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Amador County – Two employees of the Bottle Shop in downtown Jackson were arrested Thursday for sales and possession of marijuana. The arrests were the result of a two-month joint investigation between the Amador County Combined Narcotic Enforcement Team (ACCNET), Jackson Police Department and California Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC). According to a release from ABC, these three agencies “initiated the investigation due to heightened concern about this location in the community.” John Carr, ABC’s Public Information Officer, says ABC investigators from the Sacramento District and ABC's Grant Assistance Program “went undercover multiple times and were able to purchase marijuana from an employee of the Bottle Shop.” Marijuana purchases were successfully completed on several occasions. As a result, authorities arrested Mandpreet Singh Ghuane and Geoffrey Scott Maciel for sales of a controlled substance. Both individuals are currently being held at the Amador County Jail. The Bottle Shop will also face an accusation from ABC which will result in a penalty ranging from a fine to a revocation of the license. “There is a license offense and a criminal offense,” says Carr. “We are still determining what penalty will be assessed, and the business owners have the right to challenge those findings.” This is not the first time that the Bottle Shop, located at 45 Main Street, or its owners have been the subject of controversy. Ghuane, along with co-owners of the business, was denied a permit in March that would have allowed the Bottle Shop to move from its current location to the former location of the Biggest Little Kitchen Store at the three-way intersection on North Main Street. The Jackson Planning Commission determined the proposed new location as incompatible with the neighborhood and public safety. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published in Law Enforcement

Monday, 13 September 2010 07:23

Man arrested for taking pot, weapons onto Mule Creek property

Amador County – The Ione Police Department reported teaming with the Mule Creek State Prison personnel to arrest a man for taking drugs and weapons onto state prison property Sunday in Ione. Ione Police Chief Michael L. Johnson said the Ione Police Department in cooperation with Mule Creek State Prison “identified, investigated, and arrested 48-year-old Richard Bezemer for bringing drugs and weapons onto state grounds” Sunday, September 5th. Johnson said Mule Creek officers were first alerted to Bezemer as he attempted to enter the visitor facility. Marijuana was subsequently discovered in Bezemer’s possession. Further investigation led officers to Bezemer’s vehicle which was parked on the state grounds. Johnson said “additional containers of marijuana, several knives, and other suspicious prescription medications were removed from (Bezemer’s) vehicle.” Bezemer was placed in custody and booked into the Amador County Jail on felony drug and weapon possession charges. Bezemer’s vehicle was towed and stored after his arrest. Johnson said the incident is an “example of mutual aid enforcement techniques used to combat crime within the city of Ione.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published in Law Enforcement

Monday, 13 September 2010 07:22

Plymouth approves AFPD fire services contract

Amador County – The Plymouth City Council last week approved a fire protection services agreement contract with the Amador Fire Protection District, pending some minor adjustments. The council voted Thursday to authorize City Manager Dixon Flynn to negotiate a few minor details and then sign the contract with AFPD. The contract will be for 10 years, and replaces a three-month contract extension that expires at the end of September. City Clerk Gloria Stoddard said AFPD Chief Jim McCart was told to get a contract over to Plymouth as soon as he can, and Flynn was given the authority to negotiate and sign it. Among the items, Plymouth City Council asked for McCart to find out if the AFPD board of directors would allow Plymouth to have the option whether to be part of a fire Community Facilities District, rather than being required to be a member. Flynn said during a break at Thursday’s meeting that the city needed to get a contract finalized with AFPD, and they had been talking about it for two years. Flynn said he was going to recommend the council ask for a five-year contract term that would be renewable every five years, over a 20-year period. The council instead went with AFPD’s request for a 10-year contract term. Flynn also said he would also want AFPD to work with Plymouth toward getting its own fire department. In council member reports, Vice Mayor Greg, chairman of the Amador County Transportation Commission, said he and staff and a selection committee next week will be looking at 15 applications they had received for people seeking to be the new Amador Regional Transportation System manager. Baldwin said once the new ARTS manager is selected and hired, the new manager will help hire a Mobility Management manager. Flynn reported that the Lodge Hill community center had some windows shot out. They were replaced at a cost of $233. Mayor Pat Fordyce led Amador County Recreation Agency board members on a tour of the newly remodeled ground floor of Lodge Hill. She said they were impressed with the project, which used Proposition 40 funds. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published in Fire

Monday, 13 September 2010 07:20

AWA seeks $1.2M in Prop 84 funding for Camanche tank repair

Amador County – The Amador Water Agency board of directors on Thursday agreed to reduce the number of projects it will seek Proposition 84 funding, but planned to seek the same amount, totaling $1.2 million. Acting on the recommendation of General Manager Gene Mancebo, the board decided to increase the amount of funding sought to expand a leak testing and repair project in the Amador Water System, and a “tank rehabilitation and lateral replacement” project at Lake Camanche Water District. The board unanimously made the change, and removed a grant request for $350,000 for the Gravity Supply Line project. The grants are sought through the regional Upper Mokelumne River Watershed Authority, whose Executive Officer Rob Alcott told Mancebo that larger projects were preferred because they reduce the amount of application work spent on smaller projects. Alcott suggested reducing the number of projects and keeping funding the same. The board authorized Mancebo to write a letter saying AWA planned to fund the matching grants, seeking $394,000 for leak testing and repair; and $790,000 for a project at Camanche. Mancebo said “for that kind of money you could almost get a brand new tank up there.” He said the leak testing could be done anywhere, not just AWS, and at Camanche, almost every tank in that system leaks because they are made of redwood. The board decided not to seek a grant for the GSL, freeing up $350,000. They divided that, to seek $100,000 for leak testing, and $250,000 for Camanche. Director Gary Thomas said “that is more than generous.” Mancebo said they are conducting an income survey in the Camanche district to try to get the area to qualify as a “disadvantaged community,” requiring no match. President Bill Condrashoff said the “hope on Camanche is that it will be 100 percent funded.” He said the 25 percent match on leak testing funds was too good to pass up, urging they keep the project. Director Terence Moore agreed, saying they started the Upper Moke authority, the “focus was on leak detection.” He said he would like to see it expanded and get even more money, taking funds from the GSL application. Moore said: “I don’t think a $350,000 grant for the GSL is going to make or break it.” The AWA estimates the Gravity Supply Line project would cost $13.9 million, and is working to get a USDA grant of $5.1 million, and a long-term USDA loan for $8.5 million to fund the project. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published in Water

Monday, 13 September 2010 07:17

Dr. Jorge Santana to speak at Amador library

Amador County - Dr. Jorge Santana, a former professor at California State University in Sacramento, will give a lecture on the history and art of Mexico at the Amador County library next weekend. Santana is an acclaimed author of several books on the subject, and will be sharing excerpts from his books as well as signing copies at the end of the roughly hour long presentation. Santana told TSPN he will begin by talking about the Bicentennial Celebration of the Mexican Independence (September 16th) as well as the November 20th Centennial of the Mexican Revolution. In order to highlight this topic, Santana said he will refer to a series of prints currently hanging in the library which document the revolution and some of its icons, including Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata. He said the lecture “will also focus on some of the artists that have portrayed Mexican cultural aspects, foremost being Octavio Ocampo a contemporary artist.” Finally, he will introduce a number of acclaimed books he has written on various related topics, including “El Folklore Hispano,” a book on intermediate level Spanish language acquisition, and “La adivinanza a través de 500 años,” an anthology of the Hispanic riddle across 500 years. A reception is planned, perhaps appropriately, at the authentic, Latin-themed Cafe De Coco on Main Street in Jackson. Santana’s own history is perhaps as interesting as the subjects he teaches. Born in Rosarito, Baja California, Mexico of parents from the state of Jalisco, he is the third oldest of nine children and moved with his family to California at the age of four. He eventually received his B.A. and M.A. at San Diego State University. He is a recipient of a Fulbright-Hayes and a Del Amo Foundation Grant which allowed him to complete his Ph. D. at the Universidad de Madrid, Spain. He was a professor at CSUS for 37 years. He taught Spanish for the Professions, Mexican Civilization and Culture, Hispanic Folklore, and Seminars on the Civilization and Culture of Mexico and the Civilization and Culture of Hispanic America. During his tenure he led 45 groups on tours of places such as Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Peru as well as many European countries. Professor Emeritus Jorge Santana will speak next Saturday, September 18th at 2:30 pm in the Amador County library. The public is encouraged to attend. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published in Local