Mas

By: Lauren Ziegeler/MÁS staff

He has places to go and people to see, and this 56-year-old Latino version of Sherlock Holmes has already traveled to 19 states and three countries –– France, Spain, and Mexico –– to track down criminals and seek justice.

Joe Serrano, private investigator extraordinaire specializing in criminal defense, has been in the field for 12 years and recently obtained his bail bond license. He investigates crimes involving murder, assault, robbery, and other violent crimes such as domestic violence and sexual crimes.

This crime-fighting chameleon hates wearing suits because his line of work involves changing appearances and dealing with dangerous desperados.

“I can bail a guy out, investigate his case, notarize the documents, and serve the subpoenas,” Serrano said.            

The noted private investigator has worked on such high-profile cases as the Yarborough murder and the Bruce Sons case. He has also worked closely with the top criminal defense attorneys in Kern County, like criminal litigator and defense lawyer H.A. Sala.

H.A. Sala has worked with Serrano for over 10 years and has used his skill as an investigator on countless occasions. He considers Joe an asset to the criminal justice system and one of the very few good bilingual investigators in Kern County.

“He is one of the most hardworking, thorough, competent investigators that I have come across,” Sala said. “I can use him on cases stemming from misdemeanors to multiple homicide cases.”

In fact, Sala said that due to Serrano’s efforts on a recent homicide case, a defendant was cleared.

“The last homicide case I worked with him resulted in 11 jurors voting not guilty, and I credit that to Joe’s work, getting out on the street, finding witnesses, and presenting it to the court,” Sala said.

However, Serrano didn’t start out as a private investigator. He has followed a trail of different career paths, including a citrus farm field worker, heavy equipment operator, deputy sheriff, park ranger and truck driver before his current job as a private investigator and bail bond agent.

Born in Tijuana, Mexico, Serrano has a culturally rich Hispanic background and wishes to give back to the Latino community through his services.

“I will give them advice, help them out with questions, try to understand their bad situations with immigration, and investigate for them. I hate when Mexicans are taken advantage of,” Serrano said.

Serrano can sympathize firsthand when it comes to immigration since his family migrated from Mexico to Los Banos when he was just 7 years old.

“I’m hired a lot by Hispanics, but not predominately. I have dealt with many races and backgrounds such as Anglos, blacks, and even Sikhs.”

Before becoming a private investigator, Serrano faced personal hardship. In 1994, he was involved in a traumatic motorcycle accident. Just miles from his home, Serrano’s Yamaha 750 motorcycle was broadsided by a van.

“If it wasn’t for that helmet, I wouldn’t be here,” Serrano said.

Serrano sustained substantial injuries, including a broken hip, dislocated shoulder, cuts, and a severed left arm. It was after that accident that Serrano entered the private investigating field when his supervisor at the Kern County Sheriff’s office made a suggestion to him regarding the job.

Serrano is currently working on nine murder cases, which he notes are his favorite since they are “more exciting.”

His favorite case-to-date was a high-profile one where he investigated the murder of a prostitute and drug dealer who used the nickname “Texas Queen” or “One-legged Ann.” She was shot by a group of interstate truck drivers over drug trafficking and found dead in the Edison area, Serrano said.

“What’s unique about this case is that truckers go by funny names like ‘Peanut’ or ‘Little Lady,’ so I would ask around — not by using their real names, but by their nicknames,” Serrano said.

For the case, he had to travel to Florida and hunt down potential witnesses.

“It was a very interesting case. I had to go through Florida, twice through Jacksonville and Miami. I’d jump in the car and drive six hours to Miami, then talk to his (the witness’) parents. He knew I was there, so he didn’t come home. I eventually found him in a prison,” Serrano said.

Hopping across the nation and solving cases is just another day at the office for Serrano. One “hop” was especially beneficial.

Mexico is the source of many good things for Serrano, especially since it’s the place where he first met his wife, Alma, 47. Serrano is father to Sandra, 35, and Joseph, 32.

Serrano is also using his work in the bail bond business to help curb the effects of legislation in Shafter for local Latinos, he said.

Due to the impact of recently passed Proposition 83 — commonly referred to as Jessica’s Law — on the rural community of Shafter, sexual offenders are a new concern for families and their children. The law states that sexual offenders cannot be within 2,000 feet of where children gather.

Serrano’s state-of-the-art “tracker pal” ankle bracelets combat the issue because they offer a GPS tracking device and alarm system so violators are in direct control of the proper law enforcement agency.

“It allows us to be on top of him all the time, which is especially good for sexual offenders,” Serrano explained.

The “tracker pal” ankle bracelets are tamper proof, waterproof, and unlike other ankle bracelets, allow an offender to communicate directly with the agency through a cell phone device located on the unit.

Becoming a bail bond agent was not on Serrano’s list, but Gotta Go Bail Bonds owner Glen Pierce convinced Serrano to get his license, and he hasn’t regretted it since. Pierce sought out Serrano because of his bilingual skills and his knowledge of the field.

“He’s a good guy, Spanish-speaking, and one of the most honest people I know,” Pierce said.