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172
SUN CONSTRUCTION
C ali forn ia’s Olde st Ne w spaper
nd
Volume 172 • Issue 91 | $1.00
mtdemocrat.com
Wednesday, August 9, 2023
– E s t. 18 51
Courtesy photo
Special education transportation driver Tarik Manasrah is taken into custody by sheriff’s deputies Friday, Aug. 4.
Bus driver accused of sexual assault Isaac Streeter Staff writer
An El Dorado County Office of Education special education transportation driver was arrested Friday on suspicion of sexual assault. The El Dorado County Sheriff ’s Office received an initial report of Tarik Manasrah, 42, committing sexual assault on a dependant adult May 31, according to Sheriff ’s Sgt. Kyle Parker. EDSO detectives and the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office collaborated on the investigation, culminating in Manasrah’s Aug. 4 arrest. The investigation is ongoing and the DA’s Office victim witness representatives are contacting families of students Manasrah drove. EDCOE’s Director of Communications Dina Gentry released a statement Sunday regarding Manasrah’s arrest. “The employee has been placed on administrative leave,” Gentry states. “All employees of our county office go through a thorough background check through the Department of Justice or the n See arrest, page A6
Mountain Democrat photo by Eric Jaramishian
Trash, abandoned cars and other junk are littered throughout the front of a Pollock Pines residence on Ridgeway Drive. The owners of the property face daily fines and a potential misdemeanor charge for code and health violations, according to county officials.
Problems persist at Pollock Pines property Eric Jaramishian Staff writer Owners of a property on Ridgeway Drive in Pollock Pines still have not cleaned out the residence after it was left in a state of disarray to the point of becoming a health and safety concern. Neglected animals found there have since been re-homed but the blighted sight remains. Neighbors in the area complained about the property, located at 6955 Ridgeway, where there is an accumulation of piles of trash, propane tanks, gas tanks and abandoned cars. The property is in violation of various building and health code regulations and multiple notices were slapped on the outside of the property, according to El Dorado County spokeswoman
Carla Hass. One of the violations carries a misdemeanor charge and will be up to the county District Attorney’s Office to determine if prosecution is necessary for the violation. The DA’s Office did not comment whether it will pursue charges. Hass said representatives of Village Capital and Investment, the company that owns the property, told the county they would have the site cleaned up by Aug. 3. On Monday Aug. 7, the property appeared untouched. The El Dorado County sheriff ’s deputies executed a search warrant on the property, which appeared to be abandoned. Accompanied by Animal Services and code enforcement staff, those present during the search warrant found animals n See Problems, page A5
Tahoe’s ‘Hank the Tank’ and cubs relocated California Department of Fish and Wildlife News release
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Wildlife biologists for the California
Department of Fish and Wildlife on Friday immobilized a large female conflict bear responsible for at least 21 DNA-confirmed home break-ins and extensive property damage in the South Lake Tahoe area since 2022. Her three cubs were also captured in the effort. Pending a successful veterinary check, CDFW secured permission from the state of Colorado to transport the female black bear, known as 64F, and place it with The Wild Animal Sanctuary near Springfield, Colo., which has agreed to care for it in its expansive facilities. This black
bear is one of multiple bears identified by the public last year as “Hank the Tank” based on visual observations. Colorado Parks and Wildlife has the authority to approve only one such placement and is using that authorization for this bear. Relocation is not typically an option for conflict animals over concern that relocating an animal will relocate the conflict behavior to a different community. However, given the widespread interest in this bear, and the significant risk of a serious incident involving the bear,
Courtesy photo
n See Hank, page A6
Hank the Tank is destined for a wildlife sanctuary in Colorado and her cubs a rehabilitation facility in Sonoma County.
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