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A 25-year career first sparked by an assignment in the military will be com- ing to an end as Red Bluff Fire Capt. Vern Raglin, who retires officially Fri- day, had his last shift Mon- day. "I was born and raised here and I'll be staying here as an exempt member in the volunteer organization for now," Raglin said. Raglin first joined a small fire department while in the Army Security Agency working in a small communications center in Herzogenaurach, Germany. After military service he returned to Red Bluff and worked for Richelieu Con- struction. A remodeling job at the former PG&E build- ing on Main Street changed his life. A fire started in the attic of the Masonic Lodge. "It really sparked my interest to get on the reserves here and the rest was history," Raglin said. "That's back when it was a volunteer thing." Raglin started serving as a volunteer engineer for Red Bluff April 1, 1984, before being hired on full time as a captain in 1987. He said he has seen a lot of changes within the depart- ment. "When I started here there were a lot of volun- teers and two paid people on duty part of the day in two shifts, and the reserves held down the night time shift," Raglin said. "I went from a night-sleeping engi- neer (volunteering) to a paid captain." As time went on, the department evolved to 24- hour shifts with three shifts of personnel in 2002 under Chief Mike Damon. Memorable fires include the Red Bluff High School gym and bus building, Mur- phy Glass Center on Pine Street and several down- town businesses on Main Street — all within his first few years. Raglin first big fire was the Cone & Kimball Build- ing on April 30, 1984. "It was a spectacular fire," Raglin said. "One whopping fire and a big eye opener. I learned a lot that day and over the next three days. It's where I first got a Weather forecast 8B Mostly cloudy 55/43 N EWS D AILY DAILY 50¢ TUESDAY FEBRUARY 2, 2010 Olympic Journeys Mercy Hoops Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com N EWS D AILY RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 See Inside SPORTS 1B American Profile 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 STOP THE PAIN FROM NEUROPATHY, SHINGLES, ARTHRITIS, AND POST SURGERY. DR. SWAIM'S PAIN CREAM NOW AVAILABLE IN OUR OFFICE AT 2530 SR MARY COLUMBA DR. RED BLUFF, CA 96080 (530) 527-7584 Smog Inspection $ 29 95 (MOST CARS & PICK-UPS) Pass or FREE retest 195 S. Main St. Red Bluff 530 527-9841 COMPLETE AUTO REPAIR + cert. Jack the Ribber 1150 Monroe St. 527-6108 Mon.-Fri 11am-8pm Sat. 4-9pm RIBS, TRI-TIP, PULLED PORK BOWL WEEK SPECIAL The Green Barn 5 CHESTNUT AVE., RED BLUFF 527-3161 We will be open Sunday, Feb. 14th for Valentine's Day Now taking reservations Pair arrested after Glenn County chase By GREG WELTER MediaNews Group ORLAND — After leading a Glenn County sheriff's deputy on a short but hazardous pursuit, a felon with 10 known aliases was arrested early Saturday morning on multiple charges. His passenger, a Corning woman, was also arrested. Steven Timothy Stamper, 30, identified as a transient, was behind the wheel of a white Honda Accord reportedly being driven erratically on County Road N, north of County Road 6, about 1:30 a.m. Deputy Cale Smith attempted to stop the vehicle, but Stamper accelerated, then swerved and slammed on the brakes, sliding to a stop. As the deputy got out of his vehicle, Stamper sped away again, then resumed swerving and hitting the brakes several more times. As he drove, the deputy said a passenger opened a door and appeared to be attempting to jump out of the vehicle. Stamper was final- ly stopped but said he couldn't comply with an order to turn off the engine. Smith, now joined by another deputy and an Orland police sergeant, ordered Stamper and his passenger out at gunpoint. A records check showed that Stamper is a convicted felon with four outstand- ing warrants for his arrest in Tehama County. During a search of Stamper, a pipe used to smoke controlled sub- stances and a canis- ter of pepper spray were found. The passenger, Jade Cheyenne Bunn, 27, was found to have three outstanding misdemeanor war- rants for her arrest, also out of Tehama County. A search of the area turned up a semi- automatic handgun in a leather holster about 16 feet from the vehi- cle. It was found in wet grass, but was dry, leading investi- gators to believe it had been thrown from the car. Bunn Stamper Help for Haiti Daily News photo by Tang Lor Mark O'Sullivan examines a prosthetic arm that has been donated for a prostheses drive to benefit amputees in Haiti. By TANG LOR DN Staff Writer Anyone who has prosthetic devices they no longer need and no idea what to do with them can now donate them to victims of the devastating earthquake in Haiti. The need for artificial limbs in Haiti is great with early estimates at nearly 70 limbs per day, but this could be as high as 1,000 limbs being amputated per day, said Mark O'Sullivan, a certified pros- thetist who works for Hanger Orthopedic Group. Hanger will be holding a nationwide prosthetic limb drive for the next six months. Once a week, parts collected from local offices will be boxed up and mailed to Physicians For Peace, a nonprofit organization providing relief care in Haiti, which will then distribute the prostheses. Amputees get new pieces every 3-5 years so they probably have pieces that have just been sitting in the closet all these years and now they can be donated, O'Sullivan said. Donations, which could be valued at anywhere between $5,000 to $10,000 depending on the piece Man shot in Tehama TEHAMA —A residence was taped off over the weekend after a man with gunshot wounds was report- ed to local law enforcement. According to Tehama County sheriff's logs, St. Eliz- abeth Community Hospital reported at 2:55 a.m. Satur- day that it was treating Macaril Estrada for gunshot wounds received at a residence in the 100 block of Cav- alier Drive. Logs show Estrada was transported to Mercy Med- ical Center in Redding about 3:20 a.m. Tehama County Sheriff Clay Parker said there was only one person shot, but that complete details of the incident were not available, as witnesses were not cooperating and officers had not been able to interview Estrada about the incident. Parker also declined to name specifics about where Estrada's wounds are or how many times he was shot until further investigation into the matter has been com- pleted. Nothing further was available Monday. — Julie Zeeb Flu threatens rare horse herd LOS MOLINOS — Sunshine Sanctuary for Kids and Horses in Los Molinos, a nonprofit orga- nization and home to the last remaining Spanish Colonial horses from the island of Santa Cruz, is in need of equine flu vaccine due to the recent outbreak in the area. Founder Christine Nooner has cancelled events at the site and chil- dren and volunteers are on hold in hopes that self- quarantine will keep the deadly virus at bay until vaccines can be given to the herd. About 32 vaccines are needed immediately, at $19 each, plus tax. The vaccines must be repeated after several months. The flu virus presents a viable threat to the Her- itage Horses and, within days, it could wipe this one-of-a-kind breed from existence. Due to severe flooding and unexpected veterinary bills, the sanctuary is unable to purchase the Last Call — Captain steps down after 25 years Daily News photo by Julie Zeeb Red Bluff Fire Capt. Vern Raglin, prepares to take off on a call in RBFD's Engine 1 Monday — his last day in a 25-year career. See PAIR, page 7A See HELP, page 7A See FLU, page 7A See CALL, page 7A