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The three defen- dants, Poly Sanchez, Lu- cio Madera and Gabino Madera, who were 19 at the time, were reported to have fled the scene but were arrested days after the incident. Detective Chad Parker testified at a July 14 pre- liminary hearing for Lucio and Gabino. He recalled his interview with the mother of Dani's children, accord- ing to a July 15 Daily News article. According to the witness, Dani and Sanchez had con- versations on the phone about meeting up. After leaving the wom- an's apartment, she and Dani headed to Cross- roads Market where they planned to meet the defen- dants, Parker recounted. Dani had owed the defen- dants $100. Dani and Sanchez met and the witness said she didn't see Sanchez again. She saw Dani running from the south side of the market and saw one man with a gun. She then heard several gun shots, Parker said. Sanchez is charged with conspiracy to commit mur- der and felony murder. Lucio is charged with conspiracy to commit mur- der, felony murder and possession of concentrated cannabis. Gabino, who was the last of the three to be found and arrested, is charged with conspiracy to commit murder, felony murder and possession of concentrated cannabis. The defendants remain in custody awaiting trial. No bail was set. Shooting FROMPAGE1 Weather Service meteo- rologist Craig Shoemaker said. The tornado traveled several miles through El- dorado County Thursday afternoon with winds of 80 to 90 miles an hour. There were no reports of injuries. It affected the communities of El Dorado Hills and Cameron Park, which lie about 30 miles northeast of Sacramento. National Weather Ser- vice meteorologist Rich Thompson in Oxnard said the system was moving into Southern California, where strong winds were forecast starting Friday evening and into Saturday. Wind gusts of up to 70 mph were forecast at higher elevations. Storm FROM PAGE 1 CORNING An investi- gation by the California Highway Patrol has re- sulted in a recommenda- tion that charges not be filed against a 39-year-old Corning woman involved in a Nov. 23 fatal crash. Skye Smith was arrested for suspicion of felony driv- ing under the influence fol- lowing the Nov. 23 colli- sion that killed Robert Wil- liamson, 35, of Corning. At the time, Smith was believed to be the driver of the 1997 Chevy Tahoe the crashed while travel- ing southbound on State Route 99W south of Lib- eral Avenue. Further investigation determined William- son was the driver of the Tahoe, according to a re- lease issued Friday by CHP. The Red Bluff CHP office forwarded the information from the investigation to the Tehama County Dis- trict Attorney's Office with a request that no charges be filed against Smith due to the fact she was not the driver or responsible party in the crash. CHP Woman cleared in No ve mb er f at al c ol li si on By Susan Montoya Bryan The Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. The U.S. Department of Agri- culture is embarking on a partnership with uni- versities across the coun- try in hopes of infusing its ranks with more diversity as it faces civil rights com- plaints from Latino farmers and ranchers. But some members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus are voicing frustra- tion, saying the agency has been dragging its feet and has yet to adequately ad- dress their concerns. The caucus had asked for a meeting with Agricul- ture Secretary Tom Vilsack in October, saying members received reports from con- stituents indicating signifi- cant civil rights violations and discrimination by the agency. Caucus members also pointed to a 2013 review that found noncompliance with civil rights require- ments and regulations by U.S. Forest Service offices in New Mexico and Colorado. "I am not convinced that the USDA is being as forth- coming as I would expect," said U.S. Rep. Michelle Lu- jan Grisham, a New Mex- ico Democrat. "I look for- ward to pressing the secre- tary to provide more details that adequately address our concerns." The USDA said this week that it's willing to meet with caucus members, but it can't address the civil rights review or other discrimina- tion issues because of pend- ing litigation. The agency cited one case being heard by a fed- eral judge in Albuquerque involving grazing permits in northern New Mexico and other cases that stem from claims of discrimina- tion regarding the issuance and management of farm loans over a period of two decades. Attorneys representing the New Mexico ranchers argued that the civil rights review wasn't part of the grazing case and should be addressed. The agency's general counsel said the case involves civil rights matters in general, putting it off limits for discussion. In a letter to the cau- cus that was obtained by The Associated Press, the agency also defended a $1.3 billion settlement that was reached with Hispanic and women farmers over the farm loans. The USDA argued that it had no role in adjudi- cating any of the claims, a task that fell to an indepen- dent contractor to ensure impartiality. That process was then reviewed by the USDA's Office of Inspector General. Critics have said claims filed by Latinos and women have been de- nied at much higher rates than those of other mi- nority groups, including black and Native Ameri- can farmers who settled following separate class- action lawsuits. U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Lu- jan, a member of the Con- gressional Hispanic Caucus, said farmers and ranchers who have been discrimi- nated against deserve to be made whole and that he looks forward to meeting with the secretary. "This issue impacts the livelihood of so many in my district and the USDA must be held accountable," the New Mexico Democrat said. Despite an indefinite delay in addressing civil rights with the caucus, the agency noted in its let- ter that progress is being made on other fronts and pointed to the new partner- ship with the nation's His- panic-serving colleges and universities. The USDA's Office of Ad- vocacy and Outreach in early December signed a cooperative agreement with the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities to fund 180 paid internships at the agency. The association represents more than 470 schools. Officials said the pro- gram will increase aware- ness about career opportu- nities as well as foster the secretary's goals of a di- verse, inclusive workforce. FARMING AND RANCHING Latino lawmakers look to USDA to address civil rights issues ROBERTOE.ROSALES—ALBUQUERQUEJOURNAL U.S. Reps. Michelle Lujan Grisham, le , and Ben Ray Lujan talk to reporters at the VA hospital in Albuquerque, N.M. Lujan, a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said farmers and ranchers who have been discriminated against deserve to be made whole and that he looks forward to meeting with the secretary. By Bassem Mroue The Associated Press BEIRUT An airstrike near the Syrian capital on Fri- day killed top rebel com- mander Zahran Allouch, the head of one of the most powerful Saudi-backed in- surgent groups fighting against President Bashar Assad's government near the seat of his power Da- mascus, opposition activ- ists said. Allouch's death a month before expected peace talks between government and opposition representa- tives in Geneva is a blow to insurgents fighting to topple Assad and a boost to government forces who have been bolstered by the Russian military interven- tion in Syria in the past few months. It was not immediately clear who was behind his death. The Britain-based Syr- ian Observatory for Hu- man Rights said an air- strike hit an Army of Islam meeting near the Damas- cus suburb of Otaya, killing several rebel commanders including Allouch. It said it was not clear whether it was a Russian or Syrian airstrike. The Observatory said the warplanes struck a meeting during which Army of Islam command- ers were preparing to launch an offensive against government forces and those of Lebanon's Hezbol- lah near Damascus. The Local Coordination Committees earlier said that Allouch was killed along with his deputy and chief spokesman in an air- strike believed to be Rus- sian in Otaya. The Syrian military, in a statement published on the state-run SANA news agency, said later Friday that Allouch was killed in a Syrian army airstrike. It said that the strike was carried out after a se- ries of aerial reconnais- sance operations against groupings of "terrorist" organizations and their headquarters in Eastern Ghouta. In addition to Al- louch, it said the airstrike killed "a large number of commanders of Ahrar al- Sham and Faylaq al-Rah- man." It did not provide other details. It was not immediately clear how Allouch's kill- ing would affect his group, which is entrenched in the eastern suburbs of Damas- cus. Several rebel group commanders have been killed in the past — in- cluding most of the com- mand of the ultraconserva- tive Ahrar al-Sham group in a mysterious bombing in northern Syria last year. For the government, it represents a further boost following recent military advances by the army, which has been on the of- fensive in several parts of the country since Russia began its military cam- paign in late September to shore up Assad's forces. Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV led with the news of Allouch's killing, touting it as a victory. Syria's state news agency SANA high- lighted the news, report- ing the killing of the "ter- rorist" Zahran Allouch. They did not say who was behind the airstrike that killed him. The Lebanon-based AL- Mayadeen TV said Allouch was killed during a meet- ing to reconcile two feud- ing militant factions near Damascus. The station said 13 airstrikes hit east- ern Damascus on Friday. Mazen al-Shami, an opposition activist based near Damascus, said war- planes believed to be Rus- sian fired 10 missiles at the site where Allouch and top commanders in his group were meeting in Otaya. He said several officials and commanders were killed or wounded. Another activist based near Damascus, Hadi Munajed, said four war- planes flying at high al- titude attacked the meet- ing killing Allouch and other officials. He said he believed the warplanes were Russian because Syrian fighter jets fly at lower altitude and are not as accurate as the Rus- sians. "He was martyred this afternoon," Munajed said via Skype, referring to Al- louch. Allouch, who was in his mid-40s, was widely known to be supported by Saudi Arabia and Tur- key. He was one of the most powerful rebel com- manders with thousands of fighters controlling large parts of the east- ern Damascus suburbs known as Eastern Ghouta and Douma. In addition to fighting government forces, the Army of Islam faction fought pitched battles against its rival, the Islamic State group near Damascus. MIDDLE EAST Top Syrian rebel killed in airstrike near Damascus By Bill Barrow The Associated Press Dozens of people lost their homes, yet they say they are thankful to see an- other Christmas. Tony Goodwin ducked into a storm shelter with seven others as a storm pounded Tennessee and other states in the south- eastern U.S. He emerged to find his house in Lin- den had been knocked off its foundation and hurled down a hill by high winds. Goodwin's neighbors weren't so fortunate. Two people in one home were killed. "It makes you thankful to be alive with your fam- ily," he said. Unseasonably warm weather on Wednesday helped spawn torrential rain and deadly tornadoes that left at least 14 people and left dozens of fami- lies homeless by Christ- mas Eve. Parts of Mississippi re- mained under a flood warning Friday. Weather forecasters from the Na- tional Weather Service warned that a strong storm crossing the cen- tral part of the state could produce hail and winds of more than 40 mph. The storm was bringing with it the risk of falling trees, downed power lines and flash flooding, officials said. But that didn't stop some from spending their Christ- mas giving rather than re- ceiving. Nicholas Garbacz, di- saster program manager for the American Red Cross of North Missis- sippi, said members of the Marine Corps brought do- nated toys to a center in Holly Springs for children whose families were hit hard by the storms. Two of the seven people killed in Mississippi were from the Holly Springs area. Dozens of children and their families showed up Friday morning to pick up a toy or other items they might need to recover from the storm, Garbacz said. More severe weather was also in store for parts of Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee that were again being pounded with rain. Residents were warned to brace for flash flooding and possible tornadoes. Among the dead were seven people from Missis- sippi, including a 7-year- old boy who perished while riding in a car that was swept up and tossed by storm winds. Six people were killed in Tennessee, including three who were found in a car submerged in a creek, according to the Colum- bia Police Department. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said the victims were a 19-year- old female and two 22-year- old males. One person died in Ar- kansas, and dozens of homes were damaged or destroyed. As the rain continued to fall, Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley on Friday issued an emergency declara- tion that covers any part of the state experiencing flash flooding. Officials in southeast Alabama are particularly concerned, as Pea River is approach- ing record-levels near the town of Elba, which has a history of severe flooding. Dozens of people were injured in earlier storms, some seriously, said Greg Flynn, spokesman for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. Search teams combed damaged homes and busi- nesses for people still missing, a hunt made complicated because so many had left for the hol- idays. SEVERE WEATHER Survivors of storms thankful to see Christmas KENNETH CUMMINGS — THE JACKSON SUN Christmas gi s are stacked outside of a demolished home that was affected by a tornado that came through Selmer, Tenn., on Wednesday. R ed Bluff Simple Cremations and Burial Service FD1931 527-1732 Burials - Monuments - Preneed 722 Oak Street, Red Bluff SATURDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2015 REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM | NEWS | 9 A