Jan 29
Three followers of notorious cult leader Charles Manson have been housed at California Men’s Colony, Charles “Tex” Watson, Bobby Beausoleil and Bruce Davis. The Manson Family, as the members were described, were involved in at least nine Southern California murders in 1969. Bruce Davis, now 67, was convicted for involvement in the murders of musician …
Jun 10
June 9, 1961 This week San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department marks a solemn anniversary, 48 years ago Deputy Sheriff Harvey Stahl, 40 of Paso Robles died in a struggle with a convict who had shot Creston man earlier in the day. Stahl was the second line-of-duty death since the department was created in 1850. …
Jun 01
There is an old joke in the news business that dog bites man, not news. Man bites dog, now you have a story. This story breaks that rule, here is the unbylined story from February 8, 1969, photo by Michael Raphel. Prince is just a pup, a five-month-old German Sheperd. “He hasn’t even grown into …
Apr 26
Devout Christians and young parents, John Rainwater, 25, and wife Lori, 22, were managing a 14-unit lodge in Atascadero when a parolee from the Utah prison system broke into their home.He had been at the door of the Rainwater apartment a few days before pretending to be interested in a rental. Now it was late …
Apr 19
May 23, 1969 The idea had come to Tim in the shower. Marshall McLuhan suggested that he come up with something snappy to say when advocating the use of LSD. In front of 30,000 hippies at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park attending the Human Be-In he uttered the phrase “Turn on, tune in, drop out.” …
Apr 14
April 14, 1969 I don’t like everything my son has on his iPod and I don’t expect him to like everything on mine but we don’t call the police when we disagree about music. In the late 1960’s there was a wide gulf between generations.The flash point came on a Sunday afternoon. It wasn’t the …
Mar 25
November 20, 1968 A little over 40 years ago another tragic traffic stop in Oakland lead the arrival of a notable convict at the California Men’s Colony. Huey P. Newton was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the killing of Oakland policeman John Frey. Two years earlier in 1966 Newton had co-founded of the Black Panther …
Jan 31
October 19, 1966 The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department busted a cockfighting operation in the Nipomo area this week. With assistance from the Humane Society, five men were arrested, their breeding and training operation with than 2,000 birds was documented.Over 40 years ago Sheriff Larry Mansfield was embroiled in a cockfighting controversy. Quoting from …
Nov 17
July 15, 1971 Death penalty trials are grim stories.Over the last 20 years I have worked at the paper I have covered portions of 3 of the 4 active county death row stories.In 1971 there was a wave of 3 death penalty convictions within 9 months.Joseph Deb Tregeagle was convicted of murdering a 17-year-old Van …
Recent Comments