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Volume 171 • Issue 59 | 75¢
mtdemocrat.com
Wednesday, May 18, 2022
Mountain Democrat file photo by Thomas Frey
Lindsay Piper pleaded no contest to second degree murder in the 2020 death of her stepson Roman Lopez. Lindsay and her husband Jordan Piper have been in custody for more than a year as suspects.
Stepmom enters no contest plea
Mountain Democrat photo by Thomas Frey
Juan Carlos Vazquez-Orozco follows Christopher Ross onto the elevator Friday, May 13, after receiving a sentence of 15 years to life for killing El Dorado County sheriff’s deputy Brian Ishmael.
Deputy’s killer gets 15 n DA reacts to judge’s
‘shocking’ and ‘lowest possible’ sentence Thomas Frey Staff writer More than two years since El Dorado County sheriff ’s deputy Brian Ishmael was murdered, Juan Carlos Vazquez-Orozco and Christopher Ross received their sentences Friday. Vazquez-Orozco — the man who pulled the trigger — was ordered to serve 15 years to life plus an additional five years. Ross was sentenced to 11 years and 8 months for his role after he called 911 to falsely report a theft of marijuana on his Sand Ridge Road property in south county. Ross had entered into an agreement allowing other people to grow marijuana on his property in exchange for money and a used Jeep. Vazquez-Orozco was tending to that marijuana grow.
Deputies arrived at the property greed resulted in the death of one in the wee hours of Oct. 23, 2019. officer and changed the lives of everyone involved forever.” Vazquez-Orozco was living in Lueras dropped all three gun a tent on the property and said enhancements and gave Vazquezhe had no idea authorities had Orozco what El been called. He Dorado County was armed and “That little girl didn’t prosecutors didn’t speak English. just lose her daddy but said is the lowest possible He was told her absolute hero.” sentence under to protect the the law. — Katie Ishmael, wife of slain marijuana Lueras sheriff’s deputy Brian Ishmael plants and justified her when he leniency, stating testified during that Vazquez-Orozco did not pose trial he told the court it was dark a danger to the public, that the and he couldn’t see who was on the property. He fired at Ishmael, crime was situational, that the crimes were merely the result of striking him four times, and misinformation and mostly the also injured San Joaquin County fault of the property owner Ross. deputy Josh Tasabia, who was on She noted the defendant was 20 a ridealong. years old at the time of the crime, After visiting Sacramento a fact that is already considered Superior Court Judge Sharon for purposes of early parole and Lueras handed Ross his sentence, that he had no known prior she spoke directly to him. criminal history. “You put this whole nightmare Following Friday’s sentencing into place,” Lueras said with a the El Dorado County District capacity courtroom hanging on n See sentence, page A7 every syllable. “Your lies and
Thomas Frey Staff writer During court proceedings Monday in Placerville Lindsay Piper pleaded no contest to second degree murder in the death of her 11-year-old stepson Roman Lopez, according to the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office. Roman was reported missing in January 2020, then found deceased in the Coloma Street rental house his father Jordan Piper, stepmother Lindsay and seven other children were staying in. Lindsay is scheduled to be sentenced July 8. Her not guilty pleas to child abuse and torture charges remain. The Pipers have been in custody facing murder charges since February 2021 as suspects in the January 2020 death of Lopez, who was found dead in the basement of the family’s Placerville home. For more than a year no information was released by police as they conducted their investigation. That all changed Feb. 4, 2021, when Placerville Police Chief Joseph Wren announced Jordan and Lindsay were arrested in Calaveras County on suspicion of child abuse and torture. Wren said the case involved the analysis n
See no contest, page A6
Planning Commission, BOS talk affordable housing Eric Jaramishian Sttaff writer The El Dorado County 2021-29 Housing Element, the county’s housing handbook of housing goals and policies, PLACE ADDRESS LABEL HERE
has been certified by the California Department of Housing and Community Development. C.J. Freeland, Housing Community and Economic Development department analyst, shared the news May 10 at an El Dorado County Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission joint affordable housing workshop to kick off the afternoon discussion. The discussion was geared toward creating policy and brainstorming ideas that would help accelerate affordable housing for low- and moderateincome earning households, as well as workforce and senior housing. County leaders considered utilizing
tiny homes as an affordable housing option, an inclusionary zoning policy and implementing affordable housing in new or existing mobile home parks. During the meeting Board Chair and District 4 Supervisor Lori Parlin asked about incentives for locals to stay in the county. “There’s houses being built and folks are getting out of the big cities, coming here and out-pricing our kids who want to stay in our communities,” Parlin said. District 4 Planning Commissioner Andy Nevis shared similar concerns for people who grew up in the county having trouble affording houses here. “One of the things that
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makes that (housing) happen is if the folks who are currently living in these homes are able to move up and purchase a larger home,” Nevis said. District 3 Planning Commissioner John Clerici commentated that because of the county’s more elderly demographic, residents are more likely to downsize their home, a perspective no one contested. “When we sell a home to someone who lives in the county, that then creates more housing opportunity as opposed to selling someone outside of the county,” Nevis added. In response Freeland said while it would be discriminatory to block outside homebuyers, there is a tradeoff.
Jeff Little, DDS
“Look For My Column On Page 3 Today!”
because it is out there, it is viable and working in different counties,” District 5 Supervisor Sue Novasel said. Berkeley-based real estate business BAE Urban Economics, which helped county staff prepare a housing study for the workshop, came up with the idea of including an inclusionary zoning policy and mandating developers to provide affordable units, which they determined could generate 581 singlefamily affordable units by 2041. “If we are serious about building affordable housing, we’re going to have to get serious about pre-investments to incentivize that,” District n
See Housing, page A6
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“In a specific program, if you offer an incentive, there is an exchange,” Freeland said. “(For example) if we were to give someone a deferral on, let’s say a down payment, either deed or workforce restriction, you can do that if you have enough skin in the game.” Different revenue streams would need to be considered if the county goes that route. Placer County was referenced often in the conversation for its workforce housing. Placer and Nevada counties were also referenced for the use of tiny homes, which county leaders seemed to be on board with. “(Tiny homes) are an important conversation to have regarding our Housing Element,
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