone enjoyed the festivities, and we’re looking forward to seeing you at the rodeo at The Merced County Fair next week! 🐎

At 1:58 am today, Deputies responded to a shooting at Valley Oak Lane and Cottonwood Court in Planada. Deputies learned the victim’s vehicle had been shot at by 20-year-old Aaron Barragan Gonzalez. The victim was not injured during the incident. Gonzalez, along with 32-year-old Ari Gonzalez Cardenas and a juvenile who was believed to be associated with the incident, fled into a residence in the 200 block of Zarate Court. After Deputies arrived at the residence, Cardenas surrendered and was arrested. The Merced Sheriff’s Office SWAT team responded to assist in serving a search warrant on the residence. While on scene, Deputies learned that Gonzalez and the juvenile were spotted nearby. Gonzalez was located and arrested without incident.

Gonzalez was booked into the Merced County Jail for assault with a deadly weapon, felon in possession of a firearm, brandishing a firearm, participating in a criminal street gang, and probation violation. Cardenas was also booked into the Merced County Jail for conspiracy to commit a crime and participating in a criminal street gang. This remains an ongoing investigation. Anyone with information regarding this incident can contact the Merced County Sheriff’s Office at 209.385.7472. Callers may remain confidential.

It was a big morning at the Merced County Sheriff's Office as we celebrated several well-deserved promotions and welcomed new members to our team!

Congratulations to Captain Salacup, Lieutenant Becerra, Sergeant Ramirez, and Sergeant Cullum on their promotions! Each of these individuals has put in countless hours serving our community, and we're excited to see them continue their careers in their new roles.

We also had the honor of swearing in three new members to our Sheriff's Office family: Dispatcher Betzaida Mendoza, Custodial Deputy Arnulfo Rocha, and Deputy Coroner Joshua Montemayor. We are excited to have them on board and look forward to the impact they'll make as they begin their careers with our agency.

Congratulations to all of today's promotees and new hires. Thank you for your commitment to serving Merced County. We're proud to have you on our team! 👏👏

This morning, Deputy Dhami and his partner, K9 Bingo, had the opportunity to attend the Annual College & Career Day at Ada Givens Elementary School!

Hundreds of students were excited to hear from Deputy Dhami about what a typical day on patrol looks like alongside Bingo, along with some fun stories and memorable moments from the job. A big thank you to Merced City School District for inviting us out to be part of such a fun and meaningful day!⭐

All smiles from K9 Nikko and our team at Castle’s Open Cockpit day! We had a great time connecting with our community and checking out some awesome aircraft. Sergeant Domingue and Deputy Ezraeelo showed off some K9 training gear for the community to check out!

Merced County Sheriff's Animal Services Bureau was also on-site with dogs for adoption, as well as our aviation team! 🐾

Thanks for having us Castle Air Museum! ✈️👏

Happy Friday!

Earlier today, Deputy Torres, Shelton, and Alsup attended Joe Stefani Elementary School in Merced for their Annual Career Day. Students enjoyed asking questions about their careers on patrol and in specialty assignments like SRT, SWAT, and K9. K9 Cooper got some love today, too! The students enjoyed seeing him and learning about his job with Deputy Alsup! 👏

Today, Custodial Deputies Pulido and Sanchez attended Los Banos Elementary for their Career Fair! Students enjoyed asking many questions and learning more about potential career opportunities in our jail facilities! We love being able to impact the lives of children in our community! 👏👏👏

Earlier today, Deputy Garcia and Deputy Torres attended “Careers on Wheels” at Planada Elementary School, where they had the opportunity to show off their DIVE gear and educate students on the importance of water safety!

Both deputies also serve as divers on our Water Rescue and Recovery Team, responding to water-related emergencies throughout Merced County. Thank you to Planada Elementary for inviting us out to connect with students and share a little about what we do! ⭐