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Thursday, December 8, 2011 – Daily News FEATURES Family facilitating freeloading fellow Dear Annie: We have four kids. Three of them are doing well, but our youngest, age 23, still lives with us, does drugs and has no job. He sleeps all day and does nothing around the house to help. We have tried different ways to motivate him. We feed him and house him, and he acts as though he is entitled. What should we do? — At the End of Our Rope Dear Rope: First try to get your son to a doctor to make sure there are no medical or psychi- atric problems hampering his devel- opment. Then please take the neces- sary steps to make him responsible for his own life. It will not be easy for you (or for him), but the situa- tion as it stands is untenable, and you have to consider your own well- being. Contact Because I Love You (bily.org) and Families Anonymous (familiesanonymous.org) for sup- port and assistance. Dear Annie: My 12-year-old son recently informed me that his 18-year-old cousin was molesting him. I immediately informed my in- laws. They were in shock and denial. Both said, ''Are you sure? Maybe they were experimenting.'' I was outraged and disgusted, and so was my husband. I went to the police and filed a report. Annie's Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar report. But the police advised us not to, saying it would give the perpetrator a chance to develop a defense. The cousin was arrested. He didn't deny what he'd done. He was sentenced to a year in the county jail and will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, which is absolutely fine with me. The problem is that my in-laws have chosen to keep this a family secret. When- ever relatives visit and ask where the cousin is, they respond that he is away at college. I find this appalling. What happens when the cousin gets out of jail and goes back to live with his parents? Will they tell the rela- tives with little kids then? My husband no longer wishes to visit his parents. I know my mother- in-law is angry with me, and I'm OK with that. My primary concern is protecting my family and contin- uing to seek treatment for my son. We have found him a great thera- pist. Should I tell the family members who have children? — Daughter-in- Law Both the perpetrator and the vic- tim are their grandsons. My hus- band no longer speaks to his broth- er because of what his son did. His brother said he should have been informed before I filed the police The following defen- dants were sentenced in Tehama County Superior Court, according to the Tehama County District Attorney's Office: —————— Recent State Prison Commitments • Gerald Darwin Stevens was sentenced to five years in state prison for petty theft with a prior-Special allegation- Prior felony. Stevens entered a gas station, grabbed a bottle of alcohol and hid it in his pants. Stevens proceeded to exit the store without paying for the item. Stevens was located a short time later and taken into custody. • Antonio Henry Acos- ta was sentenced to four years in state prison for carrying a dirk or dagger- Special allegation-prior strike Deputies responded to a location regarding a dis- turbance. Upon arrival the deputies contacted Acosta who was in possession of a fixed blade knife. Acos- ta was taken into custody. • Emigdio Arias Ortiz was sentenced to 16 months in state prison for possession for sale of a controlled substance. Ortiz was involved in a minor traffic accident when officers discovered a large amount of pack- aged methamphetamine inside Ortiz' vehicle. • Jose Refugio Dominguez was sen- tenced to 16 months in state prison for possession of a controlled substance. An officer responded to the scene of a single vehicle accident. Upon arrival the officer contact- ed Dominguez who appeared to be under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. The officer could smell the odor of alcohol and marijuana emitting from Dominguez' breath. Dur- ing a search of the vehicle the officer located mari- juana, methamphetamine and a smoking pipe. Dear Daughter-in-Law: Family members need to know the truth, but it would help if you could approach your in-laws with love and understanding, instead of anger and recriminations. This is breaking their hearts. Help them see how important it is for relatives to know why they cannot permit their young children to be alone with the cousin — for his sake as well as theirs. • Anthony Vincent Quezada was sentenced to eight monhts for NCR79451 and six months, for resisting arrest, to be served con- secutively with NCR79451 in state prison for failure to appear while on bail. possession of a controlled substance, resist, obstruct, delay of peace officer or EMT. (NCR82338)- Quezada When he is released from prison, he likely will be prohibited from being near these children anyway, so the in-laws are only postponing the inevitable. Sympathize with how awkward it will be to inform others, but the sooner it is done the more supportive and trusting the family members can be. Please talk to your son's therapist about the best way to word this. Dear Annie: I was disappointed with your response to ''A Devoted Grandma,'' who thinks her friend ''Betsy'' should switch turns hosting Christmas Eve dinner because it will be easier with a new baby at Grand- ma's house. Grandma stated that Betsy relented in an unfriendly way. It was Betsy's year to hold the celebration, and just because there is a new grandchild doesn't mean Grandma gets to demand it be at her house. At some point, most families have small children. It's not an excuse to give up traditions. And Betsy didn't need to be ''more gra- cious.'' — Another Grandma Dear Grandma: We agree about Grandma, but it never hurts to be more gracious, especially when friends are confronted with unpleas- ant choices. Annie's Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please e-mail your questions to anniesmailboxcomcast.net, or write to: Annie's Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Ste. 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045. COURT ROUND-UP • Eli William Gosnell was out of custody on bail when he failed to appear in court as ordered. (NCR82342)-Officers responded to a residence to conduct a welfare check. Inside the resi- dence officers saw Queza- da, who they recognize from previous contacts, and were aware he had warrants out for his arrest. While inside the resi- dence the officers located Quezada standing on a window sill attempting to hide. As officers tried to grab Quezada and pull him inside he began to struggle and managed to escape. Officers were able to locate a car Quezada had borrowed and inside found baggies of metham- phetamine and a digital scale. Recent County Jail Commitments • Theodore James Beach was sentenced to 90 days in Tehama Coun- ty Jail for child abuse. Officers responded to a residence regarding possi- ble drug activity. Officers then obtained permission to enter the residence where they observed a two year old child running around with knives in her hands. Officers also observed Beach sitting next to some marijuana on the floor. • Jared Lee Macias was sentenced to 180 days in Tehama County Jail for petty theft with a prior. Macias was originally granted formal probation. Macias violated his pro- bation when he failed to submit monthly reports as directed and tested posi- tive for marijuana. The locally-owned and operated Dutch Bros. Coffee stores in Red Bluff will donate proceeds from every beverage sold on Friday, Dec. 9 to The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Sacramento and Northeastern California as part of its annual company-wide Give Back to the Community program. Buck for Kids Day will take place at all Dutch Bros. locations was sentenced to 120 days in Tehama County Jail for transportation of a con- trolled substance, posses- sion of marijuana for sale. A deputy observed Gosnell driving through a park on a quad at 1:30 a.m. The deputy attempt- ed to stop Gosnell but he sped away and eventually ended up driving through a canal where the deputy lost sight of him. Gosnell was again spotted a short time later which initiated another pursuit. Gosnell ended up hitting a bump on the road and was thrown from his quad. He then fled on foot where he was caught and taken into custody. The deputy located marijuana and methamphetamine in Gosnell's backpack. Recent Proposition 36 Commitments Note: All cases where- in a defendant is sen- tenced per the terms of Proposition 36 are not at the request of the Tehama County District Attor- ney's Office. Per the requirements of Proposi- tion 36, a defendant who possesses drugs cannot be sentenced to confinement time in jail or prison. Instead, the court must place defendant on proba- tion and require drug treatment alone. Per the requirements of Proposi- tion 36, only upon a third drug related probation violation may the court impose confinement time. In the event the defendant violates a non-drug relat- ed term of probation the court may then elect to sentence defendant to jail or prison. The Tehama County District Attorney's Office contends that each crimi- nal case is unique and that in certain, specific, cases a defendant should be sentenced to a combina- tion of drug treatment and jail time. We further con- tend that in other specific cases where a defendant has an extensive criminal record and/or a history of across seven western states, includ- ing its locally-owned and operated Redding and Red Bluff stores: • Red Bluff - 430 S Main St., 645 Antelope Blvd • Redding - 2221 Churn Creek, 695 Market St., 2900 Churn Creek, 3025 S. Market St. and 8540 Air- port Road. In 2010, the business con- tributed $90,000 to local children's non-compliance with either previous grants of probation or previous grants of drug treatment, a state prison sentence should properly be imposed. • Wayne Lee Vansickle was sentenced to Prop. 36 probation for possession of a controlled substance. An officer observed defendant driving down a dirt road before coming to a stop. The officer made a consensual contact with him which led to a search of his person. Inside Van- sickle's pocket the officer located methampheta- mine and a methampheta- mine pipe. • Kyle Richard Sims was sentenced to Prop. 36 probation for possession of a controlled substance - Special allegation-Prior felony. A deputy noticed a sus- picious vehicle parked along side the road. The deputy contacted the occupants of the vehicle and was advised Sims was on searchable parole. The deputy then conducted a search of Sims' person and located methamphet- amine in his pocket. Upcoming Court Dates -Trials, Prelimi- nary Hearings(PX) & Pre Trial Conferences(PTC) • Laura Lynn East will appear in court at 8 a.m. on Jan. 4 in Dept. 3. She is facing the charges of child abuse, driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, hit-run dri- ving. Based upon an investi- gation conducted by the California Highway Patrol, East was driving a school bus full of kids when she began driving erratically. It was reported East backed the school bus into a sign, nearly drove the bus off the shoulder of the road and continued swerving on the road while stopping at the bus stop locations to pick up children. Coffee seller to donate to Make AWish Foundation organizations on Buck for Kids Day. In addition to fundraiser days for non-profit organizations such as Muscular Dystrophy Association and American Cancer Society, the company reinvests 1 percent of annual gross sales back into the community, donating more than $1 million in 2010 to nonprofit organi- zations. Risk of flu outweigh risks from vaccine DEAR DOC- TOR K: I am two months pregnant. I can't decide what to do about getting the flu shot. What are your thoughts? DEAR READ- ER: I understand your concern, but I think the risks associated with getting the flu when you are pregnant far outweigh any possible dangers associated with the vaccine. This year's flu shot will protect against both the seasonal flu virus and the H1N1 (swine) flu virus. The flu shot protects both mother and baby. The baby may be protected from the flu for several months after birth. Are there risks to you or the baby from getting the flu shot? You might worry that the shot could give you or the baby the flu, but that's not so. The flu shot is made from purified killed virus. That means there is no chance that you or your baby can get an infection from the vaccine. The nasal spray version of the flu vaccine is a dif- ferent matter, however. The nasal spray contains weakened but live virus. As a pregnant woman, you should NOT get the nasal spray version of the vaccine. Flu shot vaccines are grown in eggs. People with egg allergies, preg- nant or not, should talk to their doctors about whether they need a flu shot. One risk that has wor- ried people involves thimerosal, a preservative used in many vaccines. The best scientific evi- dence is that there are no bad effects on babies when mothers get shots containing this preserva- tive. Those are the risks of the flu shot. The benefit? It protects you against the considerable risks of get- ting the flu while preg- nant: — If you get the flu, you have a higher chance Dr. K by Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D. of getting pneu- monia. This puts your health at risk. It also puts your baby at risk for not getting the oxygen needed for normal develop- ment. — Having the flu during preg- nancy increases your chances of a miscarriage or giving birth too early. — Women who have a fever during early preg- nancy are more likely to deliver a baby with a neur- al tube defect, such as spina bifida. — The H1N1 (swine) flu virus that spread so rapidly around the world in 2009 and 2010 is still circulating. H1N1 was more likely to cause pneu- monia in pregnant women than the usual winter flu virus. In summary, unless you have an allergy to eggs, I think the choice is clear. Your risks, and your baby's risks, from not get- ting the flu shot are far greater than any danger from getting the shot. In addition to the flu shot, there are other things you can do to avoid get- ting sick during flu season — or anytime. For exam- ple, wash your hands fre- quently with soap and water, or use an alcohol- based hand sanitizer. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. And practice good health habits such as getting enough sleep, eating nutri- tious foods and drinking plenty of water. Many of my patients think of the flu as some- what like the common cold. That's not true. The flu can be very serious. About 30,000 people die from flu every year in the United States. Don't under- estimate the risk from the flu to you and your baby. Dr. Komaroff is a physician and professor at Harvard Medical School. Go to his website to send questions and get additional information: www.AskDoctorK.com. Wreaths to honor veterans Walmart is donating the services of 12 tractor/trail- ers to transport more than 70,000 wreaths to memorial ceremonies across the country as part of the company's involvement in Wreaths Across America and National Wreath Laying Day. Tuesday, a trailer load of balsam fir memorial wreaths is being relayed through the Red Bluff Distrib- ution Center. Twenty centers and 50 drivers across the country will be involved in transporting wreaths from Harring- ton, Maine to their destinations. Wreaths Across Amer- ica and Walmart recognize the sacrifices of our nation's veterans with wreath laying ceremonies on Dec. 10. EARN EXTRA CASH D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY AUTO ROUTE DRIVER WANTED CORNING Must be 21 years of age or older & bondable. Call or apply in person at Red Bluff Daily News Circulation Dept. 545 Diamond Ave., Red Bluff, CA Or phone Circulation @ (530) 527-2151 ext 128 3B EARN EXTRA CASH