LOOK TO THE STARS Observatory to host public event. ■
IN EL DORADO HILLS
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INSIDE, B4
JULY 28, 2022
INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER CHARGES FILED
Guiding Hands staff back in court Village Life staff
Village Life file photo by Dylan Svoboda
Guiding Hands School Executive Director Cindy Keller, Principal Staranne Meyers and teacher Kimberly Wohlwend, from left, are seen here during a 2019 court hearing. They returned to court last week to enter not guilty pleas in the death of a 13-year-old student.
Three former Guiding Hands School employees pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter last week in the death of 13-year-old Max Benson. In an indictment filed by the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office July 15, school Executive Director Cindy Keller, Principal Staranne Meyers and special education teacher Kimberly Wohlwend are each accused of involuntary manslaughter, a felony. The indictment states the three women failed to perform a legal duty, which was criminally negligent and caused death. The school’s parent corporation, Guiding Hands School Inc., also is charged with involuntary manslaughter. The defendants appeared in El Dorado County Superior Court July 19, waiving time. A trial setting conference has been scheduled for 9 a.m. Sept. 2 in Department 2. Village Life previously reported that Benson, an autistic student, died in late
November 2018 after reportedly being restrained by staff at the school during a violent episode. While being restrained, Benson became unresponsive and a teacher then performed CPR. He died at an area hospital two days after the incident. Wohlwend was the employee who restrained Benson, according to prosecutors. One week after the student’s death the California Department of Education suspended the school’s certification. An investigation by the California Department of Education found that school staff may have violated state rules regarding student restraint. The CDE determined that school staff’s actions were “harmful to the health, welfare or safety” of Max. Benson’s family lived in the Davis area and he was placed in the El Dorado Hills school by the Davis Joint Unified School District. For 25 years Guiding Hands School, which closed in January 2019, was a ■
See CHARGES, page A3
El Dorado County Grand Jury looks into EDH LLADs Sel Richard Staff writer
Photos courtesy of El Dorado County Animal Services
Both living and dead dogs were pulled out of an El Dorado Hills home and the woman who lives there now faces serious charges.
Dogs rescued from EDH home Village Life staff An El Dorado Hills woman has been arrested in connection with a local animal cruelty case. About one month ago El Dorado County Animal Services staff was made aware of possible animal abuse at a residence in the area of Tea Rose Drive in El Dorado Hills. Arrested on felony animal cruelty charges and taken into custody without incident on July 19 was Sandra Sharlene Tidwell, 49. The woman was connected with the Sierra Nevada German Shepherd Rescue group, according to authorities. ■
The El Dorado County Grand Jury recently published results of an investigation into the El Dorado Hills Community Services District’s management of Landscape and Lighting Assessment Districts. The analysis, released June 30, focused on calculation of assessment amounts, the appeals process, rental income credits and possible conflicts of interest between the CSD and LLADs. Several of the 13 findings covered engineering reports, generated by the CSD’s consultant David Taussig and Associates, which were deemed inadequate. Amendments to address this were recommended, such as “This again points defined calculation toward the lack of for the special and general benefit using understanding of each LLAD’s unique boundaries, an itemassessment districts ized list of improveby the reviewers in ments, more readable boundary maps, this civil grand jury deferred maintenance projects and usage surprocess.” veys. Additionally, the report noted that the — EDHCSD General Manager CSD does not transKevin Loewen fer the general benefit amount specified in the engineering reports to the LLADs. In particular, the report called out Heritage Park in the Carson Creek LLAD, which had not been accepted by the CSD despite collecting and increasing yearly assessments since fiscal year 2015-16. Differences were found between the CSD assessment file sent to the county Auditor-Controller’s Office and the property tax statements for Carson Creek LLAD for fiscal year 2019-20 and fiscal year 2020-2021. Carson Creek LLAD has already been approved for refunds for two years of assessments requested via an initiative the parcel owners filed. As to the directive that the CSD should recalculate the maximum assessment for Carson Creek LLAD using the current number of benefit units, EDHCSD General Manager Kevin Loewen maintained this would require a total reformation of the LLAD. “That would be the same with the recommendation to reap-
See RESCUE, page A3
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See GRAND JURY, page A4
INSIDE NEWS VOL. 29
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ISSUE NO. 30
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SPECTACULAR SCENERY
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FROM THE COMFORT OF HOME
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