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WEDNESDAY Granola Tearout bracket recipes MARCH 20, 2013 Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com County Fare Page 8A See 5A DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF Showers likely 64/43 Weather forecast 8B TEHAMA COUNTY DAILY 50¢ T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U NTY S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Bealer has representation; plea delayed By JULIE ZEEB "This is about justice for Marysa. I promised Marysa justice. We, as a society, lost a person who would have made a difference. I feel hatred for this man. I'd like to ask why he did this. If he had known her he wouldn't have done it. I want to see this man suffer as my daughter did." — Ricky Nichols, Marysa's father DN Staff Writer Attorney Shon Northam announced Tuesday that he will be taking the job of representing Quentin Ray Bealer, 39, who has been charged with the murder of 14-year-old Red Bluff high school student Marysa Nichols. He will be taking on all of Bealer's cases pending at the Tehama County Superior Court — eight total — with charges including possession of a methamphetamine smoking device, second degree burglary, receiving stolen property and possession of a controlled substance. At Tuesday's court appearance, Quentin Ray Bealer Northam asked for a 2-week delay before having Bealer make a plea entry in order to have access to the additional reports from law enforcement that are forthcoming. "It's a part of the process," Northam said. "It takes time and a lot of work. The Pledge of Allegiance, which Judge (John) Garaventa has the audience say reminds us of the Constitution and that we have the best criminal system in the world." Asked if law enforcement had other suspects, Northam said he did not know as he had minimal information on the case at this point. "I have some theories and some opinions and I will wait to see how they play out," Northam said. "My client has a lot of anxiety and stress and as you can see does not understand the charges." Northam said Bealer does not Staged realism Daily News photo by Julie Zeeb Emergency personnel respond to a staged traffic collision Monday in front of the Corning High School football stadium that was a part of the Every 15 Minutes presentation. The event was an effort to show students the consequences of driving after drinking. CUHS, CHP act out tragic DUI scenario By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer An unusual site greeted visitors Monday at Corning Union High School where a two vehicle collision, with bodies coming out of one vehicle, could be seen in the football stadium. The high school put on a program, Every 15 Minutes, which uses students as victims in a staged accident to drive home the consequences of driving under the influence. Interspersed throughout the hourlong presentation were facts about how long it takes the effects of alcohol to wear off and that some more experienced drinkers may not even realize they are drunk. Red Bluff California Highway Patrol Officer Troy Somovia along with members of the school leadership narrated the incident along with audios of a dispatcher receiving reports of the crash and the visual of emergency per- sonnel responding. One reporting party told dispatchers that he knew some of the victims, but was unable to recognize one of the girls who had been seriously injured. In the scenario, victims were taken by ambulance and even flown by a CHP helicopter from the scene as other personnel covered the body of a girl identified as Jordan Raker, 17, a member of the Corning High School basketSee STAGED, page 7A understand why after he voluntarily surrendered himself as the man of interest in a released surveillance video that he was then charged with murder. "It seems highly unusual to me that a guilty person would say, 'Hey I'm the guy in the video'," See BEALER, page 7A GOP bills would undo parts of Brown's prison plan SACRAMENTO (AP) — Republican lawmakers proposed a package of bills on Tuesday intended to counter what they see as a growing threat to public safety from sending some inmates to county jails instead of state prisons. The 13 bills seek to counter the effects of prison realignment in 2011 by improving supervision of parolees and increase penalties for sex offenders and those who illegally possess or sell firearms. The measures also would send more convicts back to prison to ease the burden on local jails while protecting counties from lawsuits. ''Republicans recognize that we must close the worst realignment loopholes,'' said Assembly Minority Leader Connie Conway, RTulare. The bills' chances are uncertain in a Legislature controlled by Democrats. The measures were proposed nearly 18 months after Gov. Jerry Brown's prison realignment took effect, sending inmates convicted of lower-level crimes to county jails instead of state prisons. Brown's office declined to comment on the measures proposed Tuesday. Jeffrey Callison, a spokesman for the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said the bills would increase problems in state prisons that are now under federal court order to improve conditions. A related bill was rejected last week on a party-line vote in the Assembly Public Safety Committee. The bill, AB2 by Assemblyman Mike Morrell, R-Rancho Cucamonga, would have sent paroled sex offenders back to state prisons, instead of county jails, if they fail to register as sex offenders. The proposals have the backing of Diana Munoz, mother of Brandy Arreola, 21, of Stockton, who was permanently injured last year by her boyfriend, Raoul Leyva, a parole violator who had been released early from jail because of overcrowding. Leyva, 34, was convicted last month of attempted voluntary manslaughter and injuring a spouse, with enhancements for causing brain injury and paralysis. ''If realignment didn't exist ... my daughter would be living her life normally,'' Munoz said as her daughter sat in a wheelchair by her side. ''The state is responsible for what's happened to her. They should never have let him out.'' Other bills in the Republican package would impose prison instead of jail time for criminals who remove their GPS-linked tracking devices; send all sex offenders who violate their parole back to prison' and have state parole agents, rather than county probation agencies, supervise all released sex offenders. See BILLS, page 7A Lack of revenue forces closure of BMX track By JULIE ZEEB track builder Hubert Jackson of Houston, Texas. The track, which was at 1,100 feet in size, was not just an everyday normal track, but a national style one, Puckett said at the time it was built. DN Staff Writer Tehama District Fair CEO Mark Eidman announced at Tuesday's fairboard meeting the closure of the Red Rock BMX track. Built in August 2009, it would have been in operation for its fourth year had it reopened for the season, he said. "It's one of those things that started with a bang and kind of fizzled," Eidman said. "It's a little disappointing. It just didn't catch and it was more work then could be pulled off." The fairground received a letter on March 15 from Red Rock BMX Track 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 Daily News photo by Julie Zeeb ——— Julie Zeeb can be reached at 527-2153, extension 115 or jzeeb@redbluffdailyne ws.com. Follow her on Twitter @DN_Zeeb. Hubert Jackson builds the ABA sanctioned BMX track in 2009 that will now be dismantled. Operator and Board lies and their support to night, but due to limit- BMX track that was Chairman Mike Puck- continue to operate this ed finances they did not constructed by ABA participate in our races. track." ett. Puckett said he had We cannot support this "It is with regret that our board of directors contacted Ali Abassi track without race day decided not to open our regarding the removal revenue. Our communiRed Rock BMX track of his dirt and that dis- ty lacks the support and A FREE SERVICE at the Tehama District mantling of the track funding to continue to PROVIDED FOR YOUR Fairgrounds," Puckett was to be started over operate this sanctioned said. "We will be clos- the weekend of March track. We thank you for CONVENIENCE the opportunity to ing the track perma- 15-17. "Thank you for your introduce BMX to our nently and dissolving our non-profit corpora- support over the years," small community." The track was an tion. This would be our Puckett said. "We had Bicycle fourth year, but we do many new riders show American not have enough fami- up for our practice Association sanctioned PHYSICIAN REFERRAL 1-888-628-1948