The end of an era
Our 167th Year
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F R I DAY, S E P T E M BE R 9, 2 02 2
Queen Elizabeth II dies; she leaves legacy of popularity and good will in Britain and around the world
Queen Elizabeth II, seen visiting Berlin in 2015, was known for her royal elegance and her downto-earth warmth.
By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR
Queen Elizabeth II — the longest reigning monarch in Britain’s history and a head of state known for her warmth and smile during countless visits around the world, including Santa Barbara — has died. She was 96. Buckingham Palace reported that Her Majesty died peacefully Thursday at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Prince Charles, the son of Queen Elizabeth II and the late Prince Philip, is now King Charles III. His wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, is now the Queen Consort. The palace said the couple was
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Elizabeth became the queen in 1953 at age 25.
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staying at Balmoral Thursday night and would return to London today. (In February, Queen Elizabeth said she wanted Camilla to become the Queen Consort, which is the traditional title for a woman who becomes queen through marriage.) Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, who live in Montecito, left Thursday for Scotland. King Charles III issued a statement on Twitter: “The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family. “We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother,” King Charles said. “I know her loss will be deeply felt through the country, the Realm and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world. “During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which The Queen was so widely held,” King Charles concluded. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden issued their statement following the queen’s death. “Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was more than a monarch. She defined an era,” they said. “In a world of constant change, she was a steadying presence and a source of comfort and pride for generations of Britons, including many who would have never known their country without her.” Queen Elizabeth’s death comes just two days after she carried out her constitutional duty at Balmoral of appointing Liz Truss as her 15th
NEWS-PRESS FILE PHOTO
Queen Elizabeth flashes a smile to thousands greeting her in Santa Barbara County in this 1983 NewsPress photo.
prime minister. Before that, she met with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who resigned. As a constitutional monarch, Queen Elizabeth II couldn’t make political decisions or take sides in politics, but she served as a symbol of unity — someone who could inspire Britain, the Commonwealth and even the world during the best and worst of times. Politics rocked from one side to another, and prime ministers came and went. But the queen was the symbol of stability Please see ELIZABETH on A6
Santa Barbara man to be arraigned in murder case By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
A Santa Barbara man will appear in Superior Court today for arraignment on murder and other charges connected to his allegedly providing fentanyl to another man who died after overdosing on the drug. Defendant Dillon James Joseph Johnson, 34, had been scheduled to enter a plea to the charges against him on Tuesday. His arraignment was postponed to Thursday, but on Thursday, it was continued again to today. “It got continued until tomorrow by the public defender so they can check for a conflict of interest,” District Attorney Joyce Dudley told the News-Press on Thursday. Santa Barbara Police officers were dispatched to the 100 block of State Street on April 29 for a report of a found body. The deceased 30-year-old male, Mathew Justin Dyet, was discovered with narcotics and drug paraphernalia in his possession, police said. “The cause of death was determined to be acute fentanyl intoxication,” Sgt. Ethan Ragsdale said. Over the course of several months, Santa Barbara Police detectives and Santa Barbara County District Attorney investigators investigated this death. Detectives learned during their investigation that Mr. Johnson was identified as the suspect who had distributed the decedent the fentanyl that caused his death. A Santa Barbara County Superior Court judge authorized a search warrant associated with this case. It is believed that Mr. Johnson directly supplied the deadly drug to the decedent that caused his death. After months of investigation, Santa Barbara Police detectives served the warrant Sept. 1 and arrested Mr. Johnson in the 7100 block of Hollister Avenue, Goleta. A search after his arrest revealed quantities of fentanyl and other narcotics that constitute possession with the intent to distribute, Sgt.
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Ragsdale said. The suspect was booked at the Santa Barbara County Jail for murder and numerous felony narcotic violations. His bail was set at $1 million. Prosecutors charged the defendant with murder, claiming the fentanyl he allegedly provided Mr. Dyet caused his death sometime between April 28 and April 29. He also is charged with the transportation and/or sale of a controlled substance (fentanyl) during the same time period. In addition, the defendant is charged with possession for sale of a controlled substance (fentanyl), sale and/or transport of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), and possession for sale of a controlled substance (fentanyl) in connection with his Sept. 1 arrest. “Mr. Johnson is innocent unless and until he is proven guilty,” District Attorney Dudley said Thursday. “As to these charges, in general, when anyone knew or should have known that their actions could cause death to another the appropriate charge is murder.” Senior Deputy District Attorney Anthony S. Davis told the News-Press Thursday that there is another, similar homicide case that also was filed very recently. That one, against co-defendants Jonathan Fleischer and Edward Wysel, stemmed from an OD death investigation by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, he said. “Both defendants are currently in custody, were arraigned in late August, and are set for a preliminary hearing on Oct. 7,” he said. “As Joyce indicated, these are the first two cases of their kind filed locally, where individuals were charged with murder for providing drugs leading to someone’s death,” Deputy District Attorney Davis said. “Her comments, regarding innocence until proven guilty, as well as the appropriateness of charging anyone with murder under such circumstances, apply to all three charged defendants.” email: nhartstein@newspress.com
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Missing hiker’s body found By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Search-and-rescue crews discovered the body of missing hiker Tim Sgrignoli on Thursday morning, the fifth day they had hunted high and low for signs of the Ventura man in the hope of finding him alive. But despite their best efforts, and those of multiple K-9 dogs and personnel flying helicopters and drones, it was not to be. “We found the missing hiker deceased about 9:20 this
morning,” Cmdr. Erik Raney of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office told the News-Press. “He was found by one of the search teams dispatched to a specific area.” Cmdr. Raney said. “He was located 20 feet off the freeway just north of the Gaviota Tunnel.” At this point, the Santa Barbara County Coroner’s Office has taken over the investigation in terms of determining the cause and manner of death, he said. The office staff were called to the scene and took possession of the
young man’s body. Cmdr. Raney said the coroner’s investigation could take three weeks. “Obviously heat was a related factor, but we don’t have any other information,” he said. Mr. Sgrignoli’s family, who live in Florida, and his girlfriend, who lived with him in Ventura, were at the scene Thursday as they have been all week when they received the news that he hadn’t made it. “Obviously they were devastated,” Cmdr. Raney said. Please see HIKER on A6
LOTTERY
i n s i de Classified.............. B4 Life..................... B1-2 Obituaries............. A4
COURTESY PHOTO
Search-and-rescue workers, including those at the Command Post pictured above, spent five days looking for hiker Tim Sgrignoli. The hiker’s body was discovered Thursday.
Sudoku................. B3 Weather................ A4
Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 24-25-28-39-44 Mega: 26
Thursday’s DAILY 4: 8-2-2-7
Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 6-17-46-59-68 Mega: 2
Thursday’s FANTASY 5: 1-5-12-17-32
Thursday’s DAILY DERBY: 03-05-02 Time: 1:40.83
Wednesday’s POWERBALL: 3-16-30-33-36 Meganumber: 20
Thursday’s DAILY 3: 9-4-3 / Midday 8-8-4