Location: Tulare County Sheriff's Office
Incident Date: 04/07/20212
Incident Time: 1 p.m.
City: Visalia
Posted by: Media Relations
Sheriff Mike Boudreaux promoted 13 to the rank of Sergeant during a formal promotion ceremony Wednesday, April 7, 2021:
Sergeant Tony Rodriguez
Sergeant Joseph Hart
Sergeant Joshua Lowry
Sergeant Sara Olmos
Sergeant Shawn Hermosillo
Sergeant Scott O’Neill
Sergeant Jacob Fulton
Sergeant Jose Nevarez
Correctional Sergeant Karyse Sandoval
Correctional Sergeant Oscar Garcia
Correctional Sergeant Anyval Suarez
Correctional Sergeant Rodrigo De Ochoa
Correctional Sergeant Michael Martins
Sheriff Boudreaux offers his sincere congratulations to all of them and wishes them well in their new assignments.
Sergeant Anthony “Tony” Rodriguez
Sergeant Tony Rodriguez grew up in Santa Ana and moved to Visalia in 1987. He graduated from Golden West High School in 1991.
That summer, he joined the United States Marine Corps where his Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) was in Communications as a Field Radio Operator. He served for four years.
In 1995, he was Honorably Discharged from the Marine Corps as an E4 Corporal, non-commissioned officer. He received the National Defense medal, Good Conduct medal, Navy/ Marine Corps Achievement medal and 2-year expert rifleman badge.
He left the military to pursue a career in law enforcement.
Later in 1995, he was hired by the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office as a Detention Services Officer and was assigned to the Bob Wiley Detention Facility. In 1996, he promoted to Correctional Deputy and was assigned to the Main Jail.
In January of 2001, he graduated from the College of the Sequoias Police Academy and was assigned to the Orosi Substation as a Patrol Deputy.
In the summer of 2003, he was assigned to Boat Patrol on the Kings River which at the time was the only water way the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office patrolled. Sergeant Rodriguez would later assist the Boating Safety Enforcement Unit when the Sheriff’s Department took over patrol at Lake Kaweah and Lake Success.
While at the Orosi Substation, he was a Field Training Officer for 12 years and served as a terrorism liaison officer.
In 2003, Sergeant Rodriguez joined the Sheriff’s K9 Unit with his canine partner, Rexx. They worked together for more than five years. After that, he was given a second canine partner, Blade, and they worked together for five years.
His third and final canine partner, Jack, was purchased by Jack in the Box through costumer donations. In July of 2019, Jack located 24.86 pounds of methamphetamine during a traffic stop. Jack retired in April of 2020.
Sergeant Rodriguez Tony has more than 15 years of K9 experience and was a senior K9 Handler.
In 2018, he and his K9 partner, Jack, were transferred to the Tulare Area Gang and Narcotics Enforcement Team (TAGNET) when Sergeant Rodriguez became a Detective in CATTCH (County Apprehension Team Tracking Criminals in Hiding) and the SWAT Team.
In 2019 and 2020 while in CATTCH Unit, Sergeant Rodriguez took part in three undercover operations, including Red Reaper, Stray Bullet and Overthrow. These operations involved crimes committed by Norteño street gangs which resulted in hundreds of arrests for narcotics, robbery, assault, firearms, human trafficking, and conspiracy crimes.
In 2020, he was assigned to the General Investigations Unit and the Agricultural Crime Investigation Unit. The next year, he transferred back to the CATTCH Unit and SWAT.
Sergeant Rodriguez is married to his wife, Cyndi Rodriguez. They have four children, Michael, Stephanie, Anthony, and Kristen and three grandchildren, Daxton, Paige and Avery.
As a Sergeant, he will be assigned to Pixley Substation.
Sergeant Joseph Hart
Sergeant Joseph Hart was born in Lindsay and raised in Porterville.
He began his interest and career in law enforcement in 1986 when he became an Explorer with the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office at the Porterville Substation. Later, he put himself through the Reserve Academy in 1991 and was hired by the Sheriff’s Office in 1993 as a Detention Services Officer. He was later promoted to Detention Specialist and worked at both the Bob Wiley Detention Facility and the Main Jail.
In 1995, Sergeant Hart went to work for the Woodlake Police Department as a Police Officer. During his time there, he performed the duties of a Field Training Officer, Rangemaster and Detective. Additionally, he was promoted to Corporal and eventually Sergeant.
Sergeant Hart came back to the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office in 2005 and worked as a patrol Deputy, Senior Deputy and Field Training Officer at the Pixley and Porterville substations. In 2008, he was assigned to the Crime Lab as a Detective where he worked until 2012. He was then reassigned to the Juvenile Investigations Unit as a Detective specializing in missing person investigations, internet crimes against children and digital forensic investigations regarding computers, cell phones and electronic devices.
In 2015, Sergeant Hart returned to the Pixley Substation as a patrol Deputy where he worked until 2018 when he was reassigned to the Civil Unit, his most recent assignment prior to promotion.
Sergeant Hart has almost 2,000 hours of POST certified training and several hundred more hours of general law enforcement training. Over his career, he has trained numerous new Deputies and Officers to be Peace Officers, many of whom who are still in law enforcement and successful today.
He lives in southern Tulare County with his wife of 20 years, Michelle, as well as their five dogs, two cats and his mother-in-law.
Sergeant Joshua Lowry
Sergeant Lowry grew up in the Exeter area, graduating from Exeter High School in 2008. He attended College of the Sequoias and then enrolled in the COS Extended Police Academy in 2010.
He completed the Police Academy in 2011 and was hired by Exeter Police Department. While there, he served as an Explorer Adviser, K9 Handler, and was awarded the Medal of Bravery.
In 2015, Sergeant Lowry was hired by the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office where he was first assigned to patrol at the Porterville Substation. He transferred to the Orosi Substation two years later where he was a Field Training Officer and a K9 Handler.
He became a Detective in 2018 when he was assigned to the County Apprehension Team Tracking Criminals in Hiding (CATTCH) and SWAT.
In 2019, he was assigned to the Homicide Unit and served as the case agent on two wiretap investigations, Operation Stray Bullet and Operation Overthrow, which resulted in the arrest of more than 50 Norteno gang members from Tulare County and recovered numerous weapons.
Sergeant Lowry is married to his high school sweetheart, Erica, and they have two children, Peyton and Cooper.
Sergeant Sara Olmos
Sergeant Sara Olmos grew up in Visalia and graduated from Redwood High School in 1996.
She attended the Tulare-Kings Counties Basic Peace Officer Academy at the College of Sequoias and was hired at the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office in 2002. Her first assignment was at Bob Wiley Detention Facility.
In 2006, she was reassigned to the Transportation Unit and four years later, she went to Patrol out of the Orosi Substation.
She became a Detective in 2014 in the Crimes Against Children Unit and was the lead investigator for the largest Human Trafficking case in the history of Tulare County, Operation Baby Face. Three suspects and 12 co-conspirators were arrested for sexually exploiting 23 juveniles and 29 adults.
In 2016, she was named Investigations Officer of the Year by the Tulare County Deputy Sheriff’s Association and, in 2017, she was named Officer of the Year by the Knights of Columbus.
She was reassigned to the Human Trafficking Unit in 2019 and served on the Tulare County Human Trafficking Task Force. She has done numerous human trafficking presentations for the community and a few educational videos.
Sergeant Olmos is married to her husband, Nate Olmos, who is a Sergeant with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. She has two children, Anthony, who is a Detective with Visalia Police Department and Bella (3 years old). She also has a beautiful daughter in law, Idalis (Pronoun I-Dallas) who is an officer with the Hanford Police Department.
Sergeant Olmos enjoys spending time with her family and traveling.
Sergeant Shawn Hermosillo
Before he was a Deputy, Sergeant Shawn Hermosillo began public service in 1992 as a firefighter/EMT for the city of Hanford, attending the fire academy with Tulare County Chief Norman. As a firefighter, he interacted a lot with law enforcement, sparking his next career.
Sergeant Hermosillo began taking reserve officer courses and completed the Level 1 Reserve. In 1995, he was hired as a Level 1 Reserve officer with the city of Kingsburg.
In 1997, he was hired as a Deputy Sheriff with the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office and worked patrol out of the Pixley Substation under the supervision of Assistant Sheriff Cheri Lehner and retired Assistant Sheriff Keith Douglass who were sergeants there at the time.
Sergeant Hermosillo became a Field Training Officer in 1998 and since then a couple of his trainees have risen through the ranks to the Sheriff’s Executive Command Staff.
He served as a member of the Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team from 1998-2007.
In 2000, Sergeant Hermosillo transferred to Headquarters Patrol and took on the duties of being an Operations K9 Handler with his K9 partner, Astro. Together, they effected many arrests and won several awards at K9 Trials.
During this time, he was also an Field Training Officer.
In 2007, he became a Detective with the Sheriff’s Tactical Enforcement Personnel (STEP) and later moved into the position of Team Leader. He also served as range master and less lethal instructor.
While in STEP, he was a team leader during Operation LOCCUST and served as the liaison with the National Guard. He performed surveillance and participated in the final takedown mission which resulted in 36 felony arrests.
He transitioned to the Narcotics Unit in 2011 and was the lead investigator for Operation Red Rover, working with the ATF to purchase firearms and narcotics from south county gang members. This investigation culminated in multiple search warrants and arrest warrants.
He transferred back to Headquarters Patrol in 2013.
In 2017, Sergeant Hermosillo was assigned to the Sheriff’s new Aviation Support Unit as a Tactical Flight Officer. The aviation unit was rebuilding and restructuring into what it is today. He helped research equipment and vendors for the Sheriff’s new aircraft, gave presentations for grants, and worked on policies.
In May of 2020, he promoted to the rank of Sergeant and was assigned as a vacation-relief Sergeant with a collateral duty of K9 Sergeant. Recently, he removed from vacation relief and to Headquarters Patrol.
Sergeant Hermosillo has been married to his wife, DeShaunda, for 28 years. They have four children: Tyler (wife Nikita), Karsen (husband Adrien), Kamryn, and Tristin; and two grandchildren, Londyn and Bodhi, from Tyler and Nikita.
Sergeant Scott O’Neill
Sergeant Scott O’Neill was born in Encino and raised in Newhall. He graduated from William S. Hart High School and then earned an associate degree from the College of the Canyons.
He moved to Tulare County when he was hired by the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office in 1987. Sergeant O’Neill graduated in the 62nd class of the Tulare Kings Counties Basic Peace Officer Academy in July of 1987.
He worked in the Main Jail, and later in 1990, Headquarters Patrol where he also served as a Field Training Officer and Assistant Explorer Advisor.
In 2000, Sergeant O’Neill was assigned as the Resident Deputy in California Hot Springs. There, he participated with Swift Water Rescues and Search and Rescues on many occasions.
Sergeant O’Neill served as a Resident Deputy until November 2018 when he was assigned to General Investigations as a Detective.
In May of 2020, he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and was assigned to the Porterville Substation. If asked, Sergeant O’Neill might say he has found his calling supervising and educating all of the young folks that work with and for him.
Sergeant O’Neill enjoys the outdoors, shooting sports and trips to out-of-the-way places.
Sergeant Jacob Fulton
Sergeant Jacob Fulton was born in Tulare and raised in Monterey and Tulare.
He began his law enforcement career in 2000 with the United States Marine Corps as a Military Police Officer. Sergeant Fulton was selected for Presidential Security serving under President Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
In 2004, Sergeant Fulton attended the Tulare-Kings Counties Basic Peace Officer Academy at College of the Sequoias.
He was hired at the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office in 2005 and was assigned to the Men’s Correctional Facility where he worked all aspects of Detentions including Intake Officer.
In 2006, Sergeant Fulton was assigned to Patrol at the Porterville Substation. There, he served as the Resident Deputy at the Tule River Indian Reservation until 2008. He also covered other mountain beat areas such as Springville, Camp Nelson and Johnsondale.
Additionally, Sergeant Fulton served on the Search and Rescue team.
In 2013, he became a Detective and was assigned to the Agricultural Crimes Unit.
In 2015, Sergeant Fulton was the first TCSO Detective to be assigned to T-RATT (Tulare County Regional Auto Theft Task Force). He worked with multiple agencies to combat auto theft in Tulare County.
He received a Letter of Accommodation for his assistance in Operation Red Sol where he was instrumental in the capture of the head suspect.
In 2017, Sergeant Fulton was assigned to Personnel & Training as the Range Master and Officer in Charge (OIC). He earned instructor certificates and taught the following courses:
• Range Master
• Taser Instructor
• Paintball Instructor
• Glock Instructor
• Tactical Patrol Rifle Instructor
• Submunition’s Instructor
• Active Shooter Instructor
• Non?Lethal Weapons Instructor
• Department Armor
In 2018, Sergeant Fulton was transferred to the General Investigations Unit where he solved several complex criminal investigations. He always assisted other Detectives in every unit without hesitation.
Additionally, he is the Hog Leader with the St. Aloysius 4-H Club in Tulare. He teaches 4-H kids how to show and sell their Show Hogs at the Tulare County Fair and the Porterville Fair.
Sergeant Fulton lives in Tulare with his wife, MiKela. They have three children, Connor, Alyssa and Mckenzee. He said he enjoys camping with family and friends, archery, travelling with family and hunting.
Sergeant Jose Manuel Nevarez
Sergeant Manuel Nevarez was born in Visalia and raised in the community of Farmersville. He graduated from Exeter Union High School in 1992.
He began his career with the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office in 2004, working at the Men’s Correctional Facility.
In 2006, he was transferred to Patrol out of the Orosi Substation and later became a Field Training Officer. While assigned in Orosi, he also worked as a School Resource Officer, Community Based Officer, Flight Observer in Sheriff 1, and the Boating Safety Enforcement Unit.
In 2016, Sergeant Nevarez was assigned to the Juvenile Crimes Investigation Unit where he successfully obtained many convictions with lengthy sentences for sex offenders. He was also part of Operation Baby Face and worked several other details and undercover operations.
In 2020, he was transferred to the Human Trafficking Unit and continued working sex crimes related details and operations.
Sergeant Nevarez lives in Visalia with his wife, Monica. They have two children, Samuel and Maxine. He enjoys spending time with his family, sports, riding his Harley, and working on classic trucks.
Sergeant Nevarez will be assigned to the Orosi Substation.
Correctional Sergeant Karyse Sandoval
Sergeant Sandoval was born and raised in Southern California until the age of 7 when her family moved to Porterville. She attended Porterville College where she played softball and soccer. She attended Fresno Pacific University, earning her bachelor’s degree in Criminology in 2019.
She began her law enforcement career as an emergency dispatcher with the Porterville Police Department. This is where she found her passion for law enforcement. In 2006, she was hired by the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office as a Correctional Deputy.
As a Correctional Deputy, she worked at the Bob Wiley Detention facility for nine years where she served as the lead Intake Deputy and as a Jail Training Officer.
Sergeant Sandoval was transferred to the Adult Pre-Trial Facility in 2014 to help facilitate the transition of booking from the Bob Wiley Detention Facility. While at the APTF, she was selected to be a member of the Sheriff’s Emergency Response team (SERT).
In 2016, she was transferred to the Training Unit as a Corporal. While there, she coordinated all State mandated training for the entire detention division consisting of more than 280 personnel. She also led the team that developed the curriculum for the CORE Academy, being the first agency in the State of California to implement the Behavioral Health Unit (mental health) into the academy. While in the Training Unit, she was also selected to be a member of Honor Guard.
Sergeant Sandoval lives in Visalia with her three children, Alec and twins Dominic and Delaney. She enjoys spending time with her kids, working out and hiking.
Correctional Sergeant Oscar Garcia
Sgt. Garcia was born in Visalia and grew up in Stockton until the age of 8 when he and his family later returned to Visalia. He graduated from Redwood High School in 2005.
In January of 2008, Sergeant Garcia was hired by the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office as a Detention Services Officer and he was assigned to the Bob Wiley Detention Facility.
In 2010, he was promoted to Correctional Deputy, and remained assigned to the Bob Wiley Detention Facility where he worked the housing units and intake booking.
In 2014, he was transferred to the Men’s Correctional Facility where he worked as the lead Intake Deputy and served as a Jail Training Officer, helping train several dozen new correctional deputies.
In detentions, Sergeant Garcia also served in the Gang Intelligence Tracking Unit, Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team and the Strategic Response Unit.
In 2019, he was appointed to the rank of Corporal and assigned to the Internal Affairs Unit. During this time, he was tasked with completing numerous administrative investigations.
Sergeant Garcia lives in Visalia with his wife, Amanda, and their three children, Eli, Ben, and Eliana. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling and spending time with his family. He likes to play sports with his boys, and enjoys an occasional dance battle with his daughter, as well as deep sea fishing with his father in law.
Correctional Sergeant Anyval Suarez
Sergeant Anyval Suarez was born in Watsonville and grew up in Orosi. He graduated from Orosi High School in 2007 and went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Ashford University.
In 2012, Sergeant Suarez was hired by the Kern County Sheriff’s Office as a Detentions Deputy and worked at all of the Kern County jail facilities.
Sergeant Suarez was hired by the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office in 2014 as a Correctional Deputy at the Adult Pre-Trial Facility, working in the housing units and intake booking. He became an Intake Lead Deputy. Later in 2019, he was assigned to the Transport Unit.
He has also served as a Jail Training Officer, on the Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team (SERT) and as an Administrative Deputy at the Adult Pre-Trial Facility.
Sergeant Suarez lives in Dinuba with his wife, Stephanie, and their two children, Andrew and Ian. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, good food, and spending time with his family.
Correctional Sergeant Rodrigo De Ochoa
Sergeant De Ochoa was born in Fresno and raised in Kingsburg. Upon graduating from Kingsburg High School, he joined the United States Marine Corps from 1996-2000. After completing his active service, he attended Fresno City College and Reedley College.
Law enforcement has always been his passion. He worked for Tulare County Probation from 2005-2007. There, he was a Gang Coordinator, and also worked all the positions available.
He began working for the Tulare County Sheriff's Office in 2007 and was assigned to the Adult Pre-Trial Facility for eight years. From there, he transferred to Main Jail for five years and later transferred to the Bob Wiley Detention Facility. He has worked most of the positions throughout the jail system, including as a Jail Training Officer.
Sergeant De Ochoa has assisted with many special details throughout the department. He serves on the Tulare County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team, Sheriff Emergency Response Team (SERT), and Honor Guard.
He enjoys traveling and spending time with his family, traveling to Mexico and working on his family farm. In December, he runs the family business, "R" Christmas Trees. There, he enjoys watching all the families get together to pick out their Christmas trees.
Sergeant De Ochoa is loved and supported by his children, Samantha (22), Melissa (21) Andrew (17) and both his parents and four siblings.
Correctional Sergeant Michael Martins
Sergeant Michael Martins was born in Crescent City and grew up in Tulare, graduating from Tulare Union High School in 2001.
In 2011, he was hired by the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office as a Detention Services Officer assigned to the Bob Wiley Detention Facility.
Sergeant Martins was promoted to Correctional Deputy in 2013 and assigned to the Men’s Correctional Facility where he worked in the housing units, as Lead Intake Deputy, Administrative Deputy and Jail Training Officer. At MCF, he helped train several dozen new correctional deputies.
In 2018, he was selected to be a member of the Gang Intelligence Tracking Unit (GITU).
When the South County Detention Facility opened in 2019, Sergeant Martins was part of the transition team to open the new jail. He also served as the Medical/Administrative Deputy.
Sergeant Martins lives in Tulare with his girlfriend, Samantha, and their three children, Ethan, Naydeen, and Hudson.
In his spare time, he enjoys traveling to Morro Bay, spending time with his family, deep sea fishing, remodeling his home and coaching sports.