Police captain says investigation into June stabbing death
continues
HOLLISTER
Nearly two months have passed without an arrest in the murder of Rene Ortega, who was stabbed to death on East Street following an altercation in Pancho’s Restaurant and Bar.
Capt. Bob Brooks with the Hollister Police Department today said investigators are checking out leads as they come in.
“This is an ongoing investigation,” Brooks said. “It is by no means dead in the water.”
Witnesses reported there was a fight in the bar that spilled out into the street. Those involved made their way toward the corner of Fourth and East streets, where Ortega was stabbed. Paine’s Restaurant owner Tony Garcia reported to police after the incident that Ortega stumbled toward him, badly wounded, and then collapsed. Garcia also saw four men run west on Fourth Street after the stabbing.
After Ortega’s collapse, the bar was closed and the entire investigative branch of the police department arrived on the scene.
