Banning City Manager Is Found Dead on Hiking Trail
Banning City Manager Thomas Huebner, credited with restoring confidence to the city’s troubled Police Department, was found dead on a hiking trail in the San Bernardino National Forest where he apparently had suffered a heart attack, authorities said Sunday.
Huebner, 53, was found Friday evening with hiking gear and a sleeping bag on the Vivian Creek trail in the Forest Falls area, about 20 miles east of San Bernardino, Deputy Coroner Ken Collins said.
A helicopter dispatched to retrieve Huebner’s body coincidentally came across the wreckage of a Marine reconnaissance plane that had been missing for 17 days. Late Sunday, rescue workers were attempting to reach the wreckage and remove the bodies of two crewmen who died in the crash.
Hired as Banning city manager in June, 1988, Huebner assumed control of a divided Police Department accused of incompetence, mismanagement and favoritism.
A Riverside County Grand Jury recommended that the city disband the department and enter a contract with the county Sheriff’s Department for police services. The City Council, however, rejected the advice.
After three weeks on the job, Huebner assumed oversight of the department when Police Chief Louis Davison took a stress-related leave of absence. Huebner worked to resolve issues cited by the grand jury and hired a new police chief.
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