You pick up any type of bug or any type of leaf, he knows what it is. The love they genuinely have for him was heartfelt and true. And so, we have a great dad. We have also done internal investigations on many allegations that were made and once again they have been unable to uncover anything. And sports is what kind of helped us get out of that. Now college is very encouraged, but back in the dayI wouldnt say that a fifth of the folks in high school ended up [finishing], especially folks of our color and our culture. [LAUGHS] These guys had all the pressure. DAMACIO DIAZ : Us training together, maam? Like in the movie, Thomas Valles went to an overpass above Highway 99 one night after his parents got into a horrible fight. All Rights Reserved. Diaz, and father and mother Paul and Diaz became well-known after being portrayed in the 2015 Disney movie, McFarland USA, starring Kevin Costner, about the transformation of a running team in McFarland. director of photography Film Editing by David Coulson Casting By Sheila Jaffe Production Design by Richard Hoover Wife of public defender who died at Mexico resort speaks out. He retired in 2003 after 23 years of coaching boys cross country. FRESNO Disgraced former Bakersfield Police Department detective Damacio Diaz was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court to five years in federal prison a far more lenient sentence than prosecutors had urged for offenses including drug trafficking, taking bribes and lying on his tax return. Diaz will be sentenced for three federal counts on October 3rd. All of us went to college. Director Niki Caro chose to omit Luis Partida, who in the movie is replaced with David Diaz. SPONSORED LINKS it all made sense. Included in the segment, titled The movie is based on the true story of a 1987 cross . It is a day I truly regret and a decision that has changed my entire life.. Keep an eye on your inbox for updates. He is amazing. Disney turned it into a. They are a faith-filled family. Eugenia Diaz Obituary (1918 - 2012) - San Antonio, TX - San Antonio Welcome to Killing County. Low 44F. If they took statements, seized evidence or wrote reports, we will be sending letters to defense attorneys or defendants that represented themselves, she said. teacher. Mara was released from a halfway house in April after serving a little less than four years in federal prison. This hearing is not about telling someone they are no good, ONeill said. We have changed our city logo. JIM WHITE : Let, let me add one thing to that. Former Bakersfield Police Department Detective Pleads Guilty to Bribery All the notoriety that theyre getting and what this man over here, Mr. White, our coach, has brought to not just our program but to our community. Diaz this summer pleaded guilty to bribery, drug trafficking and tax evasion, and Mara admitted to selling methamphetamine. Former BPD officers who resold seized drugs released from federal Mr. White was there as a person that we can rely on. 12, The real Jim White and wife Cheryl White actually have three daughters, Tami, Julie and Jami. True Crime news & latest pictures from Newsweek.com Our father never could ever go watch us race. We maybe started school but hardly any of us finished. Diaz initially became well-known after the release of 2015 Disney movie, McFarland USA, starring Kevin Costner.. was like to have a movie made about his The real Coach Jim White took both the boys and girls cross country teams to the California central coast beach at Cayucos during the 1985 season (not the 1987 season). But this is gonna be a family movie, so it is okay. The community of McFarland still works as a village to raise their youth. FEMALE : How McFarland had changed, um, now that the movies gone? Right now our community is excited obviously with the movie and rightfully so. The United States Attorney's Office said Diaz continued to operate the informant "even though he was fully aware of the informant's ongoing criminal activity and, during this time, Diaz received bribes from the informant in return for intelligence on law enforcement activities as well as protection from investigation and arrest.". Coach Jim White and his wife, Cheryl, with team member Thomas Valles at the 1987 California Southern Area cross country meet at Hart Park in Bakersfield. Coach Jim White is retired now, but if you go to McFarland, chances are you willsee him out there on his bike, keeping up with the kids every evening with a lotof his original team running alongside as well. Former BPD detective, Damacio Diaz sentenced to 5 years - KERO These I was able have aninterview with Jim White and the Diaz brothers (David Diaz, Damacio Diaz and Danny Diaz) who are the real life inspirations behind the McFarland, USA film. DANNY DIAZ : Yeah, if you drive600 miles out . View the profiles of people named Damacio Diaz. Not the right Damacio Diaz? Yes. CA. Former Bakersfield Police officers Damacio Diaz, 48, and Patrick Mara, 40, have been released from federal custody, according to the Board of Prison's website. Eliu Garza, also a McFarland High runner, is . It was back in 1987 when Damacio Diaz inadvertently became a local celebrity of sorts owing to the way he built McFarland High Schools winning cross-country dynasty alongside his two brothers. Copyright 2023 KFSN-TV. It was at the Bakersfield Police Department that Damacio was able to rise the ranks in the way hed always desired going from patrol operations to serving at several high-profile units. Danny Diaz | You can't have my job, but I'll tell you a story My dad gives me a sense of security, she told the court. David Diaz is behind Victor wearing a white t-shirt and McFarland hat. It reviewed 87 cases. -KGET 17, Yes. I still currently run. Where is Damacio Diaz Now? 'Killing County' on Hulu Explores His Story It gave you character. The highest homicide rate The most crime. View Public Details & Court Records. All seven Diaz children went to college and all seven returned to McFarland where they live today. Wife of California doctor who drove family off cliff in Tesla doesn't want him prosecuted . A previous version of this article said the district attorneys office reviewed 108 cases involving the detectives. The former BPD official apparently knew what he was doing wasnt right in any way, shape, or form, yet he couldnt find a way out as there was no one he could approach for help, as per the docuseries. A 1997 LA Times article described it as a rickety, worn bicycle, but did not state that it was a girl's bicycle like in the movie. experience coaching the team. Under it you read three words:Tradition, Unity, and Excellence. Where are Damacio and Patrick now? DAVID DIAZ : He was a very inspirational part. If it were ethical, I would pay to have you go to UCLA, he said, noting that it clearly was not. In fact, a blink of an eye as you drive down Highway 99 in California and you will miss it. Some, like David Diaz, became teachers themselves. Inspired by the irony of his last name, "Blanco" was one of the nicknames that the kids and their families gave Jim White. The assistant U.S. attorney used the word paradox to describe Diaz, one of seven siblings raised in the northern Kern County farming community of McFarland in a religious family, and one that seemed the epitome of the American dream. As he walked a Hollywood red carpet in February and talked to Action News anchor Graciela Moreno about McFarland USA, little did Diaz know his life was ready to unravel. That was the only thing really that they had thats available to show that type of work [for the movie]. Silvia was 16 and Herlinda was 14. The movie is based on the true story of a 1987 cross country team, that Diaz was a member of, from a mainly Latino high school in McFarland, California, that won a state championship. Diaz was active as a youth coach, and as a cop he rose quickly through the ranks before, as he said, he was seduced by the lure of easy money, by stealing and selling methamphetamine for personal profit, the very drugs he was being paid to get off the streets. To make up for the time they couldn't work in the fields due to cross country practice, Jim White would sometimes give his time to them by helping them pick in the fields. However, it was later revealed that BPD Detectives Damacio Diaz and Patrick Mara were involved in making Ramirez an informant. Four years ago on a sweltering afternoon, Bakersfield Police Det. Their stories were told in a beautiful way and they are excited Disney picked their tale to tell. Diaz was released from prison in May 2020. gun violence, officer-involved homicides and other crime, Colin Kaepernick is an executive producer, Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. They appeared happy to be with us, and they enjoyed sharing their behind the scenes stories about the . A couple weeks later, the Bakersfield Police Department put him on leave after a federal investigation started to reveal an alleged connection to a major meth dealer. Diaz was a local celebrity at the time. The Bakersfield Californian says (http://bit.ly/2dGESLb) the U.S. Attorneys Office recommended between 17 and 22 years. McFarland High School is actually just down the road from the Central Valley Correctional Facility, not across the street. DANNY DIAZ : That is true. It was indeed the first time that many of the kids ever saw the ocean. DAMACIO DIAZ : And if I can add to that. -John Harte, Yes, and at times the White family paid for new shoes and clothing for the team out of their own pockets. Talbert said that we concluded no officers were complicit in joining Diaz and Mara, and that no further prosecutions were planned at this time. There are no shopping malls or large grocery stores. Danny and Damacio run 3 to 5 miles a day to simply stay in shape. He also was indicted on charges of disclosing wiretap information to a criminal partner, interfering with a criminal investigation, and other felonies, but those charges were dismissed in the plea agreement. Diaz turned his back on those opportunities and broke the trust his community placed in him, violating the very laws he was sworn to enforce. Bakersfield. High 61F. FRESNO, Calif. Damacio Diaz, 44, of McFarland, formerly a detective with the Bakersfield Police Department, pleaded guilty today to bribery, possession and attempted possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, and making and subscribing a false income tax return, Acting United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
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