Lance and I grew up together in Paradise. I remember him in high school, although he was older than I. Molly, Lance's sister was younger and I remember his mom because she worked at the school. The Utterback Family is a class act and I feel honored to consider the family my friends.
I had not seen Lance since his return from The Marine Corps. I went on to Yuba County Sheriff's Office and Lance went to work for Chico PD. I came on a ride along with another Paradise Alumni, Ted McKinnon. I remember talking to Lance in the parking lot and thinking, "there is no way this is the same Lance Utterback that I knew in high school". Not that he wasn't as friendly and warm as he used to be, his command presence was overwhelming. I watched him on calls that night, how he carried himself and his aggressive yet compassionate attitude. He got in a foot pursuit that night and with the help of his team, they caught a burglar. I returned home and dropped my City of Chico application in the mail. The rest is history.
For the next several years, I had the great honor of working with Lance on swingshift, weekends. It was one of the best teams I have ever been on. On Saturday nights, we were the "party car". Lance and I doubled up just about every weekend. We had just gotten MDT's and I remember trying to beat "Hairdogg" to name that tune, typing in the artist first while listening to Saturday night 80's on the radio. It was a great time. I remember looking at an attractive blonde walking downtown and we both did not realize that she was holding hands with someone until it was too late. That someone was later identified as CPD Officer Cesar Sandoval who let us both know that he had seen us. Anyways, I have some great stories to share and will continue to post and share them with you. This is one of my favorites;
Lance and I were dispatched to a party complaint in a neighborhood we didn't commonly go to. Upon our arrival, we could hear the party occurring in the backyard. We went through the gate and encountered a very courteous and cooperative group of middle aged couples. We had just went to the written warning policy so Lance asked the lady for her ID and explained the process. She was very understanding and invited us into the house so that she could get her purse. We walked through the sliding glass door and into the living room. She explained that her purse was in her bedroom and ventured down the hall to get it. We didn't follow her, contrary to officer safety because it was clear by her actions and her beautiful home that she meant no harm to us and that she probably paid a large part of our salary!!
While we were standing in the living room, I heard her open her bedroom door. I then heard what sounded like a very mean, large dog trying to get out. It was quite the struggle. She was yelling, "No, Jackson, back, stop!!!!" The dog chain was rattling and the dog was barking and growling. We could not see what was happening, we could only listen. It then became clear to Lance and I that this was a large, aggressive animal that the homeowner was not going to be able to stop. Here he came, snarling and running down the hall.
As you can imagine, Lance and I became immediately concerned for our welfare. We both had been bitten in the last several months (about two weeks prior for Lance but that's another story). I envisioned a rottweiler and Lance told me later he was sure it was a pittbull. As the dog came barreling down the hall, I began to look for an escape route. In the corner was a lazy boy chair with a half wall and large wood sill on top. I jumped up onto the chair and catapulted myself up onto the sill. Lance jumped up on a tile countertop and both of us had deployed our batons (pre-Taser days).
As the dog came racing around the corner, I soon realized that he was not the junkyard dog I had pictured but a young, energetic golden retriever. We both realized that we were not in danger when "Jackson" put his front paws on the counter and began licking Lance's boots. I then heard a loud roar coming from the backyard. As I looked out the sliding glass door it became apparent that the entire group of party goers had just witnessed our actions. Several of them were laughing so hard they had fallen to the ground. It took some explanation from the both of us to explain to the homeowner why these two fine officers were standing on her furniture. Once I was able to get the large black scuff mark off of her wall were I had used my boot to spring up onto the picture sill, she soon understood our dilemma and was laughing as hard as her company.
We were so embarrassed that we left out the front door with a "verbal warning". Lance and I got back in the car, put on some 80's music and went 10-8, off to the next one.
I will post more stories as I have quite a few. I know that other officers have some great stories and hope that they get posted. Lance is deeply missed, but not forgotten.
- Officer Matt Madden
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