County settles over shooting

Last week, Butte County settled a wrongful death lawsuit filed by family members of a woman shot by sheriff’s deputies in 2018. Without admitting fault, the county will pay them $250,000.

Myra Micalizio (pictured) had allegedly been rummaging through dishes outside a mobile home in Palermo on April 26, 2018, when residents called law enforcement. Deputies Mary Barker and Charles Lair responded, and when Micalizio got into her car and backed up toward them, they opened fire, striking the victim five times.

Documents obtained by the CN&R show that Lair had undergone 40 hours of crisis intervention training in 2012, and Barker eight hours in 2016. Both received 100 percent on a written test covering the office’s use-of-force policy that same year. They were cleared of criminal wrongdoing by the multi-agency task force overseen by District Attorney Mike Ramsey.