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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Deputies have arrested two Kelseyville residents and recovered equipment stolen from a church, as well as other stolen items plus a large amount of drugs – including prescription pills – during an investigation that began last week.
Nichirien Bryce Langston, 33, was arrested on Thursday, Oct. 31, on a series of drug and theft charges, according to a report from Lt. Corey Paulich of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Arrested at the same time as Langston was Elona Nicole Virzi, 28, also of Kelseyville, on drug and probation violation charges, Paulich said.
At 10:30 a.m. Oct. 31, Lake County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the area of Kokanee Way and Soda Bay Road in Kelseyville for a suspicious male seen looking around houses in the area, Paulich said.
When deputies arrived they located a black BMW parked partially blocking the roadway. Paulich said the deputies searched the vehicle, locating paperwork for Langston and Virzi. A records check showed that Langston was on felony probation and Virzi had a warrant for her arrest out of Napa County.
Paulich said deputies also located a leaf blower, gas cans, crate with miscellaneous oils, and a box of clothing inside the vehicle.
The gas cans had “Grace E Free” written on them. Paulich said deputies contacted the Grace Evangelical Free Church in Kelseyville and found they were a victim of a recent theft of their small generator, leaf blower and gas cans.
A representative from the church was able to identify the gas cans as belonging to the church, but the leaf blower in the vehicle was not the one that had been stolen, Paulich said.
Deputies then went to Langston’s residence in the 4000 block of Pharo Place in Kelseyville and conducted a probation search and located Langston and Virzi at the residence, Paulich said.
During the search, Paulich said the deputies located almost 2 ounces of methamphetamine, approximately 56 pounds of marijuana and 134 pill of various prescription medications not belonging to Langston or Virzi.
Langston identified several items at the residence that were stolen, which included the leaf blower that had been stolen from the Grace Evangelical Free Church.
Paulich said Langston admitted to being involved with the theft of the generator from the church as well as one from Lyndall’s Sports Stop Grill in Kelseyville.
The generators have not been recovered, Paulich said.
Langston was arrested and booked at the Lake County Jail on charges of possession of a controlled substance for sale, possession of a controlled substance, possession of stolen property, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana for sale, and a probation violation. Paulich said Langston remains in custody on a no-bail hold.
Paulich said Virzi was arrested and booked at the Lake County Jail on charges of possession of a controlled substance for sale, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and a probation violation. She also remains in custody on a no-bail hold.
Deputies have not been able to locate owners for several of the items identified as stolen by Langston.
Photographs of the items can be viewed on this page or at the Lake County Sheriff’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/lakesheriff/.
If you believe any of these items belong to you, please contact Deputy John Wander at 707-263-2690. You will need to be able to prove ownership.
NICE, Calif. – A pedestrian was killed Tuesday night after being hit by a vehicle along Highway 20.
Northshore Fire units were dispatched to the scene of the incident, in the area of Highway 20 and Hudson Avenue in Nice, shortly after 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Firefighters arriving at the scene minutes later found the pedestrian down on the side of the road, not breathing.
Cal Fire dispatch had immediately ordered an air ambulance but it was canceled by units at the scene about five minutes later after firefighters confirmed over the air that the pedestrian had died.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office was asked to send a coroner and the California Highway Patrol responded to conduct an investigation.
Reports from the scene indicated the vehicle involved was a late 1990s model white Chevrolet Silverado pickup.
Additional information will be published as it becomes available.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – “Locus, a Sense of Place,” the 2019 Sculpture Walk at Trailside Park is closing Sunday, Nov. 10.
Be sure to catch it and be among hundreds of visitors from near and far who have walked and experienced the first Sculpture Walk since the Valley fire devastated the park.
Rising amidst young sprouting oaks, manzanita and other shrubs are 12 sculptures responding to the park’s current environment, disrupted ecosystems, and the events that took place there.
Most of the pieces are tall, providing bits of ‘architecture’ for birds or raptors in an environment that lost thousands of trees.
Others like Emily Scheibal’s Pollinator Pole, or Cobb Mountain Elementary’s Creatures of the Night seek to create habitat for bees or bats.
Preview the exhibit and view artists discussing their work at www.middletownartcenter.org/ecoarts.
“Lisa Kaplan and I discussed our Genius Loci, or the spirit of a place, some years ago,” said Karen Turcotte, founder of the EcoArts Sculpture Walk, which is now part of Middletown Art Center, or MAC. “With this year's exhibit, ‘Locus,’ we put a stake in the ground, that says, we are back, and this place is home.”
The first exhibit in 2003 featured four artists. The annual walk soon grew to about 25 local, and regional artists, until the exhibit and park burned in 2015. The Sculpture Walk was closed until this summer when the 14th annual exhibit opened.
The MAC opened in 2015, just six months before the Valley fire. Half of the sixty affiliated artists and members at the time lost their homes and studios in the fire.
Since then, the MAC has been a center for healing creativity and a variety of cultural activities. It has provided a sense of normalcy and quality of life, both to those who attend MAC's programs and those who are grateful to see it, and "know it's there" at the corner of highways 175 and 29.
While the change at Trailside Park is very significant, sprouting trees and young shrubs are testament to nature’s resilience.
MAC was awarded a $18,000 grant from the California Arts Council to support an Artists in Schools project called Being Leonardo.
This science, engineering, arts, technology and science-based project integrates visual arts into core curriculum, particularly new generation science standards, which include engineering, in select classes in each of Middletown Unified School District’s schools.
About 450 students, grades third to 12th, will participate in a learning adventure that begins and ends in the park.
“The guiding question for the project is: what do we need to know to design artwork that assists the natural recovery of a disrupted ecosystem?” said Lisa Kaplan, artist, educator and Programs Director at MAC.
“We have already taken six groups on field trips to Trailside to expose students to the current state of the park and experience it as a living laboratory,” Kaplan said. “Our goal is to provide them with a relevant, empowering learning and art making experience in which they take action by designing and creating sculptures that support ecosystem recovery. Each group will collaborate and choose a viable piece to pursue with support from a local professional to be installed in the 2020 Sculpture Walk. I am very excited about the critical thinking, scientific process, creative problem solving, and healing opportunities this project provides our children and youth."
MAC encourages community members, sculptors, engineers, architects, permaculture designers, naturalists, horticulturists, among others, to contact
Work will be vetted by the County of Lake Public Services Department. Applications for the 2020 EcoArts Sculpture Walk will be released in January 2020.
Visit the Sculpture Walk at Trailside Park before the exhibit closes Nov. 10. A few current installations which are contributing to park ecosystem recovery will remain onsite.
Trailside Park is open dawn to dusk and the exhibit is free to the public.
For more information about the Sculpture Walk and the MAC visit www.middletownartcenter.org/ecoarts.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Police Department said its participation in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day in late October helped take a lot of potentially harmful drugs out of the community.
The agency took part in the event on Saturday, Oct. 26, by hosting a drop off site at the police station at 2025 Main St.
Approximately 40 people came to the event and safely disposed of 48.3 pounds of prescription drugs. Many of these drugs were opioids including oxycodone, dilaudid and fentanyl, police reported.
“We thank the community for participating in this valuable program because removing these drugs from the community, prevents abuse, keeps kids safe and protects the environment,” the department said in a report on the event.
Additionally in the time period between a dropoff event held April 27 and the one on Oct. 26, the Lakeport Police Department collected an additional 141.7 pounds of prescription drugs, placing the current total to be turned over to the DEA at 190 pounds.
In April the department destroyed 248 pounds of prescription drugs.
Since Jan. 1, 2019, the Lakeport Police Department has collected a total of 438 pounds of dangerous prescription drugs.
“We want to thank SafeRx Lake County and the Lake County Behavioral Health Partners in Prevention for assisting us with this event and for providing educational materials and training to the community regarding opioids,” the department said.
The Lakeport Police Department reminds the community that it continues to accept prescription drugs for disposal at the police station during business hours.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Containment rose on Tuesday on a wildland fire burning east of Clearlake Oaks.
The Eagle fire began Monday night off Walker Ridge Road and Bartlett Springs Road, east of Clearlake Oaks and northeast of Clearlake.
Cal Fire said that by Tuesday evening the fire was holding at 75 acres, with containment up to 75 percent.
There has not yet been a report on what caused the fire.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Firefighters are continuing to work to contain a fire that began overnight in the Walker Ridge area.
The Eagle fire was first reported shortly after 10:30 p.m. Monday.
Due to its remote location off Walker Ridge and Bartlett Springs roads east of Clearlake Oaks, it took firefighters close to an hour and a half to reach it, based on radio reports.
Cal Fire said Tuesday morning that there is zero containment on the fire.
Shortly after 11 a.m., radio reports indicated that the fire has holding at 76 acres.
Additional updates will be posted as they become available.
Email Elizabeth Larson atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
The Eagle fire was first reported shortly after 10:30 p.m. Monday.
Due to its remote location off Walker Ridge and Bartlett Springs roads east of Clearlake Oaks, it took firefighters close to an hour and a half to reach it, based on radio reports.
Cal Fire said Tuesday morning that there is zero containment on the fire.
Shortly after 11 a.m., radio reports indicated that the fire has holding at 76 acres.
Additional updates will be posted as they become available.
Email Elizabeth Larson at