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WED. OC . 3 ED. OCTT. 3, 2012 VOL. 9 - #159 9th www.DesertMessenger .com "Quartzsite's FREE Community Paper" Quartzsite Police Chief Gilbert reinstated ����� | S���� B���C�� By Shanana Rain Golden-Bear Quartzsite Town Council voted 5 to 1 Tuesday, September 25th to reinstate Police Chief Jeff Gilbert. In a meet- ing that began at 9am. The council adjourned for a 3-hour executive ses- sion to consider possible assignments and terms of employment contract with Gilbert as Police Chief, terms of employment contract with Alexandra Taft as Town Manager, and consulta- tions with special counsel regarding the Town's position regarding litiga- tion in the matter of Ed Foster vs. the Public Safety (DPS) investigated a complaint initiated by then Mayor Ed Foster regarding allegations of theft and misuse of grant funds. FIND- INGS: Investigation did not discover any criminal violations committed. - July 7, 2011 Jackson Lewis fi rm. An anonymous letter reporting to rep- resent police department employees make several allegations of misuse of sick and vacation time against the Chief of Police. FINDINGS: No cred- Town. Foster received the most votes in the May 15th mayoral election, but has not been seated. Council declared Foster unqualifi ed in June, as he owes the town money. Foster is scheduled for court on Oct. 4th, asking La Paz Superior Court to seat him as mayor. When the council returned at 1:30pm, Interim Town Manager Laura Bruno gave a synopsis of the claims and fi nd- ings of the many reports and investi- gations on Quartzsite Police Chief Jeff Gilbert over the past few years. - July 3, 2010 Arizona Dept. of ible evidence of inconsistency in sick leave issues, improper denial of rea- sonable accommodations, nor evi- dence of community members being targeted. "Some witnesses lied and many claims were stale." - Dec. 7, 2011 DPS report turned over October is National to AZ Attorney General Offi ce which issued their answer on July 11, 2012. Request by Ed Foster to look into al- legations of tampering with a public document, infl uencing a witness, tam- pering with a witness, and unauthor- ized access to criminal history. FIND- INGS: Turned down by AZ Attorney General's offi ce for the following rea- sons: no reasonable likelihood of con- viction, witness credibility problems, inadequate evidence of corroboration, inadequate evidence of intent. Detec- tive Peter White agreed there was in- suffi cient evidence to prove crimes be- yond a reasonable doubt. - Sept. 13, 2012 DPS request by Taft and Asst. Town Manager Al Johnson ����� | S���� B���C�� APS plans replacement of all wooden poles by Shanana Rain Golden-Bear Quartzsite, AZ - Arizona Power Service (APS) Manager Phil Smithers and Rep John Croteau gave a Storm Briefi ng Presentation to Quartzsite Town Council during their regular meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 25th. The report included Quartzsite electric service statistics, outage history, The Gathering Place of Quartzsite for Good Food, Fun and Friendship! system support and the next steps planned for our area. APS serves 2039 customers in Quartzsite with 2200 poles. Quartzsite is served by a single 23-mile long 69kV line north along Hwy. 95. Smithers reported APS recently com- pleted the rebuild of approximately 41 miles of the power line section Break the Silence! National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) 2 Editorial 3 WHAT'S INSIDE Netherlands fi lm crew SEE GILBERT PAGE 6 between Black Peak Substation and Salome with all steel structures. Earlier this spring, an additional 38 steel poles were installed on the Quartzsite to Black Peak section, replacing the wooden poles. As of Tuesday, the line north of Quartzsite consists of 113 steel poles and 85 11 4 Letters to Editor 8 Around Town 9 Voices from the Past Operation Hero Comfort 12 Adventures in Rock 16 Church Directory SEE APS PAGE 3 MAIN ST. EATERY Check out our NEW MENU! Open 6 am DAILY ! 17 Perspectives 18 Obituaries 19 Restaurants 20 Puzzle Page 21 Astrology 22 Paul Winer's Comic 23 Classifi eds Fish FRIDAYS! Prime Rib SATURDAYS! Eggs Benedict Breakfast SAT. & SUN. $6 DINNER SPECIALS! Sun. Mon. Tues. Thurs. OPEN YEAR-ROUND! >>>> 205 E. Main Street, Quartzsite <<<< 928-927-4163 541-218-2560 N�� �� ��� YEAR!