Rifle-armed suspect arrested in Aguanga

Diane Sieker Staff Writer

Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies from the Hemet Station responded to the area of Tule Valley Road and Evening Star Trail in Aguanga in reference to a report of an armed man, Saturday, Jan. 21 at 6:28 a.m.

According to Riverside County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Sergeant Wenndy Brito-Gonzalez, an RSO helicopter arrived at the scene and was able to get a visual of the suspect in the 44400 block of Tule Valley Road. The suspect saw the helicopter and pointed a rifle directly at the aircraft, triggering the helicopter to climb altitude. A ground containment was established by additional deputies and the suspect eventually surrendered without incident.

“Spent shell casings, ammunition and a couple of long guns were recovered at the scene,” Brito-Gonzalez said.

The individual was transported to the county jail where he was booked into custody.

The Hemet Sheriff’s Station is committed to the safety of the residents they serve. The goal of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department is to keep all citizens social media groups, power was lost in some areas due to the heavy wind gusts. Crews from the Anza Electric Cooperative quickly repaired the damage.

“Ok, I’m done with this wind, it almost blew me over,” Valerie Young said. “I don’t know where the wind gauge went but I swear it was at least 50 mph or more at my place. I gotta get another gauge so I can measure this miserable wind.”

Southern California is battered annually by the Santa Anas, where powerful, dry winds pummel miles of land and sea. The National Weather Service defines these events as strong down-slope winds that blow through the mountain passes. These winds, which can easily exceed 40 miles per hour with isolated gusts as high as 70 mph or more in narrow passes,

A Riverside County Sheriff’s helicopter orbits over a reported suspect wielding a gun Saturday, Jan. 21 in Aguanga. safe while also improving the quality of life for those residing within the community. Criminal activity negatively impacts the community. The Riverside

County Sheriff’s Department has a zero-tolerance policy for these offenses. If you suspect criminal activity in your area, please contact the

Hemet Sheriff’s Station at 951791-3400 or call 911.

Criminal activity can also be reported through the We-Tip Crime Reporting Hotline, 909-

987-5005 or https://wetip.com. Diane Sieker can be reached by email at dsieker@reedermedia. com humidities of the year to affected areas. Combined with a warm, compressionally-heated air mass, plus high wind speeds, this weather can create critical fire weather conditions.

According to Robert Fovell in a paper he wrote for the University of California, Los Angeles in 2002, the Santa Anas are named after Southern California’s Santa Ana Canyon and are a part of local legend and literature. He wrote, “In Raymond Chandler’s story Red Wind, the title being one of the offshore wind’s many nicknames, the Santa Anas were introduced as ‘those hot dry [winds] that come down through the mountain passes and curl your hair and make your nerves jump and your skin itch. On nights like that every booze party ends in a fight.’ Local legends associate the hot, dry winds with homicides and earthquakes, but these are myths.”

Another popular misconception, Fovell wrote, is that the winds are usually warm and dry and can severely exacerbate brush or forest fires, especially under drought conditions.

The NWS explains that Santa Ana winds occur when air from a region of high pressure over the dry, desert region of the southwestern U.S. flows westward toward low pressure located off the California coast. This creates dry winds that flow east to west through the mountain passes in Southern California. These winds are most common during the cooler months of the year, occurring from Sept. through May.

Santa Ana winds typically feel warm or hot because as the cool desert air moves down the side of a mountain, it is compressed, which causes the temperature of the air to rise.

These powerful wind events may also bring the lowest relative are hot due to their desert origin. Actually, he said, the Santa Anas develop when the desert is relatively cold, and are thus most common during the cool season. High pressure builds over the Great Basin and the cold air there begins to sink. However, this air is forced downslope which compresses and warms it at a rate of about 10 degrees Celsius per kilometer, 29 degrees Fahrenheit per mile, of descent. As its temperature rises, the relative humidity drops; the air starts out dry and ends up at sea level even drier. The air picks up speed as it is channeled through passes and canyons. Beside the lower humidities and winds fanning wildfire flames, Santa Anas often cause a great deal of other damage, including turbulence and vertical wind shear in which winds exhibit substantial change in speed or direction with height, both posing aviation hazards. They can cause massive dust storms, impeding traffic both in the air and on the ground. Not only can they blow trampolines away and drop trees, they can also pose a threat to high-profile vehicles traveling on the roads.

Prepare for Santa Ana wind events by securing loose outdoor items such as patio furniture and garbage cans, park your automobiles away from trees and power lines, and make sure your trees are trimmed, healthy and away from any structures or power lines. Have your emergency kits ready, with enough food and water for each person in the home in case the power goes out for an extended period of time, safety officials suggest.

While considered a nuisance, the Santa Ana winds are a fact of life in the Anza Valley and residents must do what they can to weather these winds of change.

Diane Sieker can be reached by email at dsieker@reedermedia. com

To learn more about Hamilton Elementary School, visit them at https://hamiltonel.hemetusd.org. Diane Sieker can be reached by email at dsieker@reedermedia. com

Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies were informed that San Diego Sheriff’s Office had located the subject in their jurisdiction and they took over the investigation.

MISSING from page D-1 Palomar. He was reported missing Friday and Sunday he was found after a helicopter search was conducted. He didn’t make it. Travis leaves behind a wife and young son,” said family friend Tom McGiffin.

“A helicopter and plane were searching the whole area back and forth most of the day,” said a witness.

The victim was located and found dead at the scene. He was later identified as Travis James Richards, 43, of Aguanga.

“My young friend Travis went out on his side-by-side Polaris Friday up a dirt road alone on

The approximately 24 mile long Palomar Divide Road 9S07 is a popular truck trail used by mountain bikers, hikers and offroaders.

Diane Sieker can be reached by email at dsieker@reedermedia. com

The search for a missing Aguanga man took place on the Palomar Divide Road 9S07 area Sunday, January 22.