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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Lake County's first birth of 2016 occurred on Jan. 1 in Clearlake, according to hospital officials there.
Parents Heather Kimbrough and Justin Beebe welcomed baby daughter Justice Fay Beebe at 2:49 a.m. Friday, Jan. 1, according to St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake.
Baby Justice weighed 6 pounds, 7 ounces and was 19 inches long, the hospital reported. She joins several older siblings.
She was born two days ahead of the first baby born at Sutter Lakeside Hospital, Isain Bermudez Corona, who arrived Sunday morning, as Lake County News has reported.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The National Weather Service issued a followup flash flood watch for the Valley, Rocky and Jerusalem fire burn areas as the region gets set for another round of storms.
The flash flood watch is to last from 3 to 10 a.m. Wednesday, the agency said.
That followed a flash flood watch that had been in effect until Tuesday evening after a day of heavy rain.
On Tuesday afternoon, Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office said that, after consulting with Lake County Central Dispatch and the county's Emergency Operations Center, no reports of damage had come in as a result of the storm at that point.
“We are closely monitoring the situation,” Brooks said.
Brooks said the Lake County Department of Public Works had placed sand bags and muscle rails in areas within the burn scar that have the potential for flooding and mudslides. “They have also been clearing debris out of creek beds.”
He said additional information on flooding and flood risk after fire can be found at: http://www.lakecountyrecovers.com/community-updates/knowing-your-flood-risk .
The National Weather Services reported rainfall totals for the 24-hour period from 12 a.m. Tuesday to 12 a.m. Wednesday, in inches, as follows:
– Cobb: 1.95;
– Hidden Valley Lake: 1.37;
– High Glade Lookout (above Upper Lake): 1.39;
– Kelseyville: 1.04;
– Lakeport: 0.64;
– Lower Lake: 1.32;
– Middletown: 1.30;
– Nice: 1.20.
The rain improved the level of Clear Lake, which was at 1.56 feet Rumsey late Tuesday night, up by more than 0.20 feet Rumsey since the weekend. However, it's still not at the January 5, 2015, level of 2.79 feet Rumsey, according to Lake County Water Resources Department records.
US Geological Survey stream gauges showed local creek levels had jumped dramatically over the past 24 hours thanks to the rainfall.
More rain is expected through the rest of the week, with the specific Lake County forecast calling for rain throughout Wednesday, with nearly an inch possible during the course of the day. Up to quarter of an inch of rain is forecast for Thursday. Low winds also are forecast both days.
Chances of showers are forecast for Friday and Saturday, with conditions expected to clear on Sunday. Then, the forecast calls for showers again on Monday and Tuesday of next week.
Temperatures this week are expected to be in the low 30s at night and into the high 40s during the day.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – A Clearlake Park man arrested last week for fatally shooting a Middletown man and wounding a woman has been formally charged for the crimes.
Javier Martinez Cachu, 20, made his first appearance for arraignment in Lake County Superior Court earlier this week.
Authorities say he fatally shot 25-year-old Luis Pimentel-Arroyo and wounded a woman – whose name has not been released – while they were in a vehicle on Butts Canyon Road in Middletown on the night of Dec. 30.
Martinez Cachu then fled the scene in another vehicle before turning himself in at the Clearlake Police Department about two hours later.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff said he charged Martinez Cachu with the murder of Pimentel-Arroyo along with two special allegations – murder for financial gain and murder by lying wait.
“Both those make him eligible for the death penalty or life without parole,” said Hinchcliff.
Additionally, Hinchcliff charged Martinez Cachu with the attempted murder of the woman in the vehicle, assault with a deadly weapon and shooting at an occupied vehicle.
Martinez Cachu, who is in custody at the Lake County Jail, initially had his bail set at $1 million. Hinchcliff said Martinez Cachu is now being held without bail following this week's court appearance.
Defense attorney Barry Melton has been appointed to represent Martinez Cachu, Hinchcliff said.
Martinez Cachu is next set to be in court on Jan. 12 for appearance of counsel and entry of plea, according to Hinchcliff.
Hinchcliff said that, at this point early in the proceedings, he cannot discuss the motive behind the murder.
“We're trying not to talk about the facts,” Hinchcliff said.
While the criminal proceedings move forward against Martinez Cachu, an effort is under way to help Pimentel-Arroyo's family.
On Jan. 1 Donella Dawkins, a friend of Pimentel-Arroyo and his fiancée, Eva Prado, launched a GoFundMe page, which is seeking to raise funds to help Prado and the family in the aftermath of Pimentel-Arroyo's death.
Prado told Lake County News that they had been living in Middletown when they were burned out of their home due to the Valley fire.
She and her children currently are staying in temporary housing while she looks for other accommodations.
As of late Tuesday night, $2,900 of the $5,000 goal had been raised.
Donations can be made at https://www.gofundme.com/sbh3utcs .
Email Elizabeth Larson at [email protected] . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Assemblyman Bill Dodd (D-Napa) and state Sen. Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) have introduced Assembly Bill 1559, which will provide tax relief to businesses impacted by the Valley fire and future disasters.
The idea was brought forward by Fiona Ma, Lake County’s representative on the Board of Equalization (BOE).
“Giving local businesses in Lake County additional time and flexibility in their tax deadlines will help get these businesses back on their feet,” said Dodd. “I’m happy help lead this effort and am grateful for the support and partnership of Sen. Mike McGuire and Member Fiona Ma. This bill is one part of our broader effort to support Lake County and the victims of the Valley fire.”
“The 2015 fire season was a devastating tragedy for so many communities, especially those affected by the Butte and Valley fires, and AB 1559 by Assemblymember Dodd will help us to rebuild by providing relief for businesses affected by these disasters,” said Ma. “I am eager to work with Assemblymember Dodd on passing this legislation and helping these communities rebuild and recover.”
The legislation will empower the BOE to extend the file and pay deadlines for sales and other taxes in areas impacted by the Valley Fire, allowing businesses in Lake County more time and flexibility to recover from the fire.
AB 1559 will also grant the BOE the authority to apply this extension for businesses impacted by future disasters.
“Lake County's small businesses suffered tremendously from the devastating impacts of the Valley fire. I'm honored to team up with Assemblymember Dodd and Member Ma to ensure local business owners have some peace of mind and needed tax relief during this recovery period,” Sen. McGuire said.
This wildfire season was one of the most devastating in California’s history. Dodd’s Fourth Assembly District was particularly impacted by the wildfires of 2015, containing nearly 58 percent of the total extinguished acreage by Cal Fire across the entire state.
In Lake County alone, the Valley fire destroyed nearly 2,000 structures over a 23-day period, ultimately becoming the third most destructive fire in California history.
The legislation has been given an urgency clause, meaning it will take immediate effect upon passage.
Dodd and McGuire also are working with Gov. Brown’s office to provide additional relief through budgetary and administrative action.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Sutter Lakeside Hospital welcomed its first baby of 2016 on Sunday.
Isain Bermudez Corona is the newest addition to the Corona Garcia family.
He was born Sunday, Jan. 3, at 7:25 a.m. Isain weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces, and was just over 20 inches long.
The hospital said Isain came a day earlier than his due date and is the youngest of three children.
“Both siblings are very happy to have a new baby brother,” said Artemio Corona Garcia, Isain’s father. “We’re excited he’s here, and our experience at Sutter Lakeside Hospital was great.”
Sutter Lakeside Hospital’s Family Birth Center has delivered more than 5,000 babies since it opened in 1994.
The Family Birth Center has two obstetric and gynecology physician specialists – Jonathan Davies, M.D., and Derrick Barnes, M.D. – along with 18 dedicated nurses.
“Our mission is to provide every family with a positive birthing experience,” said Jackie Rad, R.N.C., M.S.N., C.N.L., Family Birth Center and Respiratory Services manager. “Our compassionate team of doctors and nurses provide a holistic approach in a home-like atmosphere and offer alternative pain-management therapies and individualized care.”
Rad said the hospital's staffers provide the safest, most up-to-date care for our new moms and babies, with nearly all of the nurses having advanced maternal and neonatal care training.
When advanced treatment is needed, patients have access to Santa Rosa Regional Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), as well as the California Pacific Medical Center’s infant surgery center in San Francisco.
The Family Birth Center staff offers a free childbirth preparation course, and breastfeeding instruction and support. Classes also include baby safety, infant CPR training and special events where mothers can talk about their birthing experience and ask questions about the postpartum period.
“We’ve enjoyed caring for the growing families in Lake County for more than 20 years, and we look forward to many more years of continuing to do so,” said Sutter Lakeside Chief Administrative Officer Siri Nelson.
As of the end of the day Monday, Lake County News was not able to confirm if any babies have been born at St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake so far in the new year.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Monday a Kelseyville man who previously had faced prosecution for murder was sentenced to probation for lesser charges in connection to a double homicide case that occurred two years ago this month.
Judge Andrew Blum sentenced Dakota Joseph Velez, 21, to five years' formal probation for arson of a structure and assault with a deadly weapon on Edward Harry Morgan on Jan. 28, 2014.
Velez originally had been charged with murder – along with his father, 43-year-old Conrad Joseph Velez of Lakeport – for the killings of 54-year-old William Frank Busch of Lakeport on Jan. 27, 2014, and Morgan a day later.
Busch's body was found in a burning building on Highland Springs Road in Lakeport and Morgan was found in the area of Robin Hill Drive and Lakeshore Boulevard near Lakeport with stab wounds after he had been pushed out of his Chevy Tahoe. The Velezes and Conrad Velez's girlfriend at the time, Dahnna Phyllis Burrows of Lakeport, then left in the vehicle.
The prosecution believes Conrad Velez was responsible for both the killings.
Dakota Velez reached an agreement with the District Attorney's Office in November to plead to the two counts in exchange for waiving nearly four years' worth of in-custody credits. As such, he faces the possibility that he could go to state prison for six years if he violates his probation, as Lake County News has reported.
District Attorney Don Anderson said in a November interview that those charges represented as much of Dakota Velez's involvement as the prosecution could prove. He believed that Conrad Velez coerced and threatened his son to commit the arson.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Ed Borg said Monday that Dakota Velez received the agreed-upon sentence of probation as part of the plea agreement.
“Judge Blum indicated he was very reluctant to do it,” but ultimately accepted the agreement, Borg said.
This is the second sentencing reached in the case, as last month Burrows, 28, was sentenced to eight months of community supervision, according to her attorney, Angela Carter.
Burrows, who also reached a plea agreement, pleaded to two counts of being an accessory and the theft of Morgan's vehicle, the keys of which she had in her possession when she was arrested with Conrad Velez in Napa County in January 2014.
The maximum time she faced was three years, and by the time of her sentencing she had been released from jail, with time served, Carter said.
Carter said Burrows had only a small previous criminal history before the current case.
“She has family support and I expect that she will do well from here on out,” said Carter. “I believe she was in a bad situation at the time these crimes were committed and I also believe that she did not play a major role in the deaths of either of the two victims. The disposition of her case reflects that fact. In fact, there was evidence that she tried to stop the homicide of one of the victims, but was unfortunately unsuccessful in doing so. She was cooperative with law enforcement as well.”
Carter said that the probation report prepared for Burrows' sentencing had sought $300,000 in restitution to the surviving members of the two murder victims.
She said the judge denied the restitution, citing the requirements of the law, which specify that restitution only be ordered against an individual who played a substantial role in the crime.
“My client's charges were related to being an accessory after the fact, so they did not meet the standard required for restitution by her to be ordered for the victims' families,” Carter said.
With the resolution of Burrows' and Dakota Velez's cases, that just leaves resolution to the case against Conrad Velez.
In the fall he also had reached an agreement with the District Attorney's Office in which he was to plead to two counts of first-degree murder and, as a result, was facing 50 years to life in prison.
However, Borg said Monday that Conrad Velez has indicated that he wants to withdraw his plea, so sentencing proceedings have been put on hold.
In such cases, when a defendant attempts to withdraw a plea, it's routine in the local courts to assign another attorney to consider if making a plea withdrawal motion has merit, Borg said.
As such, that case review will be handled by an attorney other than Barry Melton, who has been representing Conrad Velez, Borg said.
Borg said the matter has been put over to Jan. 27.
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