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KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Work is continuing to fully contain a fire sparked by a vehicle crash near Kelseyville on Tuesday afternoon.
The Bottle fire began at 4:40 p.m. Tuesday in the area of Highway 29 near Bottle Rock Road, according to Cal Fire.
Cal Fire said the fire was at 90 percent containment on Wednesday night.
The agency updated the fire’s acreage, rolling it back to 62 acres from the estimate of 75 acres given on Tuesday.
No structures have been damaged or destroyed, officials reported.
Reports from the scene on Tuesday night indicated a firefighter had a medical emergency and had to be transported from the fire line to the hospital.
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 Bottle fire began at 4:40 p.m. Tuesday in the area of Highway 29 near Bottle Rock Road, according to Cal Fire.
Cal Fire said the fire was at 90 percent containment on Wednesday night.
The agency updated the fire’s acreage, rolling it back to 62 acres from the estimate of 75 acres given on Tuesday.
No structures have been damaged or destroyed, officials reported.
Reports from the scene on Tuesday night indicated a firefighter had a medical emergency and had to be transported from the fire line to the hospital.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKEPORT, Calif. – A two-year-long investigation into two child abduction attempts in Lakeport in October of 2015 resulted in the arrest last week of a suspect in White Plains, New York.
Koyi Daron Gillis, 24, was arrested last Thursday in the case, according to the Lakeport Police Department.
On Oct. 21, 2015, the Lakeport Police Department issued a request for public assistance in identifying a subject who on two separate occasions – Oct. 16 and 20 – and at different locations attempted to lure two girls into his vehicle.
In the first incident, Lakeport Police officers responded on Oct. 21 to the 200 block of Lange Street regarding an 11-year-old girl who reported that a male subject attempted to get her into his vehicle.
The juvenile reported that on Oct. 16 at 7:40 a.m., while she was at the bus stop in the 400 block of N. Forbes St., a black male subject, driving a white four-door compact-type vehicle, passed by her slowly and began staring at her.
The young girl reported that the male drove up the block and came back around a second time, driving very slowly and looking at her.
She said the male drove around the block a third time, came back, and pulled his vehicle against the curb in front of her and told her to get into the car. After telling him no, the male subject replied, “Get into the car now.”
The girl reported her 8-year-old brother told the male subject to leave and he drove away.
On the same day that police took that initial report, they also received information from the mother of an 8-year-old girl that a male subject attempted to lure her into his vehicle.
The girl reported that the previous day, Oct. 20, just before 8 a.m., a black male subject driving a tan four-door compact vehicle pulled up to her at the bus stop in the 400 block of N. Forbes Street, opened the door and told her to get in the car.
She reported that the male subject told her it was OK to get into the car.
The girl reported that when the bus came, the male subject drove away.
She described the male subject as being a black male with a chubby face, wearing a dark green shirt and holding a dark and shiny object in his hand.
On Oct. 26, 2015, the Lakeport Police Department received community leads and conducted an investigation that led to the identification of Gillis as the individual responsible for the attempted child luring incidents.
Officers conducted surveillance and located and contacted Gillis in the city of Lakeport. The investigation continued and interviews with Gillis were conducted.
On Oct. 28, 2015, officers served a search warrant at Gillis’ Lower Lake residence, where items of evidence including computer equipment, were seized.
After the search warrant service at Gillis’ residence, officers received information that he left California for New York.
A Lakeport Police detective continued this investigation to include an additional search warrant for forensic examination of seized computer equipment. The examination revealed child pornography stored on the computer equipment.
Upon completion of the investigation, the Lakeport Police Department submitted the case to the Lake County District Attorney for review.
This past July 20, the District Attorney’s Office filed a complaint against Gillis, charging him with two felony counts of attempting to kidnap a child under 14 and one count of possession of obscene matter depicting a person under 18.
A Lake County Superior Court judge issued a felony arrest warrant for the charges with a bail amount of $300,000.
In late July, the Lakeport Police Department contacted the United States Marshals Service for assistance in locating and arresting Gillis.
On Aug. 3, federal marshals arrested Gillis, without incident, in White Plains, New York and he was booked into the Westchester County Correctional Facility where he currently remains in custody.
The extradition process is pending and the Lakeport Police Department intends to bring Gillis back to Lake County to face charges, a process the agency said could take as long as 30 days.
Chief Brad Rasmussen extended his appreciation to the public for its assistance, to his officers and investigators for their diligent work, and to the US Marshals Service for bringing the case to a conclusion.
Koyi Daron Gillis, 24, was arrested last Thursday in the case, according to the Lakeport Police Department.
On Oct. 21, 2015, the Lakeport Police Department issued a request for public assistance in identifying a subject who on two separate occasions – Oct. 16 and 20 – and at different locations attempted to lure two girls into his vehicle.
In the first incident, Lakeport Police officers responded on Oct. 21 to the 200 block of Lange Street regarding an 11-year-old girl who reported that a male subject attempted to get her into his vehicle.
The juvenile reported that on Oct. 16 at 7:40 a.m., while she was at the bus stop in the 400 block of N. Forbes St., a black male subject, driving a white four-door compact-type vehicle, passed by her slowly and began staring at her.
The young girl reported that the male drove up the block and came back around a second time, driving very slowly and looking at her.
She said the male drove around the block a third time, came back, and pulled his vehicle against the curb in front of her and told her to get into the car. After telling him no, the male subject replied, “Get into the car now.”
The girl reported her 8-year-old brother told the male subject to leave and he drove away.
On the same day that police took that initial report, they also received information from the mother of an 8-year-old girl that a male subject attempted to lure her into his vehicle.
The girl reported that the previous day, Oct. 20, just before 8 a.m., a black male subject driving a tan four-door compact vehicle pulled up to her at the bus stop in the 400 block of N. Forbes Street, opened the door and told her to get in the car.
She reported that the male subject told her it was OK to get into the car.
The girl reported that when the bus came, the male subject drove away.
She described the male subject as being a black male with a chubby face, wearing a dark green shirt and holding a dark and shiny object in his hand.
On Oct. 26, 2015, the Lakeport Police Department received community leads and conducted an investigation that led to the identification of Gillis as the individual responsible for the attempted child luring incidents.
Officers conducted surveillance and located and contacted Gillis in the city of Lakeport. The investigation continued and interviews with Gillis were conducted.
On Oct. 28, 2015, officers served a search warrant at Gillis’ Lower Lake residence, where items of evidence including computer equipment, were seized.
After the search warrant service at Gillis’ residence, officers received information that he left California for New York.
A Lakeport Police detective continued this investigation to include an additional search warrant for forensic examination of seized computer equipment. The examination revealed child pornography stored on the computer equipment.
Upon completion of the investigation, the Lakeport Police Department submitted the case to the Lake County District Attorney for review.
This past July 20, the District Attorney’s Office filed a complaint against Gillis, charging him with two felony counts of attempting to kidnap a child under 14 and one count of possession of obscene matter depicting a person under 18.
A Lake County Superior Court judge issued a felony arrest warrant for the charges with a bail amount of $300,000.
In late July, the Lakeport Police Department contacted the United States Marshals Service for assistance in locating and arresting Gillis.
On Aug. 3, federal marshals arrested Gillis, without incident, in White Plains, New York and he was booked into the Westchester County Correctional Facility where he currently remains in custody.
The extradition process is pending and the Lakeport Police Department intends to bring Gillis back to Lake County to face charges, a process the agency said could take as long as 30 days.
Chief Brad Rasmussen extended his appreciation to the public for its assistance, to his officers and investigators for their diligent work, and to the US Marshals Service for bringing the case to a conclusion.
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The California Highway Patrol has confirmed that a vehicle crash on Tuesday afternoon was the source of a wildland fire in the Kelseyville area.
The CHP’s Tuesday night report said the minor-injury crash involving three Kelseyville residents that sparked the Bottle fire occurred at 4:35 p.m. on Highway 29 just north of Highway 175/Cobb.
The Bottle fire burned 75 acres and was 50-percent contained by Tuesday night, according to Cal Fire.
The crash occurred about a half hour after a major-injury collision close to the same area, based on CHP reports.
The CHP said that Wyatt Gaskell, 17, was driving a 1985 Toyota pickup southbound on Highway 29 at approximately 55 miles per hour when he failed to observe that traffic in front of him had slowed.
Gaskell applied his brakes and swerved to the left to avoid hitting the vehicle in front of him, according to the report.
The CHP said Susan Suenram, 62, was driving a 2004 Ford F-250 pickup at 35 miles per hour northbound on Highway 29 with 64-year-old Robert Suenram riding as her passenger.
Gaskell swerved to his left, traveling into the northbound lane and Susan Suenram’s path. The CHP said she swerved to the left to avoid Gaskell’s Toyota.
The right front of Suenram’s pickup hit the right rear of Gaskell’s Toyota, causing the Toyota to overturn at least twice before going off the roadway, according to the CHP report.
The CHP said Gaskell’s Toyota landed in a field east of Highway 29 and immediately caught fire, with the fire spreading to nearby vegetation.
Authorities closed Highway 29 at Bottle Rock Road, Highway 281 at Kit’s Corner and Highway 175/Cobb in order to divert traffic as Cal Fire and local fire agencies responded to fight the fire, the CHP said. Traffic was diverted onto Red Hills Road and Highway 175 around the incident.
The CHP said Gaskell was transported to Sutter Lakeside Hospital with minor injuries, while both Susan and Robert Suenram were checked at the scene and released. The report said Susan Suenram had minor injuries.
The Suenrams and Gaskell all were wearing their seat belts, the CHP said.
Neither drugs nor alcohol appeared to be factors in the crash, which the CHP said remained under investigation by Officer Steve Patrick.
The fast-moving fire had, at one point, led the Lake County Sheriff’s Office to issue an evacuation advisory for nearby homes, with that advisory lifted a few hours later.
Radio reports on Tuesday evening indicated that forward progress on the Bottle fire was stopped at around 7 p.m., however, work continued on the incident through the night.
The CHP said the highway reopened shortly before 11 p.m. Tuesday.
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 CHP’s Tuesday night report said the minor-injury crash involving three Kelseyville residents that sparked the Bottle fire occurred at 4:35 p.m. on Highway 29 just north of Highway 175/Cobb.
The Bottle fire burned 75 acres and was 50-percent contained by Tuesday night, according to Cal Fire.
The crash occurred about a half hour after a major-injury collision close to the same area, based on CHP reports.
The CHP said that Wyatt Gaskell, 17, was driving a 1985 Toyota pickup southbound on Highway 29 at approximately 55 miles per hour when he failed to observe that traffic in front of him had slowed.
Gaskell applied his brakes and swerved to the left to avoid hitting the vehicle in front of him, according to the report.
The CHP said Susan Suenram, 62, was driving a 2004 Ford F-250 pickup at 35 miles per hour northbound on Highway 29 with 64-year-old Robert Suenram riding as her passenger.
Gaskell swerved to his left, traveling into the northbound lane and Susan Suenram’s path. The CHP said she swerved to the left to avoid Gaskell’s Toyota.
The right front of Suenram’s pickup hit the right rear of Gaskell’s Toyota, causing the Toyota to overturn at least twice before going off the roadway, according to the CHP report.
The CHP said Gaskell’s Toyota landed in a field east of Highway 29 and immediately caught fire, with the fire spreading to nearby vegetation.
Authorities closed Highway 29 at Bottle Rock Road, Highway 281 at Kit’s Corner and Highway 175/Cobb in order to divert traffic as Cal Fire and local fire agencies responded to fight the fire, the CHP said. Traffic was diverted onto Red Hills Road and Highway 175 around the incident.
The CHP said Gaskell was transported to Sutter Lakeside Hospital with minor injuries, while both Susan and Robert Suenram were checked at the scene and released. The report said Susan Suenram had minor injuries.
The Suenrams and Gaskell all were wearing their seat belts, the CHP said.
Neither drugs nor alcohol appeared to be factors in the crash, which the CHP said remained under investigation by Officer Steve Patrick.
The fast-moving fire had, at one point, led the Lake County Sheriff’s Office to issue an evacuation advisory for nearby homes, with that advisory lifted a few hours later.
Radio reports on Tuesday evening indicated that forward progress on the Bottle fire was stopped at around 7 p.m., however, work continued on the incident through the night.
The CHP said the highway reopened shortly before 11 p.m. Tuesday.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Two Kelseyville women were injured – one of them seriously – during a single-vehicle rollover on Highway 29 on Tuesday afternoon.
The crash occurred just after 4 p.m. Tuesday on Highway 29 south of Highway 175/Cobb, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office.
The CHP said Linda Kennedy, 64, was driving a 1993 Toyota 4Runner northbound on Highway 29 at approximately 55 miles per hour with 55-year-old Irene Romero riding as her passenger.
Kennedy encountered slowing traffic due to a vehicle attempting to make a left turn. The CHP said she applied her brakes and swerved to the right, which caused her vehicle to go off the highway and overturn.
Romero became trapped in the vehicle and had to be extricated by Kelseyville Fire Protection District personnel, the CHP said.
The CHP said Romero was transported via REACH air ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with major injuries, while Kennedy was taken to Sutter Lakeside Hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
Both women were wearing their seat belts, the CHP said.
The CHP said neither drugs nor alcohol are suspected as factors in the crash, which is under investigation by Officer Mark Crutcher.
About a half hour after the wreck, another crash occurred on Highway 29 north of Highway 175/Cobb, causing the Bottle fire, according to the CHP. The latest report on the fire put it at 75 acres, according to Cal Fire.
Highway 29 was closed at Highway 281/Kit’s Corner and at Highway 175/Cobb and traffic diverted for several hours while firefighters worked in the area, officials said.
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 crash occurred just after 4 p.m. Tuesday on Highway 29 south of Highway 175/Cobb, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office.
The CHP said Linda Kennedy, 64, was driving a 1993 Toyota 4Runner northbound on Highway 29 at approximately 55 miles per hour with 55-year-old Irene Romero riding as her passenger.
Kennedy encountered slowing traffic due to a vehicle attempting to make a left turn. The CHP said she applied her brakes and swerved to the right, which caused her vehicle to go off the highway and overturn.
Romero became trapped in the vehicle and had to be extricated by Kelseyville Fire Protection District personnel, the CHP said.
The CHP said Romero was transported via REACH air ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with major injuries, while Kennedy was taken to Sutter Lakeside Hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
Both women were wearing their seat belts, the CHP said.
The CHP said neither drugs nor alcohol are suspected as factors in the crash, which is under investigation by Officer Mark Crutcher.
About a half hour after the wreck, another crash occurred on Highway 29 north of Highway 175/Cobb, causing the Bottle fire, according to the CHP. The latest report on the fire put it at 75 acres, according to Cal Fire.
Highway 29 was closed at Highway 281/Kit’s Corner and at Highway 175/Cobb and traffic diverted for several hours while firefighters worked in the area, officials said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Nearly a year after it launched a major fundraising effort, a community group on Tuesday was able to make its biggest single contribution to date to the Middletown Library.
The Friends of Middletown Library members Tamsen Nash and Randa Fish presented a $10,000 check to Lake County Library Director Christopher Veach and District 1 Supervisor Moke Simon at the Board of Supervisors’ Tuesday morning meeting.
Nash, the Friends’ vice president, said that, over the years, the group has donated many thousands of dollars to the library, but in small amounts.
“This time we decided to do a very large fundraiser,” and to earmark it for the children’s library, Nash said.
The Friends sent out a request letter to the community on Sept. 30, Nash said.
“The money kept coming in,” Nash said, which caused the fundraiser to be extended from three months to six or seven.
Nash said the fundraiser was special in that the Friends asked the community to donate $5,000, with the group pledging to match that amount with another $5,000.
“I’m very pleased and proud of our community,” Nash added.
She said she also was proud of Veach, who did a lot of research and came up with areas where he would like to spend the money.
Board Chair Jeff Smith thanked the group for the donation.
Veach, taking the check, added, “Thank you for all the work that you’ve done.”
The group has asked that the funds be earmarked for the library’s children’s section.
In an interview last year, Friends Treasurer Jacquie Bogue told Lake County News that many of the library’s children’s books that were checked out at the time of the Valley fire were lost in homes that burned.
Bogue said that was one of the reasons for the desire to put funds toward the children’s library resources.
The Friends of Middletown Library welcomes new members year-round. Pick up a form at the Middletown Library, write to the group at P.O. Box 57, Middletown, CA 95461, or visit its Facebook page for more information.
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 Friends of Middletown Library members Tamsen Nash and Randa Fish presented a $10,000 check to Lake County Library Director Christopher Veach and District 1 Supervisor Moke Simon at the Board of Supervisors’ Tuesday morning meeting.
Nash, the Friends’ vice president, said that, over the years, the group has donated many thousands of dollars to the library, but in small amounts.
“This time we decided to do a very large fundraiser,” and to earmark it for the children’s library, Nash said.
The Friends sent out a request letter to the community on Sept. 30, Nash said.
“The money kept coming in,” Nash said, which caused the fundraiser to be extended from three months to six or seven.
Nash said the fundraiser was special in that the Friends asked the community to donate $5,000, with the group pledging to match that amount with another $5,000.
“I’m very pleased and proud of our community,” Nash added.
She said she also was proud of Veach, who did a lot of research and came up with areas where he would like to spend the money.
Board Chair Jeff Smith thanked the group for the donation.
Veach, taking the check, added, “Thank you for all the work that you’ve done.”
The group has asked that the funds be earmarked for the library’s children’s section.
In an interview last year, Friends Treasurer Jacquie Bogue told Lake County News that many of the library’s children’s books that were checked out at the time of the Valley fire were lost in homes that burned.
Bogue said that was one of the reasons for the desire to put funds toward the children’s library resources.
The Friends of Middletown Library welcomes new members year-round. Pick up a form at the Middletown Library, write to the group at P.O. Box 57, Middletown, CA 95461, or visit its Facebook page for more information.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Middletown Area Town Hall this week will host a visit from Congressman Mike Thompson and discuss a proposed park project on the Lake and Napa County line.
MATH will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 10, at the Middletown Community Center, 21256 Washington St.
On the agenda is a visit from Thompson (D-St. Helena), who was elected to Congress in 1998.
He represents the Fifth Congressional District, which includes the southern portion of Lake County.
Also on the Thursday agenda is an update on the Montesol Park Project from John Woodbury of the Napa Open Space District.
The district is soliciting public input on a plan to purchase a 1,254-acre portion of the Montesol Ranch, which is located west of Highway 29 on the Lake and Napa County border.
Plans for that portion of the property – about 1,000 acres of which is located in Lake County – include a new regional park which the district says could include a number of recreational opportunities, from camping to hiking, biking to horseback riding.
Maps of the proposed park location can be seen at http://konoctitrails.com/krt-worksite/montesol-ranch-project-proposed/.
The MATH Board includes Chair Claude Brown, Vice Chair Linda Diehl-Darms, Secretary Fletcher Thornton, and members Lisa Kaplan and Gregg Van Oss.
MATH – established by resolution of the Lake County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 12, 2006 – is a municipal advisory council serving the residents of Anderson Springs, Cobb, Coyote Valley (including Hidden Valley Lake), Long Valley and Middletown.
Meetings are subject to videotaping.
For more information emailThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
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.
MATH will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 10, at the Middletown Community Center, 21256 Washington St.
On the agenda is a visit from Thompson (D-St. Helena), who was elected to Congress in 1998.
He represents the Fifth Congressional District, which includes the southern portion of Lake County.
Also on the Thursday agenda is an update on the Montesol Park Project from John Woodbury of the Napa Open Space District.
The district is soliciting public input on a plan to purchase a 1,254-acre portion of the Montesol Ranch, which is located west of Highway 29 on the Lake and Napa County border.
Plans for that portion of the property – about 1,000 acres of which is located in Lake County – include a new regional park which the district says could include a number of recreational opportunities, from camping to hiking, biking to horseback riding.
Maps of the proposed park location can be seen at http://konoctitrails.com/krt-worksite/montesol-ranch-project-proposed/.
The MATH Board includes Chair Claude Brown, Vice Chair Linda Diehl-Darms, Secretary Fletcher Thornton, and members Lisa Kaplan and Gregg Van Oss.
MATH – established by resolution of the Lake County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 12, 2006 – is a municipal advisory council serving the residents of Anderson Springs, Cobb, Coyote Valley (including Hidden Valley Lake), Long Valley and Middletown.
Meetings are subject to videotaping.
For more information email
Email Elizabeth Larson at