This morning at 8:25 am, Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Deputy Dennis Wallace, initiated an investigation of a suspicious van at the Fox Grove Fishing Access. The Fox Grove Fishing Access is located at 1000 Geer Road, in the unincorporated area of Hughson, CA.
Deputy Wallace was notified by dispatch the van was stolen and the suspect who stole the van was possibly armed with a firearm. David Machado was identified as the suspect in the original theft of the stolen van. Deputy Wallace acknowledged the information via radio and requested assistance.
Several moments later, attempts to reach the deputy over the radio were unsuccessful. When assisting deputies arrived, Deputy Wallace was down, near his patrol vehicle. Lifesaving efforts were initiated and Deputy Wallace was transported to the hospital, but medical personnel were unable to save him.
Neither the suspect or vehicle reported stolen were located at Fox Grove. A message was broadcast to all area law enforcement agencies alerting them to the incident, information was provided identifying the suspect and the vehicle related to the initial investigation.
At approximately 8:40 am, Officers from the Ceres Police Department assisted the Sheriff’s Department on a reported carjacking in the community of Keyes. The victim in the carjacking identified David Machado as the suspect in the carjacking.
All available information identifying David Machado was broadcast to law enforcement agencies throughout California. During this time, the investigation into Deputy Wallace’s death was well underway.
At 12:33 pm, officers from the Lindsay Police Department in Tulare County, contacted Stanislaus Sheriff’s Department dispatch to advise they had Machado in custody. Machado was detained in connection with a reported robbery near a convenience store in the City of Linsey.
Lindsay Police Officers located Machado, who fled to a residential alleyway. Machado was contacted by Lindsay Police Officers and he surrendered without incident. Once Machado was positively identified as the suspect in custody in Lindsay, CA, all area agencies were notified and the search was terminated.
The investigation is ongoing. There are multiple crime scenes, in multiple cities, involving multiple agencies all attempting to piece together the details regarding Deputy Wallace’s death. More information will be released as they become available.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Deputy Wallace’s family, friends, and the men and women of our Sheriff’s Department,” said Stanislaus Sheriff Adam Christianson. “The response by our allied agencies in and near Stanislaus County has been outstanding. The people in our community have shown their support and we’re grateful in ways we could never expect.”
