C ALI FORN IA’S OLDE ST NE W SPAPER
– E S T. 18 51
– Midweek Edition – VOLUME 174 • ISSUE 65 | $1.00
mtdemocrat.com
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2025
MAX BENSON DEATH
Judge confirms three plea deals Chris Woodard Staff writer
El Dorado County Superior Court Judge Mark Ralphs has formally accepted plea agreements for three former staff members of the now-closed Guiding Hands School, bringing an end to a yearslong criminal case stemming from the death of 13-year-old Max Benson. Ralphs had postponed sentencing in June after hearing concerns regarding the plea deals offered by the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office. Following a review of case materials, he confirmed the agreements during a hearing on Aug. 8. Under the plea agreements, former administrator Cindy Keller and principal Staranne Meyers each received four years of probation. Former teacher Kimberly Wohlwend was sentenced to two years of probation and must attend a 52-week child abuse prevention program. None of the three will serve prison time. The case drew widespread attention due to the ■ See SENTENCES, page A9
Mountain Democrat photos by Noel Stack
Save the Graves President and self-professed taphophile Mike Roberts demonstrates how to properly clean a headstone during a volunteer event at Greenwood Pioneer Cemetery on Aug. 9.
VOLUNTEERS SCRUB THE SLUDGE from hist ical headstоes
Noel Stack Editor
Photo courtesy of EDSO
Shawn O’Donnell is taken into custody after his arrest last week in El Dorado County.
Local man accused of child sex crimes Mountain Democrat staff
PLACE ADDRESS LABEL HERE
A Cameron Park man is behind bars, accused of sending explicit content and arranging meetings for sexual encounters with
juveniles, according to the El Dorado County Sheriff ’s Office. Shawn O’Donnell was arrested Aug. 5 by detectives from the EDSO Investigations Unit and booked into the El Dorado County Jail on suspicion of oral copulation with a minor, sending of explicit material to a minor, contacting a minor to engage in sex acts, pandering and human trafficking. He is listed in custody and being held with no bail. O’Donnell was employed as a janitorial supervisor with Natoma Station Elementary School. The FolsomCordova Unified School District released a statement after the suspect’s arrest. “These allegations ■ See ARREST, page A5
DON’T MISS
S
crubbing history is never advised … unless you’re doing it the Save the Graves way. About two dozen people gathered Saturday morning to clean historical headstones at Greenwood Pioneer Cemetery. Led by Save the Graves President and selfprofessed taphophile Mike Roberts, National Charity League, Boys Team Charity and other volunteers took on the heat, the stickers on the unmowed grounds and the lack of a bathroom to ensure important pieces of El Dorado County’s colorful past survive for the next generation — at least. “We’re prolonging the life of these headstones and that’s important,” Roberts told the crowd before work began, noting that when people can read the headstones it piques their interest in learning more about the people buried there, building a connection between past and present. “This is not about doing this perfectly,” he stressed. “It’s about getting the nasty, crusty stuff off. By doing that we could extend its life by 100 years. That’s pretty cool.” Greenwood Pioneer
Gold Mine
The
Published bi-monthly in the Mountain Democrat and Village Life
Above, Carrie and Tai Southerland clean up the White family marker during Saturday’s volunteer event. The Douglas family of El Dorado Hills, below, works on two headstones at the Greenwood Pioneer Cemetery. Left to right are Taylor, Ashley and Tucker. Cemetery, located off Highway 193 north of Georgetown, was established in 1852. Its headstones are mostly granite and marble — some of that rock had to “come from around the Horn,” Roberts noted — with a few wooden markers as well, which the volunteers were advised not to touch. Roberts did encourage “hands on” the stone markers. “Love it. Own it,” he said. “Put your hands on it and make sure it’s solid.” Roberts made note of wobbly headstones, which he said would be cared ■ See CLEANING, page A5
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