Anderson fall victim identified

By Michael Woodward

Originally published 03:50 p.m., June 29, 2009
Updated 12:42 p.m., July 1, 2009

The body of 77-year-old Anderson resident Richard John Vargo and his motorized scooter were found at the bottom of a cliff overlooking the Sacramento River on Claude Lane in Anderson at 4 p.m. Monday, June 30.

"I think he just hit the wrong button. . . . " bystander James Marshall said, adding that Vargo often watched the river from that spot.

"We're still in the early stages of the investigation," Anderson Police Department Captain Robert Kirvin said, adding that the death would be investigated as suspicious, even though no obvious sign of trauma was found.

An autopsy was planned for Wednesday, July 1, Kirvin said.

Correction: An earlier version of this story described the scooter as a motorized wheelchair according to a bystander.