Amador County – Authorities were investigating a daylight bank robbery last week after a man claimed to have a bomb and made away with an undisclosed amount of money from the Pine Grove Bank of Stockton on Highway 88.

Amador County Sheriff Martin Ryan announced the investigation in a release later in the day of the robbery. The release said at just after noon on Monday, Dec. 27, “the Amador County Sheriff’s Office received an emergency 9-1-1 call from an employee at the Bank of Stockton,” at 20004 Highway 88 in Pine Grove.

The employee said “the bank had just been robbed by a white male, carrying a bag, which he said contained explosives.” The suspect reportedly “demanded a specific amount of money, which he was provided,” and “then placed the bag on the ground inside the bank and fled on foot.”

Ryan in the release said staff members in the bank evacuated the premises prior to the arrival of sheriff’s deputies and detectives. “The bank and surrounding perimeter was secured by deputies, who searched the bank and immediate vicinity.”

A sheriff’s canine unit attempted to track the suspect, and the trail “led east from the bank to a wooded area behind a vacant building approximately 75 yards away.” Ryan said “detectives at the scene were able to quickly identify that the bag reportedly containing explosives was actually a soft sided cooler containing a piece of landscape brick.”

Sheriff’s detectives interviewed the bank employees and people living in the area, Ryan said. “Detectives also conducted a check of adjacent businesses and searched surveillance video from the bank and other area establishments.”

An Amador County sheriff’s crime scene investigator responded to the scene to process physical evidence that was recovered at the bank.

Based on witness interviews and review of surveillance video, the suspect was described as a white male, 40 to 50 year old, with a mustache. He was wearing a black visor over a black knit watch cap, or beanie. He also wore a black shirt, a green jacket and blue denim pants.

Ryan released surveillance photographs of the suspect taken by cameras within the Bank of Stockton.

The Sheriff’s office this weekend reported that it had “received a few telephone calls from citizens suggesting possible” identification of the suspect. The department is investigating all tips that it receives, and “thus far none have resulted in an arrest.”

Anyone with info may call ACSO at (209) 223-6500, or the Secret Witness Program, (209) 223-4900, or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Amador County Registrar of Voters Sheldon Johnson reminded voters recently that tomorrow’s special election, Tuesday, Jan. 4, also has a limited number of voting places open, due to a one-time consolidation of voting places.

Voters should check their sample ballot for the location of their polling places. The special election will fill the office left open by the late State Senator Dave Cox in District 1, which includes Amador County. Candidates are Republican Ted Gaines and Democrat Ken Cooley.

The only voting places that are open Tuesday in Amador County will be Jackson City Hall, Evalyn Bishop Hall, Sutter Creek Auditorium, New Life Christian Center in Pine Grove, Plymouth City Hall, the Lockwood Fire House in Volcano, and Mace Meadow Country Club in Pioneer.

Vote-by-mail applications may be requested by walking in to the registrar’s office today until the close of business hours, or when polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 4.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Authorities were investigating a daylight bank robbery last week after a man claimed to have a bomb and made away with an undisclosed amount of money from the Pine Grove Bank of Stockton on Highway 88.

Amador County Sheriff Martin Ryan announced the investigation in a release later in the day of the robbery. The release said at just after noon on Monday, Dec. 27, “the Amador County Sheriff’s Office received an emergency 9-1-1 call from an employee at the Bank of Stockton,” at 20004 Highway 88 in Pine Grove.

The employee said “the bank had just been robbed by a white male, carrying a bag, which he said contained explosives.” The suspect reportedly “demanded a specific amount of money, which he was provided,” and “then placed the bag on the ground inside the bank and fled on foot.”

Ryan in the release said staff members in the bank evacuated the premises prior to the arrival of sheriff’s deputies and detectives. “The bank and surrounding perimeter was secured by deputies, who searched the bank and immediate vicinity.”

A sheriff’s canine unit attempted to track the suspect, and the trail “led east from the bank to a wooded area behind a vacant building approximately 75 yards away.” Ryan said “detectives at the scene were able to quickly identify that the bag reportedly containing explosives was actually a soft sided cooler containing a piece of landscape brick.”

Sheriff’s detectives interviewed the bank employees and people living in the area, Ryan said. “Detectives also conducted a check of adjacent businesses and searched surveillance video from the bank and other area establishments.”

An Amador County sheriff’s crime scene investigator responded to the scene to process physical evidence that was recovered at the bank.

Based on witness interviews and review of surveillance video, the suspect was described as a white male, 40 to 50 year old, with a mustache. He was wearing a black visor over a black knit watch cap, or beanie. He also wore a black shirt, a green jacket and blue denim pants.

Ryan released surveillance photographs of the suspect taken by cameras within the Bank of Stockton.

The Sheriff’s office this weekend reported that it had “received a few telephone calls from citizens suggesting possible” identification of the suspect. The department is investigating all tips that it receives, and “thus far none have resulted in an arrest.”

Anyone with info may call ACSO at (209) 223-6500, or the Secret Witness Program, (209) 223-4900, or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – A special election Tuesday, Jan. 4 will determine the successor to the late State Senator Dave Cox in District 1.

The candidates both spoke with TSPN recently about the race. Republican Ted Gaines, District 4 State Assemblyman, said his experience as a small business owner is a key qualifier, and balancing a business budget and having to let someone go are critical, especially during very tough economic times.

Ken Cooley, a Democrat and Mayor of Rancho Cordova, pointed to his “strong background in local government,” and would bring “the skill set to make the institution work for the state and also the district.”

Gaines said the only state budget he has supported was Schwarzenegger’s May budget revise, and he made a commitment to voters to not increase their taxes.

“We’ve got to be very clear in terms of what a government can and cannot do for us in a time of very limited resources,” Gaines said, “and we ought to be eliminating some of these programs that we simply can not afford.”

He said he spoke with Gov. Elect Brown about his proposal to look at $10 billion in cuts, and another $10 billion to $15 billion in tax increases or fees. He said Brown “wasn’t real clear what that would include,” but wants the changes in place by June. Gaines said: “My thinking is that that fails,” and pointed out the statewide failure of the extension of tax increases, which lost by votes in all 58 counties.

Cooley said he support’s Gov. Brown’s “taxes without voter approval.” He said the Legislative office is much bigger than contemporary legislators recognize, with the power to “assert and engage in active oversight of state government,” either in committee, or informally, “in consultation with their peers, which is what I would do.”

Cooley said he spent the first dozen years of his career, 1977-1991 “working in the Legislature when it was the best in the nation.” He was personal staff to a member, and worked as chief counsel for a committee on savings and loan and insurance matters.

The State Senate District 1 includes all of Amador, Alpine, Calaveras, El Dorado, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Sierra and Mono counties. It also includes Roseville, Auburn and Colfax in Placer County, and Truckee in Nevada County.

District 1 also includes Sacramento County cities of Fair Oaks, Folsom, Galt, Rancho Murieta, Orangevale, most of Carmichael and parts of Elk Grove, Rancho Cordova and Laguna.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – A child was asleep in a house near the impact of a reported drive-by shooting early Christmas Eve in Ione, but authorities said no injuries were reported.

Ione Police Chief Michael L. Johnson released details of the shooting later that morning, Friday, Dec. 24th. Johnson said said: “Thankfully, no one was injured in the shooting but the family’s 10-year-old child was sleeping on the couch in the front living room just a few feet from the deadly barrage of bullets.”

A report came in shortly after 2 a.m. Christmas Eve saying that several shots had been fired into a family’s residence, in the 300 block of South Sacramento Street in Ione.

Residents on the street were awakened by gunfire, Johnson said, and “when the smoke cleared the victim residence was discovered to be riddled with evidence of a drive by shooting.”

He said “Ione Police Department and assisting agencies arrived on the scene quickly and canvassed the area for the suspects,” spent several hours of processing the scene for evidence, and the investigation continues.

Johnson said he was unable to provide further details of the incident due to the on-going investigation. He said late last week that there were no reportable developments.

The release said Ione Police Department personnel have already developed a viable suspect or suspects, and investigative leads. Johnson “credited Ione Police Officers for their prior proactive filed contacts with suspicious individuals as information that has already proven useful in cultivating leads for this incident.”

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Amador County Registrar of Voters Sheldon Johnson reminded voters recently that tomorrow’s special election, Tuesday, Jan. 4, also has a limited number of voting places open, due to a one-time consolidation of voting places.

Voters should check their sample ballot for the location of their polling places. The special election will fill the office left open by the late State Senator Dave Cox in District 1, which includes Amador County. Candidates are Republican Ted Gaines and Democrat Ken Cooley.

The only voting places that are open Tuesday in Amador County will be Jackson City Hall, Evalyn Bishop Hall, Sutter Creek Auditorium, New Life Christian Center in Pine Grove, Plymouth City Hall, the Lockwood Fire House in Volcano, and Mace Meadow Country Club in Pioneer.

Vote-by-mail applications may be requested by walking in to the registrar’s office today until the close of business hours, or when polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 4.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.