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– Midweek Edition – VOLUME 173 • ISSUE 91 | $1.00
mtdemocrat.com
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2024
CROZIER FIRE INVESTIGATION
Suspect arrested, charged with arson Eric Jaramishian Senior staff writer
El Dorado County Sheriff ’s Office officers arrested a Placerville man suspected of starting the Crozier Fire which burned nearly 2,000 acres near Slate Mountain in El Dorado County. Law enforcement personnel from Cal Fire issued a warrant for the arrest of Jason Robinette, 48, following an investigation that determined the fire was intentionally set, according to a Cal Fire press
release. EDSO personnel arrested Robinette near In-NOut on Forni Road in Placerville on Sept. 16. The suspect was booked into the El Dorado County Jail around 9:30 p.m. and is charged with arson. The Crozier Fire, which began Aug. 6, burned 1,960 acres northeast of Placerville. Robinette is being held on $250,000 bail. The investigation was conducted collaboratively by Cal Fire, EDSO, the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Forest Service Law
Enforcement and Investigations Office. Cal Fire encourages the public to be vigilant and to alert authorities about suspicious fire activity, which can be reported at Cal Fire’s secure arson hotline at 1-800-468-4408. “Cal Fire law enforcement officers work diligently to investigate all fires and apprehend those suspected of starting fires,” a Cal Fire press release states. “From Jan. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2024, Cal Fire law enforcement Officers have made 91 arrests related to arson.”
Courtesy rendering
West River Hotels proposes a golf resort complete with a hotel and event venue on the old executive golf course in El Dorado Hills.
Mountain Democrat photos by Eric Jaramishian
Shattered glass and pieces of a vehicle are part of the destruction of Hong Kong Inn’s dining room after a vehicle crashed into the Placerville restaurant mid-morning Monday.
Driver crashes through Placerville restaurant Mountain Democrat staff Law enforcement officers are currently investigating circumstances that led to a man crashing his SUV into Hong Kong
Inn and other vehicles in Placerville late Monday morning. By noon on Sept. 9 the parking lot filled with first responder and law enforcement vehicles responding to the
incident at Ray Lawyer Drive. No injuries were reported or observed in the crash. Mountain Democrat employee Michelle Soto saw the incident in its entirety just after 11
a.m. in the Discovery Plaza shopping center. She happened to be outside when the driver of a white Toyota Highlander initially ■ See CRASH, page A5
MAIL LABEL
Central EDH visioning project unveils conceptual designs Sel Richard
Mountain Democrat corespondent The El Dorado Hills Community Services District Board of Directors held a special meeting last month to discuss options for the land known as Central EDH, still partially up for grabs from Parker Development. In November 2023 the CSD acquired the parcel primarily north of Serrano Parkway for $10 million. The purchase option for the remaining 41.5-acre parcel expires July 12, 2025. The current price is $9.96 million. West River Hotels owners Robert and Mike Leach presented a public/private partnership concept — development of a new public golf course, driving range and performance center — which they claimed would cost taxpayers nothing. “We’re El Dorado Hills residents,” assured Mike, who noted he attended Jackson Elementary, Marina Village Middle School and Oak Ridge High School. “My mom taught at Jackson Elementary for over a decade. We have roots here. We love this community. We want to see it grow.” The West River Hotel design sports a 9-hole golf course along with a small resort-style hotel, which would generate both transient occupancy tax revenue and ground lease revenue to the CSD. A third party golf course management company would manage and lease the golf course from CSD as an additional revenue source. The proposed 100-room hotel also offers 10 small cottages, a wedding and banquet facility that could seat 400 people, a freestanding restaurant, a golf pro shop and snack shack.
Firefighters talk with the driver of the Toyota Highlander, who witnesses and first responders say crashed into Hong Kong Inn and collided with two other vehicles late Monday morning.
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