Fairfield Daily Republic

Charges dropped against 1 mom in deadly fire

Prosecutor Karen Jensen withdrew manslaughter and child abuse charges Monday against Latisha James, whose trial was scheduled to start Tuesday.

The Fairfield Daily Republic reports Jensen came to her decision after a judge refused to allow the sisters to be tried together. Jensen said she will refile the charges later.

James' attorney, Meenha Lee, told KCRA-TV her client was grateful. Shetarra James still faces trial in November for second-degree murder in the April 2010 fire.

Authorities say the children, ages 1 to 4, were left inside the apartment with lit candles, sparking a blaze that may have been burning for 20 minutes before the sisters noticed.

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Controversial rural Fairfield subdivision ... - Daily Republic

FAIRFIELD — A controversial proposal to build a subdivision near Rockville Hills Park is back, this time with twice the number of homes.

Woodcreek Homes is proposing to build 66 homes on 33 acres near the intersection of Rockville and Suisun Valley roads in a rural part of unincorporated Solano County.

An earlier plan approved by the Solano County Board of Supervisors in 2010 called for 33 homes on lots of one-half to one acre. Those approvals were deleted by the board in April at the request of the developer, in part because of a lawsuit filed by the Rockville Homeowners Association.

Neighbors have cited concerns including traffic, flooding and the size of the project compared to the rest of the community.

“It’s completely changing the community,” said Michael McKown, president of the homeowners association. “You are putting a subdivision right in the middle of a rural area. It blows my mind when I see what they are trying to do.”

Supervisor Linda Seifert wanted to reserve comment until she reads the entirety of the application but did say it is important that the subdivision meshes with its surroundings.

“To me what’s really important is that we still do everything we can to maintain that rural character and quality of the neighborhood,” Seifert said.

One remaining question is how water and sewage lines will connect to the subdivision. The application said through community service agreements the city of Fairfield will provide water while Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District disposes of sewage.

A concern with the original plan was the affect on nearby Oakwood Drive. The new plan calls for a loop road to connect Suisun Valley and Rockville roads so Oakwood won’t be needed.

A full environmental impact report will be done this time. Jim Grossi, who represents developer Robert Runkel, said the new project addresses concerns from neighbors.

“They are definitely answered with the 66 lots,” Grossi said.

Reach David DeBolt at 427-6935 or ddebolt@dailyrepublic.net.