Via News Release - A 52-year-old Avery man was killed in a one-vehicle crash in Alpine County Sunday, with alcohol use suspected. William Wells was killed at approximately 8:30 p.m., while driving a 1981 Pontiac Firebird, heading home from Alpine Lake Resort, on Highway 4, west of Highway 207. The San Andreas CHP office said Wells failed to maintain the Firebird on the road, drifting to the right. The Firebird completely left the road, striking trees and overturning down an embankment. Wells was not wearing a seatbelt, was ejected and came to rest under the Firebird, where he succumbed to his injuries. The road level was 10 to 12 feet above the location of the vehicle. A bicyclist discovered the overturned vehicle at about 8 a.m. Monday and called for help.

A counterfeiting bust in Lodi on Tuesday marks the end of a long trail of deception that affected a number of businesses in Amador County. Clinton Irons, the alleged ring leader of a 6-person counterfeiting ring, was arrested at a Lowe’s in Lodi where a video allegedly shows him passing a fake 100 dollar bill. Irons is one of many suspects arrested so far by detectives. The scandal hit home in Amador County when a suspicious female in her mid-30’s dropped her car off for window repair at Glass Doctor in Martell. “She was frustrated. She claimed her door glass was broken at the casino and she needed it fixed now,” said owner Mark Borchin. She insisted on paying cash and handed over a number of one hundred dollar bills. Upon closer inspection under a special black light, Glass Doctor employees realized that the bills were fakes. Borchin called the Sheriff immediately. The Sherriff called the woman and confronted her about the bills on the phone, at which time she fled the area and did not return to pick up her car. Police reports confirm that the counterfeit bills were actually five dollar bills that had been bleached and reprinted with a standard consumer printer. The Jackson Rancheria casino, Wal-Mart and other businesses throughout the county were also reportedly hit by the counterfeiters. “My concern is making the community aware that there is still a lot of bad money floating around out there,” Borchin said. According to Lodi police, one suspect is still being sought in connection with the alleged ring.

Two major Amador County fires resulted in a long weekend for local fire crews. Already working with thin budgets and staffed mostly by volunteers, fire departments across the county view the circumstances of this last weekend as signs of a difficult summer ahead. Residents throughout the county have praised CalFire and municipal fire departments for their swift and coordinated response. Their combined efforts successfully stopped the 400 acre Electra Fire and the 50 acre Sutter Creek Fire from spreading and burning nearby structures. “We applaud the combined efforts of the crews on the front line,” said Calfire Representative Tobie Edmonds Friday evening as he stood in the midst of the Electra Fire. The Electra Fire’s origin beneath 65,000 volt high tension lines effectively severed power to an estimated 13,000 Amador County residents scattered upcountry. A voluntary evacuation was implemented and fire crews worked through the night to extinguish the blaze by 11am on Saturday. Within hours, another blaze was started at a residence on Sutter Volcano Road by a riding lawnmower tractor. Although no structures were involved, the fire did burn to within 50 yards of several homes. Elsewhere in Northern California, Firefighters managed to contain a series of wildfires on Sunday. In a streak of good luck, mild winds across the state helped in keeping the fires under control. But next time they may not be so lucky. California firefighters from statewide and local agencies are prepared to ask for assistance or declarations of emergency should another catastrophic blaze occur on the level of the Tahoe Angora fire or last year’s burns in Southern California. Here in Amador County, proponents from the Amador Fire Protection Authority are expected to continue discussions with the Board of Supervisors today over the establishment of a half cent tax on retail transactions that would benefit fire infrastructure. Also, TSPN has just received a news release that all burn permits have been suspended in Amador and El Dorado Counties. Anyone with questions should contact their nearest fire facility.

Staff Reports - A propane tank exploded Tuesday night in a garage on Ridge Road, hospitalizing a man with critical burns. Amador Fire Protection District said that Sean Beckley reported to the 911 dispatcher that a home at 1885 Ridge Road in Amador County was on fire and that a propane tank had exploded in the garage there. Beckley had escaped the burning structure with severe burns to his upper body and head. He was treated by American Legion Ambulance personnel and then transported by air ambulance helicopter to U.C. Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. Beckley, 45, is the son of the property owner and was living in the detached garage that was involved in the fire, AFPD reported. The 911 dispatcher took the call from Buckley at 5:22 p.m. and firefighters arrived at the scene 5 minutes later, finding the residential garage heavily involved in fire. AFPD Chief Jim McCart in a news release said “firefighters quickly controlled the fire and fire damage was confined to the garage and a small spot of vegetation and did not spread to the main residence.” Battalion Chief Ray Blankenheim reported that the fire was contained at 5:59 p.m. The estimated monetary loss to the 1,200-square-foot garage was 40,000 dollars. The cause of the fire was under investigation and AFPD said it appeared to have been caused by the ignition of propane vapors. Witnesses said the impact of the explosion had pushed the back of the building out and it was leaning against an additional shed at the rear of the building. The garage door at the front was ballooned out, showing the force of the blast. Firefighters were huddled in a rear corner of the building, hosing down the 100-pound gas tank to cool it down. The tank continued to burn like a roman candle inside the building for close to 30 minutes until the gas finally was depleted. Agencies involved included AFPD Battalion 10, and American Legion Ambulance.

By Jim Reece - A 31-year-old former Arizona resident crashed into the Jackson Fire Department after an apparent medical episode Monday morning in downtown Jackson. Jackson Police Department responded to the one-vehicle crash, after Joe Sanders, 31, formerly of Arizona and now living in the area, turned his 1988 BMW into the front wall of the Jackson Fire Department. JPD said minimal damage resulted. A spokesman said Sanders reported that he felt the beginning of a medical episode and tried to turn his BMW into the fire department parking lot but failed to stop and hit the wall that faces Highway 49 and 88. No injuries were reported and no charges were filed in the incident.

Officials reported continued progress Wednesday with California's remaining 33 blazes - down from more than 2,000 in the past month - although fire danger remained high in some rural areas. In Trinity County, the outlying neighborhoods of Junction City are still under mandatory evacuation orders with a large wildfire less than a mile away from the town of about 800, said Mike Johnson, a spokesman with the National Park Service. That fire in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest was about 60 percent contained after burning 93 square miles. Flames around Northern California, which also has led to a handful of evacuations in Shasta, Lake and Mendocino counties, are contributing to air quality problems. Dense smoke has been making for very unhealthy air that likely will go into the hazardous range in Trinity, Humboldt and Siskiyou Counties this week, said Dimitri Stanich, spokesperson for the California Air Resources Board. "People need to seek shelter and avoid exposure," Stanich said. "These levels are damaging even to healthy people." State officials planned to turn gymnasiums and other buildings into "clean air shelters" equipped with air filters to screen out particulate matter in all three counties, he said. Wildfires ignited since June 21 thus far have scorched 1,528 square miles across the state and destroyed 122 homes. In many parts of the state, cooler temperatures and higher humidity have aided firefighters, including those in the Los Padres National Forest near the coast where a widespread blaze was 72 percent contained today. The fire has blackened 216 square miles and burned 26 homes around Big Sur. "Things are really starting to look good," said Daniel Berlant, spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Amador County - District Attorney Todd Riebe announced Tuesday the conviction of a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation employee for workers’ compensation insurance fraud. On January 15, 2009, Joseph Robert Maita, 49, of Ione, was sentenced to 40 days in jail and three years of supervised probation after pleading guilty in Amador County Superior Court to one count of insurance fraud, a misdemeanor. Maita was also ordered to pay full restitution to CDCR and a fine of $500 to the California Workers' Compensation Fraud Account. As part of the plea agreement, Maita must also reimburse $3,000 to CDCR for investigative expenses. A multi-agency investigation revealed the defendant filed a workers’ compensation claim on March 4, 2008, alleging a knee injury while unloading a food truck at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione. He received benefits and medical treatment as a result of the alleged injury. On April 1, 2008, the treating doctor released Maita back to work on modified duty and indicated Maita was to return to full duty on April 7, 2008. Maita did not return to work or turn in the note to his employer and continued to receive workers’ compensation benefits. Investigators also discovered an altered doctor’s note, which extended Maita’s time-off from work. When asked about the fraudulent document, Maita admitted to investigators he changed the return to work date on the doctor’s note. The investigation included assistance by Senior Special Agent Russ Pettis and Special Agent Tricia Ramos from the CDCR Workers' Compensation Fraud High Impact Team, the California Department of Insurance Fraud Division, and the District Attorney’s Workers’ Compensation Fraud Unit. The Fraud Unit investigates insurance fraud cases in Amador, Placer, and Calaveras County through a grant provided by the California Department of Insurance. Staff Report (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County – Even though we are technically in the middle of winter, fire officials are warning Amador County residents that fire danger still exists. An unseasonably warm winter so far has increased the likelihood of fire occurrence. This warm weather pattern has continued over the last couple years, resulting in larger and more widespread fires throughout California which require larger response units. The California Department of Forestry and Protection, or CALFIRE, statistics reveal that in 2007 alone, 3,610 separate fires occurred within the agency’s jurisdiction. This accounted for 434,667 acres of fire. According to the Amador Fire Protection District, there were 3 structure fires, 1 cooking fire, 1 chimney fire, 1 vehicle fire and 3 wildland fires in Amador County during the month of December. In response, the Tuolumne/Calaveras Unit of CALFIRE is urging residence to take advantage of cool spring weather to finish clearing defensible space around your home in anticipation of another long, dry summer. “Live vegetation must be thinned and pruned to provide the horizontal and vertical spacing that will interrupt fire’s progress to or from a house or other building,” said Bureau Chief Dennis Townsend in a press release. Most importantly, remove all dead vegetation within 100 feet of all structures. He said that before burning each day, residents must check burn day status by calling the the Air Pollution Control District with jurisdiction over your area. Permissive burn days are determined on the basis of air quality, not whether it’s actually safe to burn. For more information about defensible space requirements, as well as safe burning practices, contact your local CAL FIRE station, or visit www.fire.ca.gov. Story by Alex Lane (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County - The Amador Fire Protection District released its latest batch of statistics for the month of December, revealing a consistent trend towards medical aid responses. The month marked one of the highest levels for medical aid responses in 2008. 95 of the 128 incidents responded to were medical aid related, making up approximately 74 percent of the total reports. The incidents included 3 structure fires, 1 cooking fire, 1 chimney fire, 1 vehicle fire and 3 wildland fires. 49 percent of the incidents Story by Alex Lane (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County - A speeding pickup crashed into a tree in front of the Pioneer Post Office Monday afternoon, injuring three. The grey-blue Toyota Tacoma was carrying three young individuals – a male driver, his sister and a 12 year old boy. Based on California Highway Patrol radio reports, the pickup crashed around 3:30 in the afternoon after the driver apparently lost control. According to bystanders at the scene, the truck appeared to be going extremely fast and lost control, skidding off the right side of the road and head on into a tree. One witness who claimed to know the occupants said the driver had been turning to the left up the hill on Carson Drive. The 12-year-old boy and the male driver were airlifted to a nearby hospital. CHP Officers sectioned off part of the road and worked the scene for hours. Story by Alex Lane (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).