Auburn Journal from Auburn, California • 1

nil 1 Tew Phone No. For, Circulation Only 885-2471 Classified- 885-4511 tit ii i 4M (Other Business 885-5656 VOL 107 NO. PHONE 885-5656 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1 979 15C PER COPY 44 PAGES I Pyrotechnics Lightning Sets Fires, XI Triggers Alarm Units I n- 'K I fjr: ft i I II Nevada County wWere a large tree was struck by lighting and fell onto some propane tanks, sparking an explosion. Flames claimed a nearby residential shack, but no one was injured in the blaze which did an estimated $2,000 worth of damage at the Anonda Retreat near Grass Valley. Colfax and Alta residents were without power nealy two hours early Tuesday morning after a burning tree fell on power lines.

Donald McMannis, Division Engineer, said the outage affected some 2,300 residents about 3:15. The electric storm set off burglar alarms throughout the county, according to Placer Coun- ty Sheriff's and Auburn Police reports. A number of business and residence alarms were triggered by the atmosphere, including alarms at Placer National Bank, Precision Metal, Smegg Electronics, Indian Hill Liquors and a Attempted Murder Truck Driver To BeTried In Placer Superior Court persons were Monte Finnell. PageA-5) Lifesaving Skill Mary Case of Loomis practices her new CPR skill as part of the "Start-A-Heart" weekend held at Sierra College, where 1162 Will Seek Federal Grant Extra Attorney To Staff Truck driver Robert Louis Diehl is set for, trial in Placer County Superior Court, charged with tempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. Judge J.

Richard Couzens made that ruling Monday following a preliminary hearing in Auburn Justice Court. Diehl, 35, of Los Angeles faces charges stemming from a high-speed, 35-mile long, freeway chase. During that hearing, California Highway Patrol officers testified the driver had tried to ram their DeAngelo Appeals Firing-Hearing Is Set November 9 new residence off Carolina Drive. Some 20 CDF crews and fire fighters from the Rock Creek and Ophir districts, battled various blazes through the night. Lighting struck a large tree off Colbertson Road in Alta just before 2 a.m.

Tuesday, causing a small fire. A power pole off Wise and Bell Bar roads was struck by lighting about 8:50 p.m. Monday causing a power outage in that area. Other outages were reported off Gilardi and Crater Hill roads. Other storm-related small grass fires were reported near Town Hill Lane, Clark Tunnel Road, Taylor and Dry Creek roads, Old Auburn-Foresthill Road and at the Sugar Pine Project near Foresthill.

Scattered showers were still in various regions of northern California Tuesday, the weather service reported. But the storm (See STORM Page A-16) patrol cars with his tractor-trailer rig during the Sept. 6 chase along Interstate 80 from Sacramento County to Colfax. Traffic Officer William Bunk recalled speaking with the driver via a citizens' band radio, saying he was "hollering and screaming. not stopping for nobody." Bunk also testified when he and other officers pulled alongside the fleeing truck and began shooting out tires, trying to end the chase, (See TRUCKER Page A-16) had no comment on the appeal other than it has been filed.

DeAngelo was cited July 21 in Sacramento County on charges he shoplifted a can of dog repellant and a hammer from a Citrus Heights drug store. According to Sacramento Sheriff's reports, DeAngelo was caught trying to steal the items by store employees. Auburn City Manager Jack" 1 1.IJ A aausser earner iuia reporters there were justifiable grounds to fire DeAngelo who reportedly fail- (See DE ANGELO Page A-16) PRECIPITATION Thursday 0.00 Friday 0.00 Saturday 0.00 Sunday 0.00 Monday 0.07 Season (July 1,1979) Normal for this date Long-term annual average ..0.27 ..0.68 .34.73 "Well, they haven't got our survey yet," responded Fox. Galli also challenged the job, specifications for the chief deputy, remarking, "I don't think the specifications fit anything but the undersheriffs job." Former undersheriff E.R.' Presley, Nunes' opponent in the' (See CIVIL SERVICE Paw A-16 1 ByJanielle Jobe In the wake of an electric storm that earlier this week caused power outages, grass fires and ringing burglar alarms, residents can look forward to clear skies and fair weather today and tomorrow. A low pressure storm front swept into the Auburn area Monday night bringing a thunder, lighting and rain storm reminiscent of a Benjamin Franklin special.

The front's cold air loft merged with Auburn's warmer temperatures sparking the disturbance, according to the National Weather Service in Sacramento. Some 14 lighting-caused fires kept California Department of Forestry and other fire crews busy Monday night and Tuesday morning. CDF reports indicate lighting struck grass, trees and power lines throughout its tri-county region. The most dramatic fire was in Inside The Journal Community Life Page B-l Editorial PageB-3 Obituaries PageA-9. Too Late To Classify Page A-10 criminal charges in the courts of the judicial districts where crime was committed.

Higgins said that would allow hearings'to be spread out through the week, instead of all being scheduled on Monday. The supervisors, however, suggested that he arrange with justice court judges Robert Young and George Yonehiro to help out Richard Couzens in his Auburn courtroom on other days of the week. "It makes a lot of sense to me to have the judge come to Auburn in-(See HIGGINS Page A-16) Oct. 1 6 after being shot, then fell to the ground. Simmons was reportedly angry about the friendship between his wife and Clark, and the two had quarreled over a long period of time.

At the time of the shooting, both families lived in Meadow Vista. Clark reportedly has since moved to lake of the Pines in adjacent Nevada County. deleting the undersheriff in 1977, because he felt that the one-to-one relationship of the sheriff and undersheriff created confustin, especially when the sheriff dealt with division commanders. "At that time we retained the undersheriff concept because he (Scott) desired it," Fox said. "That was when sheriffs were a imum sentences for them during the last fiscal year.

Higgins said he was unable to find someone to fill the investigator's job which the grant funded because the grant and presumably the job expired in a year. The grant program is becoming permanent, according to Higgins, which will allow him to hire an attorney more easily. He said one attorney in his office would be designated an "intake deputy" who would screen criminal reports from the police and sheriff's departments and Higgins To Add District Attorney Daniel Higgins, who has blamed understaff-ing for reported problems in his office, will seek a federal Career Criminal grant to hire an extra attorney. Higgins outlined his plans to hire the attorney and streamline the operation of the office during a luncheon meeting Tuesday with the Placer County Board of Supervisors. The district attorney's office received a Career Criminal grant designed to keep track of repeat offenders and obtain the max- July Shooting Murder ByReedFujii A preliminary hearing for William J.

Clark, 39, charged with murder in the shooting death of a former co-worker's husband, has been postponed and reset to begin Oct. 16 at 1 p.m. Clark appeared before Judge J. Richard Couzens Monday afternoon in Auburn Justice Court. The murder case hearing is expected to last two or three days and sufficient time had to be found.

Joseph DeAngelo, fired from the Auburn Police Department last month, has appealed the action, denying allegations that he shoplifted from a Sacramento drug store. A tentative hearing date is set Nov. 9 at 9 a.m. for the appeal before the city's Employee Appeals Board. Auburn City Attorney Richard Prather said Tuesday that the defendant would decide if the hearing will be public or closed door.

Maurene Whelan, DeAngelo's Chico attorney, said Tuesday she certified. (Photo by Additional Photos on determine which ones needed more information. "We're absolutely short of lawyers. We just don't have enough to go around," Higgins told the supervisors. "I really need two or three new lawyers now," he added.

The district attorney said his attorneys had 21 preliminary hearings, which can be as long as three days in serious felony cases, all scheduled this Monday afternoon in the Auburn Justice Court. He told the supervisors that he plannned to relieve that situation by having his attorneys file shot wound in the neck following an alleged argument with Clark. Simmons had reportedly pursued Clark and his wife from Interstate 80 to the driveway of their home in that incident. Placer County Sheriff's investigators said Simmons parked his truck and ran to the Clark's car. Clark then allegedly shot the truck driver with a revolver.

The man stumbled about 15 feet budget this year with two chief deputies, each in charge of a bureau in the department. To reinforce his argument Nunes called on George Fox, a Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) senior analyst who authored a 1977 report on the sheriff's department. Fox said he had supported Hearing Begins Weather Pending that hearing, Clark re-mains free on his own recognizance. He is a radiology technician at Auburn Faith Community Hospital. The defendant was arrested July 24 following the death of David F.

Simmons, 37, in Meadow Vista. Simmons' wife, Gayle, once worked at the Auburn hospital and reportedly was friendly with Clark. Simmons died of a single gun by one of his officers, Inspector Richard Dal Pino. The commissioners decided to postpone their decision on the reorganization until Oct. 22 when one missing commissioner, Jack Griggs, will be present.

Nunes' reorganization plan involves replacing the single under-sheriff position deleted from the FORECAST The National Weather Service in Sacramento forecasts mostly fair skies through Saturday with highs in the low to mid-80s and lows in the upper 50s. TEMPERATURES Thursday 89-56 Friday 90-60 Saturday 8S 60 Sunday 8852 Monday 855 little more political," added Fox. "They're expected to do something now." Commissioner Frank Galli noted that 43 of the state's 58 county sheriff departments still have undersheriffs. "How do you account for that, that 43 still have 'em?" asked Galli. Civil Service Commission Defers Action On Sheriff's Reorganization By Judy Ronningen Sheriff Donald J.

Nunes' plan to reorganize the Placer County Sheriff? Department which includes appointment of a second-in-command chief deputy was postponed for a month Monday by the Civil Service Commission. They also set an Oct. 15 hearing on a grievance filed against Nunes.