Mountain lion spotted near elementary school

By Victoria Metcalf

Just before school let out Thursday afternoon, March 12, someone reported that a mountain lion was west of the Pioneer Campus of Quincy Elementary School and Lee Road. It was in a tree with what officers initially thought was a small dog. The animal turned out to be a dead raccoon that had obviously been dead awhile. Plumas County Sheriff’s Officer Kris Frazier took the first shot at the huge cat from where the officer stood near the small bridge over Mill Creek. But the cat suddenly made a run for it, coming out on the bank on the opposite side of the school. Officers then left the site and went into a neighborhood next to Napa Auto Parts and Highway 70. While officers continued to scout the area, the mountain lion suddenly came up on the bank, went behind a house and then disappeared. Officers once again shifted their search. Another sheriff’s deputy took numerous shots at the animal, but it ran back down Mill Creek toward the direction where the chase began. The animal was pursued and killed.