THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF MORGAN HILL, GILROY & SAN MARTIN
DECEMBER 7, 2018
Thinker toys for thinking kids
Magical Toys A supplement to the Gilroy Dispatch & Morgan Hill Times
Morgan Hill shop makes for fun memories P2
SOUTH VALLEY MAGAZINE INSIDE THIS ISSUE
SEASONAL RIDES P6 | CIGARS & WINE P10 | ANTIQUES P13
SHOOTING IN DOWNTOWN P2 | GOATS STOLEN FROM MH FIELD P8 | SOBRATO ATHLETES SIGN FOR NEXT LEVEL P16
THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF SAN BENITO COUNTY
DECEMBER 7, 2018
Dia de la Virgen
A supplement to the Hollister Free Lance
El Teatro Campesino play honors Mexican holiday P2
El Teatro’s La Virgen del Tepeyac
SAN BENITO MAGAZINE INSIDE THIS ISSUE
SEASONAL RIDES P6 | CIGARS & WINE P10 | ANTIQUES P13
$1 • Friday, December 7, 2018 • Vol. 124, No. 49 • morganhilltimes.com • Serving Morgan Hill since 1894
Veteran SoCal sergeant is new PD captain EMIL KOKESH JOINS LOCAL FORCE WITH 27 YEARS EXPERIENCE Michael Moore Editor
➝ New Captain, 8
Robert Eliason
Following a five-month search, the Morgan Hill Police Department reached outside the community to hire its newest captain: veteran San Bernardino Police Sgt. Emil Kokesh. Kokesh began his new position in Morgan Hill Dec. 4. He is a 27-year veteran of a police department in Southern California that is more than four times the size of Morgan Hill’s force. Kokesh’s most recent assignment in San Bernardino, located about 60 miles east of Los Angeles, was as sergeant overseeing the homicide unit. While in San Bernardino, Kokesh also led the department’s regional auto theft task force and served as an acting lieutenant. He was a first responder to the December 2015 terrorist shooting at the Inland Regional Center, in which 14 people were killed and 22 others injured. Kokesh comes to Morgan Hill with high praise from both his former and new employers. “He’s always been a rocksolid cop; he is respected
HIGH SCHOOL PRIDE Members of the Sobrato High School marching band participated in this year’s Holiday Lights Parade in downtown Morgan Hill on Saturday, Dec. 1.
Holiday season shines Crowds gathered in downtown Morgan Hill Saturday Dec. 1 for the 2018 Holiday Lights parade. The annual event, put on by Kiwanis Morgan Hill, is a time-honored tradition that culminates with Santa leading the crowd in his Magic Ship to the ceremonial tree lighting.
This year the event coincided with the Jewish holiday of Hanukah, officially Dec. 2-9, and included a menorah lighting. The tree and menorah were lit simultaneously when Santa and Mayor Steve Tate pushed a button together during the ceremony.
Police recover MH man’s scammed $50K VICTIM SENT CASH FOR ‘ADVANCE FEE LOTTERY’ FRAUD Michael Moore Editor
Morgan Hill Police recently recovered a local victim’s $50,000-plus loss in an “advance fee lottery scam.” Authorities say such a resolution is rare in this common fraud scheme.
Police cautioned citizens—particularly the elderly and vulnerable— to be aware of red flags so they don’t fall prey to such scams in the first place. In November, a relative of an 80-year-old Morgan Hill man called the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office to report that the elderly man had fallen victim to a recent scam attempt, according to Deputy District Attorney Cherie Bourlard. The victim had been
contacted on the phone by an unknown suspect who claimed the man had won $2 million in a lottery or sweepstakes prize. To claim the prize, the caller said, the Morgan Hill man had to pay an advance amount of $54,000 to cover fees and taxes, Bourlard explained. As instructed by the suspect, the victim sent the amount in a cashier’s check to someone in Southern California, who then forwarded the
money to an account in New York, according to Bourlard. The victim realized the next day that this was likely a scam, but it was too late as he unsuccessfully asked his bank to stop payment on the $54,000 cashier’s check, Bourlard said. The check had already been cashed. As soon as the victim’s family member called the D.A.’s office, prosecutors recommending reporting the fraud to the Morgan
Hill Police Department, Bourlard said. The victim reported the crime and it was assigned to Det. Joseph Burdick to investigate and “follow the money.” “He did an intense, immediate investigation” to find out where the victim’s $54,000 went, Bourlard said of Burdick. The Morgan Hill detective learned the Southern California woman who ➝ Scam, 11