Police officers on Jan. 24  began investigating an armed robbery around Aloha Street and Deborah Drive, according to a press release issued Friday by department.

The man who claimed he had been robbed, an 18-year-old  Anderson resident, reported he had come to Red Bluff to sell marijuana. The man explained he had brokered the deal via a social media site. He described the suspects entering his vehicle, pointing firearms at him, striking him in the head and face with the firearms and stealing both the marijuana and his wallet.

During the investigation, officers positively identified one of the suspects as a 17-year-old boy who resided in Red Bluff, the release said. An arrest warrant was obtained for the boy for robbery and assault with a firearm and a search warrant was obtained for the boy’s home.

A law enforcement team of officers from the Red Bluff Police Department, Tehama County Bureau of Investigations, and Tehama County Sheriff’s Office served the arrest warrant and search warrant on the 1200 block of Walnut Street.

As the team approached the residence, police say they encountered the boy’s mother in a vehicle. She was identified as Hilary Kennon, 37, of Oroville.

Kennon was actively smoking methamphetamine, the release said. Officers attempted to detain Kennon in handcuffs, and police say she actively resisted. Kennon was ultimately arrested on suspicion of resisting arrest and possession of methamphetamine.

The boy was also contacted and arrested. Since he is under 18, his identity will not be disclosed. He was booked into Tehama County Juvenile Hall on suspicion of robbery and assault with a firearm.

During the search of the residence, officers say they located numerous items of methamphetamine drug-related paraphernalia, bags of methamphetamine, and a loaded flare gun converted to shoot .22 long rifle along with an unregistered 12-gauge shotgun.

During the booking process at the Tehama County Correctional Facility, police allege Kennon removed a bag of fentanyl from her undergarments and attempted to swallow it, the release said. Police are recommending the felony charge of bringing drugs into a correctional facility be added.

Police said they are still actively investigating this case and attempting to identify other suspects. Anyone who believes they have information related to this case is encouraged to contact the Red Bluff Police Department at 530-527-3131.

The ceremony will start at 1:30 p.m. at the project site located at the northeast corner of Madison Street and Oak Street in Red Bluff.

The Tehama  County Community Correction Re-Entry Facility will be at 645 Madison Street, the location of the old library, adjacent to the existing jail.

According to the county, the new facility will feature dorms to house 64 inmates, along with an upgraded kitchen,  laundry, medical, and programming space to serve the existing jail. The project also includes relocating to Madison Street to place the new facility adjacent to the existing jail.

“We just ran into a huge mess with the last parade trying to get access in and out of the jail if we had some type of emergency because Madison Street was closed off,” Kain said. “which even rerouted some of our employees around to the other side of the building to try to come in so that will help with this process to allow us emergent access during all events.”

Administrative Analyst Tom Provine said the facility does not have a vehicle Sallyport or booking area.

“It does not have individual cells or padded cells, which are things that we need but it has got 64 beds, which are needed, and it is about a 21,000-square-foot facility,” he added.

The total project budget is around $27 million, including $21.7 million for construction. The Board of State and Community Corrections awarded  Tehama County $20 million from the SB1022 Adult Local Criminal Justice Facilities  Construction Financing Program.

Over the summer, the Board of Supervisors approved the jail re-entry facility’s plans and specifications and allowed staff to advertise for bids on the project. The county was authorized to bid on May 18 following numerous events like public engagement, design change, changing state requirements, and COVID delays.

The project goes back to 2013 when the supervisors approved a needs analysis study related to the jail.

In November 2016, the board accepted the conditional award money of $20 million.

Two years later, the county reached an agreement with Red Bluff regarding the project, and the state approved the scope, cost, and schedule of the project in August 2019.

The Tehama County Library site on Madison Street in 2020 was demolished for expansion.

Former Chief Administrator Bill Goodwin said the county expected occupancy in late November 2022 or early 2023.

During public comments, several residents expressed their issues with the recent events.

Tim Ross had concerns about firing Fears, saying he felt the former police chief had been nothing but great for this town the whole time he had been in the city.

“I would appreciate it if this could be handled quickly so that his name stops being dragged through the mud,” Ross added. “Nobody knows anything that is going on, and everybody is coming to their own conclusions, and it is not good.”

Robert Towne spoke in defense of his brother-in-law. Towne said he supported Fears, not because of family connections but due to his belief the former police chief was committed to superior service, was a man of integrity, and had a positive influence on the community. He recalled it was not uncommon to see him out on the streets, keeping the community safe.

“It is disturbing to me that the city refuses to comment on their investigation and expects the community to believe a narrative,” Towne continued. “The opportunity for change is in the best interest for Corning. I feel this is weak reasoning for dismissing an employee. Chief Fears deserves so much better.”

One woman, who did not identify herself but was carrying a sign supporting Fears, described him as akin to being a brother. She has known him for almost 20 years and said he’s been there for her family in a law enforcement capacity and as a family friend.

“He is like personal family, and I think a lot of things need to be answered,” she added.

Another man expressed his concern that this situation could cause a rise in crime if it is not resolved properly.

Mayor Robert Snow read from a prepared statement.

“We understand a lot of members of this community members have questions regarding the departure of Chief Fears,” Snow said. “This is a confidential personnel matter. We understand that change is hard, but we, as a council, believe that this is in the best interest of the city of Corning. We fully support this administrative change and look forward to the positive steps going forward. We do thank Chief Fears for his service to the community and everything that he has done for the city of Corning, and also thank Interim Chief Bassett for helping us out as we move forward.”

Snow acknowledged there were a lot of rumors going around town about Fears but reiterated that because this is a personal matter, the city and council can not disclose what happened to cause this change.

City Manager Brant Mesker wanted to clarify some things about the police department. It is entirely staffed to have dispatch, patrol shifts, and a school resource officer on campus during the week.

“By no means is the current staffing level levels at the point where it is at a detriment to the safety of the city or its citizens,” Mesker said.

Bassett took on the new role effective Tuesday.

“The City recognizes the opportunity for change is in the best interest of the City of Corning,” a Wednesday press release read. “With the recent addition of a new City Manager, we are confident in the visions and fresh ideas for management and administration, including the Police Department.”

The departure of Fears has been an open secret amongst law enforcement and some community members for several months now. The city has repeatedly declined to comment on the subject when the Daily News broached the issue.

Fears was named police chief in November 2015.

At the time, City Manager John Brewer said he was happy to announce the selection of Sgt. Jeremiah Fears, as the next police chief for the city of Corning,

Beginning his career as a police officer in 2001, Fears worked up to the sergeant position in the early 2010s.

He is a Corning High School graduate and has lived in the Corning area for many years.

Fears replaced retired Police Chief Don Atkins. He shadowed Atkins for about six months to ease the leadership transition and learn what the job entailed.

“We are happy to welcome Jeremiah Fears to the city of Corning management team,” Brewer said.

With redistricting, Dahle picked up several areas in his sphere of influence, including Tehama, Glenn, and Colusa counties. Dahle said he wanted to meet with the residents of his new district after meeting with the board of supervisors early this year and the senate being out of session. Besides meeting residents, Dahle wanted to connect his office with local officials and organizations.

Dahle is currently working on biomass issues, water and the state budget.

“I am on the Budget Committee,”  Dahle said. “That is definitely going to affect schools, roads, services,  trickled down from the state to the locals.”

Jennifer Torres of Northern California Child Development, Inc., heard the senator speak earlier in the morning at Expect More Tehama. She came to talk personally with Dahle about early learning and child care and in-state.

“We know that early learning and care is one of the foundational things for families here in the north state, that without quality childcare, we know a lot of families would not be able to go do the things that they need to do, especially when it comes to work or for school,” Torres said.

Tax Collector Parker Hunt came to bend the senator’s ear on behalf of the State Association for Treasurer-Tax Collectors. They are looking for sponsors for three bills, one involving postmark and the other dealing with mobile home tax clearance certificates and tax-related data sets regarding the due dates for agencies to contest the tax sale.

“These are not very controversial bills,” Hunt said. “It just helps us clean up what we are doing and clarify things.”

Supervisor John Leach described his interaction with the senator as going well. They discussed the clean-up efforts around the South Avenue and Kirkwood Road area.

Leach was surprised so many people showed up to the event.

Looking ahead, Dahle is just focused on working with these new constituents and figuring out what to do next after his senate term expires.

“My wife is running for my senate seat, which will represent this area,” Dahle said. “So hoping to get her elected and carry on what we have been building for the last many years in the legislature.”

On Facebook, Jessica Criss, Ward’s niece, announced this morning that the Tehama County Sheriff’s Office had identified Johnny Lee Coy as the killer. Coy had been in prison since 1989 and died in 2019 while imprisoned, according to Criss’ post.

In a Wednesday afternoon press conference, Tehama County Sheriff Dave Kain confirmed the news.

The sheriff’s office described Coy as a former Red Bluff resident with a violent criminal history.

Ward was killed in 1983 at age 14. At the press conference Wednesday afternoon, Sheriff Kain discussed the case and how it was brought to a close.

On the morning of March 3, Ward was walking on South Jackson Street in Red Bluff to Seventh Day Adventist School when abducted. Around 11:30 a.m., law enforcement responded to the area of Pine Creek Road at the Pine Creek Bridge for a reported deceased female, later determined to be Ward. She had been bound, sexually assaulted, and shot.

Detectives gathered several items of evidence at the scene. Kain said these detectives had the forethought to take items and samples of evidence that were not useful then but later played a crucial role in solving this case.

During the initial investigation in 1983, the sheriff’s office and staff worked around the clock, taking information and sorting through many potential suspects, suspect vehicles, and an overwhelming number of tips that came into law enforcement that overwhelmed employees. Numerous individuals were interviewed and vetted for potential involvement in this tragic case.

“At one point in the investigation, Henry Lee Lucas, also known as the ‘Confession Killer,’ stated he was responsible for the sexual assault and murder of Rashell Ward,” Kain said. “Detectives were able to eliminate him as a suspect due to inconsistencies in the confession.”

Other rumors also gripped the small Red Bluff and Tehama County community.

One of those rumors was that the sheriff at the time, Sheriff Ron Koenig, was involved in the homicide. Several variations of the rumor were spread. No evidence supported any of these rumors through the years of investigation.

The case remained open through the 1990s and the 2000s, with additional suspects interviewed, DNA samples taken, and witnesses reinterviewed as new detectives cycled through the investigative unit. Numerous leads were also pursued during this time.

Throughout the years, with progressive technological advancements, various evidence items were re-submitted for DNA analysis, to no avail. Kain said despite the setbacks and lack of investigative leads, the dedicated detectives at the sheriff’s office never lost hope of one day solving this case and being able to bring closure to the family.

In 2022, detectives discussed a new investigative approach involving the development of leads from family trees constructed using investigative genealogy. They learned a rootless strand of hair, which was recovered from the victim but did not belong to her, could be tested to obtain a possible lead through this new ancestral DNA analysis.

The sheriff’s office learned that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has a team dedicated to assisting local agencies with developing leads using investigative genealogy. After meeting with the FBI and the California Department of Justice, who had been involved in the case since the beginning, the investigative team decided to use the new technique. TCSO then contracted with Astrea Forensics and submitted the evidentiary hair strand for testing and analysis.

Once a genotype file was completed, the information was sent to the FBI to begin the investigative genealogy process. Kain said the process is complex and can take significant time to complete. In this case, the turnaround was rapid. On Sept. 7, sheriff’s office detectives, Cal DOJ, and the FBI met to review the results of the investigative genealogy. The lead developed revealed a possible new suspect, identified as Coy, a former Red Bluff resident with a violent criminal history.

In 1989, Kain said Coy flagged down and kidnapped a mother and daughter from the Antelope Boulevard area and forced them to drive up Highway 36 East at gunpoint. He sexually assaulted the 21-year-old daughter and stole personal items and their car.

He was later found in Red Bluff armed with a handgun and arrested. Ultimately, Coy was convicted in Tehama County, where he was sentenced to two life terms in prison. Detectives learned he had died in June 2019.

With the new lead, detectives searched for relatives of Coy in the Tehama County area. They found several family members and explained the situation. These family members agreed to assist and voluntarily provided a DNA sample to be compared against the DNA recovered from evidence located in 1983 by the Cal DOJ lab.

“Cal DOJ Redding did a phenomenal job and had the results quickly,” Kain said. “The results came back highly likely that the DNA recovered from the evidence was a family member of the living relatives the sheriff’s office contacted.”

A couple of different types of DNA tests were completed, and they all came back to the same conclusion that the DNA recovered in 1983 was a close relative to the family. Cal DOJ also learned that when Coy was admitted into prison, his DNA sample was taken and submitted into the Combined DNA Index System. However, during that time in history, the upload did not contain the same number of DNA markers utilized today. Cal DOJ requested a re-upload using today’s technology.

On Oct.  3, the sheriff’s office received a CODIS confirmation of a match. The confirmation revealed that Coy’s DNA matched the DNA evidence located in 1983 on Ward. The Tehama County District Attorney’s Office was notified of the progress made in this case. District Attorney Matt Rogers and Assistant DA James Waugh were briefed on this case and agreed that if Coy were still alive today, the overwhelming DNA evidence would be enough to charge him for the crimes against  Ward.

“The Tehama County Sheriff’s Office is pleased to offer the family of Rashell Ward closure in this case after all these years,” Kain said. “We are also pleased to be able to clear the name of former Sheriff Koenig of any criminal involvement in this case.

The Tehama County Sheriff’s Office now considers this case solved and closed.

“This would not have been possible if not for all the hardworking, dedicated detectives throughout the years that spent countless hours trying to get justice for Rashell Ward,” Kain said.

Today residents can see the building coming into shape from when it broke ground in December.

“(It’s been) pretty fast,” PATH Board Member Allene Dering said. “I haven’t been out there to see it for a couple of weeks, but they were putting up the inside walls last time I saw.”

The building is located at 400 and 402 Reeds Avenue in Red Bluff. The construction is expected to be done middle of December, and the shelter may be operational by the time the city fills its new homeless liaison position within the Red Bluff Police Department.

But it will also fill a void that Dering said has existed since Covid-19. The pandemic forced churches not to allow the homeless to stay overnight.

Now with the navigation and shelter center nearly built, it will fill that need within the community.

The building will be a one-stop hub that utilizes a low-barrier housing-first approach that includes meals, showers, laundry, and mail services.

PATH Board Member Allene Dering notes that while they are building a permanent housing structure, they have a day center on Antelope that the homeless can access, particularly during the day and in the heat.

That center is open from 8 a.m. to  5 p.m.

And she said transitional housing programs for men and women who aren’t ready yet to be in traditional housing. The transitional housing programs allow people to access them for up to two years while they go to school and continue to work towards permanent housing.

The shelter will have 64 single beds, but PATH hopes more bunk beds will bring that number closer to 80. The navigation center will provide 24-hour service 365 days per year and additional provisions for supplementary services provided by partner agencies.

“We are hoping that everybody can make use of it and just come together and then find hopefully more permanent housing for everybody,” Ledford said at the December groundbreaking.

At that same groundbreaking, PATH President E.C. Ross said a ribbon cutting for the new building would happen sometime this year.

Originally a playground was a part of the navigation center program. PATH Board Member Allene Dering said because construction took so long and prices increased, the playground had to be cut. PATH has found a way around that thought, for $100 a piece that will go toward building the playground.

“Buy as many parts as you want to, then we will have a playground,” Dering said.

During the groundbreaking ceremony, Ross acknowledged Louisiana Pacific and Serria Paffic for helping to secure the navigation center property. He thanked Tehama County, Red Bluff, Corning, the Board of Supervisors, and City Councils who have been instrumental in making this happen.

Dering revealed that the navigation center had been decades in the making.

“We almost have it in other places, but God said no, this is not where I wanted it, So we didn’t have it there,” Dering said. “And finally, this place came about because it with all of the with all of the donations and everything.”

She thanked the whole community, stakeholders group, volunteers, paid staff, and everybody who worked hard to make this possible.

In the last year, the city has designated Samuel Ayer Park, on a trial basis, as a site where the police can ask the homeless can go to camp.

That decision played a part in moving the Civil War Days from Samuel Ayer Park and Dog Island to Cone Grove Park.

It’s expected that people can be moved to the Navigation Center or elsewhere once the center is finished.

Today residents can see the building coming into shape.

The building is located at 400 and 402 Reeds Avenue in Red Bluff. The building is expected to be done by the end of this year and maybe operational by the time the city fills its new homeless liaison position within the Red Bluff Police Department.

The building will be a one-stop hub that utilizes a low-barrier housing-first approach that includes meals, showers, laundry, and mail services.

The shelter will have 64 single beds, but PATH hopes more bunk beds will bring that number closer to 80. The navigation center will provide 24-hour service 365 days per year and additional provisions for supplementary services provided by partner agencies.

“We are hoping that everybody can make use of it and just come together and then find hopefully more permanent housing for everybody,” Ledford said at the December groundbreaking.

At that same groundbreaking, PATH President E.C. Ross said a ribbon cutting for the new building would happen sometime this year.

Originally, a playground was a part of the navigation center program. PATH board member Allene Dering said because construction took so long and prices increased, the playground had to be cut. PATH has found a way around that, though, for $100 a piece that will go toward building the playground.

“Buy as many parts as you want to, then we will have a playground,” Dering said.

During the groundbreaking ceremony, Ross acknowledged Louisiana Pacific and Sierra Pacific for helping to secure the navigation center property. He thanked Tehama County, Red Bluff, Corning, the Board of Supervisors and city councils who have been instrumental in making this happen.

Dering revealed that the navigation center had been decades in the making.

“We almost have it in other places, but God said, ‘No, this is not where I wanted it,’ so we didn’t have it there,” Dering said. “And finally, this place came about because it with all of the with all of the donations and everything.”

She thanked the whole community, stakeholders group, volunteers, paid staff and everybody who worked hard to make this possible.

“I could not be happier today,” Dering said. “Thank you.”

In the last year, the city has designated Samuel Ayer Park, on a trial basis, as a site where the police can ask homeless people to go to camp.

That decision played a part in moving the Civil War Days from Samuel Ayer Park and Dog Island to Cone Grove Park.

It’s expected that once the center is finished, people can be moved to the Navigation Center or elsewhere.

The collision occurred around 3 p.m. Saturday, June 10 south of the Champlin Slough, according to a press release issued Saturday by the California Highway Patrol.

Celeste Young, 67, of Los Molinos, was driving a 2015 BMW  in the southbound lane at an unknown speed. James Hartley, 54, of Los Molinos, was driving a Ford Ranger in the northbound lane at an unknown speed.

For reasons still under investigation, the Ford Ranger entered the opposing southbound lane and crashed head-on into the BMW, the release said.

Young and Hartley sustained fatal injuries and were pronounced deceased at the scene by emergency medical personnel.

The front passenger of the BMW, Marilyn Fitzgerald, 82, of Los Molinos, sustained significant injuries and was transported by ground ambulance to Enloe Medical Center.

This crash is currently under investigation by the CHP. Alcohol is not being investigated as a factor.

Chico Electric Owners Norm Nielsen described the family-owned Pacific Farms as showing love between generations, being innovative and actively engaged in the latest technologies like solar energy.

According to Nielsen, Pacific Farms has a very progressive energy utilization program. He said their vision and risk of implementing sustainable practices resulted in what is here today; a legitimate alternative to the utilities with their solar systems, totaling 300 kilowatts of power.

“The vanguard of a revolutionary energy trend, Pacific Farms solar has offset over 320 metric tons of greenhouse gas per year, that equivalent of powering nearly 65 homes for one year or consuming nearly 32,000 gallons of diesel,” Nielsen added.

Brendon Flynn accepted the award on behalf of his family and company. He touched on community legacy and gratitude and discussed his mother’s importance to their business.

“I think I mentioned that it is not as easy as it looks, right,”  Flynn said. “I think all those of us that do it understand that. We also understand not only is the team on the farm, but it is the entirety of the team that helped us get all these things done and get going.”

Chico Electric develop this award to honor the founder of Chico Electric, Cec Nielsen, honor an exceptional customer and recognize a local charity with a donation.

The company donated $5,000 to the Abbey of Our Lady of New Clairvaux. Father Paul Mark Schwan acknowledged Pacific Farms for choosing the donation to the monastery. He told the gathering the church and company have a great friendship spending nearly 70 years, dating back to the late 1950s.

“It really meant a lot to us that they would remember us in this in this very generous grant in memory of your father and what he tried and what he successfully created in our region in Chico,” Schwan said.

Congressman Doug LaMalfa was present at the ceremony and presented Pacific Farms with a signed recognition document from his office.

“We talk about our energy grid in this state; it is really stretched to the limit a lot of times, as we know, whether it is a power shut off because the wind came up, or just in general, not enough supply,” LaMalfa said.”We really need  what we are doing here today.”

Representatives from Assemblyman James Gallagher’s and Senator Brian Dahle’s offices likewise made the same gestures.