A mountain lion for whom a trap is set on a West Dunne Avenue
pasture has not been caught, and the resident whose sheep fell prey
to the predator has not seen it since late April.
Mountain lion still at large?
A mountain lion for whom a trap is set on a West Dunne Avenue pasture has not been caught, and the resident whose sheep fell prey to the predator has not seen it since late April.
Police said they have periodically checked the trap, which is located near the property on the 100 block of West Dunne Avenue, Sgt. Shane Palsgrove said. No additional mountain lion sightings or other evidence indicating the wild animal’s presence in the neighborhood has been reported since the last attack on the pasture in late April.
The owner of the property, which contains a fenced-in pasture less than one mile from downtown Morgan Hill, removed her remaining sheep from the property just after the city’s animal control officer and state fish and game authorities set a trap in an attempt to eliminate or remove the nuisance animal.
The property owner, Gayle Richter, said Tuesday that she has not seen any sign of the mountain lion since she moved the sheep.
Richter thinks at least one mountain lion attacked and killed four of her Galapagos sheep within about a six-week period earlier this year. She discovered each of the dead animals in the mornings, indicating the predator was likely visiting the property late at night.
Authorities from the California department of fish and game examined the carcasses and determined they were the work of a mountain lion, police said.
The property where the mountain lion attacks happened is located amid a residential area and surrounded by subdivisions and apartment complexes.
Click It or Ticket campaign starts Monday
Law enforcement authorities throughout the state, including Morgan Hill police, will be cracking down on unbelted drivers and passengers as part of the annual Click It or Ticket campaign from Monday, May 23 to June 5.
The fines and fees for first-time adult seat belt violations is a minimum of $142, police said. For children younger than 16, the fine is $445 for a first-time offense.
Because night-time passenger vehicle occupants are among those least likely to buckle up and most likely to die in crashes when unrestrained, night-time enforcement is a priority of the Click It or Ticket mobilization, police said. Nationwide, of those who died in night-time crashes in 2009, 62 percent were not wearing seat belts at the time of their fatal crashes.
Properly restrained drivers, passengers and children have a 50 percent better chance of surviving a crash than unbelted occupants, police said. Those ejected from vehicles in crashes or roll-overs are up to 35 times more likely to die than restrained occupants. In 2009, seat belts saved about 12,713 lives nationwide. In California, it is estimated that 320 people who were killed in 2009 would be alive today if they had been wearing seat belts.
“It’s not just about avoiding a costly ticket. It’s about keeping the ones you care about alive,” Sgt. Troy Hoefling said.
Law enforcement throughout the area will be looking for seat belt violators, day and night, and citations will be issued without warning.
More than 140 local law enforcement agencies statewide and the California Highway Patrol will be participating in this year’s Click It or Ticket mobilization.
MHPD cracks down on distracted driving
Morgan Hill police wrote about 270 citations for motorists who were driving while talking on their cell phones without a hands-free device, or texting during the month of April.
The city’s traffic enforcement team issued most of the citations, according to Cpl. Rod Krewson, who wrote about 100 of the tickets. Officer Demetrick Caballero wrote about 103 of the distracted driving tickets, while the rest were written by officers on regular patrol.
April was declared Distracted Driving Awareness month among law enforcement agencies throughout the state.
The average fine for a distracted driving violation is $159 per violation, police said.
