Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/456595
Chambers:LindaCham- bers, 68, of Red Bluff died Friday, Jan. 30at Red Bluff Healthcare Center. Ar- rangements are under the direction of Blair's Crema- tion & Burial. Published Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2015in the Daily News, Red Bluff, Calif. Fultz: Charley Fultz, 90, of Red Bluff died Friday, Jan. 30at Red Bluff Healthcare Center. Arrangements are under the direction of Hoyt-Cole Chapel of the Flowers. Published Tues- day, Feb. 3, 2015in the Daily News, Red Bluff, Calif. McClellan: Joseph Mc- Clellan, 99, of Red Bluff died Friday, Jan. 30at Red Bluff Healthcare Center. Arrangements are under the direction of Hoyt-Cole Chapel of the Flowers. Published Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2015in the Daily News, Red Bluff, Calif. Deathnoticesmustbe provided by mortuar- ies to the news depart- ment, are published at no charge, and feature only specific basic informa- tion about the deceased. Paid obituaries are placed through the Clas- sified advertising depart- ment. Paid obituaries may be placed by mortu- aries or by families of the deceased and include on- line publication linked to the newspaper's website. Paid obituaries may be of any length, may run multiple days and offer wide latitude of content, including photos. DEATHNOTICES Sixofthosesuspectswill face an additional misde- meanor charge of illegal ad- vertising. State law requires unli- censed contractors to state in all advertising they are not licensed. One suspect is expected to be charged with a Labor Code violation after bring- ing to the sting operation an employee who was not covered by workers' com- pensation insurance. That employee also was taken into custody after District Attorney investiga- tors determined he was on parole after recently serv- ing seven years in prison for first-degree residential burglary and assault with a deadly weapon. One suspect was on pro- bation for arson; another was found with drug para- phernalia in his pocket. "This sting is stark evi- dence of the type of people we often find working with- out a license," CSLB Regis- trar Cindi Christenson said. "Since advertisers don't pay to be on craigslist, their ille- gal ads are right next to le- gitimate ads from licensed contractors. That's why it's vital consumers check CSLB's website and make sure they're considering a reputable contractor in or- der to avoid serious risks." The eight arrested were Arthur Duane Scharton, Redding, A&D Masonry, contracting without a li- cense, illegal advertising; Robert Dean Donnery II, Redding, contracting with- out a license, illegal ad- vertising; Steven E. De- forrest Jr., Redding, con- tracting without a license; Rock Wayne Leonard, Oro- ville, Rocky's Home Mainte- nance, contracting without a license, no workers' com- pensation insurance; Daniel Scott Petitclere, Chico, con- tracting without a license, illegal advertising; Robert Flomor Russ, Chico, con- tracting without a license, illegal advertising; Mi- chael Brian Murphy, Red- ding, contracting without a license, illegal advertising and Frank Christopher Polo, Chico, contracting without a license, illegal advertising. The eight suspects are scheduled to appear in Te- hama County Superior Court March 9. Sting FROM PAGE 1 The population has started creeping back up because inmates who had been released after serving a fraction of their sentences are now serving as much as 100 percent, said Jody Sharp, a commander with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Bookings are down a quarter, and narcotics ar- rests down one-third from a year ago, Sharp said, be- cause those charged with offenses under Proposition 47 are now generally given citations to appear in court at a future date instead of being arrested and hauled off to jail. San Diego County's jail population is down 900 in- mates, allowing the sher- iff's department to cut back on some early release cred- its. The jail released 130 in- mates due to Proposition 47's lower penalties, and the jail is booking about 1,000 fewer inmates each month, spokeswoman Jan Caldwell said. Christine Ward, execu- tive director of the Crime Victims Action Alliance, is pleased with the drop in early releases, but she fears the lower penalties under Proposition 47 will eventu- ally result in an increase in crime. "Although we're seeing lower jail populations, it doesn't necessarily mean that our communities are any safer. It just means more people are out in our communities that perhaps shouldn't be there," she said. "We're just waiting for the other shoe to drop, and that's very worrisome." Much of the decrease re- lated to Proposition 47 is likely to rebound as sus- pects are sentenced or fail to appear for court hear- ings and are arrested on warrants, jail officials said. "We have this two-month pause button because they're being told to come to court" instead of being arrested on the spot, River- side County Chief Deputy Scot Collins said. Although the top sen- tence now is less than a year in jail instead of a multi- year sentence, "They're go- ing to have to be sentenced one way or another," Col- lins said. Jails FROM PAGE 1 By Jill Colvin The Associated Press CAMBRIDGE,ENGLAND New Jersey Gov. Chris Chris- tie said Monday parents should have some choice on whether to vaccinate their children, a position he's taken before but one that drew a new level of at- tention amid a U.S. mea- sles outbreak and his recent moves toward running for president. The political signifi- cance of Christie's remarks was amplified by his office a short time later, when it released a statement saying the governor believes "with a disease like measles there is no question kids should be vaccinated." Christie's stumble into the vaccine issue came as a measles outbreak centered in California has sickened more than 100 people in several states and Mexico, putting a new spotlight on parents who choose not to vaccinate their children. Some do so for religious or philosophical reasons, while others cite a concern that vaccines can lead to autism and developmen- tal disorders — a link de- bunked by rigorous medi- cal research. Christie, a Republican who recently launched an organization that allows him to raise money for a possible 2016 presidential campaign, was asked about the outbreak after touring a facility operated by MedIm- mune, which manufactur- ers the flu vaccine FluMist. Christie is on a three-day trip to the United Kingdom. He said that he and his wife had vaccinated their children, describing that decision as "the best ex- pression I can give you of my opinion." He said they believe doing so is an "im- portant part of making sure we protect their health and the public health." "But," Christie added, "I also understand that par- ents need to have some measure of choice in things as well. So that's the bal- ance that the government has to decide." It's not a new position for Christie, who during his first campaign for gov- ernor in 2009 pledged to fight for greater parental involvement in vaccination decisions. "I have sat with a lot of these parents of children with autism who absolutely firmly believe that it was vaccinations that caused these problems in their chil- dren," Christie said in an in- terview with radio host Don Imus during that campaign. He added, "It's a compli- cated public health issue. I understand that, but I do believe that these parents need a voice in these de- bates." Allstatesnowrequirechil- dren to get certain vaccina- tions to enroll in school, al- though California and New Jersey are among 20 states that let parents opt out by obtaining a waiver. Parents in New Jersey seeking such a waiver for medical reasons must submit a written state- ment from their doctor or registered nurse. The American Academy of Pediatrics strongly urges parents to get their chil- dren vaccinated against measles and other child- hood diseases. The New Jersey health department's guidelines on vaccines say that objections "based on grounds which are not med- ical or religious in nature and which are of a philo- sophical, moral, secular, or more general nature con- tinue to be unacceptable." Concerns about autism and vaccinations are of- ten traced to a 1998 study in the British journal Lan- cet. While the research was later discredited and re- tracted by the journal, le- gions of parents abandoned the vaccine, leading to a re- surgence of measles in West- ern countries where it had been mostly stamped out. Last year, there were more than 4,100 cases in Europe, according to the European Centre for Disease Preven- tion and Control. President Barack Obama, asked about the outbreak this weekend, said in an in- terview with NBC News that all parents should get their kids vaccinated. Those chil- dren who are not, he said, put infants and those who can't get vaccinations at risk. "I understand that there are families that, in some cases, are concerned about the effect of vaccinations," Obama said. "The science is, you know, pretty indis- putable." Measles is a highly conta- gious disease that spreads through the air, with symp- toms that include fever, runny nose and a blotchy rash. The measles-mumps- rubella vaccine is 97 per- cent effective at preventing measles, according to the Centers for Disease Con- trol and Prevention. "Choosing not to vacci- nate your child could also endanger the health of other children in your com- munity," CDC director Tom Frieden said Monday. New Jersey requires the vaccine for children be- tween 12 months and 15 months old, and then a sec- ond dose between ages 4 and 6. Such mandated vac- cinations are a point of irri- tation among some conser- vatives, notable in the early voting state of Iowa, where Christian home-school ad- vocates constitute an in- fluential bloc of voters who take part in the Republican presidential caucuses. Barb Heki, a leader in Io- wa's home-school advocacy network, said such parents "adhere to the idea that it's the parents' right to make the decision on vaccinations. "More important than a candidate's stance on vac- cinations, I'm more con- cerned for parents' rights to make decisions about their own children, period," she said. "That's paramount." Louise Kuo Habakus, a radio host who runs a nonprofit group opposed to state-required vaccina- tions, said she helped ar- range a meeting between parents and Christie on the issue in 2009 and saluted him for standing up for the "rights of parents to direct the health, welfare and up- bringing of their children." "He's been absolutely constant and I believe cou- rageous and principled on this issue," she said. POLITICS Ch ri st ie : Pa re nt s de se rv e ch oi ce o n va cc in at io ns KIRSTY WIGGLESWORTH — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, right, wearing an Arsenal scarf, sits with Rutgers University President Robert Barchi in the stands during a soccer match between Arsenal and Aston Villa at the Emirates stadium in London on Sunday. The Associated Press SAN DIEGO A San Diego man charged with run- ning a so-called revenge porn website where peo- ple posted nude pictures of their ex-lovers — and then charging the victims to take down the images — was convicted Monday of 27 felony charges. Kevin Bollaert, 28, was found guilty Monday of identity theft and extor- tion. He faces up to 20 years in prison. The San Diego County Superior Court jury was unable to reach verdicts on two charges of identity theft and conspiracy and a judge declared a mis- trial on the counts. It was believed to be the first conviction of a re- venge porn website opera- tor, although two months a Los Angeles man who posted a topless photo of his ex-girlfriend on Face- book was sentenced to a year in jail for violating California's new revenge porn law. That law wasn't used against Ballaert. The term revenge porn is used because most of the explicit images have been posted online by for- mer lovers in attempts to shame their former part- ners after a breakup. Prosecutors said that in 2012 and 2013, Bol- laert allowed people to anonymously post more than 10,000 images, mainly of women, on his now-defunct ugotposted. com website without the knowledge of those in the pictures. The victims' names, cities where they lived and other informa- tion such as links to their Facebook profiles also were posted, authorities alleged. Bollaert also ran an- other now-defunct web- site, changemyreputation. com, where victims could go and be charged up to $350 to have the images removed. Prosecutors said he earned tens of thou- sands of dollars from the scheme. More than two dozen people were named as vic- tims in the criminal com- plaint. Some testified at trial that they suffered hu- miliation and fear when their private photos were posted and prosecutor Tawnya Austin told ju- rors that they also were harassed by people who tried to contact them through Facebook or by email. "It ruined my life and I'm still going through it," testified one woman, who said she was thrown out of her home after her nude photos were posted. "I lost my family. They think that I brought shame on them. My repu- tation is ruined." At trial, prosecutors ar- gued that Ballaert knew the images on his website were private and posted without consent of the victims, and described the business as essentially a blackmail scheme. Bollaert's lawyer, Em- ily Rose-Weber, argued in court that her client may have conducted an im- moral business that took advantage of "human weakness" but he didn't break the law by allow- ing others to post the ex- plicit photos. "It's gross, it's offen- sive, but it's not illegal," she said. FOUND GUILTY Revenge-porn website operator convicted of felonies in San Diego By Sudhin Thanawala The Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO Robin Williams' children and wife have gone to court in a fight over the late comedian's es- tate. In papers filed in Decem- ber in San Francisco Supe- rior Court, Williams' wife, Susan, accuses the come- dian's children from two previous marriages of tak- ing items without her per- mission and asks the court to exclude the contents of the Tiburon home that she shared with Williams from the jewelry, memorabilia and other items Williams said the children should have. The children, Zach- ary, Zelda and Cody, coun- ter that Susan Williams is "adding insult to a terrible injury" by trying to change the trust agreement and rob them of the late actor's clothing and other personal items. "The Williams' children are heartbroken that Peti- tioner, Mr. Williams' wife of less than three years, has acted against his wishes by challenging the plans he so carefully made for his es- tate," attorneys for the chil- dren said in court papers. James Wagstaffe, an at- torney for Susan Williams, said Monday his client was only seeking guidance from the court about the mean- ing of certain terms in the trust. "This is not ugly," he said. "I would not say this is an- ticipated to be a highly con- tested proceeding." A call after hours to an attorney for the children, Meredith Bushnell, was not immediately returned. Williams died at his Ti- buron home in August. The coroner ruled his death a suicide that resulted from asphyxia caused by hanging. Susan Williams has said the actor and comedian was struggling with depression, anxiety and a recent diag- nosis of Parkinson's disease. Williams had publicly acknowledged periodic struggles with substance abuse, and he had entered a substance abuse program shortly before his death. LATE COMEDIAN Robin Williams' children, wife fight over estate in court KATY WINN — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE Susan Schneider, from le , Robin Williams, and Zelda Williams arrive at the premiere of "Happy Feet Two" at Grauman's Chinese Theater, in Los Angeles. Combining Quality and Low Cost is what we do. www.affordablemortuary.net•529-3655 FD1538 LocatedinChico,CA TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM |NEWS | 7 A