GOOD NEWS REAL NEWS HOMETOWN NEWS
SINCE 1916 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CVIII, NO. XVIII
THURSDAY, MAY 11, 2023
INVESTIGATION
Retired detective reflects on Nancy Woodrum murder case
Clint Cole discusses the investigation and resolution five years after he caught the case By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@atascaderonews.com
NORT H CO UNT Y — Last Friday marked the fiveyear anniversary of the murder of Nancy Woodrum. The Paso Robles hairdresser, mother, grandmother, and friend was murdered on Cinco de Mayo in 2018. Atascadero News sat down with recently retired San Luis Obispo County Detective Clint Cole to discuss the case from his point of view. Cole retired from the Sheriff ’s Department on March 10 after over 32 years of service, 10 of those years as a detective. In 2018, he was completing his first year serving as the first detective in the county’s cold case department. He is now famously known as the lead investigator on the Kristin Smart case, closing it after 26 years. While off duty at home on May 5, 2018, he received a call to come out to the suspicious scene of a
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EVENT
Record-breaking numbers show up for the seventh annual Tamale Festival
NANCY WOODRUM missing woman’s home. Woodrum lived off Geneseo Road towards the town of Creston. She lived alone in a studio apartment on the property with her daughter in another home there. Another larger home on the property was used as a vacation rental. On the weekend of her disappearance, a wedding party was renting the home. Woodrum was reported missing after not showing up to plans with two of her friends. Her daughter and neighSavina’s Home Made Tamales celebrates its first-place award in Traditional Tamale at the Tamale Festival. Contributed Photo bor checked on the studio, where they found the slid- The event was rained Atascadero Tamale Festival. skipping 2021 and returning After being rained out of its in 2022, it sold 37,000 tamaing door open, horses not fed, out in January but her belongings and cars there, original date back in January, les. Though final numbers of and blood seen throughout the made a triumphant the Tamale Fest took place on tamales sold this year aren’t return Cinco de Mayo May 6, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., quite in, Atascadero News, who home. Cole arrived on the scene to weekend Cinco de Mayo weekend at the was at the event, can report deputies and patrol cars. He Sunken Gardens. that multiple tamale vendors would be assisting the lead “This event got rained out in were out of certain varieties By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@atascaderonews.com detective on the case. While January, now we’re Cinco de of tamales by 12:45 p.m. Less waiting for search warrants Mayo, and it’s off the hook,” than two hours after the festito be approved, Cole and ATASCADERO — The said Deputy City Manager val kicked off. investigators took in the scene. crowds were bigger, the tamales Terrie Banish. “This is definitely the largest A bloody handprint was found went faster, and the party was In 2020 the event sold event now. It surpasses Cruise CONTINUED ON PAGE A9 hopping at the seventh annual 47,000 tamales, and after Nite,” added Banish. “We are
GOVERNMENT
Third annual ‘An Evening of Aloha’ brings fentanyl awareness to the community
pretty thrilled. We’re happy. There’s so much entertainment going on.” That entertainment included Francisco Ramirez as emcee, the ever-famous Dancing Horses, Manuel Enrique, who sang on his horse, Jungle Fire Band, Steppin Out Band, Mariachi Voces Tapatias, Dante Marsh & The Vibe Setters, La Marcha Sound, Mariachi Mexicanisimo, and CONTINUED ON PAGE A9
FENTANYL AWARENESS
Event celebrates the life of Emilio Velci, who died of fentanyl poisoning in 2020 Jim Lewis (third from left, back) is shown with his family and Atascadero City Council members after being announced as the next city manager, during the City Council meeting on Tuesday, May 9. Contributed Photo
By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@atascaderonews.com
Atascadero appoints James R. Lewis ATASCADERO — The community gathered at the as new city manager Pavilion on the Lake for the City Council presented with General Plan Update
Cammie Velci speaks at An “Evening of Aloha”. Photo by Rick Evans
ATA S CA D ERO —T h e Atascadero City Council met for its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, May 9, at 6 p.m. The hybrid meeting
was held in the City Council Chambers. At the top of the meeting, both the Agenda and the Consent Calendar passed with a unanimous vote. Fire Chief Casey Bryson addressed the council with a Public Hearing on Weed Abatement Hearing of Objections. “This is basically the second
piece of our weed abatement process and just kind of as an overview, to start off, wildfires are a major here in our community. This is a whole community issue, so this is one part where we all help, and we jump in,” Bryson said. “Weed abatement is probably the most critical component of our fuels management program. It
third annual “An Evening of Aloha” at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 6. The event included a Hawaiian dinner, hula entertainment, a silent auction, and a marketplace with local vendors, including Farron Elizabeth, Bloke, Red Road Leatherworks, Blueberry Jewelry, Body Bean, Stellar by Sabreena, and products from Hawaii provided by Po’s Island Delights.
Hosted by The Emilio Velci Share Aloha Project, it was started by Cammie Velci after the fatal fentanyl poisoning of her son, Emilio, in 2020. “We started this, and most of you know my story. My son took a counterfeit Percocet and passed away on March 9, 2020,” stated Emilio’s mother, Cammie Velci. “He had no intentions of
ELECTION
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NORTH COUNTY LIFE
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WEATHER
By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@atascaderonews.com
CONTINUED ON PAGE A9
passing away, he had a toothache, and he took Percocet, or what he thought was Percocet, and the person that gave it to him, sold it to him, deceived him into thinking that’s what it was, but it was pure fentanyl. So since then, I decided to raise awareness and spread the message of what is going on in our community and CONTINUED ON PAGE A9
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