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Volume 137, Number 23 — Locally owned since 1884
Plea deal reached for driver in fatal Winters crash By Lauren Keene McNaughton Media An Esparto man will serve probation and jail time for a February drunken-driving crash that resulted in his wife’s death, according to the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office. Joshua Douglas Muller, 30, pleaded no contest last Thursday to vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, Deputy District Attorney Frits van der Hoek said Monday. He is expected to be sentenced Aug. 5 to probation and 120 days in county jail. Muller and his wife, former Davis resident Sarah Morrissey Muller, were heading home from a “date night” in Winters at about 9:30 p.m. Feb. 22 when their sport-util-
Officer Urquhart retires after 19 years of service with Winters Police Dept. By Aaron Geerts
ity vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree on Railroad Avenue near Niemann Street. Muller, who was driving, had a blood-alcohol content of 0.14, nearly twice the legal limit of 0.08, police reported at the time. Friends and relatives of the couple, the parents of four children, called the crash “a tragic accident” that left Muller devastated. “This is not something that Josh would have ever wanted to happen. They were madly in love,” friend Ana Feliciano told sister publication The Davis Enterprise following Muller’s first court appearance. “I can’t wait for this to be over for their family. They (the children)
See CRASH, Page 6
Staff Writer Friday, June 26 marked the end of a 19-year career for officer Creig Urquhart of the Winters Police Department. As Urquhart reports for retirement duty, he also reflects on almost two decades of service. As long as he can remember, criminal justice has always been a part of Urquhart’s life. His father was a lawyer and he had aspirations of entering law enforcement at a young age. Life, however, doesn’t always provide a straight path. “I did six years in the Air Force Reserve,” said Urquhart. “After that I got married, had my first kid and went into commercial trucking. Then I got into the academy at 35.” Since beginning in
Yolo officials investigating 26 potential COVID-19 outbreak locations By Anne Ternus-Bellamy McNaughton Media Yolo County is currently investigating possible COVID-19 outbreaks at 26 different locations, including three religious institutions and 16 worksites, the county’s public health director said Tuesday. Eight of those locations are in Davis — including one associated with athletic activities at UC Davis — and nine in Woodland, while five are in West Sacramento and four in Winters or the unincorporated areas of the county, according to public health director Brian Vaughn. Vaughn did not disclose the identities of any of the locations as all investigations are ongoing
and outbreaks not yet confirmed. But they include a retail establishment, a restaurant, two schools, a childcare facility, two manufacturers and five food-packaging worksites. Additionally, possible outbreaks are being investigated at three longterm care or skilled nursing facilities in the county. “Twenty six active investigations … is an unheard of number for us,” said Vaughn. The investigations have arisen from efforts to trace the contacts of individual cases confirmed by the county in the last couple of weeks — a total of 243 over the last 14 days. The largest driver of new cases, Vaughn said, continues to be household gatherings.
Index Features ........................ B-1 Classifieds ................... B-4 Community .................. A-3 Opinion ......................... B-3 Real Estate ................... B-2 Athlete of the Week..... A-6
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The hometown paper of Judi Thomas
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Those social and family interactions involving multiple households are responsible for a third of cases reported between June 15 and June 28. But the new cases arising from those gatherings, Vaughn said, “are now spilling out into other places.” “There’s linkages to workplace exposures, to other close contacts that aren’t in the households,” he said. “So it’s spreading out there (in the community) as more and more people have the virus and they’re going out and going about either their work or other activities.” In his presentation to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Vaughn described one current case he said is
See UPDATE, Page 5
Courtesy photo
Officer Creig Urquhart served with the Winters Police Department for 19 years before his retirement June 2020. Urquhart is shown outside City Hall in 2004. Feb 2001, Urquhart spent years on the force as a firearm instructor, field training officer and a terrorist liaison officer. Even with years of diverse experience, parts of the job remained difficult no matter what. “The hardest part
of the job is getting a call and wanting to help, but sometimes you just can’t,” Urquhart said recalling his toughest challenge as an officer. “Sometimes we can’t help people as much as we’d like based on the situation and having to follow laws just
By Rodney Orosco Staff Writer When Yolo County Public Health Officer Dr. Ron Chapman announced his retirement in May, his deputy, Dr. Mary Ann Limbos, was named as the interim Public Health Officer. The Yolo County Health & Human Services Agency Director said she is looking to replace Limbos—and the interim Health Officer has not even started her job yet. Karen Larsen, the Yolo County Health & Human Services Agency Director, explained in an email to the Express that she had contacted several candidates to take over as the new interim Public Health Officer, meanwhile also seeking a permanent Public Health Officer.
Until a new interim is found, Limbos, whose first day on the job is July 1, will continue as interim Public Health Officer. “I have spoken to local people as well as people from throughout the rest of the state [about the interim position],” Larsen said. Larsen said public frustration and anger resulting from measures to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus played a role in Limbos wanting to stay out of the spotlight and remain in her role as deputy. “The Health Officer title has brought with it alarming political pressure and, in some cases, death threats from the public,” Larsen said. “Even the most dedicated public servants don’t generally sign
up for that.” “This has been a particularly difficult time to be a public health officer,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Gary Sandy.
Closed Session Confusion
On May 20, a county press release announced Chapman would resign and Limbos would be interim until a “permanent health officer is hired.” By the June 2 Board of Supervisors meeting, a closed session to discuss “Public Employment, Employee Appointment or Evaluation— Health Officer” was on the agenda. And, that closed-session item has since appeared on every Board agenda, for a total of four meetings.
See OFFICER, Page 5
Future subscriber: Keagan Matthew Smith
Rain for week: 0.00 in. *Season’s total: 13.37 in. *Last sn. to date: 39.26 in. Courtesy photo
Winters rainfall season began 7/1/20. Weather readings are taken at 9 a.m.
Kaplan and Danielle Smith of Winters are proud to announce the birth of their son, Keagan Matthew Smith. Keagan arrived on Thursday, April 16, 2020 at 8:13 a.m. at the Sutter Davis Birthing Center. He weighed 7 pounds, 13 ounces at birth, and measured 20.5 inches in length. Keagan joins his big sister Emersyn. They are both eighth generation Winters residents, dating back to the 1800’s through the Fredericks family. His Maternal Grandparents are Matt and Teri Murphy of Winters, and Paternal Grandparents are Salli Becker and Jerry Smith of Henderson, Nevada.
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Yolo County struggles to find committed Public Health Officer
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like everybody else.” Coming hand-inhand with the challenges, however, also come rewards. “When I get calls from guys I trained and they thank me because of something I did that helped them in their career,” Urquhart said. “It’s not often, but sometimes you get that call or letter from people in the community saying, ‘thanks for showing up, it helped me out.’ You feel like you’ve accomplished something and helped someone.” For police officers, patrols can be routine, an adrenaline rush and everything in between. The most exciting memory for Urquhart, he recalls, was a 45 minute, highspeed chase. “A couple years ago, a young lady stole a car and
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