The Butte County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday that no homicide charges would be filed against 51-year-old Gerald Michael Thompson after he shot and killed 53-year-old Donald Laroy Stevens at the Eaton and Cohasset Road homeless camp on July 7.

A press release from District Attorney Mike Ramsey said the shooting was determined to be self-defense. Thompson will, however, be charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

“Chico police detectives initially investigated the death as a possible homicide and interviewed numerous other transient residents of the camping site,” Ramsey said in his release. “They learned Thompson and Stevens resided in neighboring tents, and one of Thompson’s dogs had severely mauled one of Stevens’ dogs earlier in the day. Numerous witnesses confirmed that Stevens was very, very upset, and was yelling he was going to kill Thompson, Thompson’s dogs, and Thompson’s family, while racking the action of a sawed-off shotgun at his tent, which was directly across a walkway from Thompson’s tent.”

The two men pulled guns on each other, Thompson with a .22-caliber revolver and Stevens with a shotgun, and Thompson told Stevens to calm down before ultimately shooting him.

Additionally, Thompson was charged with two misdemeanors: giving a fake name to police and possession of methamphetamine.

Thompson is currently being held at the Butte County Jail with bail set at $21,000. He is expected to enter a plea on Thursday. Ramsey said Thompson could spend up to 3 years in state prison.

“Thompson informed detectives upon his arrest that he fled from the scene due to Stevens’ known ties to Nazi and white supremacist gangs,” Ramsey’s release said. “Thompson said he feared that if he was imprisoned, he would suffer retaliation for shooting Stevens even if it was in self-defense.”

Skate park arrest

Two people were arrested on Monday after a fight at the Humboldt Avenue Skate Park.

Officers responded to a call regarding a physical fight and at the time were warned that a firearm might be involved. Both men had left the scene in their cars but a crash ensued between the two vehicles not long after.

A release issued Tuesday by the Chico Police Department said Matthew Mejia, 35, claimed he was attempting to drive away when Cameron Lovehewitt, also 35, rear-ended him multiple times.

“Responding officers contacted a male subject in a blue sedan that had sustained significant front-end damage from a collision, along with multiple blunt-force impacts to the windshield,” the release said. “Shortly after, (Chico police) traffic units located two individuals with the second vehicle, a gold van, which had visible rear-end damage. The male and female occupants of the van reported their vehicle had been struck by the sedan multiple times while attempting to drive away.”

Lovehewitt was placed under arrest on suspicion of making criminal threats as well as assault with a vehicle. Mejia was also arrested for having multiple misdemeanor warrants.

Crash

A three-vehicle crash was reported Monday evening involving one Butte County Sheriff’s Office vehicle in west Chico.

The wreck occurred near East Avenue and Highway 32 north of Nord Avenue at around 7:25 p.m. Monday, said California Highway Patrol Officer Cory Lyon.

Lyon said only minor injuries were reported in relation to the crash. The road was briefly closed after the crash occurred.

The incident is currently under investigation.

Award

Oroville Hospital has received the American Heart Association’s Get With the Guidelines — Stroke Gold Plus quality achievement award for “proven dedication to ensuring all stroke patients have access to best practices and life-saving care,” according a press release from Oroville Hospital.

Get With The Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest research and evidence-based guidelines. Get With The Guidelines — Stroke is an in-hospital program for improving stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to these guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death, according to the release.

Oroville Hospital has also received several other honors from the American Heart Association this year including the Target: Stroke Honor Roll Award, Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll Award and the Get With The Guidelines — Stroke Rural Recognition Silver Award.

Pool cleaning

Sycamore Pool in Bidwell Park will close from Wednesday to Thursday this week to allow for a cleaning operation to remove sediment.

A press release issued Tuesday by the city of Chico said this cleaning typically happens every May but was delayed after the California Department of Fish and Wildlife requested that the city hold off to allow for chinook salmon migration time.

Shane Romain, the city’s Parks and Natural Resources manager, offered a statement with the city’s release.

“At this time of year, we are usually on a steady biweekly cleaning schedule at Sycamore Pool,” Romain said. “We now have the necessary updated permits and will work quickly to remove the built-up sediment and return to a regular biweekly cleaning schedule.”

The release said debris from the Park Fire has created more sediment than usual in Big Chico Creek.