It is tragic that the Modesto Police Department so quickly dismisses
the death of young Alberto Sepulveda as accidental. It is more tragic
that the community so easily agrees with the findings by the

We cannot confuse drugs in the community with the wrongful death of a
child. It could have been anybody's child in Modesto, Turlock, Ceres
or Stanislaus County. No one is listening to the father. If they
wanted Mr. Sepulveda they (the various law enforcement agencies) could
have arrested him at work.

Modesto cannot lull itself into thinking that these things can only
happen in an urban setting. Modesto is the major city in Stanislaus
County. If you have drugs and crime in Stanislaus, then things like
this can happen.

We are all aware of the racial profiling that has occurred in urban
centers. Drug bust or not; accident or not, Alberto Sepulveda's death
was a wrongful death. I grieve for his parents, his family and his
community.

Linda Apodaca
Turlock, Sept. 17