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Email Megan Email Shayla Browse & Buy: Announcements Apartments & Rentals Automotive Employment Farmer's Market Financial Legals Merchandise for Sale Real Estate for Sale Recreational Call A Pro Page 1 Call A Pro Page 2 MARKETPLACE Glass Doctor SUBSCRIBER CENTER Contact the Ledger Dispatch Subscribe Today COMMUNITY LINKS California Highway Patrol Traffic Info Page City of Jackson Jackson Police Department City of Amador Amador County Chamber of Commerce Amador Superior Court City of Plymouth Amador County Caltrans Road Conditions HomeTown Radio City of Ione Amador County Sheriff City of Sutter Creek CLICK GALLERIES Click — Nov. 3, 2009 Click — Oct. 27, 2009 Click — Oct. 13, 2009 Click — Oct. 6, 2009 Click — Sept. 22, 2009 Click — Sept. 15, 2009 More Click Galleries E-mail this article to a friend | Printer friendly format Strange robbery, multiple DUI crashes lead up to Thanksgiving Thursday, November 26, 2009 By Scott Thomas Anderson A Ford truck and camper shell sit crushed on the side of Highway 88 on Nov. 21 after the driver, Danny Smalt, was arrested on suspicion of DUI. Photo by: Bill Lavallie The Sacramento Bee's motto is "Stay Connected." However, that didn't keep one of its newsstands from staying connected to the curb Monday morning when a would-be thief packed the entire stand into his truck and sped off through Jackson. The incident occurred around 10 a.m. Jackson Police Captain Christy Stidger confirmed that the stand had been stolen within the city limits and that law enforcement had managed to recover it. "It's sitting in our evidence room right now," Stidger said Monday afternoon. The motivation for swiping the steel box full of quarters and newspapers is still unclear. The crime is under investigation by Jackson Police Department. Details of the investigation will be released this week. The peculiar vanishing newsstand incident had been preceded by a series of suspected DUI-related collisions earlier in the week. On Nov. 20 at 9:47 p.m., Sonny Espera of Stockton was driving on New York Ranch Road in his 2006 Toyota Rav4. Approaching Coventry Court, he lost control of his vehicle on the wet roadway and smashed into another car containing a family of three - which included a 6-year-old child. The family has been identified as the Murillo family of Stockton. According to the California Highway Patrol, all three family members sustained major injuries and were rushed by helicopter to Sacramento trauma centers. Espera was also transported by helicopter to Sutter Roseville Hospital with major injuries, where a blood test led to his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. Back at the scene of the accident, the chaos wasn't over. CHP officers and Amador County sheriff's deputies were forced to close the roadway between Ridge Road and the Jackson Rancheria Casino. As officers investigated the scene of the collision, a Stockton woman approached the flashing lights from the southbound direction. She began to slow at the sight of the emergency responders. That's when 18-year-old M. Satterfield of Folsom slammed into the back of her with his 1991 Honda. The CHP quickly determined Satterfield had been traveling at a high rate of speed, and thus unable to stop in enough time when the woman applied her brakes. No injuries resulted from the rear-ending. But the action wasn't over. Next, another vehicle approached, drove straight through the road barricade and swept past a sheriff's deputy who was directing traffic. The vehicle was forced to stop as it entered the maze of emergency responders. A sheriff's deputy and CHP officer approached the car for an explanation and were struck by the odor of marijuana and alcohol. The driver, 18-year-old Raymond Orozco of Modesto, was arrested on suspicion of DUI. The next afternoon, on Nov. 21, emergency responders were again en route to the scene of an accident. At 1:38 p.m., 65-year-old Sutter Creek resident Danny Smalt was driving eastbound through the mountains on Highway 88. At the notorious curve that tops the Dew Drop grade, Smalt lost control of his Ford truck on the ice. The vehicle overturned, smashing its camper shell and causing injuries to Smalt. Witnesses said the air at the accident scene was 40 degrees; however the top of the road was still covered in a layer of ice. Several firefighters lost their footing as they worked to help Smalt. The CHP arrived to investigate and arrested Smalt on suspicion of DUI. Scott Thomas Anderson COMMENTS ON THIS ARTICLE No comments have been posted in the last 15 days! SEND US YOUR COMMENTS ON THIS ARTICLE * - Required fields Subject: * Message: * Contact Name: * Contact URL: Contact Email: * Write the text from image below to this textbox HOME | NEWS | SPORTS | LIFE | OPINION SPECIAL SECTION | SUBSCRIBER CENTER | BULLETIN | PHOTOS OUR PRIVACY POLICY Powered By: