Dinuba Sentinel 8-30-18 E-edition

Dinuba Sentinel Serving the communities of Dinuba, Cutler-Orosi and Monson-Sultana
Boroian Remembered
Exhibit of Dinuba artist well attended by locals and Fresnans
Back Page, A7
Established 1909, Dinuba, California Thursday, August 30, 2018 50 Cents
Dominant Defense
Dinuba shuts out Redwood in football home opener
Sports, Page B1
Body found on roof identi ed as local transient
By Rick Curiel
Last Thursday, the Dinuba Police Department received a call from a concerned grounds keeper from the shopping center on the east side of Dinuba. He was complaining about a foul stench.
When officers and fire personnel arrived on the scene, they discovered a decomposed body on the southeast corner of the old Save Mart building. Officers say the body was too badly decomposed to identify, and there was limited information on the person. Police estimated the body was on the roof for anywhere between one and two weeks.
Friday, Aaron Davenport, began inquiring on social media as to whether anyone had seen his brother Neill. Reportedly, he also filed a missing person report that same day.
Davenport had experienced recent run-ins with the law. On August 3, Dinuba Police officers responded to the 200 block of West Mono Street after officers received multiple calls regarding a subject yelling at passing cars. Upon arriving on the scene, police say they observed him to be displaying symptoms of being under the influence of a controlled substance.
Officers say Davenport, who in reports was listed as transient, admitted to smoking meth and was placed under arrest and transported to the Tulare County Pre-Trial Facility. That was the last time police had contact with him.
According to Iriarte, calls of people camping, or sleeping, on the roofs of commercial buildings are
not uncommon. Recently, officers responded to the Open Gate Thrift Store in downtown Dinuba for a report of a homeless person sleeping on their roof.
Said Roger Nuefeld of Open Gate, “Homeless people are known to sleep on the roofs of buildings. People can’t see them up there, especially if there is a small wall there.”
Officers initially called the death suspicious, and the autopsy results revealed that Davenport suffered an injury to his head, a fractured skull.
Iriarte stated that the position of the body could indicate the possibility of a fatal fall, but added at this point anything is possible. The case remains under investigation and anyone with information is asked to the Dinuba Police Department at 591-5911.
Orosi teenager
arrested for
stabbing four
in Dinuba party
By Rick Curiel
Editro@thedinubasentinel.com
An eighteen year old woman from Orosi was arrested early Saturday morning, charged with assault with a deadly weapon, while an eighteen year old male from Dinuba is in critical care, after a local party got out of hand, say police.
According to Dinuba Police, officers were dispatched to the 1000 block of East Park Way at approximately 1:35 a.m. for a report of a disturbance involving several individuals. When officers arrived they initially found two male juveniles at the scene, both of
whom had suffered stab wounds during an altercation. Both were transported to Kaweah Delta Medical Center in Visalia for medical treatment.
Upon further investigation, officers then found another male juvenile two doors down who also suffered injuries during the altercation. Police say he received head injuries and was also transported to the hospital for medical treatment.
“One was serious,” said Sergeant Vela of the Dinuba Police Department. “He had to go into the ER.”
That victim was later identified as 18-year-old Sebastian Tadeo of Dinuba. Earlier this week he was reportedly in the Intensive Care Unit.
A fourth victim, a female juvenile, later came forward with a minor stab wound
See Stabbing, Page A2
Editro@thedinubasentinel.com
The body found on the roof of the old Save Mart building has now been identified as that of a local transient.
According to Lt. Abel Iriarte, the Tulare County Coroner's Office confirmed on Tuesday that the body found was that of Neill E. Davenport, 41, a transient of Dinuba. Soccial media posts by Aaron Davenport, who identifies himself as an older brother, also confirmed the identity, stating “The coroner’s office has confirmed that it was the body of my little brother, Neill E. Davenport, which was found.”
Football is back
The Green Mile is back! Football season officially kicked off on August 17 for Dinuba High School. The Emperors' first home game was last Friday, a game in which they put in a solid 35-0 performance over visiting Redwood. See the complete story on page B1.
Dinuba will travel to Reedley High tomorrow night to take on the Pirates for their third game of the season.
George M. Villagrana | The Sentinel
Kaila Solorio
Dinuba's Vietnam Memorial Wall earns state award
By Rick Curiel
Editro@thedinubasentinel.com
When the American Legion Alta Post 19 decided to come up with a way to honor the Vietnam Veterans, the first presented idea was that of a simple plaque to commemorate the war Veterans. That, however, wasn’t enough for the post. They went further and all out, bringing to Dinuba the only Vietnam Memorial Wall replica in the entire state.
Now the wall is being recognized by the California chapter of the American Legion, as it was recently awarded with the 2018 Most Unique Project in all the state.
“It truly is an honor to be recognized this way,” said Alta Post 19 President Joe Rocha.
With the wall now completely paid for, the 50-percent scale replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall will be a permanent fixture at the Dinuba Memorial Hall. It will remain in the east lawn, but soon the wall will look slightly different from what it does currently.
That’s because the wall is now it’s second phase. That phase includes a new architectural design that will lift the entire wall two feet. Along with the lift, the wall will be repositioned to form more of a semi-circle than the v-shape it has now.
Landscaping is also in the plans, as the Western Regional Vietnam Memorial Wall committee is looking to make the wall a true representation of Vietnam memories.
“We want it to feel like a real Vietnam Memorial,” said committee president Moses Ybarra. “For that reason, we plan on adding palm trees and banana plants behind the wall.”
Though the committee has managed to secure the assistance of three contractors, each of whom have agreed to volunteer their time to landscape and beautify the memorial, the committee says it is currently still taking donations.
“We are budgeting about $10,000 to landscape the wall,” said Ybarra.
In addition to the raised platform for the wall, the landscaping and new
See Wall, Page A8
Rick Curiel | The Sentinel
American Legion Alta Post 19 President Joe Rocha, third from right, stands with other members, holding an award they recently received for the Western Regional Vietnam Memorial Wall. The wall was recognized by the American Legion as the Most Unique Project in the state.
thedinubasentinel.com
Inside | Lights and SirensA2 | ObituariesA2 | OpinionA4 | SportsB1 | Classi edsB4