Authorities say man, 29, was subject of at least 26 calls

A Klamath man alleged to have been causing a ruckus while on the lam since last June was arrested Tuesday.

The Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office was alerted by the Yurok Tribal Police on Tuesday morning that 29-year-old Jay Bates Jr. was at a home on Quinlan Avenue, said sheriff’s Sgt. Steve Morris.

With the help of the National Park Service, Morris said he was able to assemble a squad of officers to surround the house, where they gained permission to enter and found Bates hiding under a bed.

He was arrested on a warrant for assault with a deadly weapon related to an incident last December when he got into an argument with his mother and shot a gun in her house, said sheriff’s Commander Tim Athey.

Before then, Bates had been a parolee at large since last June when calls to dispatch began regarding his alleged activity and disruptions. There were at least 26 calls regarding Bates from June through January, Morris said.

He was usually able to evade officers because of the driving time it takes to respond to a call in Klamath, Morris said.

“He went on a spree doing whatever he wanted because he knew we couldn’t get there quick enough,” said Morris. “Obviously, I think it takes more manpower. We had a crime spree by this guy and we have not been able to put together a task force to hunt him down, and that’s sad.”

Some pressure’s off, but college still has challenges

College of the Redwoods has escaped its accreditation sanction, but remains on probation as it works to meet additional recommendations set by the regional accrediting commission.

CR President Kathryn Smith said the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges notified her Wednesday that it had removed the school’s sanction. CR’s current probation status is less severe, and its challenge now is to show the commission that the college is financially stable, she said.

In its recent letter to CR, the ACCJC stated that CR must have sufficient cash flow and reserves to maintain stability as well as document a funding base, financial resources and plans for financial development. CR must also continue to implement a strategic hiring plan which addresses employee equity and diversity and continue to develop a comprehensive professional development program.

CR is required to submit a follow-up report to the ACCJC by Oct. 15 showing evidence that it has addressed the commission’s recommendations. Commission representatives will visit CR following the submittal of the college’s report, according to a CR press release.

CR has been working to address numerous recommendations from the ACCJC, which placed the school on show-cause status in February 2012. CR had received the sanction due to its failure to meet accreditation standards on a variety of recommendations, including student learning outcomes and strategic planning.

One challenge CR must overcome by October is balancing its budget, Smith said. In the past the school has relied on its reserves to cover its deficit, but those savings have run out. Even though CR and other schools dodged mid-year budget cuts due to voter approval of Proposition 30, any additional money is going to go to institutions in more populated areas, she said.

A Del Norte County sheriff’s deputy happened upon a burglary suspect who at first seemed to be merely a bad driver as he left Walmart early Tuesday, authorities said.

Deputy Jerrin Gill was in the store parking lot around 2 a.m. when he saw a white Ford Expedition speeding down Summer Lane toward Washington Boulevard, said sheriff’s Commander Tim Athey.

The driver made a fast right  turn onto Washington that led Gill to pursue him, Athey said.

The chase led to Lake Street where the driver was apprehended; a passenger fled from the vehicle and was able to escape, Athey said.

When summonses ignored, court may take unusual steps

A low turnout of summoned  potential jurors over the past few months has Del Norte court officials seeking alternative methods to fill the jury box.

Last week, 46 people appeared at the courthouse for the jury pool out of 250 who were mailed summonses, said Court Executive Officer Sandra Linderman.

In recent weeks, it has been typical for about 150 people who have been ordered to appear for jury duty to just not show up or to notify the court they can’t make it, Linderman said.

“Every court I talk to has similar problems,” said Linderman.

Del Norte Superior Court Judge William Follett has occasionally responded to the shortage of potential jurors by directing a court bailiff to head to the post office and hand-deliver summonses to unsuspecting citizens, ordering them to appear in court that same day.

He said he’s been forced to do it four times over the past few months, the first times in his 13 years serving on the bench.

“It’s a very undesirable situation to pull people off of the street,” said Follett. 

Dr. Warren Rehwaldt was checking his mail during his lunch break in January when he was handed a summons to appear in court 45 minutes later for jury duty.

Students work on an assignment in the computer lab last week at Margaret Keating Elementary School in Klamath. Del Norte Triplicate / Bryant Anderson

In an exploratory meeting Jan. 23, parents, community members and staff from the Del Norte County Unified School District discussed adding the extra grade to the K-5 school, said Superintendent Don Olson. Some community members also brought up the idea of eventually adding grades seven and eight to Margaret Keating, Olson said.

“At that meeting there was a feeling of several people that with Klamath River Early College of the Redwoods vacating Klamath, kids have no local choice any more for grades six through eight,” he said. “Unless (parents) can arrange private transportation to town and back each day, they’re just kind of stuck. Either that or they ride the bus.”

KRECR closed its Klamath campus Jan. 25, transferring most of its students to Crescent City. KRECR’s Klamath campus had served grades six through 12. 

Olson said he and Steve Godla, the district’s superintendent of instruction and educational services, are in the process of calculating how many Klamath students enter Crescent Elk Middle School or enroll in charter schools after leaving Margaret Keating. He said he also wants to get student input on what their experiences are.

Authorities: He found gun in his grandmother’s safe

A local 7-year-old boy shot his thumb Saturday evening after finding his grandmother’s gun in a safe that was left open, authorities said.

The woman was working with documents in the safe at her home on Sunrise Avenue north of Crescent City when she left it unattended, said sheriff’s Commander Bill Steven.

The boy went into the room of the safe, found the gun and pulled the trigger — shooting off a small portion of his thumb, Steven said.

He was treated for a minor wound at the hospital.

“We’ll call this one extremely lucky that it was as minor as it was,” said Steven. “It’s another reminder to secure and educate.” 

The Del Norte High School online Warrior mascot icon survey has been posted on the school’s website.

Community members who respond are asked to describe their relationship to the school, provide their name and contact information and select one of seven icons.

The options include a Spartan, two medieval knights, a Viking warrior with a shield or a bearded Viking head and a flaming W. Respondents can also write in their own mascot ideas.

The survey also includes a link to Del Norte County Unified School District Board Policy 5135, which addresses school symbols.

“We want to know if they’re a student or a community member,” said Principal Coleen Parker. “This was one of the board’s wishes, that we get input from a variety of people.”

Green Diamond Resource Company, which owns and manages 393,105 acres of timberlands in Del Norte and Humboldt counties, will hold a public meeting in Bayside on Wednesday to review and discuss its current and upcoming forestry practices.

Green Diamond staff specialists will present summaries and take questions from the public regarding forest management practices and activities completed in 2012 as well as those planned for 2013.

The meeting will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Bayside Grange, 2297 Jacoby Creek Road, Bayside.

Green Diamond staff will also speak about the company’s recent receipt of responsible forest management certification from the Forest Stewardship Council for its California operations. The FSC is a private, non-profit organization established in 1993 to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests.

To achieve certification, Green Diamond implemented measures including protecting old-growth forests, reducing clearcutting and retaining an average of 27 percent of trees in harvest units, according to a press release.  

Green Diamond’s comprehensive California Timberlands Forest Management Plan completed in October 2012 addressed all areas required by FSC and was also a necessary component for certification.

Owner, employee of Fashion Blacksmith killed in Ore. wreck

Two long-term Del Norters entrenched in the local fishing industry died in a vehicle accident Wednesday.

Dale Long, 75, was driving south on U.S. Highway 199 about eight miles south of Cave Junction, Ore., when he failed to negotiate a curve, crossing into the northbound lane and crashing head-on into a tree around 1:54 p.m., according to the Oregon State Police.

His passenger, Sandra Crockett, 65, of Crescent City, was flown to Rogue Valley Medical Center in Medford, Ore., where she succumbed to her injuries Thursday.

Long was the owner of Fashion Blacksmith, a longtime boat repair business in Crescent City Harbor, and Crockett was the office manager. She was also a former harbor commissioner.

“They are a big part of the life and times of Del Norte County,” said Harbormaster Richard Young. “We’re all going to miss them both. It’s not going to be the same harbor without them.”

A Thursday meeting of harbor officials began with a moment of silence, and the harbor’s flags were lowered to half-staff.

Crescent City college student Alicia De Leon Mendoza in front of a design she created for a youth march in Los Angeles. Courtesy of Weingart East Los Angeles YMCA Youth Institute

In a youth summit held last month on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, five Del Norte young adults joined more than 200 others from across California to march three miles in downtown L.A. — the first visit of their lives to L.A. for some of the Del Norters — to promote youth empowerment and acceptance of diversity.

Cody Carpenter, Marissa Prado, Darian Sullivan and Ben Thomas, all 18-year-old students of Sunset High School, said they were drawn to the Dream Brave youth summit, organized by pop singer Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation, because of a desire to make their community more accepting to people from all walks of life.

“We’re a group that’s interested in this kind of work and to think that there are other groups out there also interested in youth empowerment and changing community for the better and social justice, that was really powerful,” said Thomas.

The Dream Brave summit was produced by the partnership between Born This Way Foundation and the Building Healthy Communities initiative of the California Endowment.

Planning and executing a three-mile march from the California Endowment headquarters to the Staples Center, where Lady Gaga had a show that night, constituted the bulk of the event, but the entire experience was an inspiration for the participants.

“The whole philosophy is building youth leaders and that’s why we are invested in participating in these type of events,” said Josh Norris, who guided those youth leaders as part of his role with Wild Rivers Community Foundation and the BHC initiative.