Methamphetamine lab found in Davis
The Yolo Narcotics Enforcement Team investigated a parolee’s narcotic sales, ultimately leading them to a resident on Alvarado Avenue, Davis. A search warrant allowed officers to find a methamphetamine lab in the apartment.
Brandon Lee Whittmore, 34 years old from Davis, was arrested on Nov. 18 at 6 p.m in the parking lot of the complex. Wittmore tried to flee in a vehicle but was stopped when officers blocked his car.
Two other arrested suspects were Carrissa Nicolay, 28 years old from West Sacramento, and Carissa Dawson, 24 years old from Woodland.
Officers found evidence of narcotics sales, loaded firearms and a meth manufacturing lab. The lab was safely removed and the apartment was designated “uninhabitable,” according to a Davis Police Department press release.
Chief probation officer
The Yolo County’s chief probation officer position goes to Marjorie Rist, the former interim chief probation officer. Mike McGowan, the Yolo County board of supervisors chair made the announcement earlier this month.
As interim chief probation officer, the Yolo County Probation Departments received $2,692,181 from a Byrne Memorial Competitive Grant. This grant came from funds from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs. With this money, nine probation officers will be funded for a two-year period and will undertake a program Rist helped design.
Rist, along with former chief probation officer Don Meyer, designed a program that safely release low-risk offenders into the community until their trial date. The funded officers will supervise the offenders. Some are supervised using electronic monitoring technology, a Yolo County press release said.
The program will employ the use of a standardized, evidence-based, risk assessment instrument to safely release low-risk offenders into the community, while they are pending trial. A majority of the funded officers will work in the community supervising those who have been released, some of whom will be supervised with the assistance of electronic monitoring technology.
Rist was previously an assistant juvenile hall superintendent in 2004 and was promoted to juvenile division manager in 2006. In 2009, she became assistant chief probation officer.
Economics, neuroscience and hormones workshop
Neuroeconomics is a relatively new field which focuses on economists and neuroscientists who use brain scanning technology to examine how people make decisions.
Researchers are studying which areas of the brain are used when people make economic decisions. Neuroeconomic theory, connecting brain activity to broad economic theory, will be one of the topics at the workshop.
Endocrinological economics studies how hormones affect economic behavior.
The “Neuroeconomics and Endocrinological Economics” workshop will be held Nov. 20 and 21 at UC Davis.
For more information on the workshop, visit econ.ucdavis.edu/faculty/schipper/neuroworkshop.htm.
UC Davis sues Sacramento County
UC Davis Medical Center is suing Sacramento County and other public officials for failure to pay millions of dollars in unpaid fees. The Medical Center is suing for failure to process and pay more than $100 million in claims for medical care.
The case concerns UC Davis services for indigent patients who are eligible for benefits and to incarcerated people under the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Correctional Health Service.
The outstanding fees are based on a negotiated amount between the center and the county and reflect medical care provided from July 1, 2008 to Sept. 1, 2009.
Film showing
This weekend, the Davis Peace Coalition will present Rethink Afghanistan, a film from director Robert Greenwald. Greenwald also directed Brave New World, Outfoxed, Wal-Mart, The High Cost of Low Price and Iraq For Sale. The film will be playing Sunday, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. at the International House at 10 College Park.
All are welcome, and refreshments will be served.
POOJA KUMAR can be reached at city@theaggie.org.
