Amador County - The Amador County Combined Narcotic Enforcement Team, or ACCNET, and the Mule Creek State Prison Investigative Services Unit have concluded a two month investigation involving the smuggling of heroin into the prison. According to the Sheriff’s Department, the smuggling was being done by resident Marcelina Penunuri and inmate Daniel Misquez. Based upon the investigation, ACCNET agents served a search warrant for Penunuri’s person for hidden drugs when she arrived at the prison on Sunday, January 18, 2009. They seized three toy balloons containing a total of 11.3 grams of heroin. ACCNET agents conducted a follow up search of her residence at 760 Beardsley Street in West Sacramento. Seized from the residence were 2.6 grams of marijuana that was packaged for sale, scales, packaging material, a box of .25 caliber ammunition that was hidden in a dirty clothes basket, ballistic body armor, gang paraphernalia, and 15.1 grams of heroin hidden inside a child’s teddy bear. Penunuri was booked at Amador County Jail for conspiracy to smuggle heroin into state prison, possession of heroin for sale, and possession of marijuana for sale. Misquez was placed in administrative housing at Mule Creek State Prison pending formal charging. Staff Report (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County - Early Sunday morning was no vacation for area firefighters who were called to the scene of a major structure fire in the Buckhorn area. Fire personnel arrived at 26472 Luttrell Court five minutes after the 7:45 am dispatch. Firefighters quickly controlled the fire and damage was confined to the residence, which was a total loss, with minimal spread and damage to the adjacent garage structure. The fire was contained less than an hour later at 8:30am. The owner of the 1100 foot structure and the family that resides there were both out of the area at the time of the incident. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Agencies involved included Amador Fire Protection District 10, CAL FIRE, and the American Legion Ambulance Service. A total of four fire engines, 1 water tender, 1 air support unit and 16 personnel were involved in fighting the blaze. Story by Alex Lane (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County - Due to the onset of cool, rainy weather, the Bureau of Land Management’s Folsom Field Office has lifted emergency fire restrictions on all BLM-managed public lands within its boundary effective Tuesday. This includes BLM-managed public lands in Amador, Nevada, Yuba, Placer, El Dorado, Sacramento, Calaveras, Tuolumne, Stanislaus, Sutter and Mariposa counties, a total of about 230,000 acres. According to Brian Mulhollen, BLM Folsom fuels management specialist, there is no longer a need for emergency restrictions because of cooler, wet weather. However, some requirements such as campfire permits remain in place. Campfire permits and additional information is available at the BLM Folsom Office, 63 Natoma St., Folsom. For additional information, contact BLM's Folsom Field Office at (916) 985-4474. Story by Alex Lane (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County - The results are in from the Second Annual Firefighters Fundraiser in Ione. Ione City Treasurer Sharon Long was pleased to announce Monday that monetary contributions exceeded expectations. Over 300 community members gathered on October 24th at the Big Red Barn at Rancho Arroyo Seco for a fundraiser and BBQ. When all was said and done the total contributions raised to support Ione Fire Fighters were over 10,000 dollars- an amount that Rancho Arroyo Seco had already agreed to match for a grand total of 20,000 dollars towards new structural protective gear for the department. Supporters of the event wasted no time when it came to having fun. Kids jumped their way through the evening in a bounce house and delighted in preparing roasted marshmallows for s’mores. Adults enjoyed live music, raffle and a silent auction. Long summed up the spirit of the event, saying: “We are fortunate to have such a dedicated force of men and women who care for their community and volunteer time to provide emergency services. Ione is proud to have the best trained and staffed fire department in Amador County.” Story by Alex Lane (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). 

By Alex Lane - A vehicle pursuit between Sheriff’s officers and a man suspected of vehicle theft ended in a dramatic crash Monday evening. Around 7 pm, a Sheriff’s deputy received a report that a person suspected of possession of stolen property had almost struck another vehicle on Shake Ridge Road . The Sheriff radioed other deputies to be on the lookout for the white vehicle the suspect was driving. A CHP officer in the area soon spotted the vehicle on Pine Grove Drive, but when he tried to stop the vehicle the suspect sped away. The pursuit wound through the curvy back roads of the Pine Grove area and it soon became apparent to the officer in pursuit that the chase was becoming very dangerous due to the speeds of the driver. The car lost control and came to a stop at the roads edge of the intersection of Manzanita Way and Dew Drop Road . When the suspect backed up and tried to drive again, the CHP officer chose to end the chase by ramming the vehicle and forcing it off the road into the trees. The suspect then ran into the woods and evaded officers. The suspect has yet to be found.

By Jim Reece - A motor home caught on fire on Highway 26 Wednesday morning and briefly spread toward wild land before being contained by local firefighters, including from Amador County. A Railroad Flat resident was moving his motor home this morning when it caught fire on Highway 26 about a mile from the Highway 88 junction.

The fire burned in the rear engine compartment and spread quickly to about the last third of the vehicle and started a roadside fire which then spread into the nearby woods. Quick action by fire responders stopped the fire from further spreading into wild land. The vehicle was heavily damaged by the flames.

 

A wildland fire prompted a quick response by CAL FIRE firefighters Sunday in Westpoint. The blaze burned 50 acres at Smitty Lane and West Point Road Sunday afternoon. The fire was spotted by the Butte Mountain lookout post in Amador County and the smoke column could also be seen from Buckhorn. The damage had the potential to be really bad, with conditions dry from the current drought. The fire started on Smitty Lane in West Point and quickly traveled up the slope towards Valentine Hill Road, threatening homes in its path. CDF called for Heavy Tankers and helicopters along with local and regional fire crews to battle the blaze, including crews from San Andreas. Quick work by fire crews clearly saved homes off of Valentine Hill Road as flames licked at the porch of one home, and burned a well house. A spot fire also developed off of Valentine Road and a Bulldozer and crews were kept busy fighting that fire in thick, heavy brush. Several families were ordered to evacuate along the path of the fire until its forward progress was stopped. Ranchers in the neighborhood were also busy loading up horses to take them to a safer location. The fight included hand crews, and the attack got the fire under control pretty fast, according to witnesses. CAL FIRE’s website Monday reported that the Smitty Lane Fire burned 50 acres before 100% containment.

A downed power line on Shakeridge Road Thursday afternoon started fires on both sides of the road near Manzanita Road. Fire personnel were quickly dispatched, including aircraft and a bulldozer. The fire was quickly contained, and PG&E crews were able to neutralize the downed power line so that fire fighters could completely extinguish the blaze, which burned about 3 acres. Many residents in Sutter Creek were out of power for several hours. CDF is still investigating why the power line went down.

Amador County - The Amador County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the suspect in a bank robbery that occurred last Friday in Plymouth. At approximately 11:39 am, sheriff’s officers received reports that the Wells Fargo Bank at 9454 Main Street had been robbed. Witnesses at the scene say the robber was relatively low-key and was last seen running westbound on Main Street. Several images of the suspect were captured on the bank surveillance system. According to a statement released by the Sheriff’s Office, “Bank personnel told detectives a white male suspect entered the bank and approached a teller. Bank personnel reported that the suspect (a white male about 6 feet tall) handed the teller a note demanding money and stating that he had a firearm. The teller provided the suspect with a small amount of currency which he placed into his pocket.” The suspect never displayed the firearm but did make a verbal reference to having one. During a neighborhood search, deputies learned of a white Dodge van with an overhead rack system occupied by a white male subject with a beard that had been observed in the area immediately prior to and immediately after the robbery. The sherrif’s office describe the suspect as a white male, approximately 6 feet tall, weighing approximately 175 to 180 pounds, with reddish brown hair and a beard, wearing dark sunglasses, a white tee shirt, charcoal grey hooded sweatshirt with the word “Clive” on the front and black gloves. Anyone with information regarding this or any other crime is urged to contact the Amador County Sheriff’s Office at (209) 223-6500 or the Amador County Secret Witness Program at (209) 223-4900. (end) am Story by Alex Lane (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County – The Sutter Creek Fire Department doled out the winnings of a 181,000 Dollar State grant Monday, with the award to be split among 5 firefighting jurisdictions in Amador County. Sutter Creek Fire Captain and grant program director Dan Barnes and members of the local brigades will each get about 36,000 dollars worth of new extrication equipment from the California Office of Traffic Safety. He said that includes 5 sets of hydraulic Hurst extrication tools, 5 heavy airbags, rescue stabilization struts, portable lighting and a portable gasoline powered hydraulic power unit. The power generator powers two Hurst tools at a time. The grant is part of the “Regional Extrication Improvement Program,” and gives the equipment to Sutter Creek and Jackson Fire Departments; Battalion 20 of the Amador Fire Protection District, which covers Plymouth and Fiddletown; AFPD Battalion 10, which covers Upcountry; and the Lockwood Fire Protection District. Barnes said he has been working on the grants since last winter and he’ll wrap up the grant in another year. He will also file quarterly reports on the equipment’s usage, as part of the grant, so that statistics on results may be known, such as patient conditions after being saved with the equipment. The equipment was delivered 2 weeks ago, just before the election. Barnes said “this is a good thing for Amador County. We got Measure M passed and now this. We’re taking steps in the right direction.” Story by Jim Reece (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).