Selma police investigate school molestation charge at Jackson

Selma Police last week investigated a report by a first grade boy at Jackson Elementary School that he was touched inappropriately by a male employee of an after-school program. Police Chief Myron Dick said Feb. 1 that his department has submitted the case to the Fresno County District Attorney's Office. Prosecutors will decide whether there's enough evidence to file criminal charges, Dyck said.

He declined to say how strong the evidence is. The DA's Office could take a week or two to make a decision on possible charges, Dyck added. The after-school employee works for a nonprofit organization known as Fresno CORAL. It is based in Fresno and gets about $500,000 a year from Selma Unified to run after-school programs at five elementary schools.

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Salazar Center to change to resource center for needy

The Salazar Youth Center in Selma is close to changing from an abandoned youth center to a resource center for people in need, who can receive a hot lunch, receive medical services and a second meal a day. The Selma Ministerial Alliance came to the Selma City Council with a proposal to change the currently abandoned Salazar Center into a place where citizens needing help could come for assistance with food, activities and getting back on the road to employment. The Selma City Council agreed and the Selma Ministerial Alliance will work with city staff to develop a contract. After that, the contract will come before the city council for another vote, possibly at a council meeting in February. Following that, the alliance will open the doors of the center and begin setting it up to accept people.

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High-speed chase after drive-by shooting

Four Tulare County juvenile gang members led Selma police on a high-speed chase into Fresno Jan. 27 after firing shots at rival gang members from a stolen vehicle in Selma. The four juveniles were finally arrested near Jensen Avenue and Golden State Boulevard in Fresno. There were no injuries in the shooting in Selma. With help from Fresno police, the gun used in the shooting was also discovered in the stolen vehicle. The gun was discovered as stolen and booked into evidence. Selma Police Chief Myron Dyck said the incident in Selma happened about 9:55 p.m. near Park and Gaynor streets. The police department received a call that shots were fired from a car in the area. When a Selma police officer responded, the officer saw a car fleeing the scene, Dyck said. The car, a 1990 Honda Accord stolen out of Orosi, sped north toward Fresno with officers in pursuit.

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Selma girls soccer wins in overtime

The first time the Selma girls varsity soccer team played Kingsburg in December at the Peggy Renberg Classic they lost a close 2-1 game. When the two teams met again Jan. 26 at Selma High, the Bears won 3-2 in overtime. "We played a tough game and it was a good win," said Oscar Flores, Selma coach. "We were able to play smart and pass the ball into open spaces. When we realized there was no space up against the net, we passed the ball back and got outside shots, which forced their defense to come out. That was the game plan and the girls stuck to it." The game went back and forth with Kingsburg twice gaining the lead but Selma coming back to tie the game. The Vikings scored first on a breakaway goal by sophomore forward Jessica Gomez in the first half. However, the Bears answered with a goal late in the first half to tie the game 1-1 at halftime.

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Double overtime loss for Selma boys basketball

The Selma and Kingsburg boys varsity basketball teams faced off for the first time this season in front of a packed gym Jan. 26 at Kingsburg High. The Vikings and the Bears had met three times last season with all of the games decided by four points or less, and Selma was looking for its third win in a row against its main rival. In a rivalry known for close games, a young Selma team gave the more experienced Kingsburg squad all it could handle before the Vikings finally escaped with a 71-64 win in double overtime. "Selma has a nice young team and they scrap," said Mark Bray, Kingsburg coach. "But I was proud of our guys tonight because they handled the adversity. We got in foul trouble, but we got a lot of great minutes tonight from our guards and our bench. It was a good team effort."

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