Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Daniel Plott, 45, of Idyllwild, for assault with a deadly weapon, and the district attorney filed a felony hit-and-run charge in Superior Court on July 27, to which Plott has pleaded not guilty. A felony settlement conference is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 14. He currently is still in custody. On…
At the recent Town Hall meeting of fire chiefs and at the last Mountain Area Safety Taskforce meeting, important questions were raised about local fire abatement, particularly of vacant properties. Cal Fire and Riverside County Fire Chief John Hawkins established a private-public committee to investigate and recommend improvements to facilitate fire abatement here. The Mountain…
It was recently learned that on Dec. 1, 2013, Karen Lynne Epperly-Sundsten, 49, of Fern Valley was arrested on charges of embezzlement. Charges filed were grand theft and forgery, with statutory sentencing enhancements of (1) fraud and embezzlement and (2) taking, damaging or destroying property of more than $65,000 in value. The victim was Community…
By J.P. Crumrine News Editor Current Hemet Unified School District Board President Paul Bakkom, who represents the Anza area, has chosen to retire after one term. The other three directors — Vic Scavarda, Area 1 (Idyllwild) and “Ross” Valenzuela and Joe Wojcik, Area 3 (Hemet) — whose terms expire this December have all filed…
According to CHP Officer Mike Murawski, Peter Jackson, 72, of Rancho Mirage crashed his rented red Ducati motorcycle at about 11:10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 8, on Highway 243 near Black Mountain Trail. Jackson was traveling southbound when he hit gravel and lost control. Jackson skid across the highway coming to rest in the northbound…
Pine Cove Water District has rescheduled its Wednesday, Aug. 13 meeting to 10 a.m., Wednesday, Aug. 20, according to General Manager Jerry Holldber.
A hearing last Friday to combine the trial of Robert Pape and Cristin Smith for a triple homicide in Pinyon in 2006 was rescheduled for Friday, Aug. 22. According to other media accounts, at the request of Smith’s attorney, John Patrick Dolan, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Charles Stafford ordered medical tests for Smith because…
Three crashes, one a motorcycle, one a solo vehicle, and one a two-vehicle incident with serious injuries marred the week in Idyllwild. According to California Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Darren Meyer, the first took place at 11:50 a.m. Wednesday, July 30, on Highway 243 a mile and a quarter north of the Highway 74…
Fire log The Idyllwild Fire Station responded to the following calls, Tuesday, July 29, through Monday, Aug. 5. Idyllwild • July 29 — Rescue. • July 31 — Four medical aids. • Aug. 1 — Medical aid. • Aug. 2 — Three medical aids. • Aug. 2 — Dispatched, canceled en route. • Aug….
The Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit helped extricate two lost hikers from the Mt. San Jacinto State Park and State Wilderness, Thursday night, July 31. About 8:45 p.m., the Riverside County Sheriff’s dispatch unit received a call from the two lost hikers. During the late morning and afternoon, they had hiked to San Jacinto Peak. But…
