Ridgecrest Daily Independent
A jury trial date in June has been set for a 59-year-old Ridgecrest man accused of first-degree murder and arson.
George Richard Smith pleaded not guilty to a first-degree murder charge, along with arson and reckless evasion of a police officer. He entered the plea on July 2, 2020.
Smith admitted to killing his wife to Ridgecrest Police Officer Joe Roque, who recorded the conversation according to the Ridgecrest Police Department charging statement.
“My wife of 36 years, I killed her,” George Smith said in a “spontaneous statement”, according to the documents. “I just wanna [expletive] die, I don’t wanna deal right now.”
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The Ridgecrest City Council on Jan. 20 will be discussing an application for the Statewide Park Development and Community Revitalization Grant Program. The city intends to apply for an $8 million grant to build a new community pool.Consultant Counsilman-Hunsaker has estimated that the pool would cost up to $350,000 a year to operate and bring in roughly $100,000 in annual revenue, leaving $250,000 in funding needed. One of the grant requirements is that the city be able to operate and maintain