Forde Shorts

The Tehachapi Police Department outfoxed several men who thought it was amusing to shine a laser light at a pilot landing at Tehachapi Municipal Airport on the evening of Sunday, May 4. The pilot was temporarily disoriented by exposure to the laser, which bounces around the cabin and creates upheaval. He contacted Tehachapi police. TPD Officer Chris Boston went aloft with the pilot in an attempt to draw the laser. After 20 minutes, the laser again targeted the aircraft. TPD officers were able to pinpoint the source of the attack to a residence on the 1400 block of Cimarron Court. With a search warrant in hand, officers searched the residence at 3:20 a.m. on May 5, recovering the laser and, according to a report by Police chief Jeff Kermode, "approximately a half pound of methamphetamine with a street value of $20,700, $1,400 in cash, scales and other drug sale-related paraphernalia, and an 8 mm Mauser rifle and ammunition (see photo). Tehachapi resident Daniel Roy Mahler, 47, was booked at Kern County Jail on charges of discharging a laser at an occupied aircraft, possession of a controlled substance for sales, and maintaining a drug house. Tehachapi resident Mario Guillermo Manero, 52, was booked at Kern County Jail on a charge of discharging a laser at an occupied aircraft.

California Correctional Institution Public Information Officer Brian Skaggs told the Greater Tehachapi Economic Development Council at the Original Apple Shed Restaurant on May 7 that a parole sweep in California City of 32 houses by combined team of gang unit and other officers yielded seven arrests and four rocket launchers.

The May 5, 2014, Supreme Court decision to allow opening prayers to continue being said at public meetings met with approval from Tehachapi Council member and former mayor Ed Grimes. "It was the right decision," Grimes said. Several years ago, an anti-prayer group from Wisconsin approached Tehachapi with a warning that the city would be sued if prayers were continued. The City Council assured them that all religions are welcome, and did not budge. "We told them, 'We have rights too,'" Grimes said. "'Everything is fine. You're in Wisconsin. This is Tehachapi.'" Mayor Pro-Tem Susan Wiggins said, "It's about time. We want to exercise our religious freedoms and let other people exercise their freedoms." The town of Greece, NY (population 96,095) took on the challenge and prevailed in the 5-4 decision. Had the decision gone the other way, the California City Council Chambers might have had a big job removing their sign "In God We Trust." The letters are about a foot high and spread across the entire raised desk area.