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Officers hunt down suspect in Oakhurst stabbing case


Madera County Sheriff’s Office Deputies with murder suspect Dillon Westlake, 24, in custody, after a search in Oakhurst led to his arrest.

 

Madera County Sheriff’s deputies and other officers hunted down a suspect in what is being called an attempted murder Aug. 20, according to information from the sheriff’s department.

Sheriff’s spokeswoman Kayla Serratto said a call came into the the sheriff’s dispatcher at about 10:30 a.m., telling of an assault in the area of River Park Road in Oakhurst.

A California Highway Patrol officer had been flagged down by a citizen who seen a man in the area who was bleeding and appeared to be in need of medical help.

The CHP Officer found the man, who had been stabbed and was bleeding heavily.

The officer called fire and EMS crews, who administered first aid to the 24-year-old victim, and took him to a regional hospital for treatment.

According to both victim and witness statements, the assault occurred in a nearby apartment complex. A witness in the area told deputies he saw a white male adult matching the suspect’s description walking back towards the same apartments. The suspect was identified as a tenant of the complex, 28-year-old Dillon Westlake.

Madera County Sheriff’s Deputies, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and California Highway Patrol Officers established and maintained a perimeter while the Quick Reaction Team searched the building for the suspect, Serratto said.

Crisis negotiators from the Sheriff’s Office attempted to make contact with the suspect while the Quick Reaction Team and K-9 unit made repetitive commands for his surrender. Westlake was discovered by the police dog Gaston and several members of the Quick Reaction Team in an attic of one of the apartments.

Westlake was taken into custody and evaluated by medical personnel on scene before being transported to a regional valley hospital for medical clearance.

Once medically cleared, Westlake was booked into the Madera County DOC on charges of attempted murder.

The incident remains under investigation. If anyone has information relating to this case, they are urged to contact the Madera County Sheriff’s Office at 675-7770.

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