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
Volume 169 • Issue 87 | 75¢
mtdemocrat.com
Monday, July 27, 2020
Veterinarian faces trial on animal cruelty Dawn Hodson Staff writer
Mountain Democrat file photo by Kevin Christensen
Dr. Dean Bader, seen here during an earlier court appearance, will face charges related to the mistreatment of hundreds of animals at a Shingle Springs property.
High schools sticking to online format
Twenty-two dead animals were found in refrigerators and freezers on the property. Some of the removed animals had to be euthanized later due to poor health. Three witnesses testified at Bader’s hearing: Capt. Alexis Shaw and field officer Deb Burge with Animal Services and James Peterson, an investigator with the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office. All three were present when the Winstons were served with an eviction notice and the animals removed from the rental property. Shaw described the property as including a large, two-story home, a barn and a trailer. Charel Winston lived upstairs in the house while Alma Winston (Charel’s wife) lived in the trailer along with her elderly mother and seven birds, 14 cats, 59 dogs and a fish tank. Describing the conditions in which the animals were kept, Shaw noted they were kenneled in stacked cages without food and
Shingle Springs veterinarian Dr. Dean Bader will be held over for trial it was decided at a July 22 preliminary hearing in El Dorado County Superior Court Judge Daniel Proud’s courtroom. Bader faces three counts of cruelty to animals and failure to report animal abuse or cruelty in connection with the arrest and conviction of Alma and Charel Winston. The Winstons were evicted from their rented property in Shingle Springs May 2, 2019, with more than 300 animals removed by El Dorado County Animal Services. In January of this year the couple pleaded guilty to multiple accounts of felony animal cruelty as well as injury to an elder adult. Those animals included 12 birds, 27 cats, 153 dogs, 70 pigeons, five chickens, 14 ducks, one goose, five goats, nine exotic animals (lizards and fish), 20 horses and two alpacas.
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See Bader, page 6
Al fresco experience
Jana Rossi Staff writer After a two-hour meeting held via Google Meet, parents learned the possible fate of their children’s education with a confirmation sent out the following day. On July 21 El Dorado Union High School District officials proposed that the fall session should begin with distance learning, citing limited resources available to hold in-person classes in a safe manner. The proposal went to the EDUHSD Board of Trustees and was relayed to parents via email July 22. “... our recommendation to the board is to focus our energy on distance learning to start the school year and pivot to in-person learning as soon as it is safe and we are cleared by Public Health,” states the letter signed by EDHUSD Superintendent Ron Carruth. n
See High School, page 11
Mountain Democrat photo by Kevin Christensen
Mountain Democrat photo by Kevin Christensen
A helicopter with PG&E contract employees departs from the Placerville Airport Thursday to locate hazardous vegetation and trees that pose a threat to power lines.
This fire season PG&E hopes for less impact
Heyday Café owner Ben Carter, above, clears plates after a family finishes dinner in the new outdoor area the downtown Placerville restaurant set up. Carter and other El Dorado County restaurants adapted their seating capacities by expanding outdoor service with wooden barriers and other innovative methods after Gov. Gavin Newsom announced July 13 a statewide ban of all indoor dining due to recent surges in COVID-19 cases. At right, customers enjoy al fresco dining at Pizza Bene! in Placerville. Mountain Democrat photo by Kevin Christensen
Dylan Svoboda Staff writer After power shutoffs left El Dorado County residents in the dark last fall, PG&E officials claim it’ll be much different this fire season. During the July 21 El Dorado County Board of Supervisors meeting, PG&E spokesman Brandon Sanders said the beleaguered utility company took significant efforts to shorten and narrow power shutoff events and reduce wildfire risk in El Dorado County. Infrastructure-wise, several PG&E projects are already either finished or under way. Throughout the West Slope, the company n
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See Impact, page 6
Mountain Democrat photos by Jana Rossi
Wally’s Pizza Bar in Cameron Park added a parking lot tent to accommodate diners like Elizabeth and D.J. with son Julius, above right. Mimosa House’s outdoor seating was expanded into the courtyard at El Dorado Hills Town Center, above left. Seen here are happy diners Patsy Bunfill and Krissy Mangan, celebrating Delaney Mangan’s (right back) 10th birthday with best friend Cadyn Nettleton and brother Reese Mangan.
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