Visalia Times-Delta from Visalia, California • Page C3

TIMES-DELTAADVANCE-REGISTER WEEKEND, JUNE 16-JUNE 17, 2012 3C Judge charged in theft George Fire in park is nearly contained couple owned in Santa Cruz after taking over as their power of attorney. By 2004, he had assumed control over almost all of Nutting's financial affairs, according to investigators. They say he sold off her art and other possessions, stored his 1957 Ford Thunder-bird in her garage and tried to bar her from returning to her home. He also persuaded her to loan him $250,000 at 3 percent interest, but only made eight payments on the loan until he was contacted by police, according to authorities. Nutting died in 2010.

Police began investigating the case after they were contacted by an attorney she had hired to try to regain control over her financial affairs. "The alleged conduct of Judge Seeman is disturbing and disappointing," said Teresa Dren-ick, spokeswoman for the Alameda County District Attorney's Office. "His alleged conduct is, in no way, a reflection of the outstanding caliber of judicial officers serving Alameda County." Drenick said she did not know whether Seeman had hired an attorney. Seeman was appointed to the bench by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2009.

He was presiding over misdemeanor arraignments when he was arrested. Among his decisions, he ordered four Occupy protesters to stay away from the University of California, Berkeley in March. The Associated Press OAKLAND An Alameda County judge has been arrested on suspicion of stealing at least $1.6 million from his 97-year-old neighbor after taking over the management of her and her husband's finances, authorities said. Paul Seeman is scheduled to be arraigned Friday on charges of elder theft, according to court and jail records. He was arrested a day earlier at the Wiley Manuel Courthouse in Oakland after a months-long investigation by Berkeley police.

Seeman, 57, is accused of fleecing Anne Nutting, his neighbor in Berkeley, following her husband's death in 1999, allegedly selling two properties the According to national forest service officials, natural barriers are being used on the northeast edge of the fire. This method is used where the terrain is too steep and rocky to allow for building fire break lanes. The technique also reduces risk for firefighters. With the bulk of fire crews gone, Lloyd Meadow Road, used to get access to some locations, has reopened. Also opened on Friday were Freeman Creek Trail and both Forks for the Kern and Jerkey Meadow Trailheads.

Lloyd connects to other trails and is a popular road used to get to the Golden Trout Wilderness, Alonzo said. Equipment used to fight the fire caused some damage to the road, Alonzo said. But repairs will be made in the next few By Luis Hernandez If hernanvisa liati mesde Ita Crews assigned to the George Fire burning at Sequoia National Forest are expected to be released this weekend, officials said Friday. The fire, which has burned since June 1, has blackened 1,700 acres and is 85 percent contained. The George Fire, dubbed as such because it originated near the George Bush Tree in the Giant Sequoia National Monument, is a large incident for June.

Sequoia National Forest's Denise Alonzo said as many as 1,000 firefighters were called out to the incident. But only about 40 personnel remained on Friday. "They could be released by the weekend," she said. weeks. Before being dismissed, the fire crews were performing patrols and repairing areas damaged during the fire suppression, Alonzo said.

The crews' assignment included doing restoration work on fire break lanes, hoping to prevent erosion. The fire was likely start by a visitor, Alonzo said. There was no lightning in the area when the fire started, she said. The fire's cause is still under investigation and a cost estimate for firefighting efforts is yet to be tallied. Dry weather, like the one recorded the last few months, makes for prime fire conditions, Alonzo said.

Forest service officials want park visitor to be cautious. "Be extra careful with fires at campsites and cigarette butts," she said. Man stabbed, bike Pot grow site discovered Visalia police Sgt. Amy Watkins wouldn't say if investigators believe it's the one used to stab the 22-year-old man. Still, the boy not named by police because he's a minor was arrested on suspicion of robbery and assault with a deadly weapon.

Police received a report of a stabbing near Houston and Highland at about 9:30 p.m. The wounded man also not immediately she was taken, raped grow, each plant would yield approximately a half pound of processed marijuana from each of the 100 plants," according to the report. Sheriff's officials estimated the street value of the plants at more than $4,000 per pound. No arrests have been reported in the case and the Sheriff's Department is seeking the people involved in the illegal marijuana growing operation. Anyone with information that could help investigators is asked to call the Sheriff's Department at 800-808-0488.

Information can be left anonymously through the Sheriff's TipNow program, by calling or text information to 725-4194. Information also can be emailed to Ramirez, who watched the president's Rose Garden announcement over a computer feed at Fresno State, where he's attending summer school, said he realizes this isn't a permanent solution to his problem but hopes it will give him and people like him some breathing room while federal lawmakers work on it. "I thought the president was right in his statements that this is not a fix. This is just temporary. This is not a change in the law," Ramirez said.

"Congress needs to act, to get something done, to fix the issue." He added that he hopes this also will give U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Tulare, time to get his fellow GOP representatives to support some similar legisla Too Short city of Oakdale she was blindfolded and abducted on Wednesday afternoon near Oakdale High School. According to police, she says she was then taken to an unknown location and raped before being dropped back off near the school. The suspect allegedly threatened to kill her if she reported the attack.

how the program will work, including how much immigrants will have to pay to apply and what proof they will need, still are being worked out. The administration officials stopped short of calling the change an administrative DREAM Act the name is an acronym for Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors but the qualifications meet those laid out in a 2010 version that failed in the Senate after passing in the House. They said the DREAM Act, in some form, and comprehensive overhaul By David Castellon dcastellvisaliatimesdelta.com Police say a man was stabbed and robbed of his bike Thursday in a north Visalia neighborhood. Soon after the incident near West Houston Avenue and North Highland Street, officers reported spotting a 15-year-old boy in the area riding the injured man's bike. The boy reportedly was carrying a knife, but Girl says The Associated Press OAKDALE Authorities in Central California are investigating a 16-year-old girl's report that she was forced into a pickup truck at knifepoint while walking home from summer school and raped.

The girl has told police in the Stanislaus County tion despite the congressman having voting against the Dream Act in 2010. Nunes described the legislation as a shallow effort by Democrats to pander to Hispanics. For his part, Ramirez said that based on what he knows of Rubio's bill, he supports it. Under Obama's plan, immigrants whose deportation cases are pending in immigration court will have to prove their eligibility for a reprieve to ICE, which will begin dealing with such cases in 60 days. Any immigrant who already has a deportation order and those who never have been encountered by immigration authorities will deal with the U.S.

Citizenship and Immigration Services. The exact details of For Your Weight? stolen identified by police told arriving officers that he had been in a fight with four or five people trying to steal his bike, and that he was stabbed. The wound appeared to be minor and the man was taken to Kaweah Delta Medical Center in Visalia, where he was treated and released, Watkins said. Police were trying Friday to identify other suspects in the case, Watkins said. Police Chief Lester Jenkins tells the Modesto Bee investigators have no reason right now to doubt the girl's story.

Police do not have a detailed description of the suspect. They are looking for an older model black pickup truck with paint missing on the hood and damage to the passenger side. of the immigration system remained an administration priority. Illegal immigrant children won't be eligible to apply for the deportation waiver until they turn 16, but administration officials said younger children won't be deported, either. The president's actions has drawn criticism from the GOP and Ramirez said he's concerned that political animosity triggered by the president's action may make it harder for lawmakers to come up with a long-term legislative solution on immigration.

Visalia Lie. 547201533 NOW AVAILABLE Nobody was there when deputies served a search warrant there at 7 a.m. According to a sheriff's report, detectives launched an investigation after patrol deputies had gone to the property on an unrelated matter. Deputies reported finding several sheds and outbuildings that had been heavily fortified, and inside they found sophisticated marijuana-growing equipment that included hydroponics gear, air conditioners, carbon dioxide generators and grow lights on timers. Detectives reported that it appeared to be a multistage operation with plants in various stages of development so about 100 marijuana plants could be harvested each month.

"On this type of indoor turned 16 and are younger than 30, have been in the country for at least five continuous years, have no criminal history, graduated from a U.S. high school or earned a GED, or served in the military. They also can apply for work permits that will be good for two years with no limits on how many times they can be renewed. "Many of these young people have already contributed to our country in significant ways," Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano wrote in a memorandum describing the administration's action prior to the president's speech. The policy will not lead toward citizenship but will remove the threat of deportation and grant the ability to work legally, leaving eligible immigrants able to remain in the United States for extended periods.

It tracks closely to a proposal being drafted by Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, a potential vice presidential running mate for Romney, as an alternative to the DREAM Act. others when they're having a rough day. "I've just decided to go on a new adventure, which is fashion, accessories and just to be out with the girls," she said. For those who want to see more of what Hot Mess has to offer, the grand opening event is 6-9 p.m.

June 22 and features a fashion show, deejay and appetizers in the lobby at 207 W. Main next to the store. By David Castellon dcastellvisaliatimesdelta.com Tulare County Sheriff's investigators are looking for a group that reportedly set up a sophisticated, indoor marijuana growing operation north of Woo-dlake. Investigators also reported that it appeared the property's electrical meters had been bypassed to illegally get free electricity to power the grow operation. The stolen electricity could have cost $75,000 a year, according to estimates provided to the Sheriff's Department by Southern California Edison.

Deputies reported finding 690 live marijuana plants Thursday at the property in 36500 block of Road 197. Ramirez Continued from Page 1C citizenship for young people who came to the United States illegally but who attend college or join the military. Obama's extraordinary step comes one week before he's scheduled to address the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials' annual conference in Orlando, and it could help him with Hispanic voters. Speaking with reporters Friday at the White House, Obama said his plan will make the system "more fair, more efficient and more just." He went on to say it "makes no sense to expel talented young people" who essentially are Americans and he was taking the action in the absence of action by Congress "to fix our broken system." Under the administration's plan, illegal immigrants will be immune from deportation if they were brought to the United States before they Boutique Continued from Page 1C dren grew and went off to school, she started longing for more and looking at possible retail options as an outlet for her love of fashion. She had found the store and its inventory for sale, but it was a big step.

Wood was hoping some of her close girlfriends would invest with her, but they couldn't. She was stuck, until one day, her husband sent her a text. "I'm going to cry just thinking about it. But he said, 'If you truly believe in this and want to do it, I support Wood said. The wheels were set in motion and Hot Mess Boutique was born the name taken from a phrase Wood said she and her girlfriends always use to describe themselves or Providing Very Special Care to Our Very Special Residents Serving the community for over 30 years! Professionally Managed Senior Assisted Living Our assisted living community operates 24 hours a day Park visalia A 8 F.

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