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Timothy Charles Webb Jr., 38, was sentenced to two years in prison for his theft of property from Agilent Technologies Inc. over the course of approximately five years, according to a statement from Sonoma County District Attorney Stephan Passalacqua.
In addition, Webb agreed to pay $1.22 million in restitution to Agilent.
“Even though the ultimate sentence given by the court was not what we had hoped, it still is significant and allows Agilent to recoup the damage their ex-employee has caused,” said Assistant District Attorney Diana Gomez said.
After Webb entered pleas of no contest to burglary and grand theft on May 1, 2008, Webb returned a truckload of property belonging to Agilent Technologies and agreed his actions caused $1.22 million in losses to the company, according to the report.
At sentencing, Webb argued that he should receive a sentence of probation. The Sonoma County Probation Department recommended the maximum available sentence of three years and eight months in prison be imposed and the district attorney agreed with that assessment, arguing that a theft of such magnitude necessitated a lengthy prison sentence.
Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Arthur Wick ultimately sentenced Mr. Webb to the mid-term of two years in prison.
The charges in this case arose out of an investigation which began on February 24, 2007, when Webb was caught by an Agilent employee removing items from a company workspace.
When confronted by the employee, Webb fled on foot.
Agilent’s video surveillance security camera picked up images of Webb as he was fleeing the complex and, as a former Agilent employee, Webb was identified by several Agilent employees.
Following the burglary and identification of Webb, the Santa Rosa Police Department obtained a search warrant for Webb’s residence, where the officers discovered thousands of electronic items stockpiled and organized in Webb’s home.
Further investigation revealed that Webb was selling the items on eBay and that virtually all of the items, which filled almost every room of Webb’s residence, had been stolen from Agilent.
Late last year the Sonoma County District Attorney obtained another large restitution award in a different employee/employer embezzlement case.
In that case, $1,888,280.43 was ordered in the criminal case against Ryan Merman, who was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison on December 17, 2009, by Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Elliott Daum for embezzling from his employer, Petaluma company STX Inc.
Santa Rosa Police Department Detective Matthew Tomlin was the investigating officer who spearheaded the investigation in the Webb matter and Deputy District Attorney Robin Hammond was the prosecutor assigned to the case.
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Congressman Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) said the legislation will benefit small businesses and individuals, is paid for and – according to the Congressional Budget Office – will reduce the deficit by $130 billion over 10 years, and $1.3 trillion over 20 years.
Approximately 212 members of Congress – including Republicans and 34 Democrats – reportedly voted against the legislation, and immediately began efforts to introduce bills to repeal it.
Thompson said the legislation will have many important benefits for people in the district.
He said it will immediately forbid insurance companies from dropping a person's coverage if they get sick, and give small businesses that provide coverage to their employees a tax credit of up to 35 percent of premiums.
Adults who are uninsured because of a pre-existing condition will be able to buy affordable coverage, young people will be able to stay on their parents’ insurance until their 26th birthday and seniors on Medicare who are forced to pay out of pocket for their medications will get a rebate, Thompson said.
The bill will have a much broader impact once it’s fully implemented in 2014, according to Thompson.
In California’s First District alone, it will reportedly improve coverage for 395,000 residents who already have health insurance by prohibiting annual and lifetime limits on care, making sure insurance companies can’t drop people from coverage if they get sick, ban coverage denials for pre-existing conditions, and reduce the cost of preventive care.
He said that, to rein in soaring insurance costs, the reforms also limit the amount insurance companies can spend on administrative expenses, profits, and other overhead.
The bill will also:
Give tax credits up to 163,000 families and 15,700 small businesses to help them afford coverage in the First District.
Extend coverage to 63,500 uninsured residents in the district.
Guarantee that 13,100 residents with pre-existing conditions can obtain coverage.
Protect 800 district families from bankruptcy by capping total health care expenditures.
Allow 69,000 young adults to obtain coverage on their parents’ insurance plans.
Provide millions of dollars in new funding for 74 of our community health centers.
Reduce the cost of uncompensated care for hospitals and other health care providers by $67 million annually in the First District.
The bill will also make significant improvements to seniors’ health care, Thompson said.
Seniors will have access to free preventive and wellness care, improved primary and coordinated care, and enhanced nursing home care. He said the bill also closes the “donut hole,” which forces 10,300 seniors in the district each year to cover the full cost of their medications.
It also increases new training programs to ensure that we have a greater number of primary care doctors, nurses and public health professionals, and incentivizes doctors to provide primary care in underserved areas, to increase access for rural areas, according to Thompson.
The bill is supported by California Medical Association, California Hospital Association and AARP.
What's your take on the health care legislation? Weigh in below in our comments section.
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This designation comes in the wake of last month’s tsunami in Chile and less than six months after a tsunami hit American Samoa, both events resulting in loss of life and property.
As part of tsunami awareness week, NOAA’s National Weather Service will host open houses at its tsunami warning centers in Alaska and Hawaii, and many coastal states will host community tsunami awareness activities.
California will launch a statewide tsunami awareness campaign including a new classroom lesson plan, two municipalities in Puerto Rico will complete requirements to become National Weather Service-designated TsunamiReady communities and Hawaii’s Lt. Governor, Duke Aiona, will host a tsunami awareness event at a school within a tsunami inundation zone on Oahu.
“NOAA continues to improve our ability to detect, forecast and warn for tsunamis,” said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “But warnings are only part of the equation. To survive a tsunami, coastal residents and visitors need to know how to recognize a tsunami threat and how to get to safety quickly.”
Lubchenco noted that the U.S. coast is vulnerable to near-and onshore earthquakes, similar to recent tragedies in American Samoa and Chile. Those earthquakes generated fast-moving tsunamis that struck within 20 minutes with little or no warning.
A powerful earthquake can be nature’s warning of a tsunami,” she said. “That’s when you need to grab your family and head to higher ground.”
In conjunction with Tsunami Awareness Week, on March 24 the National Weather Service and several state emergency management organizations will conduct exercises to test and practice tsunami response plans along the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic and Pacific coasts, including Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Alaska and Hawaii.
These exercises, called LANTEX10 and PACIFEX10, provide an opportunity for coastal emergency management organizations to test and update emergency response plans for tsunamis – a critical component to maintaining readiness for a tsunami emergency.
Coastal emergency management organizations will participate in the tests at varying levels, ranging from table top exercises to full-scale drills and beach-front evacuations.
“It’s important that families in coastal areas take steps to prepare for a potential tsunami or other emergency,” said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. “These steps include developing a family communications plan, putting an emergency kit together, and following the instructions of state and local officials in the event of an emergency. I encourage everyone to become informed of the risks where they live in order to better protect their homes and families.”
In the state of Alaska and the Northern California counties of Del Norte, Humboldt and Mendocino, an Emergency Alert System communications test will be conducted in conjunction with the exercise.
Residents in these areas may hear community sirens, see an Emergency Alert System tsunami alert scroll across their television screens and hear a test message being broadcast over NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards.
The tests also provide coastal residents and businesses an opportunity to review and practice tsunami response plans.
The National Weather Service operates a tsunami warning system for the United States, U.S. territories and western Canada through two tsunami warning centers, in Palmer, Alaska, and Ewa Beach, Hawaii.
The centers, staffed 24/7, issue tsunami warning, advisory, watch and information messages as early as five to fifteen minutes after an earthquake. Upon receipt of tsunami messages, state and local emergency management agencies determine the appropriate response including whether or not to evacuate people from the warned area.
Following the deadly 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Congress provided NOAA with more than $90 million to expand the nation’s tsunami detection and warning capabilities, and an additional $135 million for research, integrated observing systems, hazard mitigation and for a global tsunami warning and education network. As a result of this investment, the nation and the world are better prepared for the next tsunami.
To date 74 coastal communities in the U.S. have earned the National Weather Service TsunamiReady designation, up from only 11 in 2004.
Thanks to this program, emergency managers in these communities are now better prepared to warn their citizens about tsunamis. NOAA also has completed a network of 39 buoy stations, up from only six experimental buoys in 2004.
Warning signs of a tsunami
A strong earthquake, or one that persists for 20 seconds or longer.
The ocean withdraws, exposing the sea floor.
A loud, roaring sound (like an airplane or a train) coming from the ocean.
Tsunami warnings broadcast over television and radio, by beach lifeguards, community sirens, text message alerts, National Weather Service tsunami warning center Web sites and on NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards
What you should do if you see these signs
Remain call.
Move inland to higher ground.
Continue to monitor media sources for information.
Stay away from the beach until officials issue an “all clear" – remember that a tsunami may be a series of waves over a period of several hours.
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CLEAR LAKE – Another successful bass tournament wrapped up on Clear Lake on Sunday, as the final weigh-in was completed in the ESPN Bassmaster Golden State Shootout.
Fishing in the tournament began last Thursday, as Lake County News has reported.
The tournament winner was Byron Velvick of Del Rio, Texas, who reeled in 98 pounds, 6 ounces of bass during the competition.
Velvick walked away from the tournament with $100,000 in cash, according to the final standings.
ESPN reported that 93 anglers caught 1,128 fish with a total weight of more than 4,033 pounds in the four days of fishing. Cash winnings totaled $603,000.
Taking second was Bill Lowen of North Bend, Ohio, with 92 pounds, 9 ounces of fish and $25,000 in cash winnings, followed by Guy Eaker of Cherryville, North Carolina, with 90 pounds, 11 ounces and $20,000 in earnings.
Rounding out the top five were Randy Howell of Springville, Ala., in fourth place with 86 pounds, 2 ounces of bass and $15,000, and former Lake County resident Skeet Reese, now living in Auburn, who caught 85 pounds, 3 ounces of fish and won $15,000 to place fifth.
The competition was dominated by competitors from the South. Besides Reese, only 10th place finisher Jared Lintner of Arroyo Grande and Ishama Monroe of Hughson, who placed 75th, hailed from California and the West Coast.
Full results can be found at http://proxy.espn.go.com/outdoors/bassmaster/media/tournament?tournamentId=1309 .
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