HALL OF FAME: Eight Wildcats slated for induction MORE IN SPORTS: Volley 'Cats continue roll; defeat Bullfrogs in 3,jC1
INSIDE: State, nation andworld news, A5
THE MOTHER LODE'SLEADING INFORMATION SOURCE SINCE 1854 • SO NORA, CALIFORNIA
WEDNESD AY
OCTOBER 7, 2015
Fowlertrial H
TODAY 'S REABiRBOA RB
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BRIEFING By TORI THOMAS The Union Democrnt
He did not move. Not when the judge said his statements to police did not add up. Not when thejudge found
the boy guilty of stabbing to death an 8-yearold in her home. N ot whe n
hind him, "I love you." After a 17-day trial, Calaveras County Superior Court Judge Thomas A. S mith Wednesday afternoon found h is stepmother Fow l e r theteenager guilty ofsecondcalledout from degree murder in the death of a seat in the courtroom be- Leila Fowler.
The boy, now 15, was 12 in April 2013 when the murder took place. He will be sentenced at 1:30 p.m. Nov. 4. He faces being held in juvenile detention until he is 23. Afterthe verdictwas read,
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the boy's father stormed out of the packed Department 3 courtroom. Other family members shouted their disapproval. Someone came into the courtroom and hurled an See TRIAL / Back Page
Ag in the C aSSrOOm — Annu-
SIImmer Ville
CALAVERAS COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS
al event sponsored by the Tuolumne County Farm Bureau and Calaveras/Tuolumne Cattlewomen's Association drew hundreds of thirdgraders to the Mother Lode Fairgrounds Tuesday.A2
Threats bring felony
Board ofSupel
charges
VISOrS — Tuolumne
County requests state, fed aid for trees.A3
By SEAN CARSON The Union Democrat
OPlnlOn — Policyreform from outside (and in spite of) Washington.; A Rose for racial reconciliation.A4
Each of the four students suspected of p l anning a mass shooting at Summerville High School have been charged with eight felony
BUSINESS
counts of conspiracy to com-
• TRUE TO TRADITION:Detail, history count for father-son restoration team.B1 • SCAM WARNING: The Tuolumne County Chamber of Commerce wants to warn businesses of an email scam.B1 • GENDER EQUALITY: Gov. Brown approves expansive new equal pay protections.B1
mit assault likely to produce great bodily injury and will be prosecuted as juveniles, Tuolumne County District Attorney Laura Krieg said. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 11 years behind bars. The students, whose names were not released because they are juveniles, were arrested at their homes Friday aflernoon and are in custody after an investigation by the Tuolumne County SherifFB Office revealeda plottotarget a lis tofstudents andteachers at aspecificschoolevent. A detention hearing set for 1 p.m. Wednesday in front of Judge James Boscoe at the Tuolumne County Superior Court will determine wheth-
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NEWS TIPS? File photoI Union Democrat
Hundreds of firefighters and community members attended a briefing at 7 a.m. Sept. 14 before going out to battle the massive Butte Fire.
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Frogtown hops along after devastating Butte Fire
home.
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The Union Democrat
See CHARGES / Back Page
Three weeks ago, thousands of firefighters and emergency personnel overflowed the temporary incident command at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds in response to the Butte Fire. Today, it is like they were never
• The Union Democrat in a Tuesday article incorrectly attributed a comment about the nationalTV media coverage of the Summerville High School threats to Summerville High School journalism teacher Brianna Willis. She did not make the remark and was not at the meeting where the remark was made. • Also Tuesday, The Union Democrat incorrectly reported the location of a tour sponsored by the Tuolumne County Historical Society at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The tour will take place at the Old City Cemetery on Jackson Street in Sonora.
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By JASON COWAN
CORRECTIONS
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er the students may return
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Two men arrested after chase, shooting
e
ffutest • IMle
even there.
Nearly a week aRer the blaze was contained and responders at Frogtown have moved on to other assignments, the empty grounds show little remnants of the little city created there to fight the massive fire. "Cal Fire does a really good job of leaving a property like they found it," said Laurie Giannini, CEO and fairmanager of the Calaveras Jason Cowan / Union Democrat County Fairgrounds. The parking lot at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds is nearly empDue to the fire and the establish- ty. Weeks ago, it would've been packed with emergency vehicles ment of a base camp on the grounds, and firefighting personnel responding to the Butte Fire. a number of events, such as a cross
country meet and the Calaveras County Business Symposium/Expo, had to be canceled or rescheduled. But the loss of business and use of resources was irrelevant to Gi-
Union Democrat stag
A man was arrested Tuesday morning and charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm after another man fleeing from deputies was shot trying to break into his home, according to a Tuolumne County SherifFs Of-
''We went into this thing not the right thing to do." knowing if we were going to be reWith the destruction of the blaze imbursed for any of it. But it really behind them, Giannini and the fairwasn't about that," said Giannini. grounds have shifled the focus to"My boardwould've done this,even if it was everything. Because it was See FROGTOWN/Back Page
fice press release.
The series of events began when a Tuolumne County SherifFs deputy attempted to stop a man riding a motorcySeeARRESTS / Back Page
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