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Wyatt Gillette, 8, visits Camp Pendleton on Saturday where he received an award to become an honorary Marine. LANCE CPL. ANGELICA ANNASTAS — U.S. MARINE CORPS TheAssociatedPress SANDIEGO An8-year-old boy with a rare, genetic disease has died a day af- ter being made an honor- ary Marine, his father said. Wyatt Gillette died Sun- day with a developmen- tal disorder that causes seizures and kidney fail- ure, his father, Jeremiah Gillette, told The Marine Corps Times. Wyatt was honored in a formal ceremony Sat- urday at Camp Pendleton near San Diego, where his father serves as a drill ser- geant. Video and photos of the ceremony show Wyatt dressed in fatigues and seated in his wheelchair while being presented with a framed certificate and an official Marine Corps pin. Marine Corps Comman- dant General Robert Neller agreed to make Wyatt an honorary Marine in re- sponse to a petition. The honor is bestowed on just a few people every year and recognizes civil- ians who have made ex- traordinary contributions to the Marine Corps. Neller wrote on his Twitter page that granting the petition was one of the easiest decisions he had to make as commandant. "Keep fighting, Wy- att! You are a Marine!" he posted Saturday. As a 4-year-old, Wy- att was diagnosed with Aicardi-Goutieres syn- drome that affects the brain, immune system and skin, as well as causing other complications, ac- cording to a press release from the Marine Corps Re- cruit Depot in San Diego. Whentheboywasunder- going dialysis last month, hisfatherreachedouttofel- low Marines on social me- dia for prayers. An online petition was started that quickly gained supporters. His father's command staff began the formal petition process for Wy- att, said Capt. Matthew Finnerty, a spokesman at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego. "His fighting spirit has shown all Marines that al- though times are tough, we must continue to push on in the face of adversity," Lt. Col. Jesse Sjoberg, Sgt. Gillette's commanding of- ficer, said in a statement. Gillette said he believes his son could have joined the Marines someday if he had been healthy. "He's the toughest kid I've ever met," he told KABC-TV. Boydiesa erbeing named honorary Marine GENETIC DISORDER The Associated Press BIG SUR Crews contended with blistering tempera- tures Monday as they tried to beat back a wildfire that burned rural homes and forced hundreds of evacua- tions in California's Central Valley, while cooler weather gave firefighters a break as they battled a 10-day-old blaze on the coast. The newer fire northeast of Fresno damaged some of the 400 homes that were evacuated just outside the Sierra National Forest, but it was not yet clear how many, the California De- partment of Forestry and Fire Protection said. Meanwhile, a wildfire north of scenic Big Sur near the Central Coast held steady at 62.5 square miles, state fire officials said. Fire- fighters got help from a low marine layer that brought a spike in humidity and dropped temperatures into the 60s and 70s. The blaze that broke out July 22 has destroyed 57 homes and is threatening 2,000 additional structures. It was less than 20 percent contained Monday. Abulldozeroperatorwork- ing the fire lines was killed last week in a rollover acci- dentinsteep,forestedridges. The fire, which is about the size of San Francisco, also has scared away tour- ists. They are canceling bookings after officials warned that crews will likely be battling the flames for another month. About 200 miles to the northeast, hundreds of dead trees fueled the central Cali- fornia fire amid triple-digit temperatures and low hu- midity that was expected to last for several days. Residents of the rural area surrounded by rolling hills told reporters that they scrambled to evacuate with their animals as the wind- driven blaze swept through dry slopes. "We watched it explode, coming across Old Miller- ton Road, and it just keeps getting bigger and bigger," Dana Bays told KFSN-TV. The nearly 3-square- mile blaze started Satur- day afternoon in steep, rug- ged terrain. It was 15 per- cent contained Monday, Cal Fire said. Further south, crews had nearly surrounded a 65-square-mile blaze on the outskirts of Los An- geles that killed one man and destroyed 18 homes. It comes 10 days after the fire broke out in suburban Santa Clarita and spread into the mountainous An- geles National Forest, offi- cials said. Authorities have not determined the cause. WILDFIRES Homes in Central California threatened by 2 major blazes PHOTOS BY DAVID ROYAL — THE MONTEREY COUNTY HERALD A helicopter flies in to make a water drop while fighting a wildfire on a ridge above Rancho San Carlos in Carmel Valley on Saturday. By Brian Melley The Associated Press LOS ANGELES Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca withdrew a guilty plea Monday and chose to go to trial on a charge of lying to federal authorities in an ef- fort to thwart an FBI inves- tigation into abuses at the jails he ran. The decision was made at a hearing after last-min- ute negotiations between de- fense attorneys and prosecu- torsonanewpleaagreement. Baca, 74, who is suffering from Alzheimer's disease, had pleaded guilty to lying to federal authorities under adealthatcalledfornomore than six months in prison. But a federal judge rejected that sentence last month as toolenient,sayingitfailedto address Baca's "gross abuse of the public's trust." Baca explained his rea- soning to reporters outside the courthouse. "I made this decision due to untruthful comments about my actions made by the court and the U.S. At- torney's Office that are con- tradicted by evidence in this case," he said. "While my fu- ture and my ability to de- fend myself depends on my Alzheimer's disease, I need to set the record straight about me and the Los Ange- les County Sheriff's Depart- ment on misleading aspects of the federal investigation while I'm ca- pable of do- ing this." N e g o t i - ations had continued through the weekend to find a com- promise that would suit Baca, federal prosecutors and the judge. "It's frustrating for (Baca) becausehe'slookingforade- gree of certainty. He wants this very much to be over," defenselawyerMichaelZwei- back said before the decision was made. "If he's not going to be in a situation where he has some understanding of what he's walking into, then he may feel he has no alter- native but to fight for his life and go to trial." One of the main chal- lenges was uncertainty about what term would sat- isfy the judge. Federal court rules bar judges from tak- ing part in plea negotia- tions, and Zweiback said Anderson did not provide a number of months or years that would satisfy him. Prosecutors cannot men- tion the prior guilty plea in the trial. The prospect that Baca will go through a public trial is another dramatic twist in a corruption scan- dal that blossomed after his deputies learned an inmate was an FBI informant. Baca, who cut the figure of a fit, trim military offi- cer in a crisp khaki uniform during his 16-year reign, was known for his uncon- ventional approach to run- ning the nation's largest sheriff's department. He jetted around the world to promote a softer style of law enforcement, advocat- ing for jailhouse education and a better understanding of different cultures. But in his jails, a band of rogue deputies was beat- ing inmates, and supervi- sors were helping cover up the violence. SENTENCING Former LA sheriff will go to trial in corruption case Baca Sponsoredby The Saturday Market SlowFood Shasta Cascade ® Your community YEAR-ROUND Certified Farmers & Artisan Market 8-12:30, every Saturday Home Depot parking lot CELEBRATENATIONAL Farmer's Market Week with us August 13 August is Tehama County Customer Appreciation Month Dr.Stoddardwillbediscussingthelatestadvancesinankle surgery. If you have ankle pain, come and learn more about treatment options, rehabilitation tips and the Trabecular Metal™ Total Ankle. The Trabecular Metal Total Ankle is an advanced new option designed to work in harmony with your natural anatomy in order to restore normal function of your ankle. 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