San Bernardino County Fire arson team to headline Lucerne Valley meeting

Jun. 1—A special guest, who is also a new "hire" for San Bernardino County Fire, is expected to make an appearance during the Lucerne Valley Economic Development Association meeting Wednesday evening at the Moose Lodge on Laramie Street.

Dinty — a chocolate Labrador Retriever who recently completed accelerant detection training to assist in arson investigations — will join San Bernardino County Fire Chief Dan Munsey, Fire Marshal Mike Horton, and assistant fire marshals Tom Strong and Brian Headley for a presentation during the 5 p.m. meeting that will take place outside on the lodge's patio.

According to LVEDA's agenda, the group will discuss the work of the Arson Investigation Team, the status of recent local fires and how the Lucerne Valley community can assist firefighting via phone apps and other technology.

The 4-year-old Dinty, meanwhile, is the first arson canine for County Fire in over 20 years, the Daily Press reported. He follows in the footsteps of Meg, who Munsey described as being "really good at catching arsonists and putting them behind bars where they needed to be."

The department's hope is that Dinty, who is one of only five dogs across California trained through a State Farm Insurance program, will continue where Meg left off as he assists the Arson Investigation Team, which is operated through the Office of the Fire Marshal.

The group will also provide a status update on County Fire's work with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department as it relates to illegal marijuana grows in Lucerne Valley.

On that front, Sgt. Dana Weinberg will discuss the sheriff's department's Marijuana Enforcement Team's recent work, which includes the destruction of more than 76,000 pounds of marijuana plants found at an alleged illegal grow site in Lucerne Valley on May 13.

Authorities later said the 40-acre site in the 35700 block of Granite Road consisted of 199 greenhouses and about 25 travel trailers with workers living in them, the Daily Press reported. Sewage from the trailers was reportedly being dumped into nearby buried containers.

MET members said they received "numerous complaints about the location, and through investigation, the site was alleging itself to be a hemp cultivation."

Personnel with the county Department of Agriculture/Weights and Measures, however, reported the site had never been issued a county permit to cultivate hemp and had submitted a "dubious application for a nursery stock license to the California Department of Food and Agriculture," according to the sheriff's department.

The meeting will also include an update on the attempt of Lucerne Valley and Johnson Valley residents to obtain an emergency legislative fix to Proposition 64, which legalized the adult use of marijuana after more than 57% of Californians approved it in 2016.

Approval, however, also changed the status of crimes associated marijuana cultivation in California from felonies to misdemeanors, which Sheriff John McMahon has said leaves the sheriff's department with limited power. Advocates of the legislative fix believe making those crimes felonies again would reduce the number of illegal grow sites in Lucerne Valley and other rural San Bernardino County communities.

In addition, the meeting will include an update on what businesses and organizations have reopened in Lucerne Valley as COVID-19-related restrictions begin to relax across California as vaccination numbers rise.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has set June 15 as the date the state will end its color-coded, four-tier system that restricts activities based on each county's virus prevalence. Presently, San Bernardino County remains in the orange tier, which represents a "moderate" risk to the public.

Representatives from the offices of 8th District Congressman Jay Obernolte, 33rd District state Assemblyman Thurston "Smitty" Smith, 16th District state Sen. Shannon Grove and 3rd District county Supervisor Dawn Rowe are expected to attend the meeting, as well.

Mojave Water Agency Board of Directors President Jim Ventura; Lucerne Valley Unified School District Superintendent Peter Livingston and Board of Trustees member Jim Harvey; and Lucerne Valley Museum & History Association Board President Chelsea LaGrange will also be on hand.

The Lucerne Valley Economic Development Association meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the Loyal Order of Moose lodge, 31878 Laramie Street. Food service will be available.

Directions from Baker Road: Head south from Highway 18 and continue on after the pavement ends. Turn left on Laramie Street. The lodge will be on the left.

Directions from Trade Post Road: Head south from Highway 18 and turn right onto Foothill Road. Turn left at the next available cross street (Sawyer Road). This is the north entrance to the lodge.

Contact LVEDA President Chuck Bell by email at [email protected] for more information.

Daily Press Managing Editor Matthew Cabe can be reached at [email protected] or 760-490-0052. Follow him on Twitter @DP_MatthewCabe.

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