Amador County – The Amador County Combined Narcotics Enforcement Team announced the arrest of a 45-year-old Ione woman on charges that she stole prescriptions drugs that had been mailed to veterans while the woman was working for the post office. She allegedly also sold the drugs while delivering mail on a postal route.

Amador County Undersheriff Jim Wegner released details Tuesday, saying that Shelly Lynn Crabb, 45, of Ione was arrested last week and charged with possession of controlled substances, possession of stolen property and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Wegner said during the month of April, the Amador County Combined Narcotics Enforcement Team (ACCNET) received information that a United States Postal Service employee was selling controlled substances to local residents, including while she was delivering mail. Information was also received that the employee was stealing mail addressed to veterans, which contained prescription medications.

ACCNET conducted an independent narcotics sales investigation, prior to collaborating with the U.S. Postal Inspector’s Office, Wegner said. The investigations resulted in the issuance and subsequent execution of a search warrant May 9 at the employee’s residence on Poplar Street in Ione.

The search of the residence revealed controlled substances, two firearms, scales, drug use paraphernalia and stolen mail, Wegner said. Amador County Sheriff’s Deputies detained the U.S. Postal Service employee, Shelly Lynn Crabb, as she delivered mail in the Jackson Valley area. A search of Crabb revealed she was in possession of controlled substances, cash and other evidence confirming her involvement in the sales of controlled substances.

A second search warrant was subsequently executed at Crabb’s residence when it was determined that after she posted bail and was released from custody she attempted to remotely destroy electronic evidence.

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Amador County – Jackson City Council discussed revisiting city sign code in regard to Merzlak Signs on Monday, with council members apologizing for not addressing the issue earlier.

Councilman Wayne Garibaldi said he counts Kam Merzlak as a friend, but he did not think they could carve something out of the ordinance for sign shops. He said Merzlak has been a tremendous contributor to the community. He said when signs are dry they can be picked up, and if they sit out long, they can turned over.

Councilwoman Marilyn Lewis wondered if the health department could take issue with fumes if the signs were kept inside.

Vice Mayor Connie Gonsalves said she was sorry it was not handled and also sorry the complaint maker was not present. Councilman Keith Sweet said three public meetings were held since the new draft ordinance came out and “all that time this particular issue was never discussed.”

Mayor Pat Crew said: “I’ve never had a sign done anywhere else but Merzlak Signs, starting with Ralph and Sharon.” He apologized for not handling the issue, saying “we got so hung up on the pole signs that we did not get to the bottom of the page.” He said the council returned to the sign issue and the city attorney gave two solutions. One was to allow a larger, 32 square foot sign, and another would be to enforce the city code. City Attorney Andy Morris said the council should give direction on a draft ordinance change.

Garibaldi said “I do not support larger political signs. I am more in favor of having an exemption for commercial sign shops, so they will not have to worry about which sign they can put out.”

Crew said: “I could support that” and “kicking it around for two-and-a-half years is long enough.” The Council set a special meeting for May 22 to consider the draft ordinance. Garibaldi said it would be nice if we were all here. He said they also only heard one side of this and he did not want it to be seen as steamrolling it through.

Sweet said the Planning Commission had a consensus that no one wanted 32 square foot political signs.

City Manager Mike Daly said direction for the code was to exempt professional sign shops from this section of the sign code. Garibaldi said Daly and Morris should consult with Merzlak.

Garibaldi also suggested a code time limit for signs, possibly 30 days, so it would not create another problem, and to be fair to both sides. Daly asked about determining the length of time a sign is allowed to dry. Morris said they could say when the sign was finished.

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Amador County – The Jackson City Council directed staff to work on a draft ordinance for possible exemptions to the city sign code for sign manufacturers Monday.

Kam Merzlak, of Merzlak Signs sought clarification from Mayor Pat Crew on whether signs he was working on at his shop violated new city code, approved in March. City Manager Mike Daly in a letter to Merzlak said political signs that were larger than 16 square feet would violate the new code. Merzlak was worried he could be affected when working on 32 square foot signs as allowed in unincorporated areas of the county.

Bret Lewis said: “I flew in from Alabama just to attend today.” He learned to be an entrepreneur from Ralph Merzlak, and is a professional hand-letterer of signs, which he said is a “forgotten art.” He said it takes three days for primer to dry. Multiple layers of oil paint need three days to dry and you cannot paint over wet paint.

He said 20-year-old signs painted by Ralph Merzlak are still up in Jackson: “You guys are passionate about council seats. I’m passionate about hand-painted signs.” He encouraged the council to allow sign shops not to be required to comply with the sign ordinance if they are working on a sign.

Councilman Keith Sweet thought there was a compromise, and he asked why Kam Merzlak had not met with the city attorney in the 18 months since the complaint first occurred. Sweet said they weren’t talking about whether a sign maker makes a sign, “we’re talking about temporary signs identified as political signs.” He asked: “When is it not his work product and when does it become the property of the customer?”

Jeff Aaron, counsel for the California Sign Makers’ Association said in his opinion, it belonged to the manufacturer until it was paid for. Sweet said Merzlak Signs allowed him to display his political sign at the corner, after his purchase. He did it, and his opponent did it. 

Sweet said: “I took advantage of it” but “it is not right in offering it.” He said it was a business practice they had been doing since 1992. Aaron said “it’s a sticky thicket” all around California.

Kam Merzlak said “there is a rule at our shop. The sign is not paid for until it is picked up,” unless the customer has taken a “managerial” position and changed that. Merzlak said drying is part of working.

Sharon Merzlak said she has been in the business 30 years. They also leave signs outside for people to pick up. And she said since John Begovich was in office, he clued in everyone on the shop’s policy.

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Amador County – The PUSH America Journey of Hope picnic at Saint Sava will be Mike Sweeney’s last event as Executive Director of the Arc of Amador and Calaveras.

Sweeney plans to be fully involved, and will make the 130-mile ride with the 2012 Journey of Hope, in its first leg of the cross-country road tour. Sweeney will ride with the north route team from San Francisco to Jackson as a fundraiser for ARC. He is asking people to pledge $1 or $2 per mile for the trip.

Sweeney said Arc has two programs for supported employment and supported living, to help people with developmental disabilities get jobs and a safe place to live. He said: “Everything that we raise in this bike ride goes directly into those two programs.”

Sweeney will be retiring at the end of June after 23-and-a-half years as executive director of Arc. And Arc has been the welcoming committee and provided a barbecue meal for the PUSH America riders at Saint Sava Mission in Jackson for 23 years.

He said the men, members of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity from colleges and universities all over the country are “unfailingly polite.” He said: “Every year you wonder if they are going to be as wonderful as they were the year before, and every year they are.” PUSH stands for People Understanding the Severely Handicapped, and it rides from San Francisco to Washington D.C. to raise awareness and money.

Sweeney said he will cheat a little and take a ferry across the San Francisco Bay to get a head start over the younger college kids. The PUSH America riders will arrive at Saint Sava Mission on Tuesday, June 5. The Arc welcoming committee and barbecue will share the Mission with voters, as it is the California primary election day, but Sweeney said there will be ample room for the voters. Sweeney said: “This will be kind of my going away bash too.”

The two-month ride’s northern route goes through Jackson, and on to Lake Tahoe, then Carson City, Nevada. It starts June 2 with a ride to Napa. The north route itinerary includes 54 cities through 13 states, with rides through or stops in Carson City, Salt Lake City, Denver, Omaha, Des Moines, Milwaukee, Chicago, Ann Arbor, Cleveland, and Pittsburg and ending in the District of Columbia.

To attend the June 5 welcoming picnic at Saint Sava, and for info call (209)267-5978 ext. 21.

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

Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 5-16-12 - TSPN's Tom Slivick talks with Seth Seever, founding member of Second Generation Dinner and Auction, a fundraiser for youth livestock participants at the Amador County Fair. 

Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 5-16-12

• Mike Sweeney plans to ride in the first leg of the 2012 PUSH America Journey of Hope to Jackson, in his last event as Executive Director of the Arc.

• Jackson Council sign discussion leads to potential compromise for city code to exempt sign shops.

• ACCNET arrested an Ione woman on charges of selling prescription drugs that she stole from veterans while working as a mail carrier.

• Jackson City Council discussed city sign code and set a special meeting to consider an exemption for sign shops  

Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 5-16-12

• Mike Sweeney plans to ride in the first leg of the 2012 PUSH America Journey of Hope to Jackson, in his last event as Executive Director of the Arc.

• Jackson Council sign discussion leads to potential compromise for city code to exempt sign shops.

• ACCNET arrested an Ione woman on charges of selling prescription drugs that she stole from veterans while working as a mail carrier.

• Jackson City Council discussed city sign code and set a special meeting to consider an exemption for sign shops  

Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 5-16-12 - TSPN's Tom Slivick talks with Seth Seever, founding member of Second Generation Dinner and Auction, a fundraiser for youth livestock participants at the Amador County Fair. 

Amador County – The PUSH America Journey of Hope picnic at Saint Sava will be Mike Sweeney’s last event as Executive Director of the Arc of Amador and Calaveras.

Sweeney plans to be fully involved, and will make the 130-mile ride with the 2012 Journey of Hope, in its first leg of the cross-country road tour. Sweeney will ride with the north route team from San Francisco to Jackson as a fundraiser for ARC. He is asking people to pledge $1 or $2 per mile for the trip.

Sweeney said Arc has two programs for supported employment and supported living, to help people with developmental disabilities get jobs and a safe place to live. He said: “Everything that we raise in this bike ride goes directly into those two programs.”

Sweeney will be retiring at the end of June after 23-and-a-half years as executive director of Arc. And Arc has been the welcoming committee and provided a barbecue meal for the PUSH America riders at Saint Sava Mission in Jackson for 23 years.

He said the men, members of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity from colleges and universities all over the country are “unfailingly polite.” He said: “Every year you wonder if they are going to be as wonderful as they were the year before, and every year they are.” PUSH stands for People Understanding the Severely Handicapped, and it rides from San Francisco to Washington D.C. to raise awareness and money.

Sweeney said he will cheat a little and take a ferry across the San Francisco Bay to get a head start over the younger college kids. The PUSH America riders will arrive at Saint Sava Mission on Tuesday, June 5. The Arc welcoming committee and barbecue will share the Mission with voters, as it is the California primary election day, but Sweeney said there will be ample room for the voters. Sweeney said: “This will be kind of my going away bash too.”

The two-month ride’s northern route goes through Jackson, and on to Lake Tahoe, then Carson City, Nevada. It starts June 2 with a ride to Napa. The north route itinerary includes 54 cities through 13 states, with rides through or stops in Carson City, Salt Lake City, Denver, Omaha, Des Moines, Milwaukee, Chicago, Ann Arbor, Cleveland, and Pittsburg and ending in the District of Columbia.

To attend the June 5 welcoming picnic at Saint Sava, and for info call (209)267-5978 ext. 21.

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

Amador County – The Jackson City Council directed staff to work on a draft ordinance for possible exemptions to the city sign code for sign manufacturers Monday.

Kam Merzlak, of Merzlak Signs sought clarification from Mayor Pat Crew on whether signs he was working on at his shop violated new city code, approved in March. City Manager Mike Daly in a letter to Merzlak said political signs that were larger than 16 square feet would violate the new code. Merzlak was worried he could be affected when working on 32 square foot signs as allowed in unincorporated areas of the county.

Bret Lewis said: “I flew in from Alabama just to attend today.” He learned to be an entrepreneur from Ralph Merzlak, and is a professional hand-letterer of signs, which he said is a “forgotten art.” He said it takes three days for primer to dry. Multiple layers of oil paint need three days to dry and you cannot paint over wet paint.

He said 20-year-old signs painted by Ralph Merzlak are still up in Jackson: “You guys are passionate about council seats. I’m passionate about hand-painted signs.” He encouraged the council to allow sign shops not to be required to comply with the sign ordinance if they are working on a sign.

Councilman Keith Sweet thought there was a compromise, and he asked why Kam Merzlak had not met with the city attorney in the 18 months since the complaint first occurred. Sweet said they weren’t talking about whether a sign maker makes a sign, “we’re talking about temporary signs identified as political signs.” He asked: “When is it not his work product and when does it become the property of the customer?”

Jeff Aaron, counsel for the California Sign Makers’ Association said in his opinion, it belonged to the manufacturer until it was paid for. Sweet said Merzlak Signs allowed him to display his political sign at the corner, after his purchase. He did it, and his opponent did it. 

Sweet said: “I took advantage of it” but “it is not right in offering it.” He said it was a business practice they had been doing since 1992. Aaron said “it’s a sticky thicket” all around California.

Kam Merzlak said “there is a rule at our shop. The sign is not paid for until it is picked up,” unless the customer has taken a “managerial” position and changed that. Merzlak said drying is part of working.

Sharon Merzlak said she has been in the business 30 years. They also leave signs outside for people to pick up. And she said since John Begovich was in office, he clued in everyone on the shop’s policy.

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