News

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – An enforcement stop which escalated into a vehicle pursuit has resulted in two arrests and the seizure of an assault rifle, metal knuckles and ammunition.

Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office said deputies arrested 55-year-old Derek Boudreaux and Amy Lynn Jonas, 36.

At approximately 3:07 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 27, a deputy was on patrol in the Clearlake area, traveling eastbound on Lakeshore Boulevard in the area of Austin Drive, Brooks said.

Brooks said the deputy was traveling behind a white Chevrolet U-Haul van when he observed the vehicle cross over the fog line, weave within the lane of traffic and continually vary its speed. 

The deputy activated his emergency lights and conducted a traffic stop to ensure the driver was safe to operate the vehicle. Brooks said the driver pulled over and stopped the vehicle on Lakeshore Boulevard, in the area of Emory Avenue.

Brooks said the deputy contacted the driver, who identified herself as Amy Jonas. Jonas told the deputy that she did not have her driver’s license with her. 

A second deputy arrived on scene to assist with the enforcement stop, Brooks said. As the second deputy approached the vehicle he noticed a white male adult lying in the back of the van, who was later identified as Derek Boudreaux. 

The deputies opened the cargo doors to contact Boudreaux, who was unrestrained and riding in the cargo area. Brooks said they immediately noticed two loaded AR-15 type magazines beside Boudreaux’s feet and a rifle barrel under his head. 

As one of the deputies announced the presence of the rifle, Jonas accelerated away. Both deputies ran back to their patrol vehicles and pursued the van, according to Brooks.

Deputies followed the van eastbound on Lakeshore Boulevard to Highway 53 at approximately 65 miles per hour. Brooks said the van turned southbound on Highway 53 and accelerated to approximately 100 miles per hour. 

The van slowed and turned onto 18th Avenue, where it pulled into the parking lot of the St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake and stopped. Brooks said both Jonas and Boudreaux were detained without further incident. 

Deputies searched the van and located the two loaded AR-15 style magazines, along with additional ammunition which appeared to be the same type loaded into the magazines, and metal knuckles which contained a knife blade. Brooks said they were unable to locate the rifle inside the van.

A deputy requested assistance from the Clearlake Police Department and asked if they could search the area along the path of the pursuit. Brooks said personnel from the Clearlake Police Department located the rifle in the 14000 block of Lakeshore Boulevard.

Brooks said the deputies seized the rifle as evidence and noticed that Boudreaux’s name was engraved on the side of the scope which was mounted on the firearm. 

Boudreaux was arrested for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition, possession of an assault weapon and destroying or concealing evidence, Brooks said, while Jonas was arrested for evading a peace officer and for having an out-of-county warrant. 

Both subjects were transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked.

Boudreaux's bail was set to $115,000 and Jonas' bail was set at $20,000. Jail records indicated both remained in custody on Wednesday morning.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The California Highway Patrol urges the first resolution everyone could make for 2016 is to start the year safely.

Planning for safe and sober rides can be the most important step to take.

The CHP will observe the new year with a maximum enforcement period, or MEP, from 6:01 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015, to 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016.

All available personnel will be on duty and although the CHP will be focused on impaired drivers, officers will also watch for distracted driving and other infractions such as not wearing seat belts.

“Drunk driving is one of the deadliest crimes we face as a nation,” CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow said. “Make sure the plans for your New Year’s celebrations include a safe way to get home for you and your passengers. If you are caught driving under the influence, you will be arrested.”

During the 2014-2015 New Year’s holiday, 28 people died in collisions on California roadways.

Of the 13 vehicle occupants killed in the CHP’s jurisdiction, seven were not wearing seat belts.

In addition, CHP officers made more than 1,100 arrests for driving under the influence during the 102-hour New Year’s MEP.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that teen drivers are at greater risk of death in alcohol-related crashes than any other age group, even though they are too young to buy or possess alcohol legally.

In 2013, 19 percent of the teen drivers involved in fatal crashes nationally had been drinking.

“While you are ringing in the New Year, our officers will be out ensuring 2016 starts safely,” Commissioner Farrow said.

ACCUWEATHER GLOBAL WEATHER CENTER – AccuWeather reports  storms will take a little break across the nation as colder air expands southward and eastward for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

“The vast majority of the nation will be free of precipitation as 2015 comes to a close and the first hours of 2016 unfold,” AccuWeather Chief Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said.

Exceptions to the dry weather will be spotty snow and flurries downwind of the Great Lakes. Cities that may experience some snow include Sault Saint Marie and Kalamazoo, Michigan; South Bend, Indiana; Cleveland; Erie, Pennsylvania; and Buffalo and Watertown, New York.

In terms of rainfall, areas from northern and central Florida to the Georgia and Carolina coasts can expect some rain showers. Spotty showers will also affect part of South Texas.

Even though no precipitation is in the offing across much of the Midwest and Plains, there may still be travel trouble in the wake of the major storm that recently hit the area.

Major rivers will be on the rise and in flood stages over portions of Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Arkansas and Oklahoma. People will still be reeling from the aftermath of severe storms and tornadoes from the southern Plains to the Tennessee Valley.

Melting and refreezing in areas where there is extensive snowcover can lead to icy spots on secondary roads and sidewalks from New Mexico and western Texas to Minnesota and northern New England.

Meanwhile, chilly air will continue to hold on over much of the West.

Around midnight New Year's Eve, temperatures will be within a few degrees of 50 F in Los Angeles and falling through the 30s in Las Vegas. The temperature will be close to the freezing mark in Seattle.

Temperatures in much of the central United States will be lower than they have been during many calendar days in November and December.

Gusty winds will add to the chill around the Great Lakes and northern Plains.

In Chicago, temperatures will be in the teens around midnight on New Year's Eve, which is several degrees below average. AccuWeather RealFeel Temperatures will be in the single digits.

Temperatures in New Orleans will be typical for the middle of the night in early January, with readings in the middle 50s likely.

The temperature will still be higher than average for Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 along much of the Atlantic Seaboard. The average daytime high in New York City for New Year's Eve is 39.

According to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Dombek, “At midnight in Times Square, New York City, the temperature will be hovering near 40.”

Temperatures will be within a few degrees of 70 in Orlando.

Colder air will continue to flow into the South and East during the first few days of 2016.

Alex Sosnowski is senior meteorologist for www.AccuWeather.com .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – A Cobb man has been convicted of illegally killing a deer on a local resort property, and must now pay a large fine due to a recent law that enhances penalties for killing trophy animals.

On Dec. 14 Warren Nyle Fox was convicted and sentenced for illegally hunting on the Hoberg's Resort property on Cobb Mountain, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff.

On. Aug. 16 California Department of Fish and Wildlife Wardens Ryan Stephenson and Keith Smith received a report that Fox was hunting deer by illegally baiting them with grain, Hinchcliff said.

Hinchcliff said the wardens responded and waited for Fox to return from hunting on his ATV so they could contact him about the report.

At about 8:30 p.m. the wardens intercepted Fox returning to his residence and found a large four-by-four point buck deer on his ATV that appeared to be a “trophy” class deer. Hinchcliff said the deer was not tagged.

On the back of the ATV wardens found an empty bag of grain, and Fox denied that he was illegally baiting deer and claimed he had just found the empty bag, Hinchcliff said.

Hinchcliff said the wardens also received information that Fox had also shot a different deer the day before but  could not find it.

Warden Smith then went to the property where the hunting occurred to conduct a search and found a pile of grain on the ground, along with a gut pile from the deer on the ATV, and a very small dead one-by-two point buck lying only a short distance from the grain pile, Hinchcliff said.

Confronted with the evidence, Fox then admitted to officers that he had been illegally baiting and shooting deer, and showed them where the events took place. It was determined Fox was only 20 yards from the grain pile when he shot the deer, according to Hinchcliff.

Fox claimed he could not find the small buck when he shot it and did not intentionally leave it to waste, but wardens found it lying only 20 yards from where Fox shot at the buck. Hinchcliff said the wardens also checked the stomach contents of the four-point buck and found grain appearing to match the grain found in the grain pile.

Hinchcliff, who oversees all fish and wildlife prosecutions in Lake County, said he charged Fox with illegally taking deer within 400 yards of a baited area, wanton waste of a game animal, failure to tag a deer after killing it and illegal possession of a deer.

In 2012 Fish and Game Code section 12013.3 was implemented in California, enhancing fines that can be imposed for illegally taking a “trophy” game animal under certain circumstances. However, the statute failed to define what is considered a “trophy.”

Hinchcliff and the wardens had the deer horns scored by a certified Boone and Crockett Club measurer.

The Boone and Crockett Club keeps records of scores for what it considers to be a “trophy” animal for various species.

The minimum score for a trophy blacktail deer in the Boone and Crockett Club is 125 points. The four-by-four point buck Fox killed scored 145 points, Hinchcliff said.

Hinchcliff said he also charged Fox with killing a trophy deer under the new penalty enhancement section.

At a Dec. 14 appearance before Judge Michael Lunas, Fox pleaded no contest to illegally killing a trophy deer within 400 yards of a baited area, Hinchcliff said.

Judge Lunas placed Fox on three years' probation, revoked his hunting privilege for three years and ordered him to pay a fine of $8,530, according to Hinchcliff.

Hinchcliff said Lunas also ordered the horns for the buck to be forfeited.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – After a break for the holidays, county meetings and office hours for those impacted by the Valley fire will resume after the start of the new year.

The Valley Fire Long-Term Recovery Task Force meetings will resume at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 5, at Twin Pine Casino Event Center at 22223 Highway 29, Middletown.

Additionally, Valley Fire Long-Term Recovery Coordinator Carol Huchingson will resume open office hours at the Gibson Museum in Middletown on Monday, Jan. 4, between 1 and 3 p.m.

Huchingson’s office hours for January are as follows:

– Monday, Jan. 4, 1 to 3 p.m.
– Monday, Jan. 11, 1 to 3 p.m.
– Thursday, Jan. 14, 9:30 a.m. to noon.
– Thursday, Jan. 21, 9:30 a.m. to noon.
– Thursday, Jan. 28, 9:30 a.m. to noon.

The Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery has composed a year-end roundup of new legislation that furthers California’s environmental progress in 2016 and beyond.

Among the new statutes taking effect in 2016 are those that improve organics management, create tax incentives to increase the state’s recycling infrastructure, and bolster CalRecycle’s ability to collect recycling and disposal data.

The agency said that each piece of legislation promises to be a valuable tool in implementation of the state’s overall waste management strategy.

“These new laws encourage innovation and strengthen California’s role as the nationwide leader in sustainable living,” CalRecycle Director Scott Smithline said. “We’re excited to work alongside local jurisdictions to support the siting of new recycling-related infrastructure in California. Not only will this effort create new jobs, but it will reduce the amount of readily recyclable materials and organic waste that get sent to landfills and turn these valuable materials into new products, compost, fertilizers, and biofuels instead.”

As part of California’s efforts to combat climate change and  move forward on the ambitious goal of 75 percent recycling, composting, or source reduction of solid waste, CalRecycle is actively working with local government partners and industry to expand California’s recycling infrastructure and keep methane-emitting food and other organic waste out of landfills.

Here’s some of the legislation passed in 2015, or taking effect in 2016 that will help accomplish these goals:

AB 1826 of 2014 - Mandatory Commercial Organics Recycling

Beginning April 2016, businesses that generate at least 8 cubic yards of organic waste (food scraps, yard clippings) per week must arrange for the recycling of that waste. The law phases in the requirements on more businesses over time. Beginning January 1, 2016, local jurisdictions will begin implementing organic waste recycling programs to divert organic waste generated by businesses.

AB 199 of 2015 – Alternative Energy: Recycled Feedstock Tax Break

Provides tax exemptions for businesses purchasing recycling and composting equipment. It also expands eligibility for this tax exclusion to equipment that uses recycled feedstock to make new products.

AB 876 of 2015 – Compostable Organics Infrastructure

Requires local counties and regional agencies to include in annual reports to CalRecycle: estimated amount of organic waste over a 15-year period, estimated additional infrastructure required, and locations for new/expanded infrastructure.

AB 901 of 2015 – Direct Reporting Requirements

Provides CalRecycle with enforcement authority for existing disposal reporting requirements and updates reporting requirements for recycling, composting, and solid waste disposal facilities. This will help CalRecycle accurately measure progress toward the 75 percent goal.

AB 1045 of 2015 – Organic Waste Composting Promotion

Requires the California Environmental Protection Agency, CalRecycle, the State Water Resources Control Board, the State Air Resources Control Board, and the Department of Food and Agriculture to develop and implement policies that keep organic waste out of landfills and promote composting and alternative uses for that material.

In 2015, CalRecycle also finalized its revised compost regulations. The regulatory framework is a critical component to successful organic waste diversion efforts.

Those revised compost regulations can be found at http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/laws/regulations/title14/ch31.htm .