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Ukraine and Russia: What you need to know right now | Page B1
Weather: 103o/71o | Volume IV | Issue XXXIII
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REAL ESTATE | Page C2
Thursday, August 18 - 24, 2022
A FAITH
www.HSJChronicle.com |
B POLITICS
Newsom Announces Water Strategy for a Drier California
CLERGY CORNER: The Divided States of America
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PROFILES | Page D1
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D PROFILES
Rusty Strait: A 98 year-old Rookie? See more on page D1
HEMET, CA.
Hemet Business Meets Hemet Officials RUSTY STRAIT | SENIOR REPORTER
T
he first meeting between a selection of Hemet businessmen and women came off well. The second meeting this week pretty much set the pace for the future. Although there may have been a few quibbling questions. In baseball lingo, the meeting was at least a double, if not a triple. The City Attorney, Chief of Police Fust and City Council Members Karlee Meyer and Joe Males sat down with members of the Chamber of Commerce and others to go over the agenda. The agenda opened with statements from Chief Fust and the Hemet City Attorney and went on to hear from others regarding the establishment of "Business Improvement Districts." The City Attorney proposed a "Business Improvement District" and how it would be funded. He stated that he has had successes along that line with other cities. Taxation of a sort (supplanted by other forms of funding) seemed to go over as
one idea—more on that down the road. However, once a plan was voted on, it would not be changed except by a whole vote. Safety was the primary interest. Steve Norman spoke of the importance of safety being a concern to his clients. Any idea of using Measure "U" money was ruled out as a funding source. Both Councilman Mayes and Chief Fust made the point that the primary job of the Districts would be to solve existing problems, not creating new ones. Chief Fust said, "For years, Hemet has been doing things the "same old way, year after year," and that has to change. He further explained that "Changes are being made every day. It takes time to implement them fully. Goals should be our initial push toward the future. No need to look back to rescuing a failed past." It was generally agreed that the future is where we are going; we know the past - we've already been there. Yours truly asked the assemblage that if there was anything they might want to get out to the general about the accomplishments and future
Councilman Joe Males sitting on table; Hemet Police Eddie Fust to immediate right in photo. | Courtesy Photo of Rusty Strait.
ambitions of the group that the Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle would be more than pleased to carry the message forward. We are part of this community and
want to help improve it in any way possible. The meeting was adjourned as scheduled. Notice of the next meeting will be available to all
involved. Folks, it looks like Hemet is taking two steps forward instead
See MEETING on page A2
RIVERSIDE, CA
Ex-LA officer to be tried in shooting of mentally ill man AP NEWS | CONTRIBUTED
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PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID HEMET, CA PERMIT NO. 24640 92543-9998
former Los Angeles police officer who was off duty when he fatally shot a mentally ill man during a confrontation at a Costco store must stand trial on manslaughter and other charges, a judge ruled. Salvador Sanchez, who was a seven-year veteran of the LAPD at the time of the shooting in 2019, was charged by California’s attorney general after Riverside County prosecutors declined to file charges. Sanchez has pleaded not guilty to voluntary manslaughter and two counts of an assault with a firearm. Sanchez was with his young son at a Costco in Corona when he
was knocked to the ground from behind by 32-year-old Kenneth French. Sanchez opened fire, fatally wounding French and critically injuring French’s parents, Russell and Paola French. Sanchez had told investigators he believed French had a gun and that his life was in danger. Authorities said French was not armed and was moving away from Sanchez when the officer opened fire. Kenneth French was nonverbal and had recently been taken off his medication for mental illness due to other health issues, the family’s lawyer previously said, adding that the change may have affected his behavior that night. During Monday’s preliminary hearing, Superior Court Judge Samuel Diaz Jr. set Sanchez’s re-ar-
raignment for Aug. 29. Sanchez’s attorney, Michael D. Schwartz, said there is a far lower standard of proof required at preliminary hearings than at trials. “If these cases have shown us anything historically, it’s that people should withhold any determination until all the facts come out at trial,” Schwartz told the Southern California News Group. Last October, a jury in a lawsuit trial awarded $17 million to Russell and Paola French. The Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners ruled that Sanchez had violated departmental policy in the shooting. He was terminated from the agency in 2020. The French family’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Heavily armed police officers leave the Corona, Calif., Costco store following the fatal shooting of Kenneth French by an off-duty Los Angeles Police officer, June 14, 2019. A judge says a former Los Angeles police officer who was off duty when he fatally shot French during a confrontation at the Costco store must stand trial on manslaughter and other charges. | Photo by Will Lester/The Orange County Register/SCNG via AP, File.
HEMET, CA
MURRIETA, CA
Officer-Involved Shooting
80-year-old suspect in Murrieta child sex abuse captured at border
HEMET POLICE DEPARTMENT | CONTRIBUTED
On Saturday, August 13, 2022, at about 4:54 am, a Hemet Police Officer conducted a traffic stop of a Black BMW sedan for vehicle code violations. The driver of the vehicle initially pulled over and stopped in the 1700 block of W. Florida Ave. The officer attempted to contact the driver but the driver fled in the vehicle and a vehicle pursuit was initiated. The officers pursued the driver through several streets within the city limits of Hemet. At one point, the driver of the vehicle turned into a cul-de-sac in the 800 block of Coramdeo Ct. where an officer-involved shooting occurred. The driver of the fleeing vehicle continued to flee, and the vehicle pursuit continued. The pursuit eventually entered the city limits of San Jacinto where the driver lost control of his vehicle and collided into the
fence of a residence in the 600 block of Brinton Street, City of San Jacinto. The driver was successfully taken into custody by Hemet Police Officers soon after the collision. The Hemet Police Department's Investigation Bureau along with Riverside County Sheriff ’s Department Force Investigations Detail are working together in this investigation. This is an active and ongoing and anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact Hemet Police Detective Katie Rabago at 951-765-2426, or Riverside County Sheriff ’s Investigator Dan Moody at 951955-2777. If you have information about this case, you can reach us by telephone or the new Hemet PD smartphone app available for free via the Apple App Store for iOS devices and Google Play for Android users. Anonymous tips are always accepted.
CALENDAR OF VALLEY
MURRIETA POLICE DEPT. | CONTRIBUTED
An 80-year-old Chula Vista man who fled to Mexico to avoid capture was arrested for alleged sexual abuse of a Murrieta minor. In December 2021, the Murrieta Police Department began investigating the possible sexual abuse of a minor by a family member after the abuse was reported to the Riverside County Department of Public Social Services. The sexual assaults took place from 2019 to 2020 when the juvenile lived at a residence in Murrieta with the family member, according to the Murrieta Police Department. As a result of the investigation, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office filed a criminal complaint and an arrest warrant was issued in Jan-
Events
uary 2022 for Jesus Zavala for multiple counts of lewd acts on a child. The warrant included a $3 million bail amount. Prior to his arrest, Zavala fled to Mexico where he remained and avoided capture. The Riverside County Gang Impact Team was requested to locate and arrest Zavala. The Murrieta Police Department currently has a fulltime detective assigned to the Gang Impact Team. Zavala was detained and arrested on August 10 when he attempted to reenter the United States at the Tecate border crossing, officials said. He was transported back to Murrieta for booking on the felony charges. Anyone with information regarding Zavala is asked to contact Detective Travis Shows at 951-461-6340 or Sergeant Miguel Garcia at 951-461-6362.
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