Off the I-15

Apparently, the Desert Dispatch was not the first news organization to stumble across how dangerous a Hoffman device is.

The CBS Evening news ran a series on the dangers of military simulation devices to soldiers in 2003.

According to the CBS investigation, “since 1983, scores of soldiers have suffered serious injuries when simulators and the explosives they use — known as ‘Hoffman rounds’ — went off when they weren’t supposed to.”

The CBS series focuses on the dangers to soldiers. The Desert Dispatch’s story, Scrapper injured by military ordnance, focuses on their potential danger to civilians who find and attempt to scrap these devices.

April Hull sustained serious burns over much of her body after a Hoffman device detonated inside her motor home. She is recovering now but worries that there are more of these devices out there.

CBS News series: Part One: Military Simulators Come Under Fire
Part Two: Army Covered Up Simulator Danger

At the Desert Dispatch, I listen to a lot of hold music and leave a lot of messages on answering machines. Sometimes I get through; sometimes people call us back. And although the usual, “leave a message after the beep” recording often frustrates me, especially when deadline approaches, some leave me wondering…

Calling the North Pole

I am working on a story about people injured by unexploded military ordnances. About a week ago, a private investigator from the Victorville area called me with the story of a local woman who had survived an explosion a few months ago. He left me his number.

When I called him today, I got the answering machine of Santa at the North Pole. According to the recording, Santa wasn’t in because he was out in the snow with the reindeer. Mind you, it was 100-plus degrees in Barstow, and there was no snow in sight. Snow in Victorville in the middle of July seemed just as unlikely as the possibility that I actually stumbled across Santa’s number and it had a 760 area code.

Worried I copied the number wrong and that my story was doomed, I called around trying to confirm his number. Yep, that number I had matched what others involved with the case had. Finally, one person asked me if I had gotten the investigator’s voice mail.

“Yes,” I said.

“Was it Santa’s?” she asked.

Apparently, the investigator looks a lot like Santa and recorded his message likewise.

— Aaron Aupperlee

A group of Barstow sheriff’s deputies trained early on Monday with a new piece of equipment, a shield used to protect officers as they advance into a precarious situation.
But before the training could conclude, all responded to a call where they might have employed the new equipment.

Sgt. Rob Ciolli said deputies cut training short on Monday when a call came in from Newberry Springs about an armed man who threatened to kill himself.

“We thought, ‘Wow, we’re going to have use [the shield] right now,’ ” Ciolli said. “But it did not come to that. We didn’t have an active shooter.”

After combing Newberry Springs, with deputies stopping at the post office and various locations believed to be former residences of the man, he was found inside his truck at a gas station. He had two guns, a revolver and rifle, inside the truck.

Ciolli said the man was taken into custody “for his own benefit” without incident and transported to a behavioral health facility in San Bernardino.

The man was not arrested or charged with any crime. Ciolli, however, believes the deputies saved his life by tracking him down.

“He was definitely a threat,” he said. “He would have endangered himself.”

Desert Dispatch reporters Jason Smith and Aaron Aupperlee saw splatters of rain on Aaron’s windshield as they drove on Lenwood Road near Highway 58 in Hinkley at about 1:45 p.m. on Tuesday.

According to the National Weather Service Forecast Office’s Web site, the Las Vegas station reports a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms for Barstow on Tuesday afternoon.

If it is raining near you, call the Desert Dispatch at 256-4121 and let us know.

I still got it.

Another ride-along down, another arrestless night.

During the few hours I spent with the California Highway Patrol and the Barstow Police Department at their sobriety checkpoint, we arrested no one for driving under the influence. My ride-along record currently stands at only one arrest, made with the Barstow PD several months ago.

I suspect the lack of intoxicated drivers passing through the checkpoint on Saturday night had little to do with prospective criminals knowing I would be there, pen, pad and camera in hand and much to do with the fact that a gaggle of CHP and police cars had set up shop on East Main Street near Muriel Drive.

The checkpoint began around 8 p.m., and by 10, very few vehicles rolled down Barstow’s main drag. With signs posted as far up as Yucca Avenue and the checkpoint designed to give motorists “an out” — an opportunity not to pass through the checkpoint — I suspect many bar patrons, and many sober drivers avoided the area completely. Plus, CHP and Barstow PD officers said with in hours of setting up the checkpoint, every bar in town would know where it is and warn their customers about driving home.

 www.checkpointchecker.com.

CHP officer Zach Stumbaugh stops a car at the checkpoint on Saturday night.

CHP officer Dan Pence demonstrates a field sobriety test. In the background, Barstow police officer Lee Howard explains the test to new officer David Edwards.

CHP officers and Barstow PD officers search a car after a stop on Saturday night.

No one offered to run up to Vegas and get married like thousands of other couples on 7-7-07, but a crew from the Desert Dispatch did meet at a gas station on West Main Street to try their luck with lottery tickets. The results? Less than lucky.

Check it out for yourself.

I got a good reminder that everything is not always what it seems Friday afternoon.
I was preparing to take photos of the Tiny Tot Day Camp at Dana Park when a group of cars blew by traveling up Barstow Road. The sounds of sirens filled the air, and I turned around to see a line of about 10 CHP cars heading up the road.
My first thought was, “What did someone do to start a chase?” The teachers and staff at Tiny Tot asked me what was going on. I told them I would find out and grabbed my cell phone. I called crime reporter Aaron Aupperlee to see what was going on.
Aaron answered and laughed when I asked him about a chase involving CHP officers. It turns out that the cars were part of a farewell escort for longtime CHP officer Scott Goforth. Goforth retired Friday after 27 years in the CHP, 24 of them in the High Desert.
I wonder how many people were fooled by the appearance of a car chase.

— David Heldreth

CHP cars begin Scott Goforth’s farewell escort at the Barstow CHP station on East Mountain View Street.

The rest of the High Desert may be in a drought right now, but on Tuesday, it looked like the Desert Dispatch had more water than it knew what to do with.

I returned from my daily routine of checking the police and sheriff’s logs to find much of the floor covered in water and newsprint. Most surprising of all, Ben Heldreth, a graphic designer, had a mop.

Apparently, a toilet malfunctioned and sent the water spewing into the office. Though I am not sure, I think the problem has been fixed. I really hope so.

Ben with a mop. He later wrote a song called, ‘This is why I mop.’

The Desert Dispatch staff simply asking, ‘What happened?’ and then finding a good use for newsprint.

In an e-mail to the entire staff, Ad Director Bea Lint wrote:

“Although you can’t see how much water was on the floor, everyone sprang into action by putting newsprint on the floor to stop it from migrating to the rest of the building - GREAT Thinking. Nothing got ruined due to their quick thinking.”

He’s not as well-known as Yertle, Dr. Seuss’ fictional turtle who sat atop a towering turtle throne, but he’s a distinguished High Desert resident. Desert tortoise Zeus is 100 years old, according to Art Basulto of the Bureau of Land Management. Zeus made an appearance at Barstow’s Fourth of July event, where he feasted on watermelon near the BLM table.

Zeus, who had been living under a house, was found after the tenant died, Basulto said, along with six others. Because of his calm temperament, Zeus was the one enlisted into education. He travels to schools with Basulto to teach kids about the desert tortoise.

— Stevie St. John

Newberry Springs:

Newberry Springs firefighters prepare for the flag ceremony before Tuesday night fireworks. Oscar Alvarez, an Army veteran, conceived of a special ceremony he said was meant to honor the country as well as fallen firefighters.

A float ready for the Newberry Springs parade. The community’s fireworks show was on July 3 as usual; the parade, however, was moved to the Fourth of July.

Angie Infante, almost 2, plays ball with Timothy Lindsay, 5, before the Newberry Springs fireworks show on Tuesday night. About 30 children played on the slide, swings and jungle gym near the community center before the show started.

Barstow:

Loren Bernal, 9, plays water tag at Barstow’s holiday celebration on Wednesday.

Hason Bell, 8, prepares for the plunge down the Thunder Rapids water slide at Barstow’s Fireworks Spectacular event.

— Stevie St. John