News

I am voting for Monica Rosenthal for many reasons.

Here are just a few: she is familiar working with the county having served on the District 1 planning commission, she has a strong agricultural background, she is an advocate for local jobs and is committed to attracting quality jobs and business to Lake County, she is an independent leader who focuses on solutions, not politics and finally, she will be a voice for all of District 1, not just Middletown.

I encourage everyone to vote for Monica Rosenthal on Nov. 8.

Stephanie Codling lives in Clearlake, Calif.

I am writing to express my support for Moke Simon as the candidate for Lake County District 1 supervisor.

Moke has been a leader in the community for years, and a coach of the Middletown High School football team for 15 years.

During the Valley and Clayton fires, Moke stepped up immediately to provide temporary housing and support for hundreds of the victims of these fires.

Moke identified urgent needs throughout the community and took action to provide assistance before anyone had to request help.

In the aftermath of the Valley fire, Moke and his team showed up to help the Anderson Springs Water Masters reconstruct and restore the water system.

Moke was named the 2015 Lake County "Man of the Year" and also received recognition for his many humanitarian efforts throughout the trying times following these destructive fires.

Despite the enormous devastation, Moke provided the courage, leadership and strength needed to help bring the community together and remain positively focused on recovery efforts.

Moke has my vote and I encourage all District 1 residents to join me in voting for Moke. 

Joan Clay lives in Hidden Valley Lake, Calif.

Sidney Albert Brown, son of William B. Brown and Silvia F. (Smittcamp) Brown, was born in Sacramento, Calif., on March 10, 1912.

He died on Oct. 25, 2016, in Northridge, Calif., at the age of 104.

His wife, Opal Rose (Clayton) Brown, preceded him in death in 1990.

Sid was in the Merchant Marines in World War II. At the time of his death he was a member of the Bouse, Arizona VFW Post 2537, where his son, Sid, had been a member.

Sid and Opal moved to Clearlake, Calif., in the 1950s. Sid remained a resident of Clearlake until after his 100th birthday in 2012, when he moved to Northridge to be near his family.

He was a past member of the Clearlake Elks Lodge 2299, and the Clearlake American Legion Post 437.

He is survived by three sons, Sidney James Brown of Visalia, Calif., Leland William Brown of Cheney, Wash., and Terrence Ashley Brown of Houston, Texas; one niece; five granddaughters; four great-grandchildren; and four great-great-grandchildren.

MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. – Mendocino National Forest officials are conducting public outreach to fill committee member seats for Resource Advisory Committees, or RACs, within Lake and Mendocino counties.

RACs were established as a provision of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000.

By law the four-year term, 15-member committee is composed of a wide representation of National Forest interests organized into three categories. 

Each RAC shall have 15 members with balanced and broad representation of interests in three categories, specified in Section 205 (d)(2) of the Act:

– Five people who represent organized labor or non-timber forest product harvester groups; developed outdoor recreation, off highway vehicle users, or commercial recreation activities; energy and mineral development interests; or commercial or recreational fishing interests; the commercial timber industry; or hold federal grazing or other land use permits, or represent nonindustrial private forest landowners, within the area for which the committee is organized.

– Five people who represent nationally recognized environmental organizations; regionally or locally recognized environmental organizations; dispersed recreational activities; archaeological and historical interests; or nationally or regionally recognized wild horse and burro interest groups, wildlife or hunting organizations, or watershed associations.

– Five people who hold state elected office (or a designee); hold county or local elected office; represent American Indian tribes within or adjacent to the area for which the committee is organized; are school officials or teachers; or represent the affected public at large.
 
Members shall reside within the state in which the committee has jurisdiction and, to the extent practicable, provide local representation in each category. 

An additional member is also appointed as a replacement should a committee member leave for any reason.

“RACs are extremely beneficial to both the Forest and local communities. They allow for public participation in the review and recommendation of resource projects that benefit public lands,” said Forest Supervisor Ann Carlson.

For further information regarding RAC membership, please contact the Designated Federal Official, District Ranger Frank Aebly at 707-275-1401.

To apply to be a RAC committee member, applicants must complete a cover letter, interest form and FBI background check form prior to being considered for the committee.

An interest form is available on the Mendocino National Forest Web site at http://tinyurl.com/hvpnk8v .

To apply for Lake or Mendocino County RACs, please address your correspondence to RAC Coordinator Deborah McIntosh, 10025 Elk Mountain Rd., Upper Lake, CA 95485 or call 707-275-1407 for more information. Applications must be received on or before Feb 3, 2017.

For additional information about the Secure Rural Schools legislation, including Titles I, II and III, please visit the SRS Web site at www.fs.fed.us/srs .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – A suspected gang member from Upper Lake was arrested early Sunday on charges including possession of a concealed handgun, and three people with him also were taken into custody after they attempted to flee from police in a vehicle.

Octavio Raul Martinez, 36, of Upper Lake was arrested, along with his three associates, Kelseyville residents Arrmando Perez Fernandez, 31, and Rachel Eunice Ponce, 30, and Latasha Jasmine Hasegawa, 25, of Stockton, according to Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen.

Shortly after midnight early Sunday morning, two uniformed Lakeport Police officers were conducting a bar check at the Clearlake Club on Main Street in Lakeport when one of the officers spotted Martinez, who Rasmussen said is a known convicted felon and suspected criminal street gang member.

Rasmussen said the officer noticed that Martinez also saw him. The officer monitored Martinez and watched him exit the bar and walk to a sport utility vehicle outside, where he opened the driver’s door and appeared to remove something from his clothing near his waist before closing the door and locked the vehicle. 

The officer walked by the vehicle and used his flashlight to look inside, where he saw a Glock handgun partially covered with a bandanna lying on the driver’s seat, Rasmussen said.

Before being able to secure the handgun, officers had to immediately initiate a felony arrest of Martinez at gunpoint at which time the three associates of Martinez – later identified as Fernandez, Hasegawa and Ponce – approached the officers and became hostile toward them, according to Rasmussen.

Rasmussen said the officers, who were then assisted by a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy, had to give them repeated commands to back away while they completed the arrest of Martinez. 

During Martinez’s arrest, Fernandez, Hasegawa and Ponce then went to the same SUV and fled the scene, traveling south bound on Main Street at a rapid speed, Rasmussen said.

Rasmussen said the second officer and the deputy went after the vehicle which blacked out all of its lights in the area of Esplanade Street.

Officers overtook the vehicle in the area of South Main Street near Lakeport Boulevard, conducted a felony traffic stop and detained Fernandez, Hasegawa and Ponce and then searched the vehicle for the handgun but did not locate it, Rasmussen said.

He said officers on foot conducted a search of the area and the handgun was located, loaded, on the west sidewalk of Main Street, between the scene of the stop and the location where the vehicle had been blacked out.

Fernandez, Hasegawa and Ponce were all arrested for being accessories to a felony and destruction of evidence and booked into the Lake County Jail with bail set at $15,000 each, according to Rasmussen.

Martinez was arrested for felony charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a loaded and concealed firearm by a known suspected criminal street gang member, and possession of an unregistered firearm along with ammunition. He was booked into the Lake County Jail with bail set at $100,000 based on an increase approved by a Lake County Superior Court judge, Rasmussen said.

At the time of his arrest, Rasmussen said Martinez also was in possession of approximately $6,000 cash, which was seized because officers believed it was criminally obtained. 

Rasmussen said Martinez has prior arrests for resisting and evading officers, battery with serious bodily injury, possession of a dangerous weapon and terrorist threats, and has served a prison term for battery resulting in serious bodily injury and mayhem. 

As of Sunday, all suspects had posted the required bail and were released from custody, Rasmussen said.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Police arrested a Clearlake man on Friday in a trespassing case, with the man attempting to take an officer's handgun during the arrest.

Erik Joseph Preader, 42, was taken into custody following the incident, according to Clearlake Police Sgt. Rodd Joseph.

Shortly before noon on Friday Clearlake Police officers responded to Rite-Aid, located at 15025 Olympic Drive, on a report of a subject trespassing inside the store, Joseph said.

Joseph said officers arrived and contacted Preader inside the business, and Preader left the business at the request of store management without incident.

Shortly after 2:30 p.m., Rite-Aid employees called the Clearlake Police Department to report that Preader was back at the business causing a disturbance. Joseph said Rite-Aid management requested an officer respond to provide a trespass admonishment to Preader. 

Joseph said a trespass admonishment is a warning given to an individual that they can be arrested if they return to the place they have received a trespass admonishment from, which in this case was Rite-Aid. 

A Clearlake Police officer contacted Preader and provided him with the trespass admonishment. Again, Preader left the business without incident, Joseph said.

Approximately 15 minutes later, Preader again returned to Rite-Aid and Joseph said Rite-Aid management requested a private person’s arrest on Preader for trespassing. 

Joseph said two Clearlake Police officers responded to Rite-Aid and located Preader back inside the business.

Because of the earlier trespass admonishment, Preader’s refusal to stay away from the business, and the management’s request to have Preader arrested, officers decided to arrest Preader for a simple trespass violation. Joseph said this misdemeanor violation would normally result in the violator receiving a citation with a date to appear in court.

During the arrest, Preader became combative and threatened to “head butt” one of the arresting officers and also threatened to kick one of the officers in the genitals, Joseph said.

To prevent any violence against the officers, Joseph said Preader was pinned up against the side of the patrol car where he was handcuffed.

At that point, Preader reached back towards the arresting officer’s duty belt and managed to get one of the officer’s handgun holster security features unlocked, Joseph said.

Feeling this threat from Preader, the officer forcibly took Preader to the ground. Joseph said Preader suffered a minor head injury in the incident and was taken to St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake for medical treatment. 

After being treated for his injury, Preader was booked into the Lake County Jail for misdemeanor violations of trespassing and attempting to remove and officer’s handgun, and a felony violation of resisting with violence, Joseph said.

Joseph said neither officer was injured in the assault.

The case will be forwarded to the Lake County District Attorney’s Office for filing, Joseph said.