Tree Planting Honors Murdered Youth

This image of Chaz Bettencourt, killed in an argument over car keys, appears on a T-shirt worn by family members who attended the planting of a memorial tree on Thursday. The back of the shirt carries a picture of the young man and his father Kreig at Chaz’ favorite sport of racing motorcycles. JOHN BRANCH/THE NEWS Family and friends of a young man killed because he wouldn't hand over some car keys planted a tree in his memory at a Riverbank city park on Thursday. Chaz Bettencourt, 21, of Riverbank died of multiple gunshot wounds on Aug. 5 outside the Arco am/pm mini mart at Oakdale and Patterson roads when he was attacked by three teens. Police have arrested Jah-Kari Phyall, 15, of Turlock as a suspect in the killing. But Daniel Pantoja, 18, of Riverbank and Turlock Diaz, 14, of Turlock are still at large. "All he did was drive with a friend to the store late at night to get a soda and his life was taken. He would have turned 22 today. He was such a sweet kid," said Bettencourt's mother Michelle, as she led family members and city officials in planting an 18-foot sequoia redwood at Silva Park. Her son had been through a rough time with drugs and alcohol addiction, but had been attending a Salvation Army rehabilitation class, getting "clean and sober," and hoped to attend college to become a counselor and help the same sort of people who took his life, she added. The pretrial hearing for Phyall on charges of murder and attempted carjacking is set for today, Sept. 8, in Stanislaus County Superior Court. Faced with a personal situation in which under age youths killed her son, Bettencourt said she has joined the Carrington Foundation in opposing a legislative bill (SB 399) brought by State Senator Leland Yee to allow modification of the sentence for murderers under 18 years after they have served at least 10 years. Wednesday, September 08, 2010

Recall Rally Draws Hughson Supporters

A Sept. 1 rally for the recall of Riverbank City Councilmember Jesse James White acknowledged recalls are generally difficult to achieve but noted a couple had recently succeeded in Stanislaus County, i.e. Hughson and Livingston, and that led by Riverbank Citizens For Fair Change, is on track for a third. "We still have a couple of hundred signatures to get and four weeks left," said the group's leader Dotty Nygard. "We need to gather 2,185 or 25 percent of the 8,700 registered voters to qualify. And Sept. 29 is the deadline." Gathering at Ray Safreno Park on Wednesday, the group drew support from Riverbank Mayor Virginia Madueno, political consultant Joshua Whitfield who helped organize the Hughson recall and George Carr, who was elected to the Hughson Council in that movement along with Jeremy Young and Jill Silva. Numbering about 20 people at any one time, the event drew a number of residents to sign the recall petition into the evening. "Recall movements should be a last resort and difficult to achieve," said Whitfield, who assisted Hughson Citizens for Ethical Government to remove three councilmembers. "It should be the last resort of the voters to hold their elected officials accountable. Hughson felt its officials had acted outside the limits of the law. There is no doubt in my mind that White has gone beyond the boundaries also and abused the power entrusted to him by the voters. "But it is up to the recall group to convince the rest of the voters of this," he added. "It won't happen by itself. You have to go door to door. You have to do the legwork. And when the petition is qualified, you have to start over again. Wednesday, September 08, 2010

New Businesses And Jobs Headed To Riverbank

More jobs are headed to Riverbank due to the efforts of the Riverbank Local Redevelopment Authority and Green EnviroTech, a recovery, cleaning, and plastics recycling company. The planned 50,000-square foot recycling facility is scheduled to open in early 2011 at the former Army Ammunition Plant at 5300 Claus Road. It is the first ever recycling plant in Riverbank. "We are extremely pleased to bring patented technology to our first plant in Riverbank," said Gary DeLaurentiis, CEO of Green EnviroTech. "Green EnviroTech is excited to become part of the community and help bring local jobs to the area. We look forward to being a part of the neighborhood making a difference in today's environment." Green EnviroTech conducts large-scale plastic recycling operations nationwide and is moving its company headquarters to Riverbank from Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin in anticipation of the first plant's opening. The company has developed partnerships with metal recycling companies and plans to leverage its recycling and manufacturing processes to produce compounded resins. DeLaurentiis estimated that the plant's first year will produce more than 50 jobs followed by more than 75 jobs the following year. "We're very excited to work here," he said. One of the plants first functions, DeLaurentiis said, will be to collect agricultural film - the large plastic sheets used to cover crops for fumigation or weather protection - and reprocess them into hard plastic. The arrival of Green EnviroTech is the result of the work of the Riverbank Local Redevelopment Authority, which made alliances with Cal-Recycle, a group that provides grants and loans to companies with "green" business practices. Wednesday, September 08, 2010

Corpse Unearthed In Riverbank Backyard

A woman's body unearthed in the backyard of a Riverbank home last week is believed to be that of a Nevada resident who went missing in late July but who used to live in Riverbank. Stanislaus County Coroner's officials are almost certain the woman is Peggy Herlacher, 73, of Silver Springs, Nevada who was declared a missing person on July 24 but are awaiting dental records and DNA results before identifying the body for certain. Detectives of Lyon County in Nevada have said Herlacher's grandson James Masterson, 22, who moved from Riverbank to live with her in mid July is suspected of robbing and murdering her in Nevada and hiding the body in Riverbank. Currently in custody in Sacramento County on unrelated charges, Masterson was pulled over by a CHP officer in July to face charges of possession of heroin and stolen property. Investigators say Masterson was driving Herlacher's car and jewelry and a credit card found in it was stolen from her Nevada home. Tuesday of last week, Stanislaus County Coroner's Office officials with Lyon County detectives and other police discovered human remains in a shallow grave in the backyard of 2549 Dobbins Lane. Wednesday, September 08, 2010

Runners Prep For Marine Corps Marathon

It was almost a year ago when the unthinkable happened ... the loss of one of the region's own overseas. Navy medical corpsman James 'Doc' Layton, a Petty Officer Third Class, was killed while tending to the wounds of an injured Marine in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, near the Pakistan border. The 22-year-old medic died Sept. 8, 2009. He was a graduate of Vista High School in Escalon and had grown up in the Escalon and Riverbank areas. Now, in his honor and in recognition of the sacrifice of all service men and women, local runners Mike Pitassi and Gregg Churchill of Escalon are in training for the Marine Corps Marathon at the end of October. Both men are currently seeking donations in hopes of raising money for the Semper Fi Foundation. For Pitassi, whose own son was also involved in a military incident around the same time as James Layton, the run has an even more personal note. While his son, a Navy SEAL corpsman, was safe, the son of friend Brent Layton paid the ultimate price. "For a long time I couldn't even look Brent in the eye," Pitassi admitted, noting that as fathers with sons in the military, the two share that bond but Layton's loss is something Pitassi cannot even begin to comprehend. "Here they were, two boys from the same area of California, thousands of miles away (from home) and just a few miles apart ... " One lived through what easily could have been a deadly attack; the other was killed in the line of duty. James 'Doc' Layton was the son of Brent Layton of Escalon and Nikki Freitas of Riverbank. He was buried in a ceremony with full military honors at Burwood Cemetery in Escalon last Sept. 17. Pitassi said there is a special sense in preparing for this marathon. "I've never run for any other purpose other than to try to go faster," he said of working to reduce his times from race to race. Now, the goal is much bigger - honoring those lost in service to this country and raising $5,000 to give to the Semper Fi Foundation. Brent Layton, for his part, said the fact that Pitassi and Churchill are running in memory of his son means a great deal. "I'm honored my friends would run, not to honor just James, but all our Marines, all our veterans," Layton said. The former law enforcement officer has become an activist for veterans' issues and has made many trips to Sacramento, as well as the local offices of state and federal legislators. He has also been back to Washington, DC and has another trip to the East Coast planned for the fall, keeping tabs on several bills to benefit veterans. "Ninety-nine percent of the injuries aren't seen," Layton explained, noting that TBI, Traumatic Brain Injury and PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, may not be visible like the loss of an arm or a leg, but they are prevalent among vets returning from overseas. "Not only do these kids deserve the support, but the families as well," Pitassi added. Wednesday, August 25, 2010

ROTA Making Route Adjustments

While the ROTA (Riverbank-Oakdale Transit Authority) trolley may no longer be in operation, the Dial-A-Ride bus is still tooling around Oakdale and Riverbank, making adjustments that reflect a sign of the current economic times. At the Aug. 10 ROTA meeting, several items were brought up for discussion, including the upcoming installation of surveillance cameras at three Oakdale and one Riverbank bus stop locations. The security cameras were purchased through a grant issued by the Homeland Security and should be installed within the next four weeks. The cameras will be mounted on poles and will have the ability to pan. Riverbank City Manager Rich Holmer said the installation of the cameras is an attempt to curb the vandalism and graffiti. "The cameras give a good view of the whole area," Holmer said. Law enforcement will also have access to the camera views so in the event a crime is committed, they will be able to react more swiftly. And in other discussions, a decision was made to allow passengers under the age of 9 to ride the ROTA bus to school when accompanied by an older sibling. According to Holmer, several parents voiced their frustration when their younger children were not able to ride due to the previous rule. The board approved a "curb to curb" agreement, which would allow the drivers to transport the children but would not require the drivers to walk students to their classrooms. Wednesday, August 25, 2010