Warriors open basketball playoffs with a win
WEEKEND EDITION
Page A2 FRIDAY, February 21, 2020 S E R V I N G O U R C O M M U N I T Y S I N C E 1 8 7 9 • W W W. T R I P L I C A T E . C O M
Suspect in Smith River hit-and-run arrested By David Hayes Staff Writer
T
he California Highway Patrol arrested Flaviano Tovar Soltero on Feb. 13 for the hit-and-run incident that killed Patrick McConkey on Jan. 2 in Smith River. According to CHP officials, around 9:30 p.m. Jan. 2, McConkey was walking on the west shoulder of Highway 101 just north of Timbers Boulevard when he was struck by a van. CHP Cmdr. Larry Depee
Flavian Soltero called the subsequent investigation “tedious” due to no physical evidence left by the
suspect vehicle at the scene of the crime. Depee credited the hard work of CHP officers, Josh Cook, as the primary investigator, and Ted Luna, who did the majority of followup, which led to tracking down Soltero. “There was no physical evidence left at the scene. There was a pretty extensive amount of followup to find him,” Depee said. “With so little to go on, it required a lot of tedious work to go through the evidence presented to ultimately track down the vehicle and ulti-
mately to the suspect.” Their investigation led to the questioning and subsequent arrest of Smith River resident Soltero, 29. According to findings, Soltero failed to stop after striking McConkey with a grey Honda Odyssey van then continued southbound on Highway 101. The Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office online booking records incorrectly lists Soltero’s first name as “Flavano.” Soltero was booked into the Del Norte County Jail and was charged with hit-
and-run resulting in death, vehicular manslaughter and obstructing a public officer. His bail was set at $100,000 bail. Depee said the obstruction charge stemmed from Soltero’s attempts to cover up the crime. “He was not completely forthcoming when we interviewed him at first,” Depee said. “He took extensive measures to try and cover up his involvement in the collision.” Depee added he couldn’t go into further detail about the obstruction measures Soltero took before the case
goes to trial. “We’re obviously relieved to be able to find the person who did this and hold him accountable for what he did,” Depee said. “You never want a hit and run suspect out and about in the community.” McConkey was a father of four who worked at a lumber mill in Roseburg, Oregon, according to his sister Jeannie Sutherland’s Facebook page. He was originally from Del Norte County. Soltero was arraigned in court Tuesday, according to the CHP.
Award Ceremony
Police Officer Alex Pearson
City honors officer with Heroism Award Staff Report
Above: Del Norte Sheriff Erik Apperson addresses the crowd of officers and their families at the second Del Norte Sheriff’s Office Awards Ceremony. Left: Del Norte Sheriff Erik Apperson pins ribbons onto Cmdr. Grant Henderson and Cmdr. Bill Steven. Right: Del Norte Erik Sheriff Apperson stands next to Helena Long as she gives an opening speech. Photos by Jessica Goddard.
Sheriff recognizes deputies for their work in 2019 Staff Report Sheriff’s deputies took a rare break from the action to attend the 2020 Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office Award Ceremony. Deputies in full uniform trickled into the Elks Valley Rancheria, accompanied by proud family members, and
awaited announcements from Sheriff Erik Apperson. Sheriff Apperson conducted the ceremony, which was held on Wednesday, Feb. 12, to recognize deputies for noble deeds and diligent work. He also took time to acknowledge the past year’s law enforcement deaths and suicides in the state.
Throughout the evening, he delivered nearly 30 awards and certificates, honored community partners and highlighted those behind the scenes of the department. “I couldn’t be more proud or humbled by the men and women of the DNSO. I’d put this staff up against any department,
and I believe that the communities we serve make up the best county in our state,” he said in his opening speech. Among the most notable awards was the medal of honor bestowed upon Deputy Alex Pearson and Cmdr. Bill Steven
Crescent City Police Officer Alex Pearson was honored Feb. 18 at the City Council meeting with an Act of Heroism Award for life-saving actions he took while with the California Highway Patrol three years ago. Police Chief Richard Griffin got emotional while recounting the events of Feb. 16, 2017. Three years ago, Feb. 16, 2017, there was an incident on Highway 101 South near Klamath. CHP Officer Jose Martinez was involved in a wreck. His car ended up under a semi-truck and then caught on fire. “What happened next is nothing short of heroic,” Griffin told the council members. “What I watched on the body cam video of then Deputy Alex Pearson is almost unexplainable.” He was the first officer on the scene. He went back and forth, trying to extract Martinez from the vehicle, including cutting safety belts and ripping stuff out of there. “Mind you, this is while the vehicle is almost completely engulfed in flames,” Griffin said. “What I saw was a person, I know this because he told me, that day if someone was going to die, he didn’t want them to die alone. I’m very proud to have Mr. Pearson with us on the Crescent City Police Department. And I wanted to make sure that even after three years, this is recognized.” Last week, Pearson was recognized with the Medal of Valor from the Del More Heroism on Page A7
More Awards on Page A4
Warriors boys take league team wrestling title By David Hayes Staff Writers
The Del Norte High School Warriors show off their championship banner from the Humboldt-Del Norte League Championship Feb. 15 at Arcata High School. Courtesy photo.
INDEX Crosswords................................................ A5 Crossword Answers ....................................B7 Calendar.....................................................B1 Classifieds...................................................B3
The historic run for Del Norte High School sports continues into the wrestling program. After finishing undefeated in the regular season for the third consecutive year, the Warriors swept into the Humboldt-Del Norte League Championships at Arcata High School and overwhelmed the competition. Both the boys and girls squads sent 10 wrestlers into title match-
FORECAST FRIDAY
53 41
SATURDAY
52 44
es and walked away with six champions each. En route to the individual accolades, the boys ran away with the championship banner with 202 team points. Fortuna High School was a distant second place at 151 points. Additionally, senior Skyler Moore secured the outstanding wrestler award for the tournament. The girls squad, in just its second year of existence, took second place, just 17 points behind perennial powerhouse Eureka. The Warriors are sending 24
wrestlers — 13 boys with one alternate, and 11 girls — to the Sectional Championship today. The boys will be at James Logan High School in Union City and the girls travel to Albany High School, in Albany. Warriors coach Clinton Schaad said this is one of the most successful results the program has had in his 18 years coaching, the last five as head coach. “The 13 boys seeded down More Wrestling on Page A2
TIDES SUNDAY
51 42
LOW HIGH LOW HIGH
Sat Fri Sun 4:00AM 4:43AM 5:21AM 9:50AM 10:33AM 11:12AM 4:49PM 5:24PM 5:56PM 11:26PM 11:57PM
$1.50