DOUBLE DRAFT
ART WALK
Oak Ridge pitching pair called up to MLB programs.
Explore downtown Placerville’s great galleries and have some fun this Saturday evening.
Sports, A8
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VOLUME 170 • ISSUE 83 | 75¢
mtdemocrat.com
FRIDAY, JULY 16, 2021
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Suspect dashes and splashes Mountain Democrat staff
Mountain Democrat photo by Eric Jaramishian
El Dorado County sheriff's officers surround a section of Fowler Lane in Diamond Springs Wednesday morning where a man was found dead.
Sheriff investigating another Diamond Springs area death Eric Jaramishian Staff writer
Panther Lane. Deputies and investigators then The El Dorado secured the area as County Sheriff ’s Office they searched for is investigating another clues on the cause of “suspicious death” in death, blocking off the Fowler Lane area the scene with road of Diamond Springs. barriers and crime A man, who sheriff ’s scene tape. officials described as Law enforcement “a person of interest,” officers declined to was reportedly found say if the man was dead in the middle related to Cilley, who of Fowler early was a resident of Wednesday morning, Diamond Springs. about two blocks While the man from his residence, has been identified which is also the home and his next of where 63-year-old kin notified, the Jeanie Cilley’s body Sheriff ’s Office is Mountain Democrat photo by Eric Jaramishian was located Friday, withholding his name Fowler Lane at Panther Lane is closed of Wednesday as investigators searched for July 9. Cilley’s death, as they continue the clues in a “suspicious death.” which sheriff ’s officials investigation. originally reported as There is no killed has not been released. “suspicious,” was determined to be a immediate threat to the public at Sheriff ’s officials say they got a call homicide after further investigation. this time, according to sheriff ’s at 2:55 a.m. Wednesday when the Information as to how Cilley was officials. man’s body was found just south of PLACE ADDRESS LABEL HERE
A Reno man and woman suspected of stealing packages off the front porches of Placerville area homes were apprehended Tuesday after reportedly leading officers in a chase that ended poolside in a Schnell School Road area backyard. A Barret Drive homeowner was alerted that afternoon when their surveillance system captured two suspects stealing packages from their front porch, according LEE DUCKETT to a news release from the Placerville Police Department. The homeowner was able to provide a description of the suspects’ vehicle to police, who located the red Chevy Malibu on JESSICA NICHOLS Airport Road and Broadway. Police say the pair then sped off in the Malibu in an attempt to evade officers. Just short of a mile down the road officers watched the Malibu pull into the parking lot of the Golden Waffle Cafe, where they were able to bring the vehicle to a stop. Jessica Nichols, 33, and Lee Duckett, 36, reportedly exited the vehicle and fled from officers on foot. Nichols was quickly apprehended while Duckett took off for the El Dorado Trail, where he found an entrance to the Louisiana Schnell School campus, according to the news release. Staff at the kindergartenthrough-fifth-grade school alerted police, who were able to track Duckett down, reportedly hiding out in a swimming pool on property adjacent to campus. Both Duckett and Nichols were booked into the jail in Placerville on suspicion of grand theft and resisting arrest. Police say that due to recent bail reform neither Duckett nor Nichols had a set bail and were cited and released by jail staff. Officers reportedly recovered several stolen packages and a set of golf clubs. All of the stolen property has been returned.
County housing plan to be workshopped El Dorado County CAO El Dorado County’s housing supply will be the focus of a public workshop and joint meeting of the Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission Monday. The discussion will center on the county’s draft Housing Element and how the county will provide an adequate housing supply in the future. The workshop will take place at 9 a.m. in Building A of the government center in Placerville, 330 Fair Lane, and via Zoom. “El Dorado County’s housing boom began with the California Gold Rush and
continues today,” said Board Chair John Hidahl. “With unmatched rural beauty, endless recreational opportunities and award-winning public schools, the county provides an unparalleled quality of life. Those attributes continue to create a high demand for housing as the Sacramento region grows while the population in California overall has declined.” El Dorado County is tackling the issue of housing head-on with a variety of policies and programs in its recently released draft Housing Element update, which covers the unincorporated area of the county for 2021-29. State law requires
local jurisdictions to update the housing element of their general plan every eight years to identify policy or zoning changes that may be needed to accommodate enough housing for current and future residents across all income ranges. The Housing Element establishes the county’s strategy for improving and preserving the housing stock, expanding housing opportunities for various economic segments and, along with the Land Use Element, provides policy guidance for decision-making related to ■
See HOUSING, page A3
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