A Texas man with four prior DUI convictions was sentenced by a judge to 45 years in prison after a being arrested following a traffic stop. Stephen Andrew Hall was pulled over in 2011 in River Oaks, Texas and admitted to having two beers, according to officers. However, a subsequent test of his blood alcohol level revealed that Hall was driving with a .18 BAC. After being found guilty by a jury, Hall’s punishment was decided by the judge, who handed down the 45 year prison sentence.  “The 45-year sentence was fitting considering his prior DWI history,” said Erin Cofer, Tarrant County Assistant District Attorney. “[The] sentence ensures that he will not be able to drive a vehicle on our roads for a very long time.”

[CBS DFW]

The Chico Police Department conducted an underage alcohol crime  operation last week in which a minor decoy, under the supervision of officers, was sent into local businesses in an attempt to purchase alcohol. Out of the 20 alcohol license-holding businesses in the Chico area targeted by the sting, none sold alcohol to the decoy and none were cited for any violation.

Such minor decoy operations have to meet the following guidelines as set out in the California Code of Regulations, Title 4, Rule 141:

The decoy must be under 20 years old;
The decoy must appear under 21 years old;
The decoy must carry his or her own I.D. showing the decoy’s correct date of birth or carry no I.D. A decoy who carries I.D. shall present it upon request to any seller of alcoholic beverages;
The decoy must answer truthfully any questions about his or her age; and
After the sale, the decoy must identify the seller, face to face.
After completion of a decoy program the law enforcement agency must notify licensees of the results, whether or not the licensees violated the law.

[ Chico PD Press Release / CCR ]

A Butte County Sheriff’s Deputy was arrested last week in Chico in a sting operation after investigators, posing as an underage girl, exchanged explicit text messages and arranged to meet with the Deputy. Earl Klapperich, 27, was arrested and booked into Glenn County jail to avoid possible security conflicts, where he posted bond on $12,000 bail and was released.

The Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney’s office began investigating Klapperich after reports surfaced regarding Klapperich’s previous possible inappropriate dealings with underage girls. Posing as a 14-year-old girl, investigators texted Klapperich who responded and reportedly requested nude images of the girl and later agreed to meet the girl at a location in Chico, where he was arrested.

Klapperich is set to be arraigned in Butte County Superior Court on June 1st and has been removed from duty pending the investigaton.

[Via Chico Enterprise Record]

As part of their respective “Avoid” campaigns, Glenn and Butte County law enforcement along with the California Highway Patrol will be deploying DUI saturation patrols throughout both counties during the upcoming Cinco De Mayo weekend.

In both counties, local law enforcement will be providing DUI-specific patrols throughout incorporated areas while the CHP will be providing similar DUI-specific saturation patrols to unincorporated areas of the county as well as freeways. These patrols start at 6 PM Saturday in Glenn County, and 7 PM Saturday in Butte County. Both Glenn County’s Avoid the 6 campaign and Butte County’s Avoid the 8 campaign are funded by grants from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

[Via The Willows Journal / California Avoid ]

Mendocino County Deputy District Attorney Sergio Fuentes is on paid administrative leave after an investigation and subsequent search uncovered nearly 150 marijuana plants growing inside a Ukiah home he shares with his mother. According to the California State Bar website, Fuentes is a graduate of Santa Rosa’s Empire College and, before that attended Ukiah High School. He had been working with the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office since being admitted to the bar in 2009.

Authorities served the search warrant of Fuentes home on Monday, when they discovered the grow operation. However, no arrests have been made in the case and county officials cited the ongoing investigation in refusing to release further details on the case.

[ Via Santa Rosa Press Democrat ]

Butte County Deputy District Attorney Kelly Maloy had sought prison time for Peters, who at the time of his arrest was on probation for misdemeanor DUI. “This defendant has already been given a chance on probation and he failed,” Maloy told the court. The defense however, cited Peters lack of prior felony convictions and ongoing counseling in seeking a lesser sentence. As part of his probation, Peters will be required to abstain from drugs and alcohol, as well as take anger management classes.

[Via Chico ER]

A Shasta County CHP officer is facing 13 felony charges after investigators searching his Anderson  home found illegal weapons, drugs, explosives and stolen drivers licenses. California Highway Patrol officer Gerald “Gary” Roland Harris pleaded not guilty to the charges in Shasta County Superior Court on Monday, which include a misdemeanor charge of embezzlement. However, Harris is also under investigation for child pornography, though no charges have been filed.

On February 21st CHP investigators discovered 11 illegal assault weapons, methadone pills and several stolen IDs in Harris’ home off Deschutes Rd. in Anderson. However, Harris was  not arrested until March 2nd when he turned himself in. He was released barely over an hour later on bail and remains free. Harris, currently on administrative leave from the CHP, makes his next appearance in Shasta County Court on May 9th.

[Via KRCR]

Citing the ruling in a similar case out of Southern California, Shasta County Superior Court Judge Stephen Baker denied the City of Redding’s request for an injunction to shut down medical marijuana collectives operating in the city in spite of a recently passed ordinance that banned such collectives.

However, the City has no plans to give up on it’s goal of eliminating marijuana collectives. “We don’t have immediate resolution like we would have liked and that’s okay because we still have opportunities to prove our case in the future and we will do that,” Assistant City Attorney Barry DeWalt told local news station KHSL. The Redding City Council will review the case at next week’s meeting at which point the city will decide their next move. In the meantime, there will still be plenty of green in Redding for St. Patrick’s Day.

[Via KHSLTV.com]

Doreen Bernice Shaw, 42, of Redding, was charged with 2 counts of felony DUI and one misdemeanor count of resisting or obstructing officers. Shaw was arrested on January 14th after crashing her 2007 GMC Envoy at the intersection of Highway 273 and South Bonnyview Rd in Redding, and reportedly kneeing an officer when he attempted to arrest her on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Despite the gravity of the charges, however, Shaw was released from Shasta County Jail on her own recognizance without posting bail. Shaw is also currently on restrictive assignment at the Tehama County CHP facility where she works, CHP Lt. Vince Zambrana told the Chico ER.

[Via Chico Enterprise Record]

Offices of the Glenn County Superior Court located in the historic Masonic Building in downtown Willows were vandalized last week in what authorities are calling the largest acts of vandalism in Glenn County History. The building is home to Glenn County’s SHARP (Self-Help Assistance and Referral Progam) offices as well as an annex of the Superior court where court records are stored.

According to police, the Glenn County Court offices weren’t the direct target of the vandalism, which was instead centered mainly on the third floor of the building which houses a recently remodeled Masonic lodge. However, the vandals smashed the plumbing on the upper floors leading to flooding, which in turn collapsed the ceiling of the first floor offices, leading to the worst of the damage. “They weren’t the object of the vandalism, but they unfortunately took most of the damage,” Willows Police Sgt. Jason Dahl told the Chico Enterprise Record about the court offices. Damages are estimated to be at least $100,000 but likely more. The vandals responsible remain at large.

[Via Chico Enterprise-Record]