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Show rr- - 'TTT" I 94th Year No. 43 Price, Carbon County, Utah Wednesday, May 29, 46 1985 Single Copy 25t Pages In Carbon County Drug bust yields M By EDMcKEEVER and DALE EDWARDS Staff writers might be filed. The Carbon County operation is part of a much larger h operation culminating a seven-mont- Local law enforcement agencies joined with state narcotics officials Tuesday in a major drug bust which resulted in the arrest of at least 19 people in Carbon County alone. The arrests came on die heels of a h investigation. Carbon County Sheriffs Chief Deputy Jim Robertson said 19 persons had been booked into the county jail thus far. More arrests were anticipated. Also arrested was one juvenile who will be referred to juvenile authorities. Robertson said some of those arrested will probably be charged with multiple charges. Most of the warrants authorized arrest on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute for value or intent to distribute without value charges. The warrants in Carbon County all were signed by Eleventh Circuit Court Judge A. John Ruggeri. Robertson said most of those arrested will probably be charged with third degree felonies, though some second degree felonies and a seven-mont- few misdemeanor charges investigation in Carbon, Emery, Grand and San Juan counties by various law enforcement agencies. Bill Riggs, who serves as southern region supervisor for the State Narcotics and Liquor Enforcement Bureau, said the investigation began in San Juan and Grand counties. He said intelligence gathered there led the investigation to Green River and into Price. He said he expects further investigation to move to the Wasatch Front. Riggs said there were some 43 warrants in Carbon County. Besides those warrants, there were also 26 warrants in Emery County, he said. According to Riggs, there were three undercover agents who resided in the Price community during the investigation. He said those agents mingled in the community and attempted to make drug purchases in order to collect evidence sufficient to justify the arrest warrants. The buys in Carbon County were an outgrowth of the investigation in Grand County, Price City police officer Bill Barnes escorts Ray Cordova to a waiting police car after Cordova was arrested y bust in the Tuesday morning during a IS) but agents were in Price at the request of Price Police Chief Luke Owings. He added that the Price Police were most cooperative in the investigation. The undercover agents police officers and coordinated their activities on an almost daily basis. The police involvement was coordinated by 14. Aleck Shilaos. In addition to state narcotics officers, Price Police and Sheriffs deputies, other departments participating in included the the bust Police Dept., Helper Wellington Police Dept., Utah Highway Patrol and East Carbon Police. Deputy Robertson said after each person was arrested, he or she was taken to Price Police headquarters for a brief interview and then booked into the Carbon County jail. He said arrests were made in various parts of the county including Miller Creek, the area south of Price, in Price, Helper, Wellington, Wattis and an unsuccessful attempt was made to arrest one person in East Carbon. Most of the arrests were made in the Price area. When asked about the effect the bust will have on drug trafficking in the area, Chief Owings said, It will put a dent M arrests in it for a while. I dont think weve got any more of a drug problem than any other town our size. The bust reportedly began with officers meeting at 5 a.m. and the arrests were begun at 6 a.m. At the 5 a.m. briefing, officers went through the warrants and discussed who might be armed and who might give officers problems during arrest. Those arrested on suspicion of the drug charges included Gary Lee Roth, 45; Jerry Leon Wilskie, 27; David Kent Houghton, 34; June Marie Tidwell, 27; Ernie Young, 27 James Anthony Martinez, 30 Bonnie Faye Romack, 34 James Allan Young, 25 Tamara Lynn Taylor, 23 Raynel Cordova, 24; Michael Brhnhall, 32; Willie Ellington, 34; Linda Marie Walker, James Patrick Mason, 25 ; 33; Mark Merlen, 23; Angela Smith, no date of birth; Carl Marchello, 25; Michael Shelby, no date of birth; and Gilbert Nicholas Palacios, 23. Robertson said some of the 19 who had been booked into the local jail had been released on bond, but he was unsure how many of them. None had posted cash bail by noon Tuesday. m multi-agenc- Carbon County area. cost By DALE EDWARDS Staff writer The Carbon County mill levy Com- mission Tuesday voted to establish a mill levy to pay the cost of assessing and collecting taxes for other taxing entities in the county. The motion, by Commissioner Guido Rachiele, passed at a special unanimously ' meeting of the commission Tuesday morning. As part of his motion, Rachiele included the direction that the mill levy be set at the lowest possible level to pay for the services. I would include the direction that the mill levy be set at the absolute minimum it possibly can to still generate the necessary dollars, Rachiele said. I would make that part of my motion. Exactly how much that mill levy will be has not yet been determined. County Clerk Norman Prichard asked the commission for permission to bill other entities through June 30 and then establish a mill levy for the .final six months of the year. However just what levy will be required to raise the amount necessary to pay for the costs of assessing and collecting wont be determined until the countys assessed valuation is determined for the current tax year. Commission Chairman Lee Semken opened the meeting saying under state law the county had two options. Either the other taxing entities could be billed for the actual costs or a mill levy could be established to generate die cost of assessing and collecting costs. Semken said commissioners had discussed the advantages and disadvantages of each option quite thoroughly among themselves and with Prichard and that input had also been received from the other taxing entities. Semken said his discussions had convinced him a mill levy was necessary. After a lot of study, I personally feel this is the way to go, he said. He said other entities in the county had been put in a difficult situation because they did not know what the actual collection costs would be and they did not have any way to raise the extra money to pay the increased collection costs. Prichard said if the commission chose to adopt the mill levy, he would like to bill under the old way through June 30 and establish a levy for the last six months of the year. He also said the county would its budget to have to insert a new revenue line item and also to create the fund from which to expend the money re-op- en collected. Rachiele asked whether such a mill levy would be shown as a separate item on the tax forms sent to local taxpayers. Prichard said it would, similar to separate items for county flood control and other special levies. Rachiele then asked whether each taxing unit in the county would have to lower its mill levy as a result of the imposition of the new levy. Prichard said each unit would have to lower its mill levy by enough to lower that entitys revenue by an amount equal to the costs for assessing and collecting paid by that entity in the past 12 months. For example the Carbon County School District would have to lower its mill levy by an amount sufficient to lower the districts revenue by the approximately $122,000 it paid in collection costs for the last 12 months. Whether that will mean the entities will actually have to lower their mill levies is not certain since Prichard said he believes the assessed valuation in the county will go down. With the lower assessed valuation, the same mill levy as last year would generate fewer tax dollars and may cut revenues sufficiently that mill levies may not have to be (Continued on Page 7A) Photos by Ed McKeevor James Martinez is assisted into a police car by Wellington Police Chief T.L. "Tiny" Owings and Price officer Dennis Christensen after he was arrested in Tuesday's raid. Martinez was one of 19 arrested on suspicion of drug related charges in Carbon County. For Helper system Engineer studies five water bids ByARVA SMITH Staff writer - HELPER Five bids for improvements to Helpers culinary water system, opened Thursday during a special city council meeting that preceded the regular council meeting, are being studied by Larry DeBirk, engineer with Eckhoff Watson & Preator Consulting Engineers. The bids are for replacement of main water lines and the lateral lines on Dodge, Welby and D streets and for changes in the main lines serving much of the community. Following the proposed changes to the main lines, all Helper residents, except those living north of Second North along the old highway, will get culinary water from storage tanks. Many residents are now getting water directly from die main lines bringing water down the canyon to the city and the sharp descent causes the water to pick up air. Those getting water from the main lines have complained their water often has a milky appearance and comes from taps with explosive whether the bids meet specificiation and performance requirements before the contract is awarded to to the lowest bidder that meets the standards. In other business, City Attorney Bryce K. Bryner was directed to send a letter to Crestline Supply Corp., Salt force. Lake City, requesting the Councilmen said the proposed company to correct, at its own changes should eliminate these expense, a problem which is keeping the Helper swimming problems. Bids were: Garrett Service St pool closed beyond its usual Septic Co., Salt Lake City, opening date of the first week in June. $263,257; Noland St Son ConThe pool cannot open because struction Co., West Jordan, $222,440; Johansen St Son the interior of the pool is black Construction, Inc., Mt. in color as the result of being Pleasant, $177,148; Skyline relined to fill in cracks and stop Construction, Ferron, $171,063 water leaking from the pod and G. H. Excavating, The state health department Mapleton, $169,254. requires the interior of com-- , DeBirk will determine mercial swimming pools to be a light color. In the letter Brjmer told the company that the city had relied on die companys suggestion that painting the dark lining material with a light color would bring the pool to the standard set by the health department The paint has failed to adhere and the pool is unusable Bryner said. Bryner said the city coun- cilmen want the pool opened as soon as possible. A request by Marcia AhMu, Carbon County recreation director, that Helpers contribution to the recreation program be raised from $2,700 to $5,000 per year was denied because of lack of funds. But councilmen Bryon and Edna Romano said they will study Helpers Matsuda (Continued on Page 7A) |