By Larry Judkins
Glenn County Observer
Almost exactly two months after Caitlyn Corona was stabbed to death in Willows, another woman was stabbed in Willows early Thursday morning, May 16.
According to a press release from the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office, the unnamed victim was 20 years old. The location of the incident was not given in the release, but traffic on the police scanner suggests that the crime occurred at a home on Vine Street.
The GCSO press release and scanner broadcasts agree that the call came in at 2:49 a.m. About six minutes later, according to scanner traffic, it was reported that the victim had suffered a stab wound to the chest.
Medical responders treated the victim at the scene for major injuries. According to the scanner, initially the Enloe FlightCare helicopter was to land at the Willows Airport, then transport the woman to the hospital.
At about 3:04 a.m., medical personnel said the victim was going to be transported to Enloe Code 3 (lights and siren) by ground ambulance. Then, almost immediately, dispatch was told to “cancel that and keep FlightCare coming.”
Ultimately, the woman was transported by helicopter.
According to the GCSO’s release, “The initial investigation resulted in two alleged suspects. Deputies made contact with both alleged suspects Thursday morning.
“Following questioning, one suspect, 20-year-old Ramiro Robles Gomez, was taken into custody and is currently being held in the Glenn County Jail.”
Well. This is all true, but it leaves out some important details.
According to the scanner, it was quite some time before deputies knew who they were looking for. The age (about 20) and physical description of one of the suspects, but not his name, was broadcast several times, each time with a little more information.
He was described as having numerous tattoos, including some on his face; long hair; and a Fu Manchu mustache of sorts. He was shirtless but wearing tan or brownish shorts and white socks.
When the call was first received, deputies checked several of the roads going out of Willows, including Highway 99 heading south, all the way to the Colusa County line.
At about 3:04 a.m., Sgt. Lemmon reported he was heading to the Cedar Hills apartments. Having received information about the make and model of vehicle the suspects may be driving, Lemmon said he was out with a Ford Explorer in the south parking lot at Cedar Hills.
A moment later, he said the engine was still warm and there “is blood on the door handle on the passenger side.”
At 3:14 a.m., Sgt. Lemmon reported he was out with the suspect. The Glenn County Sheriff’s dispatcher asked about the “status” of Sgt. Lemmon, and the sergeant replied, “Code 4”, and added, “We’re trying to figure it out [that is, what happened].”
At 3:22 a.m., an out-of-breath Sgt. Lemmon reported that the suspect got away, jumped a fence separating the Cedar Hills and JFK/Eskaton complexes, and disappeared in Eskaton. Law enforcement officers (Glenn County Sheriff’s deputies, Orland police officers, California Highway Patrol officers, and lastly Colusa County Sheriff’s deputies) began setting up a perimeter.
At least two K-9s and a drone were also brought in.
The Glenn County dispatcher said she talked to Colusa County S.O. and “they might know who it is. They will get back to me.”
Soon, it was known who the suspect was. It was learned that he was recently released from the Colusa County Jail, and that he is on post-release community supervision (PRCS) for felony resisting.
It was also pointed out that he is a Norteño.
Colusa County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene because they were familiar with the suspect. At 3:42 a.m., it was announced that Colusa County S.O. had two sergeants responding in the same vehicle.
Sgt. Lemmon warned that the knife used in the attack is “still outstanding [not recovered].” He then added, “Officer safety.”
Cedar Hills, Eskaton, and surrounding areas were searched more than once. Deputies also checked out numerous instances of dogs barking in the area.
At 4:05 a.m., L&T Towing was contacted to transport the Explorer to the GCSO’s yard for the collection of evidence. About 12 minutes later, Sgt. Lemmon said that the keys to the Explorer were “still outstanding.”
At 4:35 a.m., the perimeter started to be broken down. Colusa County Sheriff’s deputies planned to “sit on the [suspect’s mother’s] house” in Arbuckle.
At 6:17 a.m., a deputy reported he had eyes on the suspect at Colusa and Garden Streets. The suspect was detained, then arrested and transported to the Glenn County Jail.
Glenn County dispatch was advised to contact Colusa County S.O. to let them know they did not need to watch the residence in Arbuckle.
The name of the second alleged suspect mentioned in the GCSO press release remains unknown.
According to the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office, this investigation is on-going. No further information is available at this time.
The Glenn County Observer 