The Sacramento Bee from Sacramento, California • 21

arrests for is rugs resort Yearlong probe ends Nvith ski area raid By Patrick Hoge Ike Stall Writer US Forest Service investigators accompanied by sheriff's deputies from El Dorado and Placer counties and three drug-sniffing dogs raided Alpine Meadows Ski Area near Lake Tahoe and arrested three men on suspicion of selling drugs Monday More than 25 officers participated la the raid that culminated a yearlong undercover investigation Joanne Roubique district ranger for the Truckee area of Tahoe National Forest said the investigation was launched after Forest Service officials received a tip that drug use at the resort was creating a potential threat to public safety About half of the resort sits on Forest Service land under a special usepermit she said James Richard Forte 18 a ski-lift operator at Alpine Meadows was arrested at work and booked into Placer County Jail on charges of selling cocaine away from the resort premises according to Sheriff's Sgt Keith Shannon Another lift operator John Edward Keller 31 was given a misdemeanor citation for possession of less than an ounce of marijuana after drug-sniffing dogs found marijuana in his knapsack Shannon said Richard Stanley Lentz 43 and Gregory Stephen Gidney II 26 were booked into the Placer County Jail on charges of selling LSD according to Shannon Lentz and Gidney were arrested as they drove toward Tahoma in El Dorado County Shannon said The two men who allegedly had been selling drugs from a hotel room in Tahoe Vista left their hotel just 30 minutes before Placer County sheriff's deputies arrived to arrest them be said "I don't know if they got wind of the investigation or not" Shannon said Lentz and Gidney had worked since December in the restaurant which is owned by New York-based Ogden Allied Leisure Services Corp but Gidney had quit in early March said concession manager Jody Rasmussen Forest Service officials started their investigation in January 1988 with the blessing of Alpine's top management but were delayed when the ski area closed early because of light snows said Forest Service special agent Kenneth Carlton who coordinated the investigation When an undercover agent started posing as a resort employee the next ski season workers were discovered to be openly using drugs he said Three undercover agents compiled a list of 20 employees 12 in food service the others in departments including the operation and maintenance of the ski lift allegedly involved in drugs Carlton said Drugs included marijuana cocaine methamphetamine and LSD he said Rasmussen said she did not personally know of any drug use at the concession In the end Forest Service and Sheriff's Department officials said they found the incidence of drug use at Alpine to be low When officials raided the resort Monday most of the suspects on the Forest Service's list no longer were working there either because they had quit or been fired Carlton said "We have a very transitory work force as do all ski resorts" said Alpine spokesman Dan Nourse The investigation also resulted in the discovery of a methamphetamine lab across the Truckee River from Squaw Valley ski resort Carlton said the lab was capable of producing up to $20 million worth of the drug annually The lab was discovered when an undercover agent happened upon two skiers who were selling the drug Carlton said Forest Service investigators then worked with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration to find the lab and arrest the pair and another man in Los Angeles connected with the operation said a DEA agent Existing crossing North Highlands Antelope Rd 7 4001 Planned overcrossing 1 i Bee Metro Staff Construction of a four-lane overpass to carry Antelope Road traffic over the Southern Pacific railroad's mainline tracks in North Highlands will begin next spring state and county officials said Tuesday As a long freight train rumbled by Assemblyman Tim Leslie R-Carmichael told a trackside press conference that the state Public Utilities Commission has approved expenditure of $28 million from its grade-crossing fund to construct the overpass Sacramento County will put up $16 million in assessment district funds and Southern Pacific will contribute $542600 to the $49 million project Leslie said Sacramento County Supervisor Grant land Johnson said the county is the lead agency in the project and he anticipates the first contract for the No crime charges in funds case Bee Metro Staff F(z0 Sacramento restaurateur Eppie Johnson was told Tuesday that he will not be prosecuted criminally for illegally laundering campaign contributions he made in 1984 and 1986 to two local politicians The letter was dated April 4 and was signed by Eric Kindall a deputy in the special investigations unit of the Sacramento County District Attorney's office Kindall confirmed the contents of the letter but would not comment on information The Bee has obtained that the Sacramento County Grand Jury on March 13 refused to return a felony indictment against Johnson "Mr Johnson is delighted of course with this result" said Donald Heller Johnson's attorney "When Eppie made the contributions he made he didn't realize it was illegal and he deeply regrets the embarrassment he caused Supervisor (Sandra) Smoley" Heller added "It was terribly distressing to him" Heller said Smoley has been a longtime friend When she was running for a state Senate seat in 1986 Johnson wanted to send her more money but didn't want to be identified as the contributor so he used intermediaries Heller said A similar procedure was used two years earlier when Johnson sent $300 through an intermediary to the campaign of City Councilman Terry Kastanis After being accused of the campaign contribution violations by the Fair Political Practices Commission Johnson agreed to pay a $16000 fine to settle the civil case against him The grand jury investigated to see if there was sufficient evidence to bring criminal charges against Johnson but declined to return a felony indictment the evening of March 13 That left the possibility of misdemeanor charges but Tuesday's letter put that matter to rest "In light of the fact that Mr Johnson has settled his civil charges arising out of this conduct with the Fair Political Practices Commission this office has determined not to prosecute him for misdemeanor conduct" Kindall wrote in the letter delivered to Heller fe Antelope Rd 0 miles I Bee graphic 1990 start for building of Antelope overpass long-sought work will be awarded next March It is scheduled for completion in mid-I 991 "It's been a cooperative effort" that will allow the lifting of restrictions on development in the area where 14000 new homes are planned in the next 15 years Johnson said Sacramento County had sought $41 million in state funding for a six-lane overpass with $450000 to be raised mostly through developer fees in the Antelope-North Highlands area Officials said an average of 60 trains a day cause a total of 412 hours of delays for motorists on Antelope Road where the daily traffic count averaged 10000 vehicles Leslie said forecasters expect 30000 vehicles a day to go through the intersection within three years Save 50')0 All rawhide chews 12 4 de By Ken Payton Bee Staff Writer Structural losses in the 33500-acre 49er Fire last September in Nevada County would have been less than half if "defensible space" had been part of the county's rural fire defenses a veteran California firefighter said Tuesday "Defensible space" the cleared land around a house and the open space available for firefighters in which to move is the new term for fire prevention in the state's wild lands where many experts believe about 25 percent more people will be making their homes by 2000 "Our problems up there started 30 years ago" said Robert Paulus chief ranger for the Nevada-Yuba-Placer Fire Ranger District in describing the 49er Fire "The land planning was lax It (Nevada County) was one of the counties that allowed Class construction with no plumbing or electricity" Paulus was among the speakers at a weeklong interagency fire-prevention and protection workshop at the Sacramento Hilton sponsored by the California Department of Forestry The workshop to last through Friday morning is aimed at helping fire officials convince people that it's dangerous to live in the foothills without preparing for fire and providing defensible space around their homes The 49er Fire cost $6 million to put out and inflicted $40 million in damages Paulus said Flames flared 300 feet high in brisk winds and low humidity "the worst I've ever seen in my career" he added Looking back Paulus said he would fight the fire the same way but it would have helped if firefighters hadn't had to protect some 55 homes in the first few hundred acres of the blaze If there had been no structures at all "we could have stopped it at 600 to 700 acres" Paulus said "We had 5000 to 6000 homes exposed so we did pretty good" Because of the way it was started by a transient in a developed area the 49er Fire was unpreventable Paulus said One good thing about it was that interagency cooperation was superb resulting in 275 fire engines bun Hire le5sul trintq aroun io The Sacramento Bee Final Wednesday April 5 1989 00 L(FhaVe Until dreds of hand crews and 70 bulldozers coming from 4 miles around he said 4 Paulus and others criticized laws zoning regulations I and general plans that promote an "urban bias" in some 30 California counties which 50 years ago had little de- velopment in the foothills "Nobody is planning for the I wild lands" said Tuolumne County planning commissioner Robert Irwin Today Irwin said rural dirt roads serving lot splits or I so-called minor subdivisions may be only one lane wide and often impossible for fire engines to negotiate They as well as thousands of narrow half-mile-long driveways go unnoticed by county supervisors and planners corn- pounding the firefighting problem Tinder-dry grass grows 6 to 8 feet tall roofs are cov: ered with cedar shakes that burn easily and pine manTzanita or other hot-burning plants hug outside woodert walls he said "One man who lost a 8500000 house in the 49er Fire asked me 'Why didn't somebody tell me what to donl said Bruce Turbeville the CDF's chief of volunteers in prevention program 'Why didn't the contractor the real estate agent or the former owner tell me? I can't believe the fire moved so fast' "When he rebuilds he'll have a water supply and he'll guarantee that nothing will burn within a hundred feet7 Turbeville said "We need to create an attitudinal change in people'' he said "We've been defensive firefighters too long We've got to get back into a little offense" Irwin who advocated stricter use of zoning regulations subdivision laws county general plans and the California Environmental Quality Act to get better wild-land planning said fire agencies need not accept the inadel quacies "Agencies have allowed local governments to pass off their responsibilities" Irwin said Laws on the books for almost 20 years can be used to clear land around buildings widen roads build fire breaks require emergency water systems and provide for general safety in the wild lands he said "I hear all the time attention paid to earthquakes and floods but not to fire" Irwin said "It gets 20 percent pi the attention yet it strikes every year" 1Iunj CA 1009 FOR ADULT CATS IALANCto ti011101 rot W04 AND DOG FOOD FOR ADULT DOGS BALANCED NUTRITION FOR HEALTH AND VITALITY I Save 20')0 Vari Kennels gz Kennel Cab us Save 25 3 Entire stock of dog and cat toys qtT $5 99 $299 Sale price 3 Sale price Save 30 Wild bird seed AtWellpet we have everything a pet could ask for In fact we can)' over 3000 different items for all kinds of pets And once in awhile like now we even put them on sale But since these special savings last only through April 9 you'd better hurry (Product assortment may vary) 110 WILD BIRD MIX ni I90 SUPERIOR NUTRATION fOR ME LIFE Of YOUR PET" SAN JUAN 32! Trtixel Road LEOILI14NN PLAZA 2433 Fair Oak's Botilevad QUAIL POINTE 5321SWITiSe HAZEL RIDGE 4341-43 Hazel Avow: RANCHO CC)RDOVA 10S44 Olson Drive ROAIILLE tq27 rZnr ELLPEITI SUPEIIMMCEr TOR PEM) TM kOi rt 1 SACRAMENTO BEE CLASSIFIED ADS SUPER SELLER 321-1234 1 INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED rt aiTgarv 1 "The most ta unabashedly sensuous dancing 1 to be seen on the 1 New York stage 1 these days" stated the New York Times Program: April 8: Audentity White Dragon Turtles Eat Bones and Dreamtima 9: VII For VIII Dextra Dei (United States Premiere) Treading and Audentity -April 8 and 9 1989 Open Rehearsal: Main Theatre 8 PM Saturday April 8 $1250 GeneralSS UCD Students Main Theatre PMFree Tickets available at the Campus Box Office or charge by phone at 9161152-1915 MD phone 9161752-7117 Also available at BASSMCKETMASTER centers 916923-2277 Presented by UC Davis Arts Lectures i -vi il irl io The Sacramento Bee Final Wednesday April 51989 In 4'4 0 0 arrests i qe 4 11 (A 1r Flirc 5IDt lo Lpave Existing crossing 41 1 o' a He I Ior it rugs I North Highlands 0 1 Antelo Rd 4-07 1 pi '4' Paulus and others criticized laws zoning regulations dreds of hand crews and resort Antelope Rd re le ring hitmel st Citrus Freights I i Ac3 sts Yearlong probe ends 0 en Payton 70 bulldozers coming from 4 t' ti I 4 Bee Staff Writer miles around he said 4 1 NVith ski area raid co cF- ra 4t By' Patrick Hoge I' a Structural losses in the 33500-acre 49er Fire last Sep- and general plans that promote an "urban bias" in some 4 Bee Stall Writer 80 tember in Nevada County would have been less than half 30 California counties which 50 years ago had little de- 4 i 1 0Planned overcrossing i miles if "defensible space" had been part of the county's rural velopment in the foothills "Nobody is planning for the US U11 Forest Service investigators 4 4 fire defenses a veteran California firefighter said Tues- wild lands" said Tuolumne County planning commis- i accompanied by sheriff's depu- S' I) 12 day sioner Robert Irwin 1 ties from El Dorado and Placer Irwin said rural dirt roads serving lot splits or Gy "Defensible space" the cleared land around a house Today 1 4 counties and three drug-sniffing and the open space available for firefighters in which to so-called minor subdivisions may be only one lane wide dogs raided Alpine Meadows Ski Bee graphic move is the new term for fire prevention in the state's and often impossible for fire engines to negotiate They It tt Area near Lake Tahoe and arrested wild lands where many experts believe about 25 percent as well as thousands of narrow half-mile-long driveways three men on suspicion of selling more people will be making their homes by 2000 go unnoticed by county supervisors and planners corn- drugs Monday pounding the firefighting problem More than 25 officers participated 1990 start for buildin "Our problems up there started 30 years ago" said I Robert Paulus chief ranger for the Nevada-Yuba-Placer Tinder-dry grass grows 6 to 8 feet tall roofs are coy Fire Ranger District in describing the 49er Fire "The in the raid that culminated a year- ered with cedar shakes that burn easily and pine marl long undercover investigation i-- zanita or other hot-burning plants hug outside woodel Joanne Roubique district ranger Of Antelope overpass land planning was lax It (Nevada County) was one of the counties that allowed Class construction with no walls he said for the Truckee area of Tahoe Na- plumbing or electricity" "One man who lost a $500000 house in the 49er Fire tiOnal Forest said the investigation 13 Metro Staff asked me 'Why didn't somebody tell me what to was launched after Forest Service long-sought work will be awarded Paulus was among the speakers at a weeklong inter- said Bruce Turbeville the CDF's chief of volunteers in next March It is scheduled agency fire-prevention and protection workshop at the officials received a tip that drug use Construction of a four-lane over- for corn- pletion in mid-1991 Sacramento Hilton sponsored by the California Depart- prevention program 'Why didn't the contractor the at the resort was creating a potential pass to carry Antelope Road traffic estate agent or the former owner tell me? I can't threat to public safety over the Southern Pacific railroad's "Its been a cooperative effort" ment of Forestry believe the fire moved so fast' About half of the resort sits on that will allow the lifting of restric- The workshop to last through Friday morning is mainline tracks in North Highlands When he rebuilds 'll have a water supply and he'll Forest Service land under a special will begin next spring state and tions on development in the area ai med at helping fire officials convince people that its he guarantee that nothing will burn within a hundred feet usebermit she said where 14000 new homes are dangerous to live in the foothills without preparing for county officials said Tuesday planned in the next 15 years John fire and providing defensible space around their homes Turbeville said James Richard Forte 18 a ski lift As a long freight train rumbled "We need to create an attitudinal change in people" operator at Alpine Meadows was ar- son said R-Car- The 49er Fire cost $6 million to put out and inflicted Assemblyman Tim Leslie he said "We've been defensive firefighters too long rested at work and booked into Plac- Sacramento County had sought $40 million in damages Paulus said Flames flared 300 michael told a trackside press con- We've got to get back into a little offense" ference that the state Public Utilities 4 er County Jail on charges of selling $41 million in state funding for a feet high in brisk winds and low humidity "the worst I've Irwin who advocated stricter use of zoning regula cocaine away from the resort prem- Commission has anoroved exnendi- six-lane overpass with $450000 to ever seen in my career" he added Commi tions subdivision laws county general plans and the Cal- ises according to Sheriff's Sgt Keith through back Paulus said would re ture of $28 million from its grade- be raised throuh developer bk Pl id fight the fire the Environmental Quality Act to get better wild-land Shannon same ay would helped an crossing fund to construct the over- fees in the Antelope-North High- but it hld if firefighters hadn't planning said fire agencies need not accept the inadei Another lift operator John Ed- lands area had to protect some 55 homes in the first few hundred pass Sacramento County will put up quacies "Agencies have allowed local governments to ward Keller 31 was given a misde- $16 million in assessment district Officials said an average of 60 acres of the blaze pass off their responsibilities" Irwin said meanor citation for possession of trains a day cause a total of 412 funds and Southern Pacific will con- If there had been no structures at all "we could have Laws on the books for almost 20 years can be used to less than an ounce of marijuana af- tribute $542600 to the $49 million hours of delays for motorists on An- stopped it at 600 to 700 acres" Paulus said "We had 5000 clear land around buildings widen roads build fire ter drug-sniffing dogs found marijua- telope Road where the daily traffic to 6000 homes exposed so we did pretty good" project Leslie said breaks require emergency water systems and provide na in his knapsack Shannon said Sacramento County Supervisor count averaged 10000 vehicles Because of the way it was started by a transient in a for general safety in the wild lands he said Cr Stephe Richard Stanley Lent 26 43 and Grantland Johnson said the county is Leslie said forecasters expect developed area the 49er Fire was unpreventable Pau- "I hear all the time attention paid to earthquakes and egory Gidney II were Placer Count Jail the lead agency in the project and he 30000 vehicles a day to go through lus said One good thing about it was that interagency co- floods but not to fire" Irwin said "It gets 20 percent pi booked into the on charges of selling LSD according anticipates the first contract for the the intersection within three years operation was superb resulting in 275 fire engines him- the attention yet it strikes every year" to Shannon Lentz and Gidney were arrested as they drove toward Tahoma in El crime Dorado County Shannon said The two men who allegedly had been selling drugs from a hotel room in charges mf Tahoe Vista left their hotel just 30 inutes before Placer Couty sher- :41211 1711 if's depuies arived to arrenst hem funds case -tirklin he said 2 "I don't know if they got wind of the investigation or not" Shannon Bee Metro Staff said 0 wrt IfSlIAL Lentz and Gidney had worked Sacramento restaurateur Eppie ''11 tz al riAlh ct since December in the restaurant Johnson was told Tuesday that he 111 1 1:41 Lt 31'" loft ille I tolotte-- til lo ti i AM 1A'hich is owned by New York-based will not be prosecuted criminally for Ogden Allied Leisure Services Corp illegally laundering campaign con- 0 but Gidney had quit in early March tributions he made in 1984 and 1986 said coorenvestigation ncession manager Jody Ras- to two local politicians mussen The letter was dated Aril 4 and Fst Service of ficials started was signed by Eric Kindall a deputy litorig rtr-T) ernly hiljj5 i their i in January 1988 in the special investigations unit of A i with the blessing of Alpine's top the Sacramento County District At- management but were delayed torney's office when the ski area closed early be- Kindell confirmed the contents of cause of light snows said Forest Ser- the letter but would not comment on Save 30 cY 7777 0 vice special agent Kenneth Carlton information The Bee has obtained 44:: 'ii 3::: -1i''' who coordinated the investigation that the Sacramento County Grand Wild bird seed i il ''i 'l! I il (t -A i When an undercover agent started Jury on March 13 refused to return a posing as a resort employee the next felony indictment against Johnson tit (i- I Save 25 ski season workers were discovered "Mr Johnson is delighted of 1 It i 1" 1 l'' En tire stock of lliI'5e: cco 4 v-4- to be openly using drugs he said course with this result" said Donald ''1 dog and cat et A ife corn Three undercover agents co- Heller Johnson's attorney 4 4- (- toys A' 4-54 I piled a list of 20 employees 12 in When Eppie made the contribu- 4 i- I food service the others in depart- tions he made he didn't realize it 0 1 74s t4 341V'n 9 ments including the operation and was illegal and he deeply regrets the 0-'' ost maintenance of the ski lift alleg- embarrassment he caused Supervi- v44 1 4 IA 7- ir''' i (4- '11ro 4o4 -4: iii 1 1 edly involved in drugs Carlton said sor (Sandra) Smoley" Heller added 1 WILD BIRD MIX I Drugs included marijuana cocaine "It was terribly distressing to him" 'MI (0 i TIM 1 21 methamphetamine and LSD he Heller said Smoley has been a Yt- said longtime friend When she was run- 4 ei i NET WI 5 LBS t2 27 KO Rasmussen said she did not per ning for a state Senate seat in 1986 0' 0 9 9 WILD BlitCv MiX sonally know of any drug use at the Johnson wanted to send her more IAAz74 concession money but didn't want to be identi- 4 In the end Forest Service and lied as the contributor so he used in- Sheriff's Department officials said termediaries Heller said ''''1 they found the incidence of drug use A similar procedure was used two I at Alpine to be low years earlier when Johnson sent tEtiu---18 When officials raided the resort $300 through an intermediary to the Save 20 1- Monday most of the suspects on the campaign of City Councilman Terry Vari Kennels Fz SUPERIOR NittiTION HA rHE tiff Of YOUR PET' Forest Service's list no longer were Kastanis Kennel Cab II i km working there either because they After being accused of the cam- 4' 1 1 tk A IP had quit or been fired Carlton said paign contribution violations by the 1 1to 1 I i ts 1(-1J1 13)) 141 ti We have a very transitory work Fair Political Practices Commission 1 force as do all ski resorts said Al- Johnson agreed to pay a $16000 fine Llt-1171A 1 11-- pine spokesman Dan Nourse to settle the civil case against him ai 1 1 T'xi The investigation also resulted in The grand jury investigated to see the discovery of a methamph et- if there was sufficient evidence to amine lab across the Truckee River bring criminal charges against John- Save 50')0 'g from Squaw Valley ski resort son but declined to return a felony All rawhide Carlton said the lab was capable indictment the evening of March 13 chews i ii of producing up to $20 million worth That left the possibility of misde- FELINE MAINTENANCE CANINE to of the drug annually The lab was meanor charges but Tuesday's let- FOR ADT CATS MAINTENANCE discovered when an undercover ter put that matter to rest 1 UL 1 IALANCIO tiL0110 DOG FOOD agent happened upon two skiers who In light of the fact that Mr John- i 1014FAtP4 AND MAI FOR ADULT DOGS were selling the drug Carlton said son has settled his civil charges aris- 4 l' BALANCED NUTRITION i Forest Service investigators then ing out of this conduct with the Fair 4t OW 401 It 921 i FOR HEALTH AND worked with the federal Drug En- Political Practices Commission this Yk49 VITALITY I l' forcement Administration to find the office has determined not to prose- $599 lab and arrest the pair and another cute him for misdemeanor conduct" 99 $23 --4k 10' 4' man in Los Angeles connected with Kindall wrote in the letter delivered Sale price the operation said a DEA agent to Heller Sale price INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED 1-1I-t 1 RA: F1 3'14( O6 0)0 TV I Al 4 (4 0 1 o'' A Tv 1 AtWellpi't' we have everything a pet could ask for In fact we cany over 3000 different items for all kinds of pets And once in pm' i "The most awhile like now we even put them on sale But since these special If 'It' ELL it 4 i unabashedly TM 11 (3 savings last only through April 9 you'd better hurry (Product sensuous dancing SuPFRMARKET roil pEr0 1 i 114: to be seen on the assortment may vary) I New York stage 1 -) these days" stated I ii 4 the New York Times SAN JUAN 3291 Truxel Road LEVI LI1ANN PLAZA 2433 Fair Oak's Botilevad QUAIL POINTE 5324 511nri9 HAZEL RIDGE 4341-43 Hazel Avenue: RANCHO CORDOVA 10S44 Olson Drive RO5L1ILLE 1127 Boidetvr1 -st Program: April 8: Audentity White Dragon Turtles Eat Bones and Dreamtima 9: VII For VIII Dextra Dei (United States Premiere) Treading and Audentity 1 April 8 and 9 1989 Open Rehearsal: Main Theatre 8 PM Saturday April 8 SACRAMENTO BEE CLASSIFIED ADS $1250 GeneralSS UCD Students Main Theatre PMFree Tickets available at the Campus Box Office or charge by phone at 9161152-1915 TDD phone 916752-7117 SUPER SELLER 3211234 Also available at BASSMCKETMASTER centers 916923-2277 A' Presented by UC Davis Arts Lectures.