Merced highway dedicated to an ‘outstanding lawman’

Rick Oules once fled down Highway 140 after a teenage prank at a Planada fire station. Years later, Oules chased criminals down the same road as a Merced County sheriff’s deputy.

Now, that stretch of highway bears his name.

Oules, who became a top narcotics agent for the state Justice Department and later the U.S. attorney’s office, died in 2011 at the age of 55 after a short battle with cancer. His illness was the result of exposure to some 300 methamphetamine laboratories he investigated during his career, according to the California Senate resolution naming the highway in his honor.

The legislation was sponsored by state Sen. Anthony Cannella, R-Ceres, and dedicated the portion of Highway 140 from Arboleda Drive to Plainsburg Road as the Special Agent Richard “Rick” Oules Memorial Highway.

The roadway was formally dedicated to Oules on Thursday during a brief ceremony at the state Department of Transportation yard on Motel Drive in Merced. More than 80 people attended the dedication.

Mark Pazin, chief of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services Law Enforcement Division and former Merced County sheriff, said Oules’ death was a tragedy sparked by his relentless fight against narcotics and methamphetamine in particular.

“Back then, we didn’t know – we went into those (methamphetamine laboratories) with garden masks,” Pazin said.

Oules’ wife, Lisa, fought back tears as she thanked her late husband’s friends and colleagues Wednesday.

“He was so loved. I know he’s my angel up there smiling down right now,” Lisa Oules said.

She said she was flattered by the large public turnout Wednesday. She said her husband frequently joked about being a “very important person” in law enforcement.

“Looking around today, you realize he really was that important to people and even more so than he said,” she remarked after the ceremony.

Oules was survived by his wife and their daughter, Chrissy, who is studying abroad in France. Oules’ mother, Patsy, also attended the dedication.

Colleagues remembered Oules as a talented, dedicated investigator whose career success at the state and federal level made his lifelong friends in Merced County proud.

Sheriff Vern Warnke said Thursday’s ceremony was “an outstanding tribute to a man who gave his life serving the public’s safety.”

“Rick devoted his entire life to law enforcement and he had a great time working as a cop. He loved every day of it,” Warnke said. “To have that place dedicated in his name is a great tribute to a man who gave his life as an outstanding lawman.”

This story was originally published April 30, 2015 at 6:48 PM with the headline "Merced highway dedicated to an ‘outstanding lawman’."