Federal agents search skydive center near Acampo

The FBI served a search warrant Tuesday at a skydiving center near Acampo.About 24 federal agents and local authorities were at the Lodi Parachute Center throughout the day and into the night as part of the search. The FBI did not disclose what the search warrant was connected to or what was found.Agents were seen leaving the center with nine cardboard boxes and several filled trash bags.The search included the FBI, U.S. Department of Labor, Federal Aviation Administration, San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office and the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office.No arrests were made in connection to the search warrant, the FBI said.A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's office said the search warrant executed Tuesday is sealed. The Lodi Parachute Center has been in the news several times over the past two years due to deaths connected to the center and investigations into the business.DEADLY ACCIDENTSBetween 1999 and 2017, there were 15 deaths connected to the parachute center.Five people died from 2016 through 2017 during jumps from planes that took off from the Lodi Parachute Center:In September 2017, 54-year-old Brett Derek Hawton died several days after being critically injured during a solo jump from a plane that took off from the center.In May 2017, 42-year-old Matthew Cianco died during a jump while wearing a wing suit.In August 2016, 25-year-old instructor Young Kwon and 18-year-old skydiver Tyler Nicholas Turner died during a tandem jump.In February 2016, skydiver died during a solo jump due to a malfunctioning parachute.PAST INVESTIGATIONSAbout 20 instructors at the center were suspended and 120 others were told they needed to undergo more training in September 2016 after an investigation by the United States Parachute Association.During an investigation by the USPA, a FAA-recognized nonprofit for skydivers, officials discovered that tandem instructors at the skydive school were not properly trained and certified.The FAA also investigated the deadly incidents connected to the center over the past several years.In 2010 and 2011, the FAA issued two penalties against the Parachute Center totaling $933,000. In the first case, the FAA said the company failed to replace old parts and inspect a plane's wings that it used to take skydivers on jumps. In the second incident, the FAA said the company failed to inspect a plane for cracks that could threaten its structural integrity."We were unable to reach a settlement with the company in either case," FAA spokesperson Ian Gregor said in a statement to KCRA 3. "Accordingly, per FAA policy, we referred the cases to the U.S. Attorney's Office for possible prosecution."---KCRA's Tom Miller contributed to this story