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Problems continue for son of gas tank defendantThis article was originally published in the the Amador Ledger Dispatch on August 4, 1999, and is reproduced here with its permission. By Diane Smith JACKSON—Robert and June Womack have six unplanned house guests this week. Their son Luke and his wife René and their four children had to seek alternative quarters when the wiring in their mobile home and every electrical appliance was burned out or melted down. They blame state and county investigators who headed a digging expedition at the home site back in late January. The Womacks, who live on the former Bosse Ranch off Previtalli Road east of Jackson, were witnesses to a two day "dig" at their home during which time large excavators dug up the ranch property during an investigation headed by Russell Moore, of the California Highway Patrol and Michael Israel, Amador Environmental Health officer. The Womacks' water lines were broken twice during that time and supposedly fixed at the direction of investigator Moore and Israel. However, the lines cut into by the excavators were still leaking after the plumber left, according to the Womacks. This week they hired a plumber to fix the leak since it was now causing flooding. That's when another problem was discovered. The Womacks believe the excavation team had left uncovered live and uncapped [electrical] lines when they took out the power to the barn on the property. Excavation holes were left uncovered on the front property as well. According to Luke Womack, an electrician, the excavation investigators in January dug up a set of lines on two sides of his barn. Unknown until this week, Womack believes someone left a ground wire hooked up and, when the dirt was being replaced in the plumbing project, a line was apparently pulled across it, making the neutral wire hot. Always kept separate, the two 110-volt wires (positive and neutral) coming together caused a 220 connection "and fried everything in my house," Womack explained. According to a damage report by James Wilson, of Advanced Electric in Sutter Creek, "the sub-feed line to the existing barn was severed. The three insulated connectors were pulled out of the pipe and the bare, ground wire remained which left the area in an unsafe condition" Wilson was hired to inspect and repair the damage which the Womacks and he believe occurred in the execution of the January search warrant. Every electrical appliance—the new refrigerator, computer, television, VCR, air conditioning unit—ostensibly everything but the 220 dryer, either fizzled or melted. All the wiring in the mobile home behind paneled walls and ceiling is no longer operable. Womack removed some of the light fixtures to see if there was anything spared. The wires are all melted together, he said. He believes there is nothing usable any more and since the mobile home is a safety hazard, he and his family are staying with his parents on Ridge Road. They have had to empty the refrigerator/freezer; remove clothes and anything recoverable. "I'm devastated. I'm like someone who has lost a home in a fire," René Womack said. "We've lost everything." "School is starting in a couple of weeks and we don't know where we'll be." She and Luke Womack have four children aged, 15 months, 4, 10 and 13 years old. Since everything was "under investigation" at the time, investigators would not commit to reports that their digging was prompted by an accusation by John Malmquist. However, grand jury testimony reveals that may have been the reason which caused Moore, working on a gas tank investigation, to bring in two large excavators toe excavate holes on the front portion of what was the Bosse Ranch. Malmquist is Paul Bosse's son-in-law whom Robert Womack couldn't get to leave after the ranch purchase in 1996. Malmquist, the owner of a trailer and strewn auto parts at the ranch, reportedly told authorities that Womack had buried an illegal 60-foot trailer there. The earth movers were called in to find evidence to bring against Robert Womack in an ongoing investigation which started as allegations he had illegally removed a gas tank in Jackson. Moore said his team was not responsible for the recent electrical mishap at the Womack ranch. He said the wires were already disconnected. Since the lights didn't come on in the barn, he was assured they were disconnected. The Womacks claim the wires were ripped out of place and left. As to the plumbing that was broken during the excavations, Moore said that he brought two plumbers over to the site, one in the wee hours of the morning, to make repairs. He said he doesn't believe his actions at the ranch were responsible for any of it. Womack said he is grateful none of his family was in the bath or touching metal when the meltdown occurred. Copyright © 1999 Amador Ledger Dispatch |
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