Who knew that the California Concepts sits on top of a graveyard?
It must, because several skeletons have risen or are in the process of rising from the ground in the front yard of the hair salon located at 537 West Wood Street in Willows, at the northeast corner Wood Street and North Murdock Avenue.
“Man, I am as dry as a bone!” one skeleton seemed to be saying to the other. “You haven’t looked at yourself in a mirror lately, have you?” came the response.
Besides skeletons galore, the establishment has a dragon, witches, humongous spiders, pumpkin-headed creatures, and a giant werewolf.
Witches appear to beckon visitors.
Beetlejuice can also be seen lurking in the shadows of the front porch.
It was probably just my imagination running away with me, but I thought I heard some witches mixing up an evil potion of some kind: At any rate, the following incantation began running through my head:
Double, double toil and trouble
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.
Fillet of a fenny snake
In the cauldron boil and bake.
Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder’s fork and blind-worm’s sting,
Lizard’s leg and owlet’s wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
Double, double toil and trouble
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble….
Does anyone remember the old movie, The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant?
All photos by Larry Judkins of The Glenn County Observer.
A woman called 911 Monday morning, telling the dispatcher she believed she was overdosing after smoking fentanyl.
She was eight months pregnant.
Orland police officers responded to the Blue and White Laundromat at 1018 South Street, located in the same strip mall as the Dollar Tree and the Grocery Outlet, at about 9:42 a.m. on Oct. 23.
After the officers “cleared the scene” (made sure it was safe for other emergency responders to enter), Orland Fire Department volunteers and ambulance personnel entered to render aid.
The woman had self-administered a dose of Narcan.
Still experiencing symptoms of overdose, a second dose of Narcan was administered.
Orland Fire Chief Justin Chaney was heard on the scanner saying the woman was eight months pregnant.
A K-9 was brought to the scene to make sure there was no leftover fentanyl or paraphernalia.
The woman was transported by ambulance for additional medical treatment.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), substance abuse by pregnant women has been linked to maternal death, poor fetal growth, preterm birth, stillbirth, birth defects, and NAS, or neonatal abstinence syndrome (withdrawal).
Signs of withdrawal usually begin within 72 after birth and may include tremors (trembling); irritability, including excessive or high-pitched crying; sleep problems; hyperactive reflexes; seizures; yawning, stuffy nose, or sneezing; poor feeding and sucking; vomiting; loose stools and dehydration; and increased sweating.
Neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) is a subset of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). NOWS is specific to opioid withdrawal and manifests itself within the first 28 days of the infant’s life.
According to the CDC, the signs a newborn might experience, and their severity, depend on a variety of factors, including the type and amount of the opioid to which the infant was exposed before birth; the last time the mother used an opioid; whether the baby was born full-term or premature; and whether the newborn was exposed to other substances, such as alcohol or tobacco, before birth.
Suddenly stopping opioid use during pregnancy is not recommended, the CDC says, as it can have serious consequences, such as preterm labor, fetal distress, or miscarriage.
Current clinical recommendations for pregnant women with opioid use disorder include medications rather than supervised withdrawal, due to a higher likelihood of better outcomes and a reduced risk of relapse.
A motorcyclist with a history of speeding and other traffic violations lost his life Saturday night when his Honda broadsided an SUV on Highway 32 in front of Country Pumpkins east of Orland.
At about 8:28 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21, Chester William Johnson, 40, of Orland, was riding his red 2023 Honda motorcycle east on Highway 32, just east of County Road Q and near Country Pumpkins and its corn maze. California Highway Patrol officers, Orland police officers, Glenn County Sheriff’s deputies, Orland volunteer firefighters, and Westside Ambulance personnel all responded to the scene.
Jennifer Chua, 49, of Chico, was driving a blue 2017 Subaru SUV west on Highway 32, just east of County Road Q, at a stated speed of 10 miles per hour. She started to make a left turn into a driveway at 7155 Highway 32 on the south side of Highway 32, directly across the road from Country Pumpkins, 7152 Highway 32.
According to the California Highway Patrol and other sources, Johnson was riding his motorcycle at a high rate of speed and passing vehicles on the shoulder. As a result, he was unable to see the Subaru making the left turn and collided with the right (passenger) side of the SUV.
Johnson was ejected from the Honda and sustained fatal injuries, dying at the scene. He was pronounced deceased at 8:42 p.m., and a coroner’s investigation was begun by Deputy Vargas.
Johnson’s next of kin, Corene Mae Ledbeter Johnson, was notified of the death.
Chua and three minor passengers were all wearing their seatbelts and were uninjured. The children’s names were improperly withheld from both the CHP’s and Glenn County Sheriff’s news releases, although the CHP’s release, unlike the sheriff’s, gave their ages as 16, 15, and 9, and indicated all three are from Chico and all three are boys.
According to CHP Officer Roach, alcohol is not suspected to be a factor in this accident.
Country Pumpkins, on the north side of Highway 32, east of County Road Q. Glenn County Observer photo by Larry Judkins.
In previous years in October, CalTrans had been known to put out electronic signs, warning drivers of an event ahead at Country Pumpkins. No such cautions are to be found this year, however.
Following the crash, the roadway was completely blocked, and officers closed the highway at County Road P. Nevertheless, drivers continued to head eastbound on Highway 32 from Road P.
A law enforcement officer was heard saying that drivers were traveling through the intersection, going east toward the accident scene. Another officer responded, “We are putting road flares out now. We are having problems with this intersection.
Bambauer Towing responded to pick up both the Subaru and the Honda. At 9:58 p.m., Bambauer notified the CHP that they were stuck in traffic and asked if they could use the shoulder.
However, two minutes later, the south (eastbound) lane of Highway 32 was opened, and nine minutes after that both lanes were opened.
It should be noted that Johnson was no stranger to speeding and reckless driving. From 2002 to 2014, he had gone to court for at least eight cases involving traffic violations in Glenn County.
Among these, he was convicted in 2007 of speeding over 100 miles per hour; he was convicted in 2012 of exceeding 55 miles per hour; and he was convicted in 2014 of speeding in a 70 mile per hour zone.
If Chester William Johnson’s name seems familiar to Observer readers, it may be because this reporter did a story regarding him in January of this year. It read:
Orland man charged with child sexual abuse
By Larry Judkins
Glenn County Observer
Readers: Please remember that in our criminal justice system, the accused is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law….
However, not only is the presumption of innocence a basic premise of our system of government, so is the concept of a fully informed public. Ignorance and democracy cannot exist simultaneously.
Anyway, at about 10:37 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022, Deputy Ramirez received a report of a cold sexual assault of juveniles at an address … near Orland.
Deputy Ramirez met with the caller, Zandi Lin Lawrence of Corning….
Deputy Ramirez initiated an investigation. He concluded his investigation, and it was turned over to the Major Crimes Unit for further action.
According to the sheriff’s log for the Dec. 24 incident, [one of the] “involved parties” included … Chester William Johnson of Orland….
At about 7:54 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 30, Chester William Johnson, 39, of Orland, was booked into the Glenn County Jail on charges alleging continuous sexual abuse of a child, lewd or lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14, sexual penetration with force on a child under the age of 14, and willful cruelty to a child that could result in injury or death (all felonies).
His bail was set at $315,000. He was taken into custody near Orland by a Glenn County Sheriff’s deputy.
On Thursday, Jan. 5, the Glenn County District Attorney’s Office charged Johnson with alleged continuous sexual abuse of a child, and lewd or lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14 (again, both charges are felonies).
The matter is next set to be in court (Donald Cole Byrd presiding) at 8 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 13. At this hearing, Attorney Robert L. Marshall, who works out of Oroville, may be [and in fact was] retained….
Since the writing of the preceding story, a pretrial conference had been set for Friday, Oct. 6, just 15 days before Johnson’s death. Another pretrial conference was scheduled for Friday, Nov. 3, about 13 days after his death.
Whether the stress of Johnson’s impending trial was a contributing factor in the fatal collision will probably never be known with any degree of certainty.
In the coming months, the question posed by the above headline may get asked by a lot of residents of Willows.
On Tuesday, Oct. 3, the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office issued a release explaining that the GCSO “has provided law enforcement services to the City of Willows since 2017 under a contract for services.”
“The contract,” the sheriff’s release continued, “expired on June 30, 2023. Following several months of negotiations, the Sheriff’s Office and the City of Willows have been unable to come to an agreement on the 2023 contract for services.”
The GCSO release states, “Due to increased costs to provide services and increased caseload within the City of Willows jurisdiction, the total cost of the contract has increased.” The City of Willows jurisdiction accounts for approximately 50 percent of the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office’s total law enforcement caseload, the GCSO says.
“This increase in costs and caseload must be accounted for in the contract renewal,” the release explains. “Per government code 51350, the County must contract for actual costs for services provided and cannot provide services at a discounted or lower rate than actuals.
“Additionally,” the release goes on, “the Sheriff’s Office will not sacrifice officer safety by agreeing to staffing levels below the minimum required.”
The GCSO document reads, “The Sheriff’s Office has continued to meet with City Management to discuss this issue and has provided documentation for the increased costs as well as the required increase in staffing to meet the law enforcement needs of Willows.
“The Sheriff’s Office has also presented alternative solutions to the City of Willows including a transition plan for the restart of City provided law enforcement services. This transition plan would come with phased law enforcement coverage by the Sheriff’s Office until the City Police Department could be reinstated.
“Currently, there is no contract for law enforcement services in effect for the City of Willows. The Sheriff’s Office continues to provide law enforcement services within the city limits; however, [the GCSO] has been unable to bill for the services provided since July 1, 2023.
“Currently the costs incurred exceed $600,000.”
The GCSO release concludes, “If the Sheriff’s Office and the City of Willows are unable to come to an agreement by October 16, 2023, contracted Law Enforcement services, including animal control, will end in the City of Willows. The Sheriff’s Office will continue to provide dispatching services and respond only to felonies in progress.
“The Sheriff’s Office remains committed to finding a solution that ensures the safety of the residents of Willows as well as the safety of our deputies….”
On Thursday, Oct. 5, the City of Willows posted comments by members of the Willows City Council: The post was headlined, “Willows City Council Agrees with Glenn County Sheriff: The City needs to move forward with rebuilding its own law enforcement services”.
The post reads:
The Willows City Council agrees with the Glenn County Sheriff that the City needs to start planning and incrementally moving forward to reinstate its own law enforcement services. While it will take time and support from the Sheriff’s Office, the Council is committed to rebuilding and providing high quality law enforcement services to the citizens of Willows.
“We agree with the Sheriff that the City needs to bring its law enforcement and public safety services back inhouse; however, we need time and money to get there,” stated Mayor [Richard] Thomas.
To that end and effective with the next round of accounts payable, the City will pay the County through the month of October 2023 based on the Council approved fiscal year 2023-24 budget for law enforcement services. The remaining budget will be paid in early 2024 after the City receives its property taxes. Concurrently, the City hopes that the Sheriff’s Office will work with the City to develop a transition plan to reestablish the City’s own law enforcement services.
“The City has been an honest and transparent partner with the Sheriff’s Office, especially regarding the City’s struggling financial circumstances, and we hope this payment will demonstrate our commitment to law enforcement and to protecting our families and children,” commented Vice-Mayor [David] Vodden.
In the short term and during this transition, the City would also appreciate the Sheriff’s cooperation and support in affirming an affordable law enforcement contract as the City gradually reduces its reliability on the Sheriff’s Office.
When asked to comment on the current situation with the City’s law enforcement negotiations, Councilmember [Gary] Hansen (and retired law enforcement) stated: “We appreciate that public safety protection services are costly and those costs are increasing every day; however, with the city’s current financial circumstances and for the time being, we simply cannot afford to pay more than is already budgeted for. Rest assured, however, the council is fully committed to providing the professional and effective law enforcement services that our citizens need and deserve.”
Following its Tuesday, Oct. 10 meeting, “[The Willows City Council], with a 4-1 vote in favor, declared a fiscal emergency and authorized staff to place a 1 [percent] sales tax measure on the March 2024 presidential primary election ballot.”
Willows Mayor Richard Thomas commented, “I am very concerned about the City’s fiscal future. We need to find a path forward that, in the short term, balances increased revenues with controlled spending; and in the long term, strives for greater self-reliance to sustain critical city services.
“In a nutshell, the city needs to grow its population in order to sustain itself for the long term. Right now, however, we need immediate revenue to remain solvent beyond 2024.”
According to the City of Willows, the City already faces an ongoing estimated deficit of nearly a half-million dollars that will continue to grow to a projected $1.6 million with the proposed increase in the law enforcement contract with the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office.
Vice Mayor David Vodden said, “We need the sales tax in order to provide more services and benefits that will improve our quality of life more funding to do more things to make City of Willows and our lives better! The tax increase is an immediate means to opening up doors and generating more opportunities to better our community and city!”
After the Oct. 10 Willows City Council meeting, the City of Willows explained that regardless of whether the City contracts with the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office or the City of Willows re-establishes its own law enforcement program, the City does not currently generate sufficient revenues to provide adequate and sustainable law enforcement services long term, as well as other vital city services, including fire, emergency medical, public works, permitting, finance, library and administration.
When asked to comment, Councilmember Gary Hansen stated, “The Council’s number one duty and obligation to the citizens of Willows is to provide effective and adequately funded law enforcement, fire protection, emergency medical, and public works services. With rising costs and inflation, the city has no other choice but to consider a sales tax measure.”
With the current proposed cost increase for law enforcement services, the City of Willows said, the City will have no General Fund Reserve and cashflow by 2025, requiring deep cuts in city services to balance the budget starting in the second half of 2024.
“By placing this measure on the ballot, we have given Willows voters the opportunity to help ourselves and to decide our children’s future. We cannot function with current revenues. If we want to stay incorporated, this is our best opportunity to fix the city and ‘pay ourselves’ for the quality of life we all deserve and want,” commented newly appointed Councilmember Evan Hutson.
On Friday, Oct. 13, the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office issued the following release:
Following several months of negotiations, the Sheriff’s Office and the City of Willows have been unable to come to an agreement on the contract for law enforcement services for the City of Willows. Since July 2023, there has been no contract for law enforcement services in effect for the City of Willows. The Glenn County Sheriff’s Office has continued to provide services to the City of Willows in good faith; however, the Sheriff’s Office has been unable to bill for the actual costs of the services, which exceed $700,000.
The Glenn County Sheriff’s Office is unable to continue providing law enforcement services to Willows without adequate funding from the city. The Sheriff’s Office cannot continue to shoulder the cost of city services without significant impacts to county services, county residents, and risks to officer safety.
The City of Willows jurisdiction accounts for approximately 50 percent of [the GCSO’s] total law enforcement caseload. The cost of providing services has increased significantly since 2017 due to increased wages, benefits, and inflation on supplies, equipment, and transportation. Per government code 51350, the county must contract for actual costs for services and cannot provide services at a discounted or lower rate than actuals, therefore, providing services at a reduced rate to the city is not an option.
Beginning Monday night at 11:59 p.m., October 16, 2023, [the] Glenn County Sheriff’s Office will no longer provide law enforcement and animal control services to the City of Willows. The Sheriff’s Office will continue to provide dispatching services and respond only to felonies in progress. Routine calls for service will be transferred to the City of Willows.
We continue to negotiate with the City of Willows to provide essential law enforcement services. A potential solution being explored is an option to provide phased law enforcement coverage by the Sheriff’s Office until the City Police Department could be reinstated.
Then, on Monday, Oct. 16, the sheriff’s office announced that there will be “no interruption to law enforcement services for the City of Willows due to a tentative agreement being reached between the City and the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office this afternoon. This agreement will provide payment for law enforcement services through the end of the calendar year 2023.
The next day, Willow Mayor Richard Thomas wrote, “The City Council has agreed to pay $1,285,000 to the Glenn County Sheriff to continue police services for the City of Willows starting at midnight tonight. Public safety is paramount to our city services and we will continue to make sure our citizens are well-served. If at all possible, we’d like to avoid this same problem that we had and make sure that we’ve ironed out the details well before the end of the calendar year so we don’t have these issues in January. That’s been the goal of the city council all along, to make sure that folks are served and protected.”
The same day, Glenn County Sheriff Justin Gibbs commented, “[The city is] planning on going down the path of reopening the City of Willows Police Department and the sheriff’s office, myself included, will be there to jointly help them hand in hand throughout that entire process.”
So, for the moment at least, Willows’ law enforcement crisis has been averted. However, as Mayor Thomas said on Oct. 17, “If at all possible, we’d like to avoid this same problem that we had and make sure that we’ve ironed out the details well before the end of the calendar year so we don’t have these issues in January.”
Therefore, the possibility of residents of Willows wondering, “Where’s a cop when you need one?” may yet happen after the start of the new year.
These wonderful Halloween decorations can be seen on the south side of East Yolo Street in Orland, east of East Street. The yard is full of monsters, including a giant werewolf, giant skeletons, human-sized skeletons, and pumpkin-headed ghouls. Be sure to check this yard out before the end of the month! Glenn County Observer photos by Larry Judkins.
Three giant skeletons stand watch over their yard.Some human-sized skeletons rest their weary bones along the fence surrounding their yard.
The person who was killed early Friday morning on Interstate 5, north of County Road 57, has been identified.
He was Jose Carlos Argueta Ayala, of El Salvador.
According to his niece, Anastacia Nava of Lancaster, Calif., Ayala and his granddaughter had flown into Seattle, Wash., with the intention that they and several relatives from Hoquiam, Wash., would drive to the Los Angeles area in order to surprise Nava’s mother (Ayala’s sister).
Nava says that “while on the freeway the tire exploded and the car lost control.” The vehicle he was riding in rolled over several times and Ayala died at the scene.
As reported previously in The Observer, according to the Willows Area Office of the California Highway Patrol, at about 3:40 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 13, Eric Samayoa (the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office gives his name as Erick Castro Samayoa), 31, was driving a 2000 Chevy south in the fast lane of I-5, at a stated speed of 65 or 70 miles per hour.
For unknown reasons, he allowed the vehicle to drift to the left, where it entered the dirt and gravel median.
Samayoa applied the Chevy’s brakes and turned it sharply to the right.
The vehicle rotated clockwise in a southwesterly direction and traveled across both lanes of southbound I-5, where it began overturning.
The Chevy continued overturning in a southwesterly direction, across a dirt and dry grass area and through a perimeter fence west of southbound I-5.
It came to rest on its roof, facing a northeasterly direction.
Neither drugs nor alcohol were considered a factor in this accident.
According to CHP Officer Gilliam, a male passenger, name and age withheld, died as a result of the accident. The Glenn County Sheriff’s Office, which conducted the death investigation, identified him as Jose Carlos Argueta Ayala, but stated that his place of residence was “unknown.”
Eric Castro, 6, was transported with major injuries to U.C. Davis Medical Center in Sacramento; Kimberley Castro, 10, was transported with major injuries to Enloe Medical Center in Chico; and Carolina Serrano (the sheriff’s log gives her name as Carolina Serrano Vigil), 29, was transported with major injuries to Rideout Memorial Hospital in Marysville.
Ashley Castro, 5, and Axel Castro, 1, both sustained minor injuries. They were both transported to Rideout hospital. (The sheriff’s office improperly withheld the names of all the juveniles listed in the log.)
All of the occupants of the Chevy, except the man who was killed, were from Hoquiam, Wash. All but the person who was killed were wearing their seatbelts or other safety equipment at the time of the rollover.
According to the Glenn County Sheriff’s log, when deputies, CHP officers, and medical personnel arrived at the scene, several people were found standing outside the crashed vehicle and were provided medical aid.
Law enforcement officers found one person, Ayala, who did not survive the rollover and was pronounced deceased at the scene. His family members at the scene of the accident were told of his death.
Anastacia Nava says that the other occupants of the vehicle are hospitalized in stable condition.
Nava has set up a GoFundMe account for her uncle, writing, “We are sending him back to El Salvador and will also be holding the service … there as well.”
She continues, “That takes a lot of money, money we don’t have on hand.”
She concludes, “That takes a lot of money, money we don’t have on hand. Anything helps really. Thank you for your time.”
As of early Tuesday evening, Oct. 17, $600 of Nava’s $25,000 goal has been reached.
A vehicle rolled over early Friday morning on Interstate 5, north of County Road 57, killing one of its seven occupants.
According to the Willows Area Office of the California Highway Patrol, at about 3:40 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 13, Eric Samayoa, 31, was driving a 2000 Chevy south in the fast lane of I-5, at a stated speed of 65 or 70 miles per hour.
For unknown reasons, he allowed the vehicle to drift to the left, where it entered the dirt and gravel median.
Samayoa applied the Chevy’s brakes and turned it sharply to the right.
The vehicle rotated clockwise in a southwesterly direction and traveled across both lanes of southbound I-5, where it began overturning.
The Chevy continued overturning in a southwesterly direction, across a dirt and dry grass area and through a perimeter fence west of southbound I-5.
It came to rest on its roof, facing a northeasterly direction.
Neither drugs nor alcohol were considered a factor in this accident.
According to CHP Officer Gilliam, a male passenger, name and age withheld, died as a result of the accident.
Eric Castro, 6, was transported with major injuries to U.C. Davis Medical Center in Sacramento; Kimberley Castro, 10, was transported with major injuries to Enloe Medical Center in Chico; and Carolina Serrano, 29, was transported with major injuries to Rideout Memorial Hospital in Marysville.
Ashley Castro, 5, and Axel Castro, 1, both sustained minor injuries. They were both transported to Rideout hospital.
All of the occupants of the Chevy were from Hoquiam, Wash. All but the person who was killed were wearing their seatbelts or other safety equipment at the time of the rollover.
A CalFire helicopter drops a load of water onto one of several fires burning in the bed of Stony Creek on Sunday, Oct. 8. Glenn County Observer photo by Larry Judkins.
By Larry Judkins
Glenn County Observer
Shortly after 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 8, Glenn County Sheriff’s deputies and Orland Fire Department volunteers, followed a few minutes later by Orland police officers, responded to a report of a fire in the Stony Creek bed, northeast of Orland.
Upon arrival at the scene, it was soon discovered by responders that they weren’t dealing with just one fire, but several. Orland Fire Chief Justin Chaney was heard on the police scanner saying it was a total of six separate fires; Action News Now (TV Channels 12 and 24, or 36 for short) reported it was five fires; and the Glenn County Sheriff’s log item for this incident said it was four fires.
Whatever the correct number of fires was, they were in very rough terrain and access to them was extremely difficult. A call for bulldozers went out, mutual aid from several area fire departments was requested, and the CalFire helicopter was also called to the scene.
The sheriff’s log entry for this incident begins: “On 10-08-2023 at approximately 1605 hours [4:05 p.m.], Glenn County Sheriff’s Office and Orland Fire Department personnel responded to the area north of Stony Creek Drive at the creek for a report of a vegetation fire. Personnel from various agencies responded as mutual aid for the incident, and assisted until the fire was extinguished and no longer a threat to the community. At the time, no arson investigation or reports were taken by GCSO personnel for the incident.”
However, the log item continues: “At approximately 1825 hours [6:25 p.m.], fire personnel requested GCSO to respond for transients who were returning to their camps. Deputies arrived on scene [and] interviewed Blake Martin, Garry Lewark, and Johnathan Bush. All three advised they did not have any information regarding how the fire started. GCSO does not have any suspect leads at this time. Deputies attempted to locate Alton Steele (age 39), Allen Smock and Robert (no last name), who also live in Stony Creek, for interviews but were unsuccessful.”
Although this log item says that the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office “does not have any suspect leads at this time”, the very same entry elsewhere calls Alton Claude-Douglas Steele, an Orland transient, a “Suspect Known”. No one else is listed in this manner. Rather, Garry Michael Lewark of 102 Eighth Street, Orland; Allen Wade Smock, an Orland transient; Johnathan Perry Bush, a Willows transient; and Blake James Martin of 6686 County Road 21, Orland; are all called “Involved Parties”.
The summary for this log entry concludes, “There was a total of 4 separate fires, 2 of which were under a quarter of an acre and 1 was approximately 2 acres.”
This wasn’t the last time Alton Steele’s name came up in the sheriff’s logs for Oct. 8. The sheriff’s office recorded the following for 5:21 p.m.: “Deputy Vargas was detailed to 6653 County Road 10 in Orland, for a report of threats. Deputy Vargas arrived on scene and contacted Aaron Bressoud, who advised he drove his quad to go see the fire at Stony Creek on 10-08-23. Deputy Vargas was told by Bressoud, while he was down by the creek, a transient male began yelling profanities and threatened to kill him and his family. Bressoud told Deputy Vargas that the male subject was located on the other side of the creek, which was separated by water. Deputies were unable to locate the male subject … due to the time of night and terrain to get to the male subject. Deputy Vargas advised Bressoud to give [the sheriff’s office] a call if the male subject returned.” Later in the log entry, the “male subject” is named as “Suspect Known” Alton Steele.
Steele is no stranger to the Glenn County law enforcement and justice systems. Without a doubt, his most notorious encounter with the law occurred in early 2020. On Saturday, March 14 of that year, a gymkhana event was taking place at the Glenn County Fairgrounds. A young girl entered a public restroom at the fairgrounds and a man followed her inside. There, the man attempted to look under the stall the girl was using.
A boy saw what was happening and intervened, and the man fled the fairgrounds. The incident was reported to adults, and the California Highway Patrol, which has jurisdiction over the fairgrounds, and the Orland Police Department were contacted. At about 12:25 p.m., an Orland police officer found the man, identified as Orland transient Alton Steele, at Fourth and Colusa Streets, and detained him. At about 1 p.m., a CHP officer booked Steele into the Glenn County Jail on charges alleging possession of controlled substance paraphernalia, a misdemeanor; loitering in or around a public restroom, a misdemeanor; child molesting, a felony; and violation of parole, a felony. (In 2017, Steele was convicted of burglary in a trial by jury. He was sentenced to four years in state prison, although he obviously was released prior to the completion of the full sentence.)
In June of 2020, after a lengthy court trial, Steele was found guilty of annoying, molesting, or harassing a child under the age of 18 (a misdemeanor), possession of methamphetamine pipes (a misdemeanor), and a parole violation. Six witnesses testified, two of whom were children. The Glenn County District Attorney’s Office thanked “these two juveniles and their family for standing up to this sexual predator and thereby helping keep other children safe.” Steele was sentenced to 315 days in the Glenn County Jail and ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years. Parole was also reinstated.
While serving his sentence in the county jail, Steele was found to be in possession of an intoxicant (a felony). On Nov. 30, 2020, he was served with a warrant alleging this. On Friday, Feb. 5, 2021, he was convicted of felony possession of contraband (the intoxicant) in jail. He also admitted to a prior strike. He was sentenced to 32 months in state prison.
As for the events of Oct. 8, 2023, in which Steele’s name twice came up as a “Suspect Known”, as of 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 11, Steele had not been booked into the Glenn County Jail for anything, nor does The Observer even know whether Glenn County law enforcement is even actively looking for him.
Former California Highway Patrol Officer Timothy Allen Horwath, 53, was sentenced on Tuesday, Sept. 26, to 10 years and one month in prison, and 10 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $53,000 in restitution and a $5,100 special assessment for receipt of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Horwath was serving as a CHP officer in Redding while, in his nonworking time, he was receiving visual depictions of children engaging in sexually explicit conduct, including children as young as three and four years old being sexually abused by adult males.
While released on bond, Horwath violated the court conditions that he not use the internet or a device capable of accessing the internet.
Investigators caught Horwath with a home internet subscription and an iPhone that he had used to carry out dozens of WhatsApp encrypted conversations with females, many of which were sexual in nature.
Horwath’s bond was revoked following execution of a search warrant that confirmed he was violating his bond conditions.
This case was the product of an investigation by the California Highway Patrol’s Computer Crimes Investigation Unit and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina McCall prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet safety education.
Horwath was a CHP officer in Glenn County from early 2011 to late 2017. In March of 2011, this reporter responded to a fatal vehicle accident on Interstate 5.
At the accident scene, an incident occurred involving Horwath and myself. I later sent the following email to Valley Mirror Publisher Tim Crews:
Tim:
At the accident scene yesterday, after the body was finally removed from the car and was laid out on the ground, there was a very minor incident that you should know about because it could turn into a much bigger incident at a future event.
The cops were gathered all around the body, examining it, and although the body was almost totally obscured, I thought the scene itself might make a pretty good photo. I started to take a picture, but then a couple of the cops moved and I lost my shot, so I lowered my camera.
At the same time, I heard someone say, “Hey!” and I saw CHP Officer Timothy Horwath waving at me. He then gave me what can best be described as a “dirty look.” Clearly, he didn’t want me taking a picture of the body.
He never said anything to me, but very shortly afterwards (maybe a minute), he started talking to a Channel 7 reporter who was standing near him, setting up her video camera. I couldn’t hear what he was saying, but she responded, “Oh, no, no, no.” I am reasonably certain he was either asking her if she was planning on shooting the body, or telling her not to do so.
At any rate, I think someone needs to inform Officer Horwath it’s not one of his duties to regulate the news reporting ‑ not just for our sake but for his sake and the CHP’s sake. Like I said above, he didn’t actually interfere with anything I did, but the intent was there….
Larry
The next day, Crews forwarded the email to then-Lieutenant Shon L. Harris, Commander of the Willows Area Detachment of the CHP. Crews added:
Lt., this from my best and most mild-mannered reporter:
It is not up to CHP officers to edit the news.
We can’t have this. Please inform.
Tim
Harris responded:
Tim –
I agree, in principle, that we do not (nor do we desire or have the time to) edit the news. In reading Larry’s email to you though, it is unclear what my officer’s intentions were. I even approached the TV camera person myself and asked her, out of simple respect, to not include the vehicle license plate in the shot because I did not know how long it was going to take to notify next of kin and did not want them to find out about this fatality on the TV news. Things like a facial expression can be interpreted in many different ways by just as many people. And since my officer did not say anything to Larry, I am unclear as to what happened for sure. At a minimum though, I plan to talk to Officer Horwath about it.
Later, I also wrote to Harris:
Good afternoon, Lt. Harris:
Tim asked me to send you this information. I got in touch by email with the reporter from Channel 7 and asked her what Officer Horwath said to her. She replied, “He asked me if I was taking pictures of the body.”
Harris then asked me:
Did she say if he ordered her not to photograph it by chance?
I replied:
No, that was all she said.
At the same accident scene, a man and a boy were somberly watching the activities of the emergency responders. I didn’t talk to them, but I was under the impression that they were father and son, and the father was using this event for a teaching moment – sort of a real life “Every 15 Minutes”, the program the CHP offers high schools every year to educate students about the dangers of drunk driving.
The man and boy were not on the freeway. They were on the other side of the perimeter fence, on private property.
Nevertheless, Horwath began lecturing the man about the boy being present, telling the man that the child should not be allowed to view the accident scene.
I do not recall the reaction of the man.
Upon leaving Glenn County sometime after October of 2017, Horwath went to work for the Redding Area Office of the CHP. He later moved to Rancho Cordova.
A Glenn County Jail inmate who had been transported to a regional hospital for medical treatment, then later walked away from the facility, was recaptured the very next day.
According to the Orland Police Department, at about 11:46 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 19, Orland police officers contacted Brittany Danielle Glass, 34, of Orland (the Glenn County Jail and the Glenn County Sheriff’s log state that she is from Willows) while she was sitting in a silver Acura SUV in the 800 block of Walker Street.
She was arrested for two felony Glenn County warrants, and was also allegedly found to be in possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia.
One of her warrants was for alleged violation of probation. Bail for it was set at $20,000.
Her other warrant was for alleged failure to appear on a felony charge. Its bail was set at $30,000.
According to the OPD, officers also arrested Joseph Anthony Ortega, 43, of Orland, for alleged possession of drug paraphernalia. He was released on his signed promise to appear.
The Acura was towed and stored.
While in custody, Glass suffered an acute medical emergency due to a preexisting medical condition.
On Thursday, Sept. 21, she was taken to Glenn Medical Center, where she was seen in the emergency room. It was determined that she needed to be hospitalized, but Glenn Medical Center did not have any bed space available.
However, it was found there was space available at Colusa Regional Hospital, so Glass was transported by ambulance from Glenn Medical Center to the medical facility in the city of Colusa.
According to a press release from the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office, Glass is a non-violent, low-level offender who was admitted to the hospital under the care of medical professionals until she could be deemed healthy enough to return to the Glenn County Jail.
The press release further stated, “Due to critically low staffing levels at the Glenn County Jail and Sheriff’s Office, staff were unavailable to stand by with Glass while she was convalescing. It was determined that medical staff would contact the Glenn County Jail when Glass became ambulatory and healthy enough to return to jail.”
On Monday, Sept. 25, Colusa Regional Hospital notified the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office that Glass was healthy enough to be returned to the Glenn County Jail.
While deputies were on their way to pick up Glass, she reportedly walked out of the hospital and “absconded from custody.” Colusa County and Glenn County Sheriff’s deputies checked the area around Colusa Regional Hospital, but they were unable to find Glass.
At about 8:25 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 26, the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office received an anonymous tip that Glass was at 377 County Road D, in the rural area of Glenn County west of Willows. Sheriff’s deputies and the California Highway Patrol responded to the residence and Glass was taken into custody without incident.
In addition to the aforementioned warrants and charges, she was also charged with alleged escape from jail while charged with a felony. This felony added another $10,000 to her bail.
During the on-scene investigation, Glenn County resident Joseph Anthony Ortega, who was with Glass when she was initially taken into custody on Sept. 19, was arrested for allegedly harboring a fugitive (a felony). His bail was set at $10,000.
Both were transported and booked into the Glenn County Jail.
The Glenn County Observer 