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Wallet leads to robbery suspect

Redding police officers arrested a Redding man early Thursday after they said he left his wallet at a crime scene.

“It doesn’t happen often,” Cpl. Bart Langley said. “We sure like it when they do it.”

He said Christopher Rich, 29, broke into a residence on Garden Avenue about 7 p.m. Thursday to steal marijuana from a medical marijuana grower. The victim, he said, confronted Rich, and a fight ensued.

The victim’s brother and dog both came to his aid against Rich, who grabbed a pair of trimming clippers and tried to stab the victim and the dog, Langley said.

Rich cut the victim’s hand, Langley said, dropped marijuana plants and ran off.

“During the struggle, Rich dropped some items — one being his wallet — which helped us identify the perpetrator,” Langley said.

Around 3 a.m., officers found Rich at a 7-Eleven store on Eureka Way and arrested him on suspicion of robbery, Langley said.

Police dog cinches DUI suspect arrest

With the help of a police dog, officers arrested a man who they say drove through two fences and hit a utility pole while intoxicated early Thursday morning.

Kenneth French, 23, of Redding, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, hit and run, resisting arrest and a probation violation, Redding police Cpl. Bart Langley said.

French was driving a Honda Civic past midnight when he drove into a fence on Girvan Road, near Eastside Road, before hitting another fence and ending up hitting a utility pole, Langley said. He said French was walking away from the car when officers arrived, and ran from the officers.

He jumped a fence into a private business and hid in a pile of scrap metal, Langley said. Officers sent Canon, a police dog, into the yard.

Canon found French and bit him, Langley said, and officers arrested French.

French was acquitted in July of attempted murder in an April 22 shooting at Enterprise Community Park and was sentenced last month to time served in jail and placed on formal probation for three years. .

DA Carlton to speak at NAACP forum

Shasta County District Attorney Steve Carlton will speak during a community forum Tuesday at the Martin Luther King Jr. Multicultural Center in Redding.

The forum — a fundraiser for the Shasta County chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People — is the third of its kind this year.

The forum will be preceded by a barbecue dinner for an $8 donation per person. The event begins at 6 p.m. at the MLK Center, 1815 Sheridan St.

Call 776-8165 or email for information.

Permits needed for outdoor burning

The burn ban for Shasta and Trinity counties was lifted as of 8 a.m. today, although those wishing to burn will still need permits.

Permits can be obtained by contacting the Shasta County Air Quality Management District at 225-5674, the North Coast Air Quality Management District at 707-443-3093 for Trinity County residents or by calling local California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection offices.

Dooryard burning permits won’t be required after Nov. 1, but those wishing to burn should still check the burn day status. Shasta County residents can call 224-8777 and Trinity County residents can call 866-287-6329.

A burn ban remains in effect for Redding and the Buckeye Fire Protection District through Nov. 1.

Call 225-2418 for more information.

More marijuana seized by deputies

Deputies with the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Marijuana Eradication Team seized more marijuana plants Tuesday after raiding illegal gardens a day earlier.

The team initially raided the garden Monday after two hunters reported the garden Sunday. Deputies destroyed more than 11,000 plants across four gardens but did not find anyone there. The sheriff’s office estimated the three men seen by the hunters left the area Sunday night.

Deputies seized about 500 pounds of processed marijuana and found a fifth garden with about 50 plants. The marijuana plants were destroyed.

The sheriff’s office is still investigating and is asking anyone with information to call 841-2900.

Riverside felon admits carjacking

A felon from Riverside County pleaded guilty Thursday in Shasta County Superior Court to carjacking, robbery and making criminal threats in connection with a December carjacking in Redding, prosecutors said.

Javier Rodriguez, 48, is to be sentenced Nov. 15 to 20 years, four months in prison under the terms of a plea bargain. Rodriguez must serve 85 percent of his sentence before being eligible for parole.

Melissa Brown, of Anderson, reported to police that a man later identified as Rodriguez got into her car near the intersection of Canyon Road and Highway 273 and pretended to have a weapon in his pocket. He took her cellphone, threatened to kill her and ordered her to drive.

He later demanded she get out of the car and he then drove away.

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