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Volume 173 • Issue 3 | $1.00
mtdemocrat.com
Monday, January 8, 2024
Roman Lopez murder
Father gets 15 years prison time Mountain Democrat staff
Roman Lopez
Jordan Piper has been sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for the 2020 murder of his 11-year-old son Roman Lopez. The sentence is the maximum possible, according to the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office, and came in a Placerville courtroom Thursday, Jan. 4. Piper is already in prison, in federal custody, serving a
15-year prison term for charges stemming from sexual exploitation of a child unrelated to Roman’s case. Piper’s prison time for Roman’s murder will run concurrently with his federal sentence. After his sexual exploitation sentence has concluded, he will be transferred to a state prison to serve the remainder of his time. “Justice has been served for Roman,” said El Dorado County
Jordan Piper District Attorney Vern Pierson. “Both his father and stepmother are now being held
accountable for their incomprehensible cruelty, abuse and death of their child and will spend a very long time behind bars.” Last July, Roman’s stepmother Lindsay Piper was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for her role in her son’s death. The sentencing hearing was conducted remotely via WebEx due to Jordan Piper’s
incarceration in Federal Prison. At the sentencing hearing, 10 victim impact statements were presented to the court by family members from around the country, who were also present online. Erin Rice, the best friend of Roman’s mother, Rochelle Lopez, and who served with her in the military, was among those to address Jordan Piper during last n See piper, page A3
2023
County’s growth In in studied ahead the of TIF update The Mountain Democrat looks back on some of the
NEWS
Eric Jaramishian Staff writer
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El Dorado County is planning a major update to its Traffic Impact Fee program, which funds transportation improvements needed to accommodate residential and commercial growth. In preparation for the TIF program overhaul, which is scheduled to happen Jan. 9, the county called on BAE Urban Economics Inc. to conduct a study on updated housing and employment growth projections. The findings, presented to the Board of Supervisors Dec. 5, are expected to assist the county in fine tuning its travel demand models. Matt Kowta, with BAE Urban Economics, showed the board that
9,996 new housing units are estimated to be constructed by 2045 on the West Slope. In that same timeframe, 6,776 new jobs would be created by 2045 on the West Slope. The figures come from averages of estimations from sources that include the California Department of Finance, the Sacramento Area Council of Governments, county GIS data and Caltrans, and utilize previous 2018 estimations as a base for the studies. While the starting point for projections will move up from 2018 to 2023, the average annual rates of housing units and employment growth are not expected to change significantly, according to a BAE Urban memorandum. Projections show between 15% and 20% in residential growth from 2018 to 2045, even though a California Department of Finance report shows a decline of 7% in the county’s population. “That, of course, varies by county and subarea within the county depending on certain circumstances, but even for El Dorado County, they are projecting a loss in population,” Kowta said. “That does not necessarily translate directly into a loss of housing units but it is indicative of a trend and n See TIF, page A3
top headlines of the past year.
EDHCSD buys part of golf course to stop development Noel Stack Managing editor After years of negotiations, public meetings and plan revisions, the El Dorado Hills Community Services
District reached a deal with Serrano Associates LLC to acquire 66 acres from the developer for $10 million. The agreement encompasses the purchase of 55 acres of the old Executive Golf
Course and the donation of 11 acres abutting the archery range along El Dorado Hills Boulevard, extending toward Wilson Boulevard. The board will use
Mountain Democrat file photo by Eric Jaramishian
The portion of the old golf course property to be acquired by the El Dorado Hills Community Services District is north of Serrano Parkway.
cash on hand for the initial purchase of land and plans to explore local funding options, including a publicly funded bond measure, for acquisition of “option property.” The remaining golf course property on the south side of Serrano Parkway closest to Highway 50 covers 41.5 acres and comes with a $9.96 million price tag ($240,000 per acre). The approved agreement affords the CSD and community 18 months to obtain funding/financing for that second purchase once escrow has closed n See golf course,
page A3
Principal guilty of child sex crimes Odin Rasco Staff writer
on suspicion of cybercrimes involving minors that had The principal of been investigated Pioneer Elementary by the El Dorado School arrested on County District suspicion of sexual Attorney’s Office. communication of a When arraigned minor pleaded guilty Oct. 19, Holler faced to felony charges in four charges of sendDecember. ing pornography Boyd Holler Boyd Holler, to a minor with a 37-year-old Pollock Pines the intent to seduce and four resident, was arrested Oct. 17 charges of contact with a minor
for sexual offense; he pleaded not guilty to all counts. “Despite (Holler’s) outward appearance as a pillar in the educational community — he has a sexual interest in children that he appears to have kept hidden for some time,” reads a court document submitted by the DA’s Office. In the month prior to his arrest, Holler started speaking n See Holler, page A5
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