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Man sentenced for stealing truck owned by firefighter during Camp Fire
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uCHICO  (AP) — One of two men convicted of stealing a firefighter’s pickup truck during the deadliest wildfire in California history has been sentenced to 41 days in jail and three years of probation.

The Chico Enterprise-Record reports Robert Depalma of Concow was also ordered to pay more than $6,000 in restitution at his sentencing in Butte County Superior Court on Friday.

Prosecutors said Depalma and William Erlbacher stole the truck from a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection station on Nov. 8, when the wildfire broke out and largely leveled the town of Paradise and killed 86 people.

Erlbacher admitted to taking the truck and Depalma admitted to driving it for several days. The vehicle was damaged and its license plate covered up when it was found in Chico.


uANOTHER VICTIM OF DEADLY CALIFORNIA WILDFIRE IDENTIFIED: CHICO  (AP) — Another person killed in the deadliest wildfire in California history has been identified.

The Butte County Sheriff’s office said Friday it positively identified the remains of 68-year-old Judith Sipher of Paradise.

That brings the total number of named dead to 81. Three people whose remains were recovered after the wildfire are tentatively identified but have not yet been named by the sheriff’s office. Two of the 86 victims remain unknown.

The fire in November last year destroyed nearly 15,000 homes in Paradise and surrounding towns. In the aftermath of the catastrophe, authorities used DNA testing to identify bone fragments and other remains of the victims. In some cases, it took months to positively identify the victims and notify their next of kin.


uNO CHARGES AGAINST MAN WHO TOOK CHIEF’S GUN: SAN LUIS OBISPO  (AP) — The man who took a gun that a California police chief left in a restroom will not be charged by the district attorney’s office.

San Luis Obispo District Attorney Dan Dow says in a statement Saturday he will not pursue charges against 30-year-old Skeeter Carlos Mangan.

Police Chief Deanna Cantrell had left her personal handgun in a restaurant bathroom July 10. She was disciplined but kept her job.

Cantrell left her Glock .380 in an El Pollo Loco but quickly announced it was missing via a YouTube video. Mangan’s brother-in-law saw social media postings and told authorities he believed Mangan had the weapon.

Dow says Mangan could have been charged with a misdemeanor but decided a case would not be “in the interest of justice.”


uSAN FRANCISCO BISON NAMED BRUNHILDA DIES: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — An 8-year-old female American bison living in Golden Gate Park’s famous paddock has died after suffering severe kidney disease.

The San Francisco Zoo and Gardens, which cares for the bison herd, announced Brunhilda’s death Friday after a necropsy, according to The San Francisco Chronicle . Zoo officials could not be reached for comment Sunday.

Brunhilda was one of six in the park’s current herd. Bison have lived in a paddock next to Spreckels Lake since 1891. Brunhilda and other bison moved into the paddock in 2011 from a private breeder.


uBURNED BODY FOUND IN JOSHUA TREE: JOSHUA TREE  (AP) — Homicide detectives are investigating the death of a man whose burned body was found in a dry lake bed in Southern California.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department says a caller Friday reported discovering the man’s body in Joshua Tree, which is about 135 miles (217 kilometers) east of Los Angeles. Detectives are working to identify the man and are seeking any witnesses.


uMAN CONVICTED OF PLACING PIPE BOMB UNDER EX’S CAR: SAN BERNARDINO  (AP) — A Southern California man has been convicted of planting a pipe bomb beneath his wife’s vehicle six years ago in an attempt to kill her and the couple’s two children.

The San Bernardino Sun reports a jury found 33-year-old Steven James Sunny guilty of attempted murder after deliberating for a day.

Prosecutors said the Victorville man built the bomb and placed it under his ex-wife’s SUV because he was angry about losing custody of the children.

She noticed the device and called authorities, who later found a transmitter to detonate the bomb inside Sunny’s vehicle.


uBABY FOUND UNRESPONSIVE AT NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CAMPSITE: MT. SHASTA  (AP) — A mother is under investigation for child neglect after her 7-month-old boy was found unresponsive at a Northern California campground.

The Redding Record Searchlight reports the baby and his 2-year-old sibling stayed in a vehicle Wednesday night while their mother and her companion stayed in a nearby tent at the campground near Mount Shasta.

Siskiyou County Sheriff Jon Lopey said the baby wasn’t breathing when his mother found him Thursday morning. A deputy responding to a 911 call performed CPR before an ambulance took the baby to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

An autopsy was completed, but Lopey said the cause of death was inconclusive.

The mother, an Arizona resident, and her companion from Texas were interviewed and released. The baby’s sibling was taken into protective custody.