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Riverside County board OKs Hemet animal services compact, contract with forensic pathologist
VOL. 9,
NO. 143
Riverside Olympic medalist part of Pan American Games presidential delegation
By City News Service
By City News Service
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ormer John W. North High School track star and fourtime Olympian Chaunté Lowe is part of the threemember presidential delegation that will attend Friday’s opening ceremony of the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile. Lowe won a bronze medal in 2008 Olympics. She initially finished sixth, clearing 1.99 meters — approximately 6 feet, 5 inches. However, in 2016, the third-, fourth- and fifth-place finishers failed retroactive doping tests, moving her into third. She received her medal in 2017. Born Chaunté Howard, Lowe was fourth in the women’s high jump in the 2016 Olympics, sixth in the 2012 Olympics and failed to reach the final in 2008. Lowe led John W. North to the 2002 girls’ state track and field championship with second-place finishes in the high jump, long jump and triple jump. She won the girls’ state high jump championship in 2001.
See Olympic Page 27 | Images courtesy of the Riverside County Department of Animal Services and sheriff’s department
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he Riverside County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday signed off on a contract with Hemet to provide the municipality with county animal control services into the middle of next year at a cost of $1.21 million. The Hemet City Council approved the nine-month agreement with the Riverside County Department of Animal Services in early September. The compact runs from Oct. 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, with options for renewal. According to a city statement, the new compact “represents a significant step forward in animal welfare for the city, providing residents with access to a broader range of services and expertise in animal care and control.” An animal control officer will be assigned to the city full-time, and a new pickup truck will be acquired for the officer to use for patrol and retrieval operations, according to the agreement. “This contract with
Hemet will provide the city with a variety of services for the community and domestic pet population,” according to a Department of Animal Services statement. Over the previous decade, Hemet has contracted with the San Jacinto-based nonprofit Ramona Humane Society. But the city said the organization’s “decision to shift its focus away from animal control and enforcement duties to concentrate on finding homes for sheltered pets” prompted concerns among officials about the level of service going forward. A search was initiated for a replacement, and the Department of Animal Services “emerged as the best-suited partner to provide essential services,” according to the city. “The reopening of the San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus is perfectly timed for this new and exciting partnership with Hemet,” agency Director Erin Gettis said recently. “We are very much looking forward to
providing services and resources to Hemet residents and their pets.” The department provides animal control to most municipalities in Riverside County, as well as several entities outside the county. However, along with the Ramona Humane Society, the nonprofit Animal Friends of the Valleys also delivers animal control and shelter services in several locations, principally the cities of Murrieta and Temecula. Supervisors OK fiveyear contract with forensic pathologist The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a $1.3 million contract to retain an independent forensic pathologist over a five-year period to render autopsy services at the busy sheriff’s coroner’s bureau. In a 5-0 vote without comment, the board authorized Sheriff Chad Bianco to hire Dr. Richard Cheng-Wu Ou of Rancho Palos Verdes
without seeking competitive bids from other prospects, utilizing his services until June 30, 2028. “Due to the number of autopsies and external examinations the coroner’s bureau performs annually, it must retain qualified physicians on contract to meet the increasing demand,” according to a sheriff’s statement. “Forensic pathologists willing to take contract case work is optimal for both scheduling and cost. Due to the number of autopsies and external examinations that the bureau performs annually, it must retain qualified physicians on contract to meet the demand,” the statement added. Ou has been a practicing physician in the United States since 2016. He has been licensed to work as a pathologist in the state since January 2018, according to the Medical Board of California. His business office is on North Mission Road in Los
See Hemet animal services Page 27
Deputy, suspect exchange gunfire during hit-run arrest in Thousand Palms By City News Service
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deputy was shot and wounded by the sole passenger in an alleged hit-and-run vehicle and returned fire, injuring the suspect, while attempting to make an arrest in an unincorporated area of the county near Thousand Palms, authorities said Thursday. Deputies from the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station responded at 7:08 p.m. Wednesday to find a felony hitand-run suspect in the area of Ramon and Robert Roads, according to Sgt. Deirdre Vickers of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. Deputies stopped a vehicle with two people inside. “While detaining the driver of the vehicle, the passenger fired at deputies, and a deputy-involved shooting occurred,” Vickers wrote in a statement. “The suspect barricaded inside the vehicle and refused to follow commands.” The sheriff’s department’s Special Enforcement Bureau and California Highway Patrol subsequently responded to the scene to assist, according to Vickers. A deputy was struck by gunfire and taken to a hospital, where he remained in stable condition, Vickers See Hit-run Page 28