Deseret News: Former Rich County Commissioner Tom Weston Charged

By Pat Reavy and Amy Donaldson, Deseret News

SALT LAKE CITY —  January 28, 2020.  Former Rich County Commissioner Tom Weston has been charged with sexually abusing a child.

Weston, 68, of Laketown, Rich County, who served as a commissioner for 18 years before retiring in 2018, was charged Monday in 1st District Court with sodomy on a child and aggravated sexual abuse of a child, both first-degree felonies.

According to a police affidavit, the investigation began on Jan. 22 when the Rich County Sheriff’s Office received a report that Weston had abused a 14-year-old female relative “numerous times over about a 1 1/2- to 2-year period.”

On Jan. 24, Rich County Sheriff Dale Stacey, who was the arresting officer in the case, said he set up a phone call between the girl and Weston that was monitored and recorded by detectives.

“Mr. Weston admitted to doing inappropriate things to the girl that would ‘probably put me in prison the rest of my life,’” the affidavit states.

Weston was arrested that same day, according to police.

Charging documents state the alleged offenses date back to 2018. The case is being prosecuted by the Cache County Attorney’s Office to avoid a conflict of interest.

During his initial appearance in court on Tuesday via video from the Rich County Jail, bail was increased to $50,000, according to court documents. Additionally, Weston was ordered, should he make bail, “not have any direct or indirect contact with the alleged victim or with the immediate family and no contact with any child under the age of 18 years,” court records state.

Additionally, Cache County Chief Deputy Attorney Tony Baird informed the court that his office is preparing to file additional charges.

Weston’s next court hearing is scheduled for Feb. 12.

History of the Cisco Disco

Bryce Nielson

Annual event started small in the mid 1980’s. A good friend, Don Archer and I would get together to catch a limit of cisco each year. Since it was cold, Don would bring a Coleman stove to make a pot of coffee. People would stop by for a cup and wonder what we were going to do with the cisco. When we said, “eat them” many folks wondered what they tasted like so we shared.

Don started bringing a fry pan, flour and oil. When you cook cisco, eat them fresh. Usually, fishermen are so sick of cisco after cleaning a hundred, they put them in the freezer and forget about them. A couple of months later they thaw and cook them and wonder why they taste so fishy. After they tasted them, fresh, on the tailgate of the truck, they changed their minds.

As the years passed, the cooking of Bonneville Cisco, fresh, grew. It really took off when Ralph Blotter and Andy Bolos became involved. As an organizer by nature, Ralph decided to take it to the next level and cook his world famous scones and have Andy provide the fresh cut fries from his restaurant in Ogden. He planned to feed everyone on the beach. The crowds exploded and there was always a big fire and lots of antifreeze and socialization.

My dear friend, Doug Miller, Utah Outdoors, showed up one year when it was well below zero. He noticed everyone standing around the fire in the normal, duck coverall dress jumping up and down, hands in their pockets, trying to stay warm. The only one sitting in a chair was Heber Stock, of original pioneer heritage, of Fish Haven. He was our oldest participant and was there every year until he passed away at 85. He could remember gill netting cisco under the ice as a boy filling buckets with fish on a sleigh pulled by a pony.  Doug wanted a parting shot with all the crazy fishermen including Heber so we all stood in a line dancing back and forth trying to keep warm at which point Doug dubbed the movement, the “Cisco Disco”. It has been a tradition ever since.

People come and go and for the last several years Scott Tolentino, with lots of friends, have continued to host the Cisco Disco. It was great to see kids and adults, coming out in the cold, eating freshly caught cisco with tarter sauce, hot fries and scones, slathered in honey butter.   It was always free, with a tip jar to help buy supplies.

As the years passed, the volunteers grew and the word spread. Soon members of the local LDS Wards started to come in increased numbers. The Jessica Ward, a local gal, organized a polar plunge at the Bear Lake State Park Marina to raise money for charity. That event also grew and it was natural for them to combine forces. Both outings started to have hundreds of participants, so the Bear Lake Rendezvous Chamber of Commerce got on board, and publicized the “Cisco Disco” which brought more visitors to Bear Lake during January. Utah Parks and Recreation facilities were filled around the third Saturday in January, so they became more involved and didn’t charge Park entrance fees. It continues to grow and there are many other things going on during that time.

Now it is Winterfest and the Polar Plunge with the Cisco Disco.

Winterfest Polar Plunge Nutty People at Play

Notice of Election

COUNTY OF RICH NOTICE OF ELECTION

I hereby inform you that candidates are to be elected for the following offices at the upcoming General Election to be held Tuesday, November 3, 2020.

The Declaration of Candidacy filing period for qualified political party candidates begins on Friday, March 13, 2020 and ends at 5:00 p.m., Thursday, March 19, 2020.

The Declaration of Candidacy filing period for local school board candidates begins on Friday, March 13, 2020 and ends at 5:00 p.m., Thursday, March 19, 2020,

The Declaration of Candidacy filing period for justices and judges of a court of record begins Wednesday, July 1, 2020 and ends at 5:00 p.m., Wednesday, July 15, 2020.

The Declaration of Intent to Gather Signatures period for qualified political party candidates begins on Thursday, January 2, 2020 and ends at 5:00 p.m., Thursday March 19,2020

Qualified political party candidates must submit nomination  petition  signatures  no  later than 14 days before the day on which the qualified political party holds its convention to select candidates for the elective office.

1.    FEDERAL

a.                U. S. President and Vice President for a four (4) year term.

b.                U.S. House of Representatives. One Representative for a two (2) year  term in the following U.S. Congressional Districts:

(i)               First District. The First Congressional District consists of Box Elder, Cache, Daggett, part of Davis, Duchesne, Morgan, Rich, Summit, Uintah and Weber Counties.

2.      STATE

a. term:	State	Executive.     The following positions will be elected for a (4) year
	1.	Attorney General.
	11.	Governor.
	111. 1v. v.	Lieutenant Governor. State Auditor. State Treasurer.

b.               State Senate. One member for a four (4) year term:

1.                           District Twenty-five (25) is located in Cache and Rich Counties.

c.                State House of Representatives. One member of the Utah House of Representatives for a two (2) year term from each of the seventy-five (75) state legislative districts.

d.               Local Boards of Education. Members of the local boards of education should be elected as determined by individual school boards or districts.

Precinct 1 for a four year position Precinct 2 for a four year position Precinct 4 for a two year position Precinct 5 for a four year position

3.    JUDICIAL

a.                Supreme Court. There will be a retention election for one (1) Supreme Court Judge, provided that the incumbent whose term is expiring files during the filing period:

b.              Court of Appeals. There will be a retention election for six (6) Court of Appeals Judges in the following districts, provided that the incumbent (s) whose term is expiring files during the filing period:

c.                  District Court. There will be a retention election for twenty-four (24) District Court Judges in the following districts, provided that the incumbent (s) whose term is expiring files during the filing period:

i           First District. One (1) Judge in the First Judicial District, which consists of Box Elder, Cache and Rich Counties.

d.            Juvenile Court.. There will be a retention election for ten (10) Juvenile Court Judges in the following districts, provided that the incumbent (s) whose term is expiring files during the filing period:

i           First District. One (1) Judge in the First Judicial District, which consists of Box Elder, Cache and Rich Counties.

e.                Justice Court. Any Justice Court Judge whose term is expiring shall be subject to an unopposed retention election in the county or counties in which the court to which the judge is appointed is located.

4.      COUNTY

County offices up for election are to be determined by the county's form of government. Commissioner C

Assessor Recorder Treasurer

5.         2020 Filing Fees

a.	U.S. President	$500.00
b.	U. S. Vice President	$1,267.50
C.	U.S. House of Representatives	$485.00
d.	Attorney General	$794.92
e.	Governor	$834.13
f.	Lieutenant Governor	$755.71
g.	State Auditor	$755.71
h.	State Treasurer	$755.71
1.	Utah State Senate	$114.00
J.	Utah House of Representatives	$ 82.06
k.	State Board of Education	$90.61
I.	Court of Record Judge of Justice	$50.00
m.	County Offices	$50+0.00125 xterm x annual salary
n.	Justice Court Judge	$25.00 for each Judicial office
0.	Local Board of Education	$50.00

Rebecca M. Peart Rich County Clerk/Auditor

CERTIFICATE OF POSTING

I hereby certify that I posted a true and correct copy of the foregoing Election Notice at each of the five (5) voting precincts and other postings as noted below:

Garden City Post Office Laketown Post Office Woodruff Post Office Rich County Website

Randolph Courthouse Randolph Post Office Rich Civic Times

Randolph

RANDOLPH’S

150^th BIRTHDAY

Celebrate and Remember!

Save the date!

Saturday. June 27, 2020

Program at the arena—Picnic at the park

OTHER WAYS TO CELEBRATE ALL YEAR LONG

Visit Face Book page “150 Years of Celebrating Randolph, Utah”

See and share old photographs

Keep informed on activities

Share your family’s story

JOIN IN ACTIVITIES TO CELEBRATE RANDOLPH’S 150 BIRTHDAY

Landmark Scavenger Hunt

Tour of the Town

Cemetery Restoration Workshop

Cowbell Contest

Commemorative Souvenirs

Townspeople Group Photo

. . . and More!!!

Watch and listen for more details.

See ya at the Party on June 27^th!!

Council Member Reports

Anita Weston, Reporter
Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  Mayor Mike Leonhardt has been working with the teenage boys to set up a youth town council organization.  There will be a youth mayor, and at least four or five council members.  He has planned for those youth who are interested will be taken on a trip to Salt Lake City on January 29th to be there for Legislation Day.  Most of the Legislators and the Governor will visit with the youth who come.  They will also go into the chamber where the legislators hold their meetings.

There were three young men at the meeting.  They were asked to take the oath of office for the jobs that they will be doing.

Councilman Jordan Perry noted that he thought the New Years Eve Party went especially well.  He said that the swimming pool is going in the right direction.  He said that a lot of work has been done to make sure the pool is clean, newly painted, and everything is working properly.

Councilman Howard Pope said that there are lots of individuals using snowmobiles.  He would like very much to encourage people on snowmobiles to take advantage of Kimball lane where there is a nice parking lot and the trail that goes up over the mountains and down into the sinks.  He noted that the trails in the summer are in bad shape in most places.  He is planning on talking with County Commissioner Bill Cox about the trails.  He said that they need a lot of work.  It will take at least $30,000 to get the trails fixed.

Councilwoman Pat Argyle reported that she would like to see the poles in tires and the net for volleyball be put in Heritage Park this coming spring.  She noted that she wanted the city to buy the poles and net to be prepared for spring.  She was told the City already had that equipment.  The city workers said they will be willing to get that in place this spring. 

Argyle also said that she had purchased the items that will be needed for the Easter Egg Hunt.  She suggested that there be at least four concerts held in Heritage Park this coming summer.  She also asked that the City buy more tables for the park.  The City has purchased 20 tables at $700 each.  She asked for at least that many more.  She also suggested that there be a bingo night at least once a week during the summer in Heritage Park.

Councilman Ken Hansen said that the library is doing very well.  They have a food bank upstairs from the library, and it is being used by the citizens.  The library is going to make a cookbook.  It will be sold to raise money for the library.  Brandy Mills from the USU Extension Service said that it might be possible to get some grants to help the library.  Workshops could be held, one a day or whatever times would be convenient for the most people.  The money from these workshops can also help the library. To keep the children interested, it would be possible to have a 4H club where they could get robotic kits etc.  There could be a special day once a month for kids.  There is what is called a Maker Trailer that is equipped at USU.  It could be used as a resource to get more things happening for children in the community. There could be book writing contests.  The Extension people have a workshop that would teach different way to approach how to write a book.

It needs to be known that the library is for everyone, not just individuals who like to read.  The library is doing well.  It would be possible to have the library open later in the day if those in the community would take advantage of the library.  The youth currently not using the library as much as both adults and smaller children.  It is a wonderful facility that is very important to our City.

Mayor Mike Leonhardt reported that on February 5, there will be a kickoff for the Marina Expansion and road improvements.  This will occur at 10:00 a.m. in the room above the library.  He noted that UDOT Engineers will be in town on February 3 and will also be at the library at 10:00 a.m. that day to discuss the access lane into the Marina.  Plans for projects 20 and 21 have already been made.

The breeze way between the City Office and the recreation room just north the City Office will be built into a room providing extra space for storing items and documents that must be kept.

Cisco Disco

Brian House and Scott Tolentino have cooked for decades here! Scones, fried cisco and french fries.
 Free, but donations accepted.

Photos by Linda Baird

Eagle Awards

An Eagle Court of Honor was held December 28th, 2019, at the Garden City First Ward for 8 boys in Troop 697. 

Collectively they earned 220 merit badges in their scouting careers, the youngest scout being 13 and the oldest 17. The honorees and their projects were:

• Austin England (son of Clint and Connie England) - Supplies for Cache Humane Society
• Joshua England (son of Clint and Connie England) - Building the Heritage Park Sign
• Ivan Flores (son of Claudia Lopez) - Restoring the Fire Department Sign
• Braden Gifford (son of DeWayne and Hasee Gifford)- Replacing and Repairing City and Bike Path Signs
• Travis Gifford (son of DeWayne and Hasee Gifford) - Ambulance Blankets & Toys
• Corbin Malm (son of Jason and Stacey Malm) - Old Ephraim's Grave Benches
• Corbin Moldenhauer (son of Curtis and Rebecca Moldenhauer) - Paint Fire Hydrants
• Ryder Rasmussen (son of Shane and Cathie Rasmussen) - Retire and Replace American Flags.  

The program was conducted by Scoutmaster Andrew Stokes and began with a flag ceremony, the Scout Oath and Law, and a prayer. A special guest, Liberty, a 33 year old, American Bald Eagle, was then introduced. Her handler, Nick Harris, gave an informative and entertaining presentation on

Liberty and allowed audience questions.  Each Eagle candidate was then given the opportunity to be photographed with her followed by a group picture (Corbin Moldenhauer was unable to attend.) Troop 697 then presented the "Honor Trail," after which, each boy received his Eagle award and was pinned by his mother.  All Eagle Scouts in the audience were  invited to the front to participate in the Eagle Pledge issued by Craig Symes, who then convened the Eagle's Nest with the newly awarded Eagle Scouts.  Closing remarks and special awards were given by Bishop Clint England and the color guard performed the closing flag ceremony.  Attendees were invited to stay for a dinner, visiting, and perusing the boy's displays of their scouting adventures.