A busy Fourth of July for local law enforcement

A holiday weekend that started with gang raids on Thursday and ended with a stabbing on the Grindstone Rancheria Monday, kept deputies and police busy.

“All in all, it was a very active weekend,” Glenn County Sheriff Larry Jones said. “It cost us a lot in extra man power hours.”

Willows Police beefed up patrols and Sheriff’s deputies were out in force during a maximum enforcement period from Thursday through Monday. Jones said deputies received numerous calls about illegal fireworks and made multiple alcohol-related arrests.

“The number of illegal fireworks displays (we saw) was far fewer than it was last year,” Willows Police Chief Bill Spears said. “That’s been helpful because it has allowed us to focus more on the people that are breaking the law.”

Jones said he was pleased to see the public report the use of illegal fireworks over the weekend, but unhappy with the perpetrators.

“We’re very lucky we didn’t have a large vegetation fire or worse,” Jones said. Deputies received numerous calls about airborne fireworks and several citations were issued.

More than a dozen juveniles were arrested Friday night in Willows at house party on the corner of Elm and Villa Streets, according to Willows Police.

Police made 14 arrests at the under age drinking party. All the juveniles were between 14 and 18 years old and were all released to their parents. All the cases will be turned over to probation, Spears said.

Spears said the incident was still under investigation on a busy Fourth of July for law enforcement countywide.

Spears said police made 25 arrests on the Forth of July; four were arrested for firing illegal fireworks. Police also made several alcohol and drug related arrests, Spears said.

On Saturday, law enforcement setup a DUI checkpoint on Wood Street in Willows. It was the first such checkpoint in more than four years in Willows and the first in more than two in the county, according to Orland Police Sgt. J.C. Tolle.

Tolle said the checkpoint was paid for entirely from grant monies from the Office of Traffic Safety. No DUI arrests were made Saturday.

Tolle said residents should expect more checkpoints over the next few years. He said the next checkpoint is scheduled for sometime in August.

Rob Parsons can be reached at 934-6800 or at rparsons@tcnpress.com