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NORTH COAST, Calif. – A Lakeport man was arrested by Mendocino County authorities late last week after he is alleged to have assaulted his ex-wife and endangered their children.
Jessie Edward Slotte, 31, was arrested on Saturday for assault with a deadly weapon, felony domestic violence battery and child endangerment, according to a report from Sgt. Mike Dygert of the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.
Dygert said that at 7:40 p.m. Saturday Mendocino County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a reported domestic violence incident in the 11000 block of East Road in Potter Valley.
Upon their arrival the deputies learned that Slotte and a 31-year-old adult female from Lakeport had previously been married and had children in common, Dygert said.
Dygert said both Slotte and the adult female were in a vehicle together with a 3-year-old male and a 5-month-old female.
Slotte’s ex-wife was driving the vehicle down the road when she and Slotte became engaged in an argument. Dygert said the argument escalated and Slotte reached down and pushed on the vehicle's accelerator pedal while one of his hands grabbed the steering wheel, causing the woman to temporarily lose control of the vehicle.
Slotte then brandished a pocket knife and held it at the adult female’s neck and threatened to kill her, Dygert said.
Dygert said the woman stopped the vehicle and attempted to get the children out when Slotte attacked her by pushing her to the ground and kicking her once on the left side of her torso.
The woman got up and was attempting to retrieve the children when Slotte started driving away in the vehicle while the adult female was partially in the vehicle, Dygert said. This caused the adult female's feet to be dragged on the ground several feet while striking some roadside mailboxes before Slotte stopped the vehicle.
Dygert said the woman managed to get one of the children out of the vehicle before Slotte drove off at a high rate of speed.
Deputies observed visible injuries on the adult female’s legs, Dygert said.
At 9:11 p.m. Saturday Lake County Sheriff’s deputies located Slotte in the city of Lakeport and arrested him, according to Dygert.
Slotte was booked into the Mendocino County Jail where he was to be held in lieu of $30,000 bail, Dygert said.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Clearlake Animal Care and Control once again has a full house of dogs ready and waiting to meet their new families.
This week’s dogs include mixes of American Staffordshire Terrier, Catahoula, Chihuahua, Labrador Retriever, mastiff, shepherd and terrier.
To meet the animals, call Clearlake Animal Control at 707-994-8201, Extension 103 or 105, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday, or leave a message.
Below are this week's available pets.
‘Boots’
“Boots” is a male Chihuahua puppy.
He has a short black coat.
Shelter staff said that since Boots is just a baby, he needs lots of love and attention.
‘Brandy’
“Brandy” is an adult female Chihuahua with a short white coat with red markings.
Shelter staff said she’s sweet and would make a great companion.
‘Butternut”
“Butternut” is a very sweet female Chihuahua mix with a short brown coat.
She already is spayed.
Shelter staff said she gets along with cats but wants to be an only child around dogs. “She will keep your lap warm and be your best friend.”
‘Carmel’
“Carmel” is an adult female Chihuahua.
She came in with “Brandy” and the puppy, “Boots.”
She has a short red and white coat.
‘Courtney’
“Courtney” is a female Catahoula mix.
She has a short brown brindle coat and big brown eyes.
Shelter staff said she is about 2 years old and very sweet.
‘Hansel’
“Hansel is a handsome male terrier and shepherd mix puppy.
He has a short brown coat with black and white markings.
‘Mya’
“Mya” is a female mastiff-Labrador Retriever mix with a short black coat.
Shelter staff said her owner moved and couldn’t take her. She is very sweet.
‘Xena’
“Xena” is an American Staffordshire Terrier and Labrador Retriever mix with a short tan and white coat.
Shelter staff said she is a kind 2-year-old who loves to go for walks and is very well-mannered.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
Mark Victor Basili
May 27, 1954 – May 23, 2017
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Born in San Francisco in 1954 to Frank and Shirley Basili (Asplin). Mark grew up in Alexander Valley and attended Healdsburg High School, graduating in 1973.
Mark is survived by his wife, Patti Basili (Dutra); daughters, Wendy and Adam Tillgren (Basili); grandchildren, Alexis, Lydia and Kyle Tillgren; youngest daughter, Lisa Basili; ans siblings, Jeff, Robert and Marcia Tosti (Basili).
He began his career with Cil Rossi Construction. His work was with companies and on projects which he believed in through the years. The last 30 years have been spent with Kiewit Construction and his work can be seen throughout California.
Mark worked hard and played just as hard. His humor and mischievous smile were contagious and everyone knew him as a jokester who could light up a room. He had a gift for bringing people together.
Family was the most important aspect and part of Mark’s life. He will be forever remembered as a kind man, a great husband, father, brother and friend who helped others and took care of those around him.
Mark died unexpectedly in an accident and he will be missed by all who knew him.
A celebration of life will be held at the Middletown Mansion Event Center, 20650 S. State Highway 29, Middletown on Thursday, June 1, at 2 p.m.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Roy Brian Everhart Jr. passed away on May 25, 2017, at the age of 58. He was in a tragic accident while boating on Clear Lake, doing what he loved.
Brian was born on June 3, 1958, in Santa Rosa and moved to Lakeport as a child. He was a lifelong resident of Lake County, living in the area for 50 years.
He also spent time living on the East Coast while serving in the United States Army as a Combat Engineer.
Brian worked for the county of Lake and the city of Lakeport in the field of planning and development. He was also a friendly face to many in the community over the years at Kelseyville Lumber, where he had recently gone back to work part-time after retiring from the city.
Brian spent his free time fishing, camping, boating and enjoying the outdoors.
Brian is survived by his wife of 27 years, Theresa; son, Kevin; daughter-in-law, Rosemary; daughter, Angela; son-in-law, Chris; and granddaughter, Thalia.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Roy and Nancy, and siblings, Ken and Patty.
He is survived by his stepmother, Shirley; sisters, Kathy (Jim) and Cindy; cousin, Lacy; and many other aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held at Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary in Lakeport on Saturday, June 3, at 11 a.m.
For further information please contact Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary at 707-263-0357 or 707-994-5611, or visit www.chapelofthelakes.com .
SACRAMENTO – A bill by Sen. Bill Dodd (D-Napa) to protect victims of mass fraud and identity theft passed the state Senate on Tuesday.
Dodd’s bill was introduced in response to the recent Wells Fargo scandal where millions of accounts were fraudulently opened without consent, using consumer’s personal information from preexisting accounts.
The legislation, co-sponsored by California State Treasurer John Chiang, would give victims their day in court by preventing financial institutions from using forced arbitration clauses in cases of fraud committed by the institution.
“My bill will bring justice for victims of bank fraud and help prevent future fraud, before it spreads,” said Senator Dodd. “The idea that consumers can be blocked from our public courts when their bank commits fraud and identity theft against them is un-American. Allowing victims their day in court helps them recover and can prevent more victims by putting an end to illegal business practices. If SB 33 was already law, Wells Fargo would have been publicly held to account years ago, preventing the fraud from spreading.”
Late last year it came to light that Wells Fargo Bank employees had fraudulently used their customers’ personal information to create over two million fake accounts without consent over the course of five years.
Recent reports suggest the number of fake accounts may exceed three million and that Wells Fargo targeted seniors, immigrants, non-English speakers, and students for this fraud.
Some of these fraudulent accounts harmed the credit of victims and incurred fees that were passed along to the victims.
In the aftermath of the scandal, California State Treasurer John Chiang suspended business dealings with Wells Fargo as a sanction.
The bank has had to pay more than $185 million in regulatory fines for their illegal use of consumer information.
“Instead of allowing victims to have their day in court where an independent judge or jury can arrive at a verdict following an open and fair trial, Wells Fargo is pushing customers seeking justice into forced arbitration,” said Treasurer John Chiang in a recent statement. “While the bank’s latest marketing slogan is ‘On the side of customers,’ it continues to deny its victims their right to be made whole by coercing its customers into a secretive process that tilts in favor of corporations.”
Many of the victims attempted to sue the bank for damages and to recover their losses. However, Wells Fargo successfully argued that their customers waived their right to sue when they opened their original, legitimate accounts, which were the source of the personal information used to create the fraudulent accounts.
The only recourse left to victims was through binding arbitration. Arbitration cases tend to favor the corporate defendant as they are able to select the arbitrator overseeing the case.
“Wells Fargo’s customers were ripped off twice,” said Richard Holober, executive director of Consumer Federation of California. “First, the bank created two million fraudulent accounts. Then when consumers tried to sue, the bank forced them into company-dominated arbitration hearings. SB 33 will guarantee that the victims of a bank’s identity theft will get their day in court.”
Dodd’s bill, SB 33, will prohibit the use of forced arbitration in cases where a financial institution has wrongfully used consumer information to commit fraud.
Dodd’s bill has already gained support from the Consumer Federation of California, the Consumer Attorneys of California, and numerous consumer advocates.
The bill now heads to the state Assembly, where it will be heard in the Assembly Judiciary Committee in June or July.
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Lake County Democratic Central Committee will hold its regular monthly business meeting on Thursday, June 1.
The meeting takes place at 6:30 p.m. at Kelseyville Senior Center, 5245 Third St.
The agenda for the meeting includes reports from representatives for Congressmen Mike Thompson and John Garamendi, Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry and State Sen. Mike McGuire, as well as reports from the representative of the Lake County Democratic Club.
Meetings are open to the public and committee membership is open to all registered Democrats.
The Lake County Democratic Central Committee is the official governing body for the Democratic Party in Lake County.
For more information about the Democratic Party in Lake County visit www.lakecountydemocrats.org or www.facebook.com/LakeCountyDemocrats .
Contact the Democratic Party of Lake County at 707-533-4885 or by email at