Newspaper Owner Held After Pointing Gun at Woman

A Palmdale newspaper executive was arrested after he allegedly forced a woman delivering telephone directories to leave his property at gunpoint Thursday, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

William W. Odett, 45, part owner of the Antelope Valley Press, was being held in lieu of $15,000 bail at the Antelope Valley Sheriff’s Station, Sgt. Darrel Brown said.

When a woman delivering a Pacific Bell directory to Odett’s home in the 500 block of Fairway Drive near Golfers Drive approached the house at 3:30 p.m. to place the phone book on the front porch, Odett allegedly emerged from the house, pointed a shotgun at her head and threatened to shoot, Brown said.

Odett, keeping his gun pointed at the back of her head, then walked the woman to the street and told her to leave, Brown said.

The woman reported the incident.

When deputies arrived at Odett’s house they asked him by both loudspeaker and telephone to come out, but he did not reply for about 45 minutes, Brown said.

After evacuating the neighborhood, 10 deputies surrounded the house and again asked him to come out unarmed, which he did about 5 p.m. Five rifles and two shotguns were found in the home, Brown said.

“We have no motive at this time. We have no idea why he did this,” Brown said. “She had never been there before and he had never seen her before either.”

Odett and his brother, Lamont Odett Jr., are part owners of the privately held publication, said editor Larry Grooms.

William Odett also serves as treasurer of Antelope Valley Newspapers Inc., which owns the paper, Grooms said.

The Palmdale-based newspaper is published five days a week and has a circulation of 60,000, Grooms said.