PLACERVILLE . INFO

Visalia double homicide suspect busted in Merced. Officers from several agencies were following the car when it stopped here. Before he was arrested, Florez had been staying at the Shingle Springs home of Regina Cuellar, according to Visalia police. Law enforcement officers from several agencies served a search warrant on her home, but Florez wasn't there.

Two Merced-based California Highway Patrol officers helped arrest a Norteno gang member accused of a double homicide in Visalia.

The arrests of Joseph Florez, 32, and two other suspects occurred in Merced on Dec. 30 after the two CHP officers had followed the green vehicle Florez was driving off Highway 99. They and other law enforcement officers stopped him on Mission Avenue.

CHP officers Shana Kensey, who first spotted Florez' car near Applegate Road and the 99 around 10 p.m., and David Anderson pulled the car over. 

Officers from the Modesto and Madera area CHP, Visalia Police Department and the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office were also at the scene. All three suspects were taken into custody without incident.

Found in the vehicle were about seven pounds of marijuana and seven ounces of hashish.

Florez was taken to the Tulare County Main Jail where he was booked for double homicide and transportation of marijuana and hashish. The two passengers in the vehicle, Augustine Serrano, 27, and Alejandro Galvin, 26, were also taken to that jail and booked for harboring a fugitive.

The CHP said Florez is a validated Norteno gang member from Visalia. The homicides are believed to be gang-related.

The homicides occurred in Visalia on the evening of Dec. 17. The victims were Tommy Madrid Jr., 33, and Lisa Bourget, 27, both of Visalia. They were pronounced dead at the scene from gunshot wounds. Their bodies were found in a vehicle outside a residence in the 1500 block of North Turner. 

Another victim, wounded inside the house, was taken to Kaweah Delta Medical Center before being transferred to Fresno Regional Medical Center.

Before he was arrested, Florez had been staying at the Shingle Springs home of Regina Cuellar, according to Visalia police. Law enforcement officers from several agencies served a search warrant on her home, but Florez wasn't there.

Cuellar, called Florez' girlfriend by law enforcement authorities, was booked at the Tulare jail for harboring a fugitive. She's being held on $500,000 bail.

After he left Cuellar's place, officers believed Florez would try to flee back to the Visalia area. So dozens of officers saturated the 99 corridor, leading to the successful traffic stop and arrests.

"Everybody was on the same page," said CHP spokesman Shane Ferriera. "With all those agencies involved, everything worked out well."

Executive editor Mike Tharp can be reached at (209) 385-2427/2456 or mtharp@mercedsun-star.com. 

By MIKE THARP
mtharp@mercedsun-star.com