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PLACERVILLE • 85 Placerville Drive (530) 303-8962 • JACKSON 705 S. State Highway 49 • (209) 560-6676 C ALI FORN IA’S OLDE ST NE W SPAPER
– E S T. 18 51
– Midweek Edition – VOLUME 174 • ISSUE 49 | $1.00
mtdemocrat.com
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18, 2025
Plea deal for three involved in student’s death questioned ■ Sentencing delayed for
former school staff Odin Rasco
Mountain Democrat correspondent Three employees of the now-closed Guiding Hands School in El Dorado Hills who recently entered no contest pleas to charges related to the death of Max Benson, a 13-year-old with autism spectrum disorder, were not sentenced as expected on Monday,
June 16, following a decision by Judge Mark Ralphs to postpone the hearing in light of concerns raised with the plea deals proffered by the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office. Guiding Hands School, a private kindergarten through 12th-grade school in the El Dorado Hills Business Park open for 25 years, served more than 100 children from 22 school districts across the Sacramento Valley whose needs couldn’t be met at their home or public schools. Max, whose family lived in Davis, had recently
‘Distasteful budget’ calls for layoffs Jo Carrerow
Mountain Democrat correspondent
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In the fiscal year 2025-26 recommended budget approved by the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors June 10, budget reductions included layoffs — 11 filled positions and 28.20 vacant positions. “So, this is mainly due in general government … reducing vacant and some filled positions,” El Dorado County Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Sue Hennike said during her budget presentation. Layoffs will take place in the Board of Supervisors division (1), Chief Administrative Office (6.60), Health and Human Services Agency (1), Planning and Building (1), Registrar of Voters (.40) and Surveyor’s Office (1). Vacant positions will not be filled in the Assessor’s Office (1), CAO (6), child support services (1), District Attorney’s Office (4), HHSA (4.45), Information Technologies (4), Library (6.75), Planning and Building (1), Probation (.50), Recorder-Clerk’s Office (2) and Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office (.50).
been placed there when an incident in which he spit on another student led to his restraint in a prone position for more than 90 minutes. Witnesses testified Max had ceased to resist long before the restraint was concluded, even vomiting and urinating on himself during the prolonged restraint which only ended after he had become unconscious. Testimony also indicated the school nurse failed to respond to calls for help for 10 minutes and a call to paramedics was not made until 25
minutes after Max was first discovered unconscious. Max was transported to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, where he was declared brain dead the following day and died on Nov. 28, 2018. Investigations into the incident conducted by the California Department of Education determined Guiding Hands staff had violated state rules regarding student restraint by using excessive and unnecessary force. ■ See PLEA, page A4
Lively livestock auction
The Public Defender’s Office will hire three new employees — public defenders (2) and alternate public defender (1). Several people spoke against the firing of county employees. Jen Rimaldi, president of El Dorado County Employees Association Local No. 1, asked the board to hold off on eliminating filled positions and on new hiring until the final budget numbers come back in September. “When I asked in our last mediation before we finalized our MOU (Memorandum of Understanding), I asked how many layoffs would this trigger and I was told zero,” Rimaldi said, maintaining the county can’t function with just management and consultants. “It’s clear, protecting employees is not your top priority,” Rimaldi added. District 5 Supervisor Brooke Laine said she also recalled a recent meeting where they were told there would be no layoffs. “How did that come to change?” Laine asked. “I’m not sure where that misinformation is coming from and, if that was said, that was certainly an error because that has not been what we have been seeing would be a result of this budget,” Hennike said. “Granted 11 positions out of 2,000 is a very very small number. It’s .005%,” Laine added. Laine said she noticed the Sheriff ’s Department has a large budget and asked if that department had trimmed its budget. Hennike noted EDSO did reduce its budget by $4 million off what was
Photos by Laurie Edwards
The community showed strong support for hard-working local youth at the Junior Livestock Auction last Saturday at the El Dorado County Fair. More than 300 animals — steers, lambs, pigs, goats and rabbits — were auctioned off as a part of this proud annual tradition. Youth from Future Farmers of America, 4-H and local granges saw their hard work pay off as the bids rolled in. Top photo, Patrick White placed the top bid of $550 to purchase a pen of three rabbits from Delaney Patrick, a member of Ponderosa FFA. Left, El Dorado Water and Shower bought Pleasant Valley Grange #675 member Kaylee Bare’s 275-pound market hog at $15 per pound. Above, Pleasant Valley Grange #675 Granger member Carlie Chandler smiles as bids continue to increase on her market steer last Saturday. Her steer, weighing more than 1,300 pounds, was sold for $9 per pound to C&H Motor Parts and Lebeck Engineering. ■ SEE MORE LIVESTOCK AUCTION PHOTOS ON A3
■ See LAYOFFS, page A8
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