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Authorities release names of deputies involved in Sonoma County shooting, new details about incident
The incident occurred at the Jolly Wash Car Wash/Gas Station, where an employee, Ryan Pritel, pulled a gun on three deputies, shooting and injuring one of them.
Sonoma Police Chief Bret Sackett said the deputies assigned to his department who responded to the call were Mike Matelli, Greg Hals and Mike Schemmel.
Deputy Mike Matelli was shot by the suspect and sustained injuries to multiple locations on his body. This was due to the fact the suspect used a snake shot round, a bullet that contains numerous pellets instead of a single bullet, Sackett said.
Sackett said Deputy Matelli has been released from the hospital and is recovering well. He thanks the community for the outpouring of support. He has six years of experience in law enforcement; four with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office and two years of prior experience at Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety.
Deputy Greg Hals has more than 11 years of experience as a deputy sheriff with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, Sackett said.
Deputy Mike Schemmel is a 16-year veteran of law enforcement. He has four years of experience with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office and 12 years of experience with the Marin County Sheriff’s Office, according to Sackett.
Sackett said all deputies are doing well given this traumatic situation and are currently on paid administrative leave. “We have had tremendous community support and the Sheriff’s Office family appreciates all the community concern.”
Meanwhile, detectives from the Santa Rosa Police Department have continued the investigation into the shooting.
A total of 17 witnesses and three deputies were interviewed. The witness statements, the body worn camera footage, and the surveillance footage from the Jolly Washer Car Wash have given investigators a clear understanding of what occurred, the agency said.
The agency said the evidence demonstrates that Ryan Pritel pulled a loaded 9 millimeter handgun from his waistband as three uniformed deputies approached him. Pritel fired one gunshot, and struck one of the approaching deputies in the upper body. The deputy, who was struck by the round, returned two shots. The suspect quickly hid behind a stopped pickup truck, and both deputies’ rounds struck the pickup truck. No one was injured by the deputies’ bullets.
The 9 millimeter handgun that Pritel fired had a high capacity 20-round magazine. Authorities said the magazine was loaded with a combination of 9 millimeter full metal jacketed rounds and 9 millimeter snake rounds. Pritel had a second loaded magazine in his pants pocket that contained a combination of the same rounds.
Pritel is being held at the Sonoma County Main Adult Detention Facility with a bail set at $1 million, authorities said.
Santa Rosa Police Department detectives learned that Pritel, who works at the Jolly Washer Car Wash, lived nearby in the 800 block of Third Street West in the city of Sonoma. Detectives served a search warrant at the residence seeking evidence related to the attempted murder of the deputy.
Detectives are actively seeking assistance from anyone who may have witnessed or recorded any actions leading up to and after the deputies’ contact with Pritel. They also are seeking information regarding any prior contacts with Pritel in the weeks leading up to this incident.
Anyone who has information which may assist the detectives is asked to contact the Santa Rosa Police Department at 707-543-3590.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Police Department has released a sketch of a male subject who attempted to abduct a woman in downtown Lakeport earlier this week.
The composite sketch was prepared by Joe Eastham, a former Lakeport Police sergeant who now works in the Bay Area.
Police said the attempted kidnapping was reported to have occurred at around 3:15 p.m. Tuesday.
A 26-year-old woman told officers that a black male adult in his mid 50s approached her at the end of Fourth Street near Library Park and offered her money for sex.
When the woman told the man no, she said he grabbed her by the arm and attempted to pull her into his car, described as a shiny red Lexus sedan with gold badging, police said.
Police said the woman reported that she broke free from the man’s hold and he fled in the Lexus, which had an unknown state license plate, white with black lettering, and the first three letters “EYU.”
The male subject is described as being about 6 feet tall and weighing 225 pounds, with short curly salt- and pepper-colored hair. He was clean shaven and wearing a black short-sleeved shirt, black jeans and black and gray shoes at the time of the incident, according to police.
The Lakeport Police Department asks that anyone who may have seen anything or who may have information on the man or his vehicle contact the agency at 707-263-5491, send an anonymous message via cell phone by texting the words TIP LAKEPORT followed by your message to 888777 or by sending a private message on Facebook Lakeport Police Department.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Authorities have arrested a Clearlake man who they say impersonated law enforcement when he pulled a woman over early Wednesday morning in the Kelseyville area, and who was in possession of badges, a light bar, blank-firing pistols and drugs.
Grant Leslie Washam, 47, was arrested early Wednesday, according to a report from Lt. Corey Paulich of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
At 12:30 a.m. Wednesday the California Highway Patrol broadcasted a be on the lookout, or a BOLO, for a male driving a gray sedan that was equipped with red and blue lights.
It was reported that the male used the lights on his vehicle to stop a female driver in the area of Kit’s Corner in Kelseyville, Paulich said.
According to the BOLO, the woman told authorities that the man who pulled her over said he was looking for stolen plates.
The man responsible was described as a white male wearing an orange and white hockey jersey.
Shortly after the BOLO was issued, a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy observed the suspect vehicle parked in the area of Soda Bay Road and Point Lakeview Road. Paulich said the deputy recognized the male associated with the vehicle from previous contacts as Washam, who also matched the description provided by the female that had been stopped.
Paulich said Washam also was wearing a black beanie that had “police” written on the front in yellow letters.
The deputy observed the handle of a pistol protruding from Washam’s rear waistline, Paulich said.
Paulich said the deputy detained Washam with handcuffs and removed the stainless steel 9-millimeter revolver, Paulich said.
Paulich said Washam told the deputy the firearm was not real and used for firing blanks. The firearm contained five unexpended blank rounds and one expended round.
The deputy located a San Francisco Sheriff’s Office badge in Washam’s wallet, along with a pair of handcuffs in his pocket, Paulich said.
Washam’s vehicle had red and blue lights affixed to the inside of the windshield. Paulich said deputies searched Washam’s vehicle and located another semiautomatic handgun, a badge reading “U.S. Department of Homeland Security ICE,” and suspected methamphetamine.
Paulich said the second handgun found was, like the first, only capable of firing blanks.
When questioned, Washam told the deputy that he used the guns to scare off animals from where he lived in Clearlake. He said he used the police badges and beanie to mess with his friends, and denied using the lights to stop any vehicles, Paulich said.
Paulich said the deputy was able to determine that the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office badge had been lost by one of its deputies 22 years ago at Konocti Harbor Resort.
The female who originally reported being stopped later positively identified Washam as the person who stopped her, Paulich said.
Washam was arrested and booked at the Lake County Jail for violations of impersonating a police officer, false imprisonment, possession of a controlled substance, openly displaying an imitation firearm in public and violating his Post Release Community Supervision terms, according to Paulich.
In his arrest mugshot, Washam is shown wearing the orange and white hockey jersey the woman had described him as wearing in her report to authorities.
Washam, whose occupation on his booking sheet is listed as “disabled,” remained in custody on Thursday with bail set at $15,000 bail, according to Lake County Jail records.
He is tentatively scheduled to be arraigned in Lake County Superior Court on Friday.
Paulich told Lake County News that he’s not aware of any previous law enforcement impersonation cases that matched this one.
He recalled there were a few arrests made for a similar crime during the Valley fire, but those mostly involved people just driving around, and one possible case of a person having lights.
The Sheriff’s Office asks anyone with information related to Washam’s case or who may have been stopped by Washam to contact Det. Shamus Stafford at 707-262-4231.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – This week the Clearlake Police Department made arrests during the course of an investigation into an armed robbery involving marijuana.
On Tuesday at 8:45 p.m., Clearlake Police officers were dispatched to a residence in the 16200 block of 32nd Avenue for a reported robbery in progress, according to Det. Ryan Peterson.
The reporting party told the police department that two black male adults were holding three Hispanic male adults at gunpoint at a house. Peterson said the man reporting the incident said he was located at the intersection of 32nd Avenue and Boyles Avenue watching the residence.
As the officers arrived, they observed a Cadillac sedan begin to leave the residence. Based on the circumstances, the officers conducted a high risk stop on the vehicle, Peterson said.
From the traffic stop, Peterson said 18-year-old William Hutton and 23-year-old James Deshawn Celestin Willis, both of Clearlake, were detained. During a search of the vehicle, a .357-magnum handgun was located inside.
The officers proceed to the residence and conducted a protective sweep in search of potential victims and suspects. Peterson said officers located 52-year-old Jose Belem Cuevas of Clearlake and several other subjects inside of the residence. They also saw in plain view marijuana packaged for sale.
Through the investigation, Peterson said it was determined that the two black males were from out of the area. They were brought to the residence by Willis to purchase marijuana from Cuevas.
During the transaction, the two black males displayed guns and robbed the two of approximately 25 pounds of processed and packaged marijuana. The two black males then fled the area in a white unknown type vehicle at a high rate of speed, Peterson said.
Based on the investigation and statements from the subjects involved, Peterson said Cuevas was arrested for possession of marijuana for sale and Willis was arrested for the violations of carrying a loaded firearm in public and carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle. The remaining marijuana located in plain view in the residence was seized and later determined to have a combined weight of approximately 28 pounds.
The Clearlake Police Department is continuing to seek leads in this case and anyone with information is asked to contact Officer Mauricio Barreto at 707-994-8251, Extension 507. Callers may remain anonymous.
The Clearlake Police Department reminds citizens that Proposition 64 does not allow the sale of cannabis or cannabis product by private unlicensed persons, and that conducting such illegal activity leads to the potential risk of violent crimes.
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – A Hidden Valley Lake man was injured on Tuesday night when his motorcycle collided with a deer.
Daniel Jonathan Sweet, 24, sustained moderate injuries in the wreck, which occurred at 8 p.m. Tuesday, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office.
The CHP said Sweet was riding his 2005 BMW GSR 1200 motorcycle eastbound on Highway 175, just west of mile post marker 25.30 near the Calpine entrance outside of Middletown.
A deer entered the roadway directly in Sweet’s path, the CHP said.
Sweet’s motorcycle subsequently collided with the deer, with Sweet thrown from the bike, according to the report.
A REACH air ambulance transported Sweet to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital for treatment of moderate injuries.
Sweet was using his safety equipment, and neither alcohol nor drugs are suspected factors in the collision, which the CHP said remains under investigation.
Sweet’s crash was the second motorcycle wreck in two days in Lake County. On Monday night, Lucerne resident Erik Jones also was reported to have sustained moderate injuries when he lost control of his 1994 Honda and slid into a guardrail near Upper Lake, as Lake County News has reported.
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Daniel Jonathan Sweet, 24, sustained moderate injuries in the wreck, which occurred at 8 p.m. Tuesday, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office.
The CHP said Sweet was riding his 2005 BMW GSR 1200 motorcycle eastbound on Highway 175, just west of mile post marker 25.30 near the Calpine entrance outside of Middletown.
A deer entered the roadway directly in Sweet’s path, the CHP said.
Sweet’s motorcycle subsequently collided with the deer, with Sweet thrown from the bike, according to the report.
A REACH air ambulance transported Sweet to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital for treatment of moderate injuries.
Sweet was using his safety equipment, and neither alcohol nor drugs are suspected factors in the collision, which the CHP said remains under investigation.
Sweet’s crash was the second motorcycle wreck in two days in Lake County. On Monday night, Lucerne resident Erik Jones also was reported to have sustained moderate injuries when he lost control of his 1994 Honda and slid into a guardrail near Upper Lake, as Lake County News has reported.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake Police Department on Wednesday seized hundreds more marijuana plants and a honey oil lab, and made arrests in the latest operation to address illicit grows.
On Wednesday Clearlake Police Department Investigations Unit officers executed search warrants regarding the commercial cultivation of marijuana for sale at residences located in the 14000 block of Woodland Drive and the 3800 block of Mullen Avenue, according to Det. Ryan Peterson.
Peterson said the residences had been identified as illegal marijuana growing operations in violation of state cannabis laws and local Clearlake ordinances.
During the execution of the search warrant at the Woodland Drive address, 550 growing marijuana plants were seized for destruction, Peterson said.
He said evidence of the sales of marijuana along with a concentrated cannabis operation, commonly referred to as a honey oil lab, and concentrated cannabis also were located and seized.
Stephen Brooks Steppe, 54, and 26-year-old Gregorio Soto-Mora were contacted at the residence and placed under arrest for the violations of cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana for sale, manufacturing a control substance, maintaining a residence for unlawful drug activity and conspiracy, Peterson said.
During the execution of the search warrant at the Mullen Avenue address, Peterson said 86 growing marijuana plants were seized for destruction. Evidence of the illegal cultivation of marijuana for sale was located along with information of the involved subjects.
This investigation is ongoing with identified suspects. Anyone with information on these investigations are encouraged to contact Det. Leonardo Flores at 707-994-8251, Extension 315.
Peterson said the Clearlake Police Department is continuing to take a proactive approach on enforcement of all state laws and local ordinances associated with the cultivation and sales of marijuana and marijuana associated products.