March 4, 2015

Release by Sgt. Jason Hail

Oroville, CA- On March 4, 2015 at approximately 8:00 AM, detectives from the Butte County Sheriff’s Office arrested Gavin Schorovsky, 42, and his wife, Deanna Schorovsky, 43, in Oroville for the death of  Gavin’s mother, Deanna Schorovsky, who was 68 at the time of her passing. 

The Butte County Sheriff’s Office responded to Feather River Hospital Emergency Room on July 17, 2013.  Medical staff at the hospital saw multiple severe open wounds on Deanna’s body and found her to be severely malnourished.  The wounds were infected and in various stages of decompensation. One wound left her spine exposed. The hospital staff reported the suspected abuse to Butte County Adult Protective Services and the Butte County Sheriff’s Office. 

Deanna died on July 31, 2013, and an autopsy was performed.  After autopsy, it was determined that Deanna’s death was directly related to lack of care.

After a lengthy, on-going investigation into the circumstances and consultation with medical professionals, arrest warrants were issued by Judge Michael Deems.

Sandy Schorovsky will be charged with one count of 2^nd degree murder with bail set at $1,000,000.

Gavin Schorovsky will be charged with Elder Abuse Causing Death with bail set at $150,000.

Both Sandy and Gavin were booked into Butte County Jail in Oroville. 

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For more information, please contact

BCSO Media Liaison Miranda Bowersox

530.538.5384, 530.990.6949

Mmcafee-bowersox@buttecounty.net

DATE                                     : March 2, 2015                                            

RELEASED BY                   : Sgt. Steve Collins                            

CONTACT #                         : (530) 538-7389        

The Butte County Sheriff's Office is in the process of applying for grant funding through the California State Parks Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation (OHMVR) program.

Funds from the OHMVR grant support the efforts of the Sheriff's Office in patrolling the Jonesville Snow Park, the Plumas National Forest and the Lassen National Forest; these duties include enforcement of state laws, federal regulations, and Butte County ordinances.  If awarded, Sheriff’s Deputies will use patrol vehicles and snowmobiles to patrol in and around these areas year round. Deputies will assist with visitor safety, education, enforcement, and search and rescue efforts.

The Butte County Sheriff’s Office will provide information and education regarding environmental issues and conservation concerns regarding off-highway vehicle use. The Sheriff’s Office along with Butte County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue will respond to emergency calls for service in and around these areas as needed.

Beginning, Tuesday, March 3rd, through Monday April 6th, a draft of the grant application will be available for viewing and public comment at www.ohv.parks.ca.gov. From that website, the public will be directed to the Grants/On-Line Grant Application (OLGA) public review feature for instructions on how to submit their comments.

Written public comment can also be mai

Oroville CA – On February 26, 2015, at approximately 4:00 pm, Deputy Darrin Brown attempted to initiate a traffic stop on a vehicle for failing to stop at a stop sign, at the intersection of Margo Lane and Stump Drive. The suspect vehicle, a 2006 Pontiac G6, failed to yield and led deputies on a pursuit that traveled over 4 miles.  

The suspect fled eastbound and the pursuit ended when the suspect lost control of the vehicle and collided into a fence near the 3700 block of Foothill Blvd. The driver fled on foot and was quickly apprehended after a short foot pursuit.

Steven Mathew Berrigan, 42-years-old, from Sonora, was arrested for felony evading, weapons charges and had two outstanding felony warrants for his arrest. Several firearms and live ammunition were also located in the vehicle and Berrigan is a convicted felon.  Berrigan was transported and booked into the Butte County Jail and is being held on $118,000 bail.     

If anyone has information regarding this incident, please contact the Butte County Sheriff’s Office at (530) 538-7321.

February 19, 2015

Release by: Sgt. Jason Hail

The Butte County Sheriff’s Office, working in conjunction with the Butte County District Attorney’s Office has been conducting an on-going investigation into the disappearance of Deborah Diane Owens.  Deborah Owens was reported missing by her husband, Marvin Gail Owens (age 62) on November 21, 1978 two days after Marvin said he had last seen her.  Deborah Owens was living with her husband Marvin Owens and their children at 5373 Crestridge Drive, Oroville when she was last seen. To date, no one including Deborah’s now grown children and other relatives have ever heard from her and no evidence of life has surfaced. The husband, Marvin Owens has long been suspected of killing and disposing of Deborah’s body. 

Former Butte County Sheriff Perry Reniff has been working on Cold Case homicides in Butte County and has spearheaded this case.  As a result of this investigation, the Butte County District Attorney has filed a felony arrest warrant charging Marvin Owens with the murder of his wife, Deborah Diane Owens.  Marvin Owens was arrested by the Keith County Sheriff’s Office in Nebraska.  The exact timeframe for Marvin Owens extradition from Nebraska back to Butte County is unknown. 

Investigators are looking into the possible connections between the disappearance of Deborah Owens and another missing and suspected deceased woman named Essie Margarette Hiett, who disappeared in February 1978.

The following is a link to the Butte County Sheriff’s Office website detailing unsolved missing person cases:

http://www.buttecounty.net/Portals/24/pdf/missing2.pdf

Anyone with information is asked contact the Butte County Sheriff’s Office Felony Investigations Unit at 530-538-7671.

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For more information, please contact

BCSO Media Liaison Miranda Bowersox

530.538.5384, 530.990.6949

Mmcafee-bowersox@buttecounty.net

Kelly Ridge, CA – About 5:30 this afternoon, employees of the Lakeside Market in Kelly Ridge called the Sheriff’s Office to report a man wandering around in the store playing with a knife, wearing a motorcycle helmet, sunglasses and a jacket. While awaiting our arrival they were able to evacuate the store of all the other employees and customers and locked the doors with the man inside. Within 15 minutes of the initial call, the first 2 deputies arrived, followed shortly by officers from California Highway Patrol and State Parks. Deputies cordoned off the store and parking area, defining a perimeter that gave law enforcement a safe space to work in while allowing the public a place to observe from a safe distance. The immediate investigation revealed that the man in the store wearing a motorcycle helmet and playing with a knife was most likely mentally unstable or medically imbalanced rather than a subject with criminal intent – no person was directly threatened and very minor property damage occurred. Employees told the responding deputies that the man was wandering throughout the store for nearly two hours prior to them calling the Sheriff’s Office. When they saw him start to play with a meat cutter in the deli area is when they approached to assist him and saw him also playing with and swinging a large knife.

Deputies on scene were able to identify the subject in the store and contacted family members who confirmed the subject had a medical disorder. A member of the Butte County Sheriff’s Crisis Negotiations Team was on scene and utilized a public address loudspeaker to make contact with the man in the store. During the communications, the man came to the back door of the business where law enforcement officers ordered him to the ground. When he did not comply a TASER was deployed without success and the man ran back into the store. The negotiator re-established contact with the man and was able to talk him back out of the store where he was detained by 8:00 PM. The subject did not appear to be physically injured, however an ambulance and Cal-Fire were on scene to check him out prior to taking him to the hospital for treatment. No one suffered any injury during this operation. The Butte County Sheriff would like to thank The California Highway Patrol, California State Parks, Cal-Fire and First Responder Ambulance for their assistance on scene and to Oroville Police Department and California Highway Patrol for their assistance in the other parts of the county in responding to other critical calls for service in the unincorporated south county patrol area and allowing us to focus our efforts in a peaceful resolution in Kelly Ridge. The man’s name is not being released as this matter was one of medical assistance.