A man who killed two rescue workers in a head-on DUI collusion is about to be paroled from prison after serving less than half his sentence — unless Governor Gavin Newsom steps in to stop it.
I was in the rescue vehicle that day, and I barely survived. I’m speaking out because my colleagues can’t.
On July 17, 2004, the San Gorgonio Search and Rescue Team was en route to search for a missing 17-year-old male in Joshua Tree.
A driver, Joseph Tidwell, 35, was under the influence of methamphetamine when he passed out, crossed the center line, and struck our rescue vehicle head-on.
Team members Doctor Jim Evans (Doc) and Julie Haggerty were following us, and immediately responded. Doc could see that team member Scott Johnston was the most seriously injured.
Scott was my best friend. I watched helplessly, trapped in the back seat, as Doc performed CPR. But after a few minutes, Doc realized Scott was gone.
I was sitting in the third-row seat of our Rescue Suburban. My leg and foot were broken, but Doc could tell I was bleeding internally and needed to be flown by helicopter to a hospital.
Tidwell, who was uninjured, was arrested at the scene. His girlfriend was severely injured.
I was sent to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, where I was in the ICU for two weeks, and had five surgeries. My iliac artery was torn, causing massive blood loss internally. My back, leg and foot were all broken. Doctors repaired the torn artery and fused my lower back. They put a rod and screws in my leg and an external fixator on my foot.
Phil Calvert, 58, was sitting in the front passenger seat. His legs were broken, but otherwise he seemed all right. He was sent by ambulance to Desert Regional Hospital in Palm Springs.
Phil was like a father to Scott and me, taking us under his wing when we first joined the team.
Three days later, as I recovered in the ICU, I was told Phil had developed complications from his injuries and died.
I was at Arrowhead for another six weeks. Then I was transferred to Loma Linda Hospital for three weeks of physical therapy, preparing me to go home.
Even though I watched my best friend die right in front of me, and I was told about Phil’s passing, their deaths didn’t really hit me until I was home. I had been in the hospital for almost three months, and I was so focused on my own recovery, that my emotions had taken a back seat.
My first day home, I broke down and wept. I was filled with regret and survivor’s guilt. It took me a year of physical therapy to learn to walk again.
In the spring of 2007, Tidwell stood trial. District Attorney Alex Martinez was assigned to the case. He was committed to getting justice for Phil and Scott.
Alex argued for second-degree murder under California law, which allows that kind of prosecution when a driver has multiple prior convictions and warnings.
Tidwell chose to drive his truck while under the influence. He knew his ability to drive was impaired and he could injure or kill someone.
The jury found Tidwell guilty of two counts of second-degree murder. Tidwell was sentenced to 45 years to life in prison, with the possibility of parole. It had only been two and-a-half years since losing Phil and Scott, and our emotions were still very raw, but we all felt that justice had been served.
However, in December of 2024, Tidwell, 55, applied for parole under California’s Elderly Parole Law after serving just 20 years of his sentence.
The Elderly Parole Program (Penal Code section 3055) allows inmates aged 50 and older who have served at least 20 years on their sentence to apply for parole.
(There is a proposed bill to raise the minimum age for elderly parole to 65 years old, but it has not yet passed.)
Fortunately, Tidwell had some infractions while being incarcerated, and was denied.
But only 18 months later, Tidwell applied for Elderly Parole again, and on June 30, 2026, his parole was granted.
Twenty-two years of a 45-year sentence is NOT justice for the deaths of Phil and Scott.
Tidwell has not been released yet. His parole still needs to be approved by Governor Newsom. We have reached out to him, as well as to state legislators, asking them to help.
This should not be a partisan issue. It’s about justice for wounds that have not yet healed — and an “elderly” parole system that is letting too many serious criminals off the hook.
Bob Blanck is a teacher and a former volunteer with the San Gorgonio Search and Rescue Team.
This story originally appeared on NYPost
