Jerry

Upon arrival, contact was made with 75 year old Ruth Goble who had also been injured during the incident. She directed deputies to a back bedroom where William Ivan Goble was found deceased. He had been the victim of a gunshot wound to the torso.

Earlier, Mrs. Goble had been standing in the kitchen area of her residence when she saw a small red car pull into their driveway. Mrs. Goble thought that the car belonged to a former neighbor. When no one came to the front door, Mrs. Goble walked into the garage and saw the vehicle parked in the driveway. She saw that there were three subjects seated in the vehicle and called out to them to see if they were lost. Mrs. Goble was then immediately grabbed from behind and dragged back into the garage. While she struggled with the subject, the other three ran past her into the house through the garage door. Mrs. Goble was then dragged back into the house and thrown to the kitchen floor. She continued to struggle with the subject and at one point, bit him in the finger. The subject then struck her in the head with a handgun he was holding. Moments later, all of the subjects ran out of the house through the garage door.

Two pieces of jewelry were found at the scene. The first, a gold colored nugget type bracelet was located under Mr. Goble’s body. The second, a gold colored ring with a square, green colored stone in the center, was located in the driveway where the red car had been parked.

It was also later determined that Mr. Goble’s money clip had been stolen. It was described as having an older silver dollar on the clip itself, and another older silver dollar in the clip.

The subsequent investigation revealed that all four suspects were black males in their late teens to early twenties, and that the vehicle was a small or mid sized, red colored four door vehicle.

As the investigation progressed, it started to focus on four individuals who matched the descriptions given by Mrs. Goble.

On May 10, 2000, detectives arrested 23 year old Steven Andre Barber as being one of the suspects involved in Mr. Goble’s murder. Barber was held in custody through the preliminary hearing. Right before trial, he was released as the District Attorney’s Office did not feel there was enough evidence to get a guilty verdict. He remains free today.

It should be mentioned that during the time of the murder, there were several other take over style robberies and shootings in and around Fresno with similar suspects involved. Less than a week before the murder, four African American males were responsible for a home invasion robbery that occurred in an Easton area home. During that robbery, one of the suspects held a gun to a teenagers head while the other three stole items from the house. In March of 2006, four home invasion robberies were reported, one of which resulted in a homicide. At least two of those incidents involved suspects reported to be African American males.

Friends of the Gobles put together a reward fund of $5000 in an effort to help find the persons responsible for Mr. Goble’s death. The State Governor’s Office also has offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person’s responsible.

theradiodetective@hotmail.com

All sources will be considered confidential.

Jerry Pearce
The Radio Detective

Back then we of course did not have computers, bullet proof vests, cell phones, or even walkie talkies. We had our uniform, a police radio that worked some of the time, depending on whether you were behind a hill or not, a .44 magnum service revolver, and an old Remington twelve gauge shotgun which was dash mounted in our Chevrolet patrol car for quick access. It was our custom to read the incoming teletypes, yes I said teletypes, before going out on our patrol shift. In those years we did not always have a partner either. That was the case with me one warm summer evening in 1965. I had read an LAPD wanted teletype in where four male Caucasians driving a 1962 dark blue Cadillac Sedan Deville were wanted for 187 P.C. and 211 P.C. (Murder and Robbery) The wanted men’s ages were between forty five and fifty and the Cadillac had Oklahoma license plates. They were considered heavily armed and dangerous.

Now I was on patrol some two hundred miles north of Los Angeles and the chance of me spotting that car was zero at best. For some reason however I tore off that teletype and took it with me out on patrol. At about 2330 hours (11:30 PM) I decided to take a back road away from highway 101 and check out some cattle ranch areas in the southern part of my county. I was on Price Canyon Road which runs out east behind Pismo Beach, California. It was a dark night with no moon. I was alone. As I rounded a bend in that country road, I spotted in my headlights, a car that seemed oddly familiar to me. It was traveling unusually slow. The white spot light on my patrol car was mounted CHP style, clear over on the passenger side and I was unable to reach it. I kicked my headlights to bright and could see several subjects in both the front seat and the rear seat of that car. Then my eyes fell on the car’s license plate. The fact that the plates were from Oklahoma made the hair on the back of my neck stand straight up. I didn’t need to re-read the teletype; I knew in a heartbeat I had big trouble on my hands.

Now it is a fact that young deputy Sheriffs sometimes don’t use their heads. For some reason, before I actually realized what I was doing, I flipped on my red light and bumped the siren a little. I will be dammed if that Cadillac car didn’t immediately pull to the side of the road. My heart was beating against my chest so hard, I thought I was going to see it suddenly appear before my very eyes. I quickly recognized that I had stepped in it right up to my knees.

I immediately picked up the mic to my radio and called in to the station to tell them where I was and what I was doing. The problem was the damn radio wouldn’t get out from down in that canyon, so nobody knew where I was or what I had done. That was of course except for whoever was in that blue Cadillac Sedan Deville with Oklahoma license plates.

Duty, honor and my own ego prevented me from turning tail and running. To be honest with you though, that thought did momentarily cross my mind. I also caught myself wishing that the Cadillac would have made a run for it.

Well, I had what I believed were the wanted subjects in the LAPD teletype right where I wanted them, except now what was I going to do with them? I opened my door and stepped out of the patrol car. Staying behind the door for cover, I shouted for the occupants of the Cadillac to not move and to stay inside their vehicle. That was one of those times where you hoped your voice sounded much deeper than it probably did. Keeping my eyes glued on the Caddy, I reached back inside the patrol car, grabbed the twelve gauge shotgun and racked in a round, which I hoped for all I was worth, that those people inside that Cadillac heard me do. In the meantime, that old shotgun was getting a bath from the sweat pouring out of my hands.

It is a fact, that from time to time in police work; you will have a conversation with Jesus. I did that night when I said, “Oh Jesus, what have I done?” well, I guess he heard me, because from the opposite direction came a set of headlights. The headlights came to a sudden stop while still some thirty or forty yards away. After what seemed like an eternity, the headlights came on down the road and stopped on the opposite side of the road directly across from where I was standing. It turned out those headlights were on an old nineteen forty seven model Chevrolet pickup truck with a flat bed on the back.

Perched on that flat bed was a border collie. I immediately profiled the vehicle as a local cattle rancher’s truck. I saw the driver’s side door open and the tallest and most long legged, approximately fifty year old cowboy I had ever seen, stepped out with his right hand wrapped around what appeared to be a 30-30 rifle. He moved quickly across the road and around to the passenger side of my patrol car. He opened the passenger side door, pushed his well worn straw hat back on his head, rested that saddle gun on top of the door while aiming it at the blue Caddy and said in a deep reassuring voice, “Go ahead kid, take em down, I’ve got you covered.”

Now I have never been into kissing cowboys. Cowgirls yes but cowboys no. Except that night, I immediately fell in love with that old guy and it’s a good thing he was over on the opposite side of my patrol car.

The rest is history. I did “take em down” and successfully booked the four wanted men in my county jail. A search of the Caddy’s trunk revealed eighteen hand guns wrapped in towels and a dozen or so boxes of ammunition. They each were also armed with .45 caliber automatics. As it tuned out, they were also wanted by the FBI for interstate flight to avoid prosecution for the murders of their own Oklahoma attorney, a bailiff and a judge who was overseeing their trial for robbery in Oklahoma. It seems they had escaped by blowing up the court room where their trial had been taking place. Later when LAPD Robbery Homicide detectives came to take them back to Los Angeles, they did so at gun point. To say these men were bad guys is to severely understate the truth.

The bottom line in all of this is that if it wasn’t for that civilian with his gun, I wouldn’t be here to tell you this story. So the next time you hear a law enforcement officer complain about civilians owning guns send them over to me. I have a story I want to tell them.

Jerry Pearce
The Radio Detective

I think it all started back when I was a very young boy. I can recall when my Dad would come home at the end of long day from the pipe and steel company where he was a welder. He would be so tired; he looked as though he wouldn’t make it through dinner. I would wait until he had a chance to relax a little before going to him with good news. I would say, “Dad, we mowed the lawns, watered the fruit trees, emptied the garbage, and cut down all those weeds out by the well.” The smile that slowly came across his face was one of the greatest rewards of all. His gratefulness for what I and my younger brother had done to sort of help out, was instantly evident, even without words.

In my current profession, I still get that feeling every time I am able to bring someone I am helping, good news. I also got that feeling many times in my time on the job as a cop. I get it in my personal life as well, every time I am able to help a family member who might need a little lift. Trust me when I tell you, there is nothing more rewarding than making someone’s dreams come true.

I truly believe that God’s plan for our lives is to do what ever we can to bring some fellow human being good news. I honestly believe “good news” can actually repair and restore when all else has failed. It breaks my heart to see someone crying over receiving bad news and I hate bad news for what it does to people. Bad news can sap the life right out of some folks. You see, I believe one of the secrets to a leading a fulfilling life is to get our minds off ourselves and onto the plight of others and then do what we can to bring them good news.

I wake up each morning thinking about how I am going to go about bringing good news to someone who has turned to me for help. I truly try and find someway to turn someone’s scars into stars and to urge them to always look for the rainbow in the rainstorm.

There is no way to set a price on a person’s smile, when they receive good news. Some go through their entire life seeking money and fame. But trust me when I tell you, that all the money and fame on the planet, will never come close to the rewarding feeling you will get, from helping others.

I see cops on the television going after the bad guys but what really catches my attention is when I see a cop with his hand on a child’s shoulder as he leads them safely across a busy street or when he holds a child close, as he gently carries them away from danger. Nothing can replace the feeling one gets upon seeing the relief on a mother’s face when a cop comes to her front door and tells her he found her lost child and the child is O.K. Police officers do go after the bad guys O.K. but they are also in a perfect position to deliver good news and I believe that should be the underlying motive for being a policeman or police woman in the first place. So what about you? What can you do today to be in a position to help someone or make the other person’s dream, your dream too? You will see I am right when the next time rolls around that you are able put yourself in a position to bring someone “good news.” Trust me.

It has been an interesting radio road for Jerry Pearce. He launched his “Radio Detective” on KFRE (AM 940) back in 1996. The show moved to KMPH (FM 107.9) and Modesto’s KTRB (AM 860) when KFRE was sold to Radio Unica in December 1999.

It looked like it was dead in 2000 when the KMPH radio station pulled the plug. But Pearce bounced back. He moved the show to television, on KGMC (Channel 43). The show returned to KMPH radio in 2003. A year later it was canceled.

Pearce was down again but not out. Three years later the radio show was back on the air. Pearce would drive to Los Angeles to do his program on KRLA (AM 870).

Now, the Fresno-based show can be heard through most of the central San Joaquin Valley, airing 10 p.m.- 2 a.m. weeknights on Fresno’s KFPT (AM 790) and Bakersfield’s KERN (AM 1180). This is part of the show’s national syndication through RD Media Ventures, LLC, and distributed by EarFul Entertainment Group, LLC.

KFPT General Manager Paul Swearengin says the bonus for local listeners is that while this show can be heard across the country, it is “virtually a local show to listen to and call nightly.”

Pearce uses his experience as a police officer and private investigator to discuss law enforcement.

Comings and goings

Steve Montgomery has been hired as the morning show personality for KHIT (FM 107.1). He previously worked as as the program director and afternoon host at KSKS (FM 93.7).

Montgomery can be heard 6-10 a.m. weekdays. The KHIT program director says that for right now Montgomery will be a solo act.

Rene Roberts, program director for Merced’s KUBB (FM 93.6) says Verna McKay is no longer part of the station’s “Young and Verna Show.” That decision was made by the satellite radio service that supplies the Los Angeles-based morning show.

“They just wanted to go in a different direction,” Roberts says.

The show is now being hosted only by Jeff Young.

Other news

More deals: Two more women from the Central San Joaquin Valley have made appearances on the syndicated version of the game show “Deal or No Deal.”

Fresno’s Beverly Tiftick, 76, won $15,000 on Monday’s program. Selma resident Manjit Batth was on Wednesday’s show. It aired after this column went to press.

The game show can be seen locally at 6:30 p.m. weekdays on KGPE (Channel 47).

Play ball: Digital channel RTN 7.2, a sister station to KAIL (Channel 53), will broadcast 21 San Francisco Giants baseball games this season. The schedule starts at 7 p.m. Friday. It is an exhibition game with the Oakland Athletics.

Besides being available on the digital channel 7.2, RTN can be seen on Comcast Channel 191, Northland Cable Channel 99 in Oakhurst and Channel 12 in Mariposa and Coarsegold.

Converter box reminder: Several people have called to say they are having problems attaching their converter boxes to portable television sets. The box is needed to allow analog television sets to pickup digital signals.

Many of these small TVs don’t have external antenna connections. Keep in mind that if there is no place to hook an antenna, a converter box won’t work. On June 12, that set just won’t be able to pick up all of the local high power stations that made the switch.

There are several local low-power television stations that will continue to broadcast analog signals. You can still watch those stations with your antennaless portable TVs.

TV and movie critic Rick Bentley can be reached at rbentley@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6355. Read his blog at fresnobeehive.com/author/rick_bentley.

It is a fact of life that the only person you have any real control over on this entire planet is yourself. Your ship was designed by the greatest shipbuilder of all time. Protect it. Repel all boarders who would do your ship harm. If necessary prepare it as a warship and enter into battle only if it means your country’s survival and then fire away with the truth which I guarantee you will sooner or later sink the enemy’s ships.

Washington D.C. is a septic tank full of washed out minds and wasted hearts. It needs to be completely drained. Never compromise your principles. Compromise is just another way of saying surrender. If you are not careful the political dead-enders in this life will cause you to compromise yourself into a hole you will never get out of.

There are those who would have you fear your future. Well tell ‘em to jam it and take on the future with all the vim and vigor you can muster. Do not drag the baggage of yesterday into your tomorrows. Live one day at a time and make the most of it. When it comes to your future; never take your tomorrow to bed with you tonight. Live a life which in part is active in being of service to others. The reward from so doing will come your way when you least expect it and when you need it most.

Never ever be ashamed of being a real American. The shame is with those among us who run down our country at every turn in the trail. I feel sorry for the lousy bastards that hate their own country. They have nothing to hold sacred in their miserable lives except themselves and that my friends is a dead end road.

One more thing; back when I was on the job as a cop, we had our own gang sign. Yes we did. The difference was that our gang sign involved only the use of one finger which we often displayed to the empty headed and empty hearted violent street gangs in our midst. We often hear about the violent terrorists in other parts of the world. Well the truth of the matter is, we have our own violent terrorists right here at home. Always back your local cops as they go after these assorted misfits and home grown insurgents. The only gang you should be supporting is the one with a badge pinned on their shirt over their heart.

May God bless ya.

Jerry Pearce – The Radio Detective

http://www.modbee.com/1618/story/149595.html