Nine people were arrested in Clovis, in California's Central Valley, during a two-day undercover operation targeting human traffickers and child predators, the Clovis Police Department has announced. Clovis police ran the operation on Friday and Saturday, October 16 and 17, 2026, with assistance from the California Department of Justice and Breaking the Chains, a local nonprofit that cares for victims of human trafficking. FOX26 News in Fresno reported the same operation, the same dates and the same nine arrests from the police announcement.

Most of the suspects were arrested without incident at locations around Clovis, police said. According to the department's suspect list, summarised by N'Cuffs from the release, Fernando Garza, 34, of Fresno, was charged with pandering, being a convicted felon in possession of ammunition, violating post-release community supervision and an unrelated warrant; Jordan Smith, 23, and Aaron Gray, 24, both of Fresno, face pandering allegations, Smith also an alleged protection-order violation; and Alize Gonzalez, 24, Letrice Moton, 29, both of Fresno, and Celestina Bejaran, 28, of Modesto, were charged with soliciting prostitution. David Martinez, 48, of Madera, was charged with allegedly arranging to meet a minor with the intent to commit a sexual act and contacting a minor with that intent, and Christian Scott, 31, of Clovis, faces similar alleged charges, including persuading a minor to engage in commercial sex acts. All of these are allegations announced by police; the suspects are presumed innocent unless proved guilty in court.

One arrest was not quiet. William Vallejo, 29, of Fresno, allegedly failed to stop for officers and led them on a pursuit to Shields and Armstrong, where a collision involving five vehicles took place, police said. Three adults complained of pain and received medical care at the scene, and an infant was transported to hospital as a precaution — no identity of any minor is being reported. Vallejo allegedly ran from the crash but was taken into custody a short distance away, and was charged with hit-and-run, pandering, evading officers and obstructing a peace officer. The Fresno Police Department investigated the collision because it occurred in Fresno's jurisdiction.

One further suspect evaded officers and is still wanted: detectives are looking for Kyle Riechel, 36, of Fresno, on several felony charges, police said. Anyone with information on his whereabouts can remain anonymous by calling Valley Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-STOP or by using the police mobile app. During the operation, multiple victims of human trafficking were turned over to Breaking the Chains at the scene to receive assistance, police said. Confidential help for trafficking victims in Clovis is available through police at 911 in an emergency or (559) 324-2800 for non-emergencies, and Breaking the Chains can be reached at (559) 492-1566. For Punjabi and other immigrant families across the Central Valley — Fresno, Clovis and Modesto among them — police say operations of this kind are aimed at the networks that exploit vulnerable people, and they urge anyone being exploited to seek help through those numbers. (Sources: Clovis Police Department announcement, October 20, 2026; FOX26 News, Fresno, October 2026; N'Cuffs summary of the police suspect list, October 2026.)