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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The California Highway Patrol said that it is continuing its efforts to determine who killed a Santa Clarita man whose vehicle was found crashed along Highway 20 on Thursday morning.
Patrick Michael Weber, 41, was found dead in his white 2014 sprinter van shortly after 7 a.m. Thursday in an area about two miles west of the Colusa County line, east of Clearlake Oaks, as Lake County News has reported.
CHP Clear Lake Area office Commander Lt. Randy England confirmed to Lake County News this weekend that Weber’s death is being investigated as a homicide.
Investigators from the CHP and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office are trying to put together what happened to Weber – including where he was in the days leading up to his death, why he was in Lake County and who would have wanted to take his life.
Weber’s family is mystified by the death of the husband and father.
“I just can’t imagine that anyone could have anything against him,” his wife, Angela Weber, told Lake County News.
A possible factor in the homicide is that Patrick Weber worked in the cannabis industry, although investigators have so far not stated if that was a motive.
Patrick Weber’s vehicle was discovered after a passing motorist called 911 at 7 a.m. Thursday to report that a white van had gone off the roadway on Highway 20, about a mile west of Walker Ridge Road, according to the CHP.
The CHP said its officers and Northshore Fire personnel responded, finding the van, which was headed eastbound, had traveled off the south edge of the highway and into a ditch, crashing into a tree.
When the officers and firefighters approached the vehicle, they found Weber deceased in the driver’s seat, the CHP said.
What looked like a simple crash at first soon turned into a complex criminal investigation. England told Lake County News in a weekend interview that when he arrived at the scene, “Something just didn’t seem right.”
For one, the officers investigating the crash found red paint transfer marks on the vehicle’s driver’s side, which the CHP said raised the possibility of a hit-and-run collision or possibly an intentional act. That led to the request to bring in the CHP Northern Division Multidisciplinary Accident Team, or MAIT.
On Thursday night, Weber’s body was taken to Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary in Lakeport, where the CHP had directed an autopsy be conducted immediately. The result was the determination that Weber’s cause of death – which hadn’t been immediately apparent at the scene – appeared to have been a homicide.
On Monday, Officer Joel Skeen said the CHP is still not ready to report Weber’s exact cause of death, which he said wasn’t consistent with a crash.
“It was apparent that he was in the vehicle when it crashed. He had the seat belt marks,” said Skeen.
However, during the autopsy it appeared that something had happened to Weber that caused the collision, Skeen said.
Skeen said CHP took the van for evidence. Weber is listed as the registered owner of the vehicle, which Skeen said the MAIT team will fully inspect for signs of any mechanical issues.
The CHP is not releasing information about what it found in Weber’s van, Skeen said.
He said investigators also are trying to create a timeline of Weber’s travels. “They are looking at where he has been for the last several days before the incident,” Skeen said. They’re particularly interested about why he was in Lake County.
Angela Weber said her husband left their Santa Clarita home at about 2 p.m. Monday. She said her husband worked in the cannabis industry, and that he has been working on permits and education to comply with new state rules, but added that he kept her in the dark about his business.
She said she knew he was doing a “trim run,” which she said she believed was to be used for vape pens.
“I don’t know any of the details of where he was going or who he was meeting. He never told me any of that stuff,” she said.
However, she’s received information that he stayed at Motel 6 in Eureka on Tuesday night. Sometime on Wednesday, he stopped at a gas station he frequented – she wasn’t sure where – because it has strong coffee.
The time of the wreck itself also isn’t known so far, the CHP said. However, Angela Weber said she and her husband exchanged texts at about 8:15 p.m. Wednesday, and that was the last she had heard from him. That narrows the timeframe to an 11-hour period, ending at 7 a.m. Thursday, when the vehicle and Weber’s body were found.
As to whether this was a random or a targeted act, “We’re considering both options,” Skeen said.
Investigators also are trying to identify a suspect. “They haven’t narrowed it down to a single suspect at this point but they’re still looking into everybody that he’s been in contact with,” Skeen said.
Skeen confirmed that investigators have contacted the family, which is providing necessary information. Angela Weber said she’s spoken to both CHP Officer Jake Slates and Lake County Sheriff’s Det. Jerry Pfann.
Family seeks answers
Angela and Patrick Weber would have been married five years in May. Angela Weber is a yoga teacher and homemaker.
She said her husband had put a lot of effort into his work in the cannabis industry, and that he was working with a farm “up north.” She believed he was selling through a dispensary, although she did not know how long he’d been doing it, adding she thought he felt it better not to tell her.
He was gone on trips a lot. “And a lot more lately,” she said, explaining he would be gone for several days at a time and that it was stressful.
She said other people also are trying to work legally in the cannabis industry to provide for their families, and that they shouldn’t be at risk. “This cannot be happening to people. Patrick was a good man.”
In the wake of her husband’s death, Angela Weber is concerned about getting answers and keeping her family safe.
While she’s received messages of condolence, she was unnerved after posting pictures of him on her Instagram account on Sunday and then, on Monday morning, receiving frightening messages from another Instagram account. She said she sent screenshots of the messages to a detective.
“It just felt crazy,” she said.
She said that she wants more information to hone in on the answer to the case.
“My husband was the kindest, most caring, wonderful man, an amazing family man,” a yogi and a peaceful person, she said.
She added, “I wish I’d asked more questions."
Anyone with information about Patrick Weber, including his whereabouts in the days before the crash, and the crash itself, is asked to call the CHP’s Ukiah Dispatch Center at 707-467-4000 and ask to speak to the lead investigator, Officer Jake Slates.
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.
Patrick Michael Weber, 41, was found dead in his white 2014 sprinter van shortly after 7 a.m. Thursday in an area about two miles west of the Colusa County line, east of Clearlake Oaks, as Lake County News has reported.
CHP Clear Lake Area office Commander Lt. Randy England confirmed to Lake County News this weekend that Weber’s death is being investigated as a homicide.
Investigators from the CHP and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office are trying to put together what happened to Weber – including where he was in the days leading up to his death, why he was in Lake County and who would have wanted to take his life.
Weber’s family is mystified by the death of the husband and father.
“I just can’t imagine that anyone could have anything against him,” his wife, Angela Weber, told Lake County News.
A possible factor in the homicide is that Patrick Weber worked in the cannabis industry, although investigators have so far not stated if that was a motive.
Patrick Weber’s vehicle was discovered after a passing motorist called 911 at 7 a.m. Thursday to report that a white van had gone off the roadway on Highway 20, about a mile west of Walker Ridge Road, according to the CHP.
The CHP said its officers and Northshore Fire personnel responded, finding the van, which was headed eastbound, had traveled off the south edge of the highway and into a ditch, crashing into a tree.
When the officers and firefighters approached the vehicle, they found Weber deceased in the driver’s seat, the CHP said.
What looked like a simple crash at first soon turned into a complex criminal investigation. England told Lake County News in a weekend interview that when he arrived at the scene, “Something just didn’t seem right.”
For one, the officers investigating the crash found red paint transfer marks on the vehicle’s driver’s side, which the CHP said raised the possibility of a hit-and-run collision or possibly an intentional act. That led to the request to bring in the CHP Northern Division Multidisciplinary Accident Team, or MAIT.
On Thursday night, Weber’s body was taken to Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary in Lakeport, where the CHP had directed an autopsy be conducted immediately. The result was the determination that Weber’s cause of death – which hadn’t been immediately apparent at the scene – appeared to have been a homicide.
On Monday, Officer Joel Skeen said the CHP is still not ready to report Weber’s exact cause of death, which he said wasn’t consistent with a crash.
“It was apparent that he was in the vehicle when it crashed. He had the seat belt marks,” said Skeen.
However, during the autopsy it appeared that something had happened to Weber that caused the collision, Skeen said.
Skeen said CHP took the van for evidence. Weber is listed as the registered owner of the vehicle, which Skeen said the MAIT team will fully inspect for signs of any mechanical issues.
The CHP is not releasing information about what it found in Weber’s van, Skeen said.
He said investigators also are trying to create a timeline of Weber’s travels. “They are looking at where he has been for the last several days before the incident,” Skeen said. They’re particularly interested about why he was in Lake County.
Angela Weber said her husband left their Santa Clarita home at about 2 p.m. Monday. She said her husband worked in the cannabis industry, and that he has been working on permits and education to comply with new state rules, but added that he kept her in the dark about his business.
She said she knew he was doing a “trim run,” which she said she believed was to be used for vape pens.
“I don’t know any of the details of where he was going or who he was meeting. He never told me any of that stuff,” she said.
However, she’s received information that he stayed at Motel 6 in Eureka on Tuesday night. Sometime on Wednesday, he stopped at a gas station he frequented – she wasn’t sure where – because it has strong coffee.
The time of the wreck itself also isn’t known so far, the CHP said. However, Angela Weber said she and her husband exchanged texts at about 8:15 p.m. Wednesday, and that was the last she had heard from him. That narrows the timeframe to an 11-hour period, ending at 7 a.m. Thursday, when the vehicle and Weber’s body were found.
As to whether this was a random or a targeted act, “We’re considering both options,” Skeen said.
Investigators also are trying to identify a suspect. “They haven’t narrowed it down to a single suspect at this point but they’re still looking into everybody that he’s been in contact with,” Skeen said.
Skeen confirmed that investigators have contacted the family, which is providing necessary information. Angela Weber said she’s spoken to both CHP Officer Jake Slates and Lake County Sheriff’s Det. Jerry Pfann.
Family seeks answers
Angela and Patrick Weber would have been married five years in May. Angela Weber is a yoga teacher and homemaker.
She said her husband had put a lot of effort into his work in the cannabis industry, and that he was working with a farm “up north.” She believed he was selling through a dispensary, although she did not know how long he’d been doing it, adding she thought he felt it better not to tell her.
He was gone on trips a lot. “And a lot more lately,” she said, explaining he would be gone for several days at a time and that it was stressful.
She said other people also are trying to work legally in the cannabis industry to provide for their families, and that they shouldn’t be at risk. “This cannot be happening to people. Patrick was a good man.”
In the wake of her husband’s death, Angela Weber is concerned about getting answers and keeping her family safe.
While she’s received messages of condolence, she was unnerved after posting pictures of him on her Instagram account on Sunday and then, on Monday morning, receiving frightening messages from another Instagram account. She said she sent screenshots of the messages to a detective.
“It just felt crazy,” she said.
She said that she wants more information to hone in on the answer to the case.
“My husband was the kindest, most caring, wonderful man, an amazing family man,” a yogi and a peaceful person, she said.
She added, “I wish I’d asked more questions."
Anyone with information about Patrick Weber, including his whereabouts in the days before the crash, and the crash itself, is asked to call the CHP’s Ukiah Dispatch Center at 707-467-4000 and ask to speak to the lead investigator, Officer Jake Slates.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – As rainfall totals continue to climb, Clear Lake is approaching flood stage and forecasters warned that Lake County is in an area most at risk of flooding-related issues.
Several inches of rain fell across Lake County on Monday thanks to an atmospheric river, leading the National Weather Service to issue a flood warning, which will go into effect at 4 p.m. Wednesday. An existing flood watch, that began at 4 p.m. Monday, will continue until 8 a.m. Thursday.
A new wind advisory also goes into effect at noon on Tuesday, the National Weather Service reported.
The National Weather Service’s observation stations reported the following 24-hour rainfall totals, through 12 a.m. Tuesday, in inches:
– Bartlett Springs: 4.07.
– Boggs Mountain: 4.42.
– Colusa County line: 0.76.
– Hidden Valley Lake: 2.75.
– High Glade Lookout (above Upper Lake): 1.09.
– Indian Valley Reservoir: 1.04.
– Kelseyville: 3.16.
– Knoxville Creek: 2.60.
– Lakeport: 1.96.
– Lower Lake: 1.65.
– Lyons Valley: 2.01.
– Soda Creek (near Lake Pillsbury): 3.48.
– Upper Lake: 1.82.
– Whispering Pines: 4.92.
Early Tuesday, Clear Lake was once again headed toward monitor stage – 8.0 feet Rumsey, the special measure used just for Clear Lake. County officials have predicted that the lake could hit flood stage – 9.0 feet Rumsey – by early Thursday morning.
The atmospheric river is expected to bring more heavy rain through Thursday, with the potential for up to another 4 inches of rain on Tuesday, according to the forecast.
Monday’s heavy rainfall led the National Weather Service to warn that the zone of highest probability of flooding problems late overnight and Tuesday morning will extend from Lake County northeast through Butte County.
The high water levels had led to some localized flooding of roadways by Monday night.
The California Highway Patrol said Clark Drive was closed from Soda Bay Road to Gaddy Lane in Kelseyville, and near Hopland, Highway 175 is closed from mile post 0.0 to 0.50, east of Highway 101.
The city of Lakeport issued an advisory regarding several streets prone to flooding, including Martin Street between Russell and Forbes streets, 16th Street at Hartley Street, Lange Street at Giselman Street, and Lakeshore Boulevard between Lange and Giselman streets. Motorists are urged to have alternate routes planned should flooding occur.
Officials also remind drivers not to drive through running or standing water on streets and to follow all traffic control devices they may encounter.
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.
Several inches of rain fell across Lake County on Monday thanks to an atmospheric river, leading the National Weather Service to issue a flood warning, which will go into effect at 4 p.m. Wednesday. An existing flood watch, that began at 4 p.m. Monday, will continue until 8 a.m. Thursday.
A new wind advisory also goes into effect at noon on Tuesday, the National Weather Service reported.
The National Weather Service’s observation stations reported the following 24-hour rainfall totals, through 12 a.m. Tuesday, in inches:
– Bartlett Springs: 4.07.
– Boggs Mountain: 4.42.
– Colusa County line: 0.76.
– Hidden Valley Lake: 2.75.
– High Glade Lookout (above Upper Lake): 1.09.
– Indian Valley Reservoir: 1.04.
– Kelseyville: 3.16.
– Knoxville Creek: 2.60.
– Lakeport: 1.96.
– Lower Lake: 1.65.
– Lyons Valley: 2.01.
– Soda Creek (near Lake Pillsbury): 3.48.
– Upper Lake: 1.82.
– Whispering Pines: 4.92.
Early Tuesday, Clear Lake was once again headed toward monitor stage – 8.0 feet Rumsey, the special measure used just for Clear Lake. County officials have predicted that the lake could hit flood stage – 9.0 feet Rumsey – by early Thursday morning.
The atmospheric river is expected to bring more heavy rain through Thursday, with the potential for up to another 4 inches of rain on Tuesday, according to the forecast.
Monday’s heavy rainfall led the National Weather Service to warn that the zone of highest probability of flooding problems late overnight and Tuesday morning will extend from Lake County northeast through Butte County.
The high water levels had led to some localized flooding of roadways by Monday night.
The California Highway Patrol said Clark Drive was closed from Soda Bay Road to Gaddy Lane in Kelseyville, and near Hopland, Highway 175 is closed from mile post 0.0 to 0.50, east of Highway 101.
The city of Lakeport issued an advisory regarding several streets prone to flooding, including Martin Street between Russell and Forbes streets, 16th Street at Hartley Street, Lange Street at Giselman Street, and Lakeshore Boulevard between Lange and Giselman streets. Motorists are urged to have alternate routes planned should flooding occur.
Officials also remind drivers not to drive through running or standing water on streets and to follow all traffic control devices they may encounter.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
NORTH COAST, Calif. – A Kelseyville man was killed on Monday afternoon when he lost control of his car and hit another vehicle on Highway 101 in Mendocino County.
The California Highway Patrol’s Ukiah Area office did not release the name of the 22-year-old crash victim in a Monday night report.
The CHP said that just after 4 p.m. the man was driving a white 2013 Mercedes northbound on Highway 101 near mile post marker 7.46 at approximately 65 miles per hour. It was raining at the time.
A black 2001 Toyota, driven by James Wakefield Jr., 21, of Redwood Valley was traveling southbound on Highway 101, north of the Mercedes, at approximately 50 miles per hour, the CHP said.
For unknown reasons, the Mercedes began to skid out of control, rotating counterclockwise. The CHP said the Mercedes traveled directly into the path of Wakefield’s Toyota, with the Toyota’s front end hitting the right side of the Mercedes.
The CHP said the Mercedes came to rest on all four wheels on the southbound shoulder, facing a northerly direction. The Toyota also came to rest on all four of its wheels, facing a southerly directly in the southbound No. 1 lane.
The Mercedes’ driver sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene. The CHP said that Wakefield suffered minor injuries and was transported to Adventist Health Ukiah Valley Hospital for treatment.
There were no passengers in either vehicle, the CHP said, and both drivers were wearing their seat belts.
The crash remains under investigation.
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 California Highway Patrol’s Ukiah Area office did not release the name of the 22-year-old crash victim in a Monday night report.
The CHP said that just after 4 p.m. the man was driving a white 2013 Mercedes northbound on Highway 101 near mile post marker 7.46 at approximately 65 miles per hour. It was raining at the time.
A black 2001 Toyota, driven by James Wakefield Jr., 21, of Redwood Valley was traveling southbound on Highway 101, north of the Mercedes, at approximately 50 miles per hour, the CHP said.
For unknown reasons, the Mercedes began to skid out of control, rotating counterclockwise. The CHP said the Mercedes traveled directly into the path of Wakefield’s Toyota, with the Toyota’s front end hitting the right side of the Mercedes.
The CHP said the Mercedes came to rest on all four wheels on the southbound shoulder, facing a northerly direction. The Toyota also came to rest on all four of its wheels, facing a southerly directly in the southbound No. 1 lane.
The Mercedes’ driver sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene. The CHP said that Wakefield suffered minor injuries and was transported to Adventist Health Ukiah Valley Hospital for treatment.
There were no passengers in either vehicle, the CHP said, and both drivers were wearing their seat belts.
The crash remains under investigation.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Police Department said its officers arrested a Loch Lomond man on Monday night after finding him with a truck filled with stolen medical equipment.
Joshua Michael Covell, 31, of Loch Lomond, Calif., was arrested for felony grand theft, possession of stolen property and tampering with a vehicle, according to a report from Chief Brad Rasmussen.
Rasmussen said that at 8:10 p.m. Monday, officers were called to a medical business in the 800 block of Parallel Drive to investigate the report of gasoline siphoning.
He said the officers responded and located a green Dodge Ram 1500 pickup parked in the area. The truck was unoccupied but officers could see an illegal weapon – metal knuckles – lying on the pickup seat.
Three officers began checking the area and set up surveillance on the pickup. Approximately 40 minutes later, they saw a male subject approach and enter the vehicle, Rasmussen said.
Rasmussen said officers contacted the suspect – later identified as Covell – and arrested him for possession of the metal knuckles.
He said the officers searched the pickup and located approximately $17,000 worth of medical equipment that was identified as being stolen from the medical business.
Officers also located approximately $500 worth of equipment that was identified as being stolen earlier in the day from the Lake County Fair. Rasmussen said the California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office was investigating that case and also responded to the scene of Covell’s arrest.
Rasmussen said Covell was arrested and transported to the Lake County Jail where he was booked.
The investigation remains ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact the Lakeport Police Department at 707-263-5491, by emailing Investigating Officer Tyler Trouette at
LUCERNE, Calif. – A structure fire early Sunday morning destroyed a home on the lakeshore in Lucerne.
The fire in the 6600 block of Highway 20 near Ogden Road was initially dispatched minutes before 4 a.m. Sunday, according to radio reports.
Northshore Fire responded to the scene to find an older double-wide mobile home on fire, according to Battalion Chief Dave Emmel, who served as incident command.
Emmel said the residence was located on the lakeside, with the closest hydrant across the highway. As a result, Highway 20 was temporarily closed to allow hose lay across the road.
He said they found no one in the structure at the time of the fire.
Two nearby structures were reported to be threatened by the blaze, based on radio reports.
“The house on the east side received a little bit of heat damage,” Emmel said.
Scene reports stated that it took less than an hour to contain the fire, with two hours of overhaul and mop up.
He said the house was a total loss.
As for a conclusion on the cause, “It’s under investigation still,” Emmel said Monday.
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 fire in the 6600 block of Highway 20 near Ogden Road was initially dispatched minutes before 4 a.m. Sunday, according to radio reports.
Northshore Fire responded to the scene to find an older double-wide mobile home on fire, according to Battalion Chief Dave Emmel, who served as incident command.
Emmel said the residence was located on the lakeside, with the closest hydrant across the highway. As a result, Highway 20 was temporarily closed to allow hose lay across the road.
He said they found no one in the structure at the time of the fire.
Two nearby structures were reported to be threatened by the blaze, based on radio reports.
“The house on the east side received a little bit of heat damage,” Emmel said.
Scene reports stated that it took less than an hour to contain the fire, with two hours of overhaul and mop up.
He said the house was a total loss.
As for a conclusion on the cause, “It’s under investigation still,” Emmel said Monday.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
Storms expected to push Clear Lake into flood stage; motor boat speed restrictions to go into effect
The county reported that a mandatory 5 mile-per-hour boating speed limit takes effect when Clear Lake reaches 8.0 Rumsey for at least 24 hours.
The speed ordinance requires boaters operating a motor boat within one-quarter mile or less of a shoreline to maintain idle speed.
The ordinance was approved by the Board of Supervisors during the 2017 flood to minimize wake damage to lakeshore properties and to help ensure the safety of boaters operating while heavy debris loads are present on the lake.
For more information about flood conditions and the boating speed limit, contact the Water Resources Department at 707-263-2344, the Sheriff’s Department at 707-262-4200, or visit the Flood Info feature at https://www.lakecountyca.gov/.