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FRIDAY Finkle Named Feature Teacher JUNE 14, 2013 A's Yankees Education Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com See Page 4A SPORTS 1B DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF Sunny 92/62 Weather forecast 8A 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 Scout leader sentenced to jail for child molestation By RYAN OLSON Staff Writer OROVILLE — A 21-yearold Boy Scout leader was sentenced to a year in jail Tuesday for misdemeanor child molestation, with at least one case suspected in Red Bluff. The Butte County Superior Court judge handed down the sentence on defendant Dustin Lee Hedrick, of Shingletown, according to his attorney, Anthony Cardoza. The sentencing was set after Hedrick pleaded no contest to one count May 22, according to online court records. A second misdemeanor child molestation count against Hedrick was dismissed. In a related case, Hedrick faces sentencing Aug. 6 in Tehama County Superior Court after pleading no contest to a felony count of committing a lewd act upon a child on May 20, online records show. A misdemeanor child molestation count was dismissed in that case. Cardoza said Hedrick faces up to eight years in state prison in the Tehama County case, but he may also seek probation. Ag building moves ahead The Butte County District Attorney's Office filed charges in June 2012 after there were reportedly inappropriate touching incidents between Hedrick and a then-15-year-old male at the Camp Lassen Scout camp in See SCOUT, page 7A Fundraisers planned to aid fair grounds By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer Megan Mandolfo is continuing her commitment to the Tehama District Fairground that began with her successful run for Miss Tehama County. The former Miss Tehama County and 2012 Golden State Ambassadress first put on the play Meet Me in St. Louis in June 2012 as a fundraiser to help combat the $200,000 hit to the Tehama District Fairground when Gov. Jerry Brown eliminated fair funding. It was that cut, which is about 25 percent of the fair's Courtesy Tehama County/Nichols Melburg & Rossetto Architects and Engineers The view from the southwest of a proposed new building to house the Tehama County Agriculture Department and Air Pollution Control District. A community room, on the left, would be included in the design. By RICH GREENE DN Staff Writer The Board of Supervisors has taken another step in the game of musical chairs being played with government-owned facilities in Tehama County. The board approved schematic plans Tuesday for a new 6,800-squarefoot building to house the Agriculture Department and Air Pollution Control District Office. The building would include a conference room available for county and public meetings with a capacity of around 90 people. The building, with an initial projected cost of $1.8 million would be located at 1980 Walnut St. near the Animal Care Center. The departments along with the Probation Department's Day Reporting Center at Wetter Hall are being displaced from their Walnut Street locations as the new Tehama County Courthouse and facilities will be built on 4.43 acres of land near Hook Road. The Administrative Office of the Courts purchased two parcels from the county in 2011 for $1.234 million. plus an additional $130,000 in relocation costs. County Chief Administrator Bill Goodwin said staff had operated under the impression they would have more time before the move was required as the courts dealt with budget issues funding projects across the state. At one point the county thought it may be able to use Wetter Hall for the Day Reporting Center until 2020. However the Tehama County Courthouse project has survived the budget ax on numerous occasions and all signs point to it continuing to move forward. Goodwin said the county may be asked to leave the affected buildings by late 2014 with the state's tentative plans to demolish the existing facilities in spring 2015. Goodwin said the county's new building could be ready for bid packages by fall 2013 and the construction process would take about 1 year. "It's going to be very close," Administrative Services Director Julie Sisneros said. The building would be built large enough to accommodate about a 20 percent growth expansion of both departments. It will include working spaces, labs, showers and break and conference rooms. A larger attached conference room could be used by the public without requiring access to the rest of the building. It would include its own set of bathrooms, a wet bar and storage facilities. Goodwin said while the county had set aside the $1.234 million it received from the state for the purchase of the old facilities, he was recommending $1.8 million be budgeted in the upcoming fiscal year for the new building in part to include the addition of the conference room. He said part of that price would be offset by using $350,000 that until recently would have been budgeted for an HVAC replacement of the Tehama County Library. That is no longer needed as the county is in the process of finding a new location for the library. The library project has had estimates of around $3 million. The library site may be used to house the Day Reporting Center on a temporary or permanent basis. The location has also been suggested as See FAIR, page 7A 3 bodies found in burned car By RICK SILVA MediaNews Group DeSABLA — Fire crews discovered three dead bodies in a stolen, burned car on Skyway early Thursday, the Butte County Sheriff's Office said. Two of the bodies were found in the trunk and a third body was found in the back seat, according to Undersheriff Kory Honea. The burned vehicle was a green 2000 Acura TL, reported stolen by the Sacramento Police Department. Honea wasn't sure when it had been stolen. Just after 12:15 a.m., fire units were dispatched to a vehicle fire just above Powellton Road between DeSabla and Stirling City, threatening the vegetation on the Skyway at Hupp Coutolenc Road, according to Capt. Scott McLean, CalFire-Butte County spokesman. On arrival the firefighters discovered a car engulfed in flames. The fire had extended a short way into the surrounding vegetation. The fire was quickly extinguished and in the process of finishing the job the firefighters "popped the trunk," explained McLean. On opening the trunk they discovered the bodies, according to the Sheriff's Office, which is investigating. Rhonda Maehl and her husband, David, who live nearby, were getting See BODIES, page 7A See AG, page 7A Lightning fires Home burns on Robinson Drive burn Mendocino National Forest By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer WILLOWS — Firefighters were still battling the Daves Fire Thursday, one of 15 fires that have been discovered since lightning struck the Mendocino National Forest Monday. The Daves Fire on Daves Ridge, north of Grindstone Canyon in the Grindstone Ranger District in the coast range has burned between 250 and 300 acres. There is no estimated containment at this time. However, the fire is holding on Skidmore Ridge. Visitors are asked to avoid the area for both firefighter and visitor safety. This includes County Road 55/Forest 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 Road M4 southwest of Paskenta, including Black Bear Camp, and Forest Road M9 from County Road 313 west to Log Springs due to increased fire traffic in the area. Roads in the area are narrow, with few turnarounds, and large firefighting equipment will be traveling between Paskenta and the fire in the coming days. Forest firefighters are expecting more fires will be discovered, according to a Mendocino Forest press release. There are no forest restrictions in place, and forest visitors are being asked to be careful. For more information contact the Mendocino National Forest at 9343316, fs.usda.gov/mendocino or follow on Twitter @MendocinoNF. An early morning fire Thursday in the 1500 block of Robinson Drive in Red Bluff displaced three people. The cause is under investigation. The first unit on scene reported finding fire on the outside deck, which had extended into the attic of the 2000 square foot single-story wood frame home, Bennett said. The incident, which was reported at 6:34 a.m. Thursday, sent one firefighter to St. Elizabeth Community Hospital and a second firefighter was treated at the scene for heat exhaustion, Red Bluff Fire Chief Jon Bennett said. Residents Philip and June Lorens and their son, Craig, were outside of the home and unharmed when firefighters arrived, Bennett said. Red Cross was called in to assist the family. The fire was attacked with a ventilation hole cut into the roof to release Photo by Ross Palubeski Firefighters responded at 6:34 a.m. Thursday to a residential structure fire in the 1500 block of Robinson Drive in Red Bluff. heat and smoke and quick interior attack limited structure damage to the rear deck, rear bedroom and attic, Bennett said. The fire was contained about 7:15 a.m. but fire- fighters remained on scene doing overhaul for about two hours. CalFire and Tehama County Fire assisted along with Red Bluff Police and PG&E. ——— Julie Zeeb can be reached at 527-2153, extension 115 or jzeeb@redbluffdailynews .com. Follow her on Twitter @DN_Zeeb.