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C a l i f o r n i a ’ s O l d e s t N e w s pa p e r – E s t. 18 51
Artists capture California’s beauty. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2020
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Volume 169 • Issue 7 | 75¢
mtdemocrat.com
Placerville names 3 retail pot outlets Pat Lakey Staff writer
With the kind of drama normally attached to the announcement of the next Miss America, three candidates to sell recreational marijuana within Placerville city limits were to be officially named during Tuesday’s City Council meeting at Town Hall. City Manager Cleve Morris, in the role of Bert Parks, issued a preview announcement late last week, however, ending the suspense for the nearly dozen applicants still in the running for three available locations to set up shop to sell pot. Topping the list of three was Sacred Roots at 651 Main St., Chuck’s Cannabis Collective at 1318 Broadway and Reserve House, 560 Placerville Drive. Should any of the trio not be able to satisfactorily complete an additional background check that has a price tag of $300 per owner/operator and $150 each for other employees, or fail to pay a processing fee of nearly $1,070 and a business license fee in an amount yet to be determined, three alternates also were named. The alternates are Cannatopia & Partners at 163 Placerville Drive, Cannabis Nation at 241 Placerville Drive and finally, One Plant Placerville at 2850 Cold Springs Road. The council in 2018 had approved allowing recreational marijuana sales in n
Democrat photo by Krysten Kellum
Crime scene tape surrounds a Coloma Street home in Placerville Sunday afternoon after a missing 11-year-old boy who may have lived at the residence was found deceased. Cause of death or where Roman Lopez’ body was located has not been released by law enforcement officials.
Missing boy found dead
police say ‘suspicious’
See Pot, page A7
District 2 race
Kevin Loewen wants to serve in a new way
Roman Anthony Lopez Pat Lakey Staff writer
Dylan Svoboda Staff writer El Dorado Hills Community Services District General Manager Kevin Loewen is running to represent District 2, which encompasses south county, Kevin Loewen much of Cameron Park and portions of Shingle Springs and El Dorado Hills, on the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors. Loewen lives in the Placerville area with his wife Lara and their three boys, Kevin Jr., Lucas and Oliver. The 38-year-old said he aims to bring an open governance approach to county operations. If elected, Loewen told Village Life he hopes to close the communication gap between constituents and elected officials. “We really need to be out there and taking the input, communicating with those residents we serve,” Loewen said. “Whether it be neighborhood or community groups, we need to hear them out and make sure we’re collecting enough information to meet their needs. Someone is always going to be unhappy but we still need to give them the time of day to be heard.” n
See Loewen, page A6
An 11-year-old boy reported missing in an alert issued by Placerville police Saturday — then later declared “located” in a follow-up online announcement from the Police Department — ultimately is said to have died under “suspicious” circumstances in a press release distributed to area media Sunday. Neighborhoods within a mile or
n
See Death, page A6
Democrat photo by Krysten Kellum
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tragic story. The dearth of information and rampant speculation sparked fear in the neighborhood where it is believed the boy’s body was found or perhaps where he met his death, with the house at 2892 Coloma St. roped off with yellow crime-scene tape throughout Sunday. It was not confirmed that the “suspicious” death occurred on the premises where police and El Dorado County crime scene investigators were seen moving about; small yellow flags inside a pickup truck parked on the property likely indicate where crime scene investigators thought potential evidence exists. The 4-wheel drive, white Chevy pickup truck bore a license plate out of Indiana, A425538. A second, silvergray, pickup truck also had its doors opened wide Sunday — by Monday that vehicle remained on the property but the white truck was gone. TV vans topped with broadcasting antennas were seen parked in the area Monday, near the New Wine Christian Fellowship Church on the
El Dorado County sheriff’s crime scene investigators were parked outside of the New Wine Christian Fellowship that neighbors the Placerville home where detectives were seen Sunday collecting evidence.
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Three Years Straight!
so of where Roman Anthony Lopez’ body is believed to have been found, in a house next-door to a red, ivycovered church at the corner of Bee and Coloma streets, were combed by searchers Saturday, with volunteers joining law enforcement in trying to find the missing youth. Residents’ doors were knocked on nearly to midnight Saturday, with the community breathing a sigh of relief when police posted on social media the next day that Roman had been located. Comments posted online were to the effect that thank goodness, the boy is safe. But he wasn’t, as news media and the public learned at 2 p.m. Sunday when police held a brief press conference at the station, drawing news crews from at least three Sacramento area TV stations along with local reporters. The briefing by police Sgt. John Meuser contained sparse information, with no cause of death discussed, no mention of where the boy’s body was found, nor by whom. No questions were taken afterward and the paucity of information was mentioned in TV newscasts that evening regarding the
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