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California vehicle thefts decreased in 2014 by almost 7 percent from 2013, marking the second year in a row that vehicle thefts have declined, according to the California Highway Patrol.
In 2012, 174,457 vehicles were stolen in California, which was an 11.26 percent increase from 2011, the CHP said.
Vehicle thefts decreased by 2 percent in 2013, to 171,036. The CHP said thefts continued to decrease in 2014, dropping to 159,271, a decrease of 6.9 percent from 2013.
“While the continuing decline in theft is good news,” CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow said, “people need to remember that vehicle theft is a crime of opportunity. Simple deterrents such as locking vehicle doors, parking in a secure or highly visible location, and not leaving the car running unattended can make all the difference.”
The estimated total value of the stolen vehicles is approximately $900 million. Almost 90 percent of the vehicles were successfully recovered.
In Lake County, the trend was opposite that of the state, showing a small increase in thefts.
The CHP's statistics showed that in 2013 Lake County had 168 vehicle thefts, which rose to 170 – a 1.2-percent increase – in 2014.
As for recovered vehicles, those numbers showed an improvement. In 2013, there were 125 stolen vehicles recovered in Lake County, growing to 137 percent in 2014, a 9.6-percent increase, according to CHP data.
Of the vehicles recovered statewide, 65 percent were recovered intact and in drivable condition. Less than 4 percent were missing major components, 12 percent were stripped of minor parts, and 18.9 percent were intentionally burned or wrecked.
Additionally, in 2014, 65 of the recovered vehicles, or 0.1 percent, were cargo theft only – the products in a commercial vehicle were stolen, but the vehicle and trailer were not stolen.
The most popular cars for thieves are the 1996, 1994, and 1997 Honda Accord. The 2007 Suzuki was the most-stolen motorcycle and the 1988 Toyota pickup was the most-stolen personal truck.
Toyota pickups have been the most frequently stolen pickup truck since 1984, attributed to its resale value, interchangeable parts and availability.
Almost half of vehicle thefts occurred in the five Southern California counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego, which constitute 54 percent of California’s population.
The five Bay Area counties of Alameda, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara accounted for approximately 20 percent of all vehicle thefts.
The CHP offers drivers additional anti-theft tips:
– Always make sure you receive an ownership certificate when purchasing a used vehicle.
– Never hide a spare ignition key on the vehicle.
– Take extra precautions against theft if you drive one of the vehicles that is popular with thieves.
– Be aware of your surroundings prior to leaving your vehicle.
– Report possible vehicle theft activity by calling 1-800-TELL-CHP (1-800-835-5247).
UPPER LAKE, Calif. – A man reported missing from the North Coast earlier this week was the victim of a fatal crash near Upper Lake, officials said Thursday.
The body of Richard Mark Paz Jr., 27, was found along with his pickup off Highway 20 down a steep ravine on Wednesday evening, according to the California Highway Patrol.
According to posts on social media, friends of Paz had been searching for him after he left the Fort Bragg area – which his Facebook page says is where he lives – on Sunday for Chico, which the CHP listed as his city of residence.
CHP officers and Northshore Fire Protection District personnel responded to the area of Highway 20 just west of Witter Springs Road shortly before 6:30 p.m. Wednesday after an overturned pickup was discovered off the highway and over the embankment, according to radio reports.
Firefighters arriving on scene found Paz deceased at the crash site, reports from the scene indicated.
The CHP said Paz had been driving his 1998 Dodge 1500 pickup eastbound at a high rate of speed on Highway 20 on Monday. Investigators did not know the time of the crash.
For reasons that are yet to be determined, Paz's pickup veered off the right side of the road, hitting multiple trees on the highway's shoulder, the CHP said.
The pickup overturned, rolling multiple times, the CHP said. As the pickup was rolling, Paz – who was not wearing a seat belt – was ejected and sustained fatal injuries.
The CHP said Thursday that it wasn't known if alcohol or drugs were contributing factors to the crash.
Due to the dense vegetation at the crash site and the vehicle's point of rest down the ravine, the CHP said the pickup couldn't been seen from the highway.
It was on Wednesday that a passerby spotted the pickup and called 911, the CHP said.
The discovery of Paz's fatal crash came about 12 hours after the Toyota 4Runner belonging to Hidden Valley Lake veterinarian Dr. Helen Sharp – missing since June 10 – was found in a remote area near Middletown, as Lake County News has reported.
Inside the Toyota deputies found a woman's body that is presumed to be Sharp's but which the sheriff's office said has not been positively identified pending an autopsy.
Paz's crash remains under investigation, the CHP said.
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LUCERNE, Calif. – A woman died Thursday afternoon from injuries she sustained when her vehicle went off Highway 20, hitting a mobile home and other nearby structures.
The crash occurred just after 3:15 p.m. at the Sandy Beach Trailer Lodge, located at 5800 Highway 20.
Witnesses said a dark sedan was heading westbound when it went off the highway, jumped a ditch, and hit at least two trees before crashing into the back of a singlewide mobile home, a shed and a travel trailer.
Several CHP officers, as well as Clear Lake Area Commander Lt. Hector Paredes, were on scene early in the evening conducting the investigation, which included speaking to witnesses, taking measurements on the pavement, and working to identify the driver. Sheriff's deputies also were present to assist in the investigation.
Nearby, Northshore Fire and Cal Fire personnel worked to extricate the driver from the car, which remained pinned between the mobile home, the shed and the travel trailer next door, its lights still blinking.
Firefighters sawed off branches from a damaged tree and cut the top of the car roof off.
Park resident Jerry McAllister didn't see the crash, however, “I heard the screeching” as the vehicle hit the structures.
He added, “I've been here 14 years and I've never seen anything like this.”
Ray Hechim, who has lived at the trailer park for a little over six years, was standing in his kitchen when the vehicle hit the back end of his mobile home, where his bedroom is located.
“It was a big bang,” Hechim said, explaining that he initially thought the wind had knocked over a tree.
The impact knocked items off shelves, pushed over his record collection and left his bedroom closet doors hanging askew. However, Hechim said the mobile home remains habitable.
The crash caused one of the vehicle's wheels to fly off, with Hechim pointing to it lying in one of his flowerbeds at the back of the mobile home. His back porch canopy also collapsed after the car hit it.
Noting that the park is often more crowded than it was when the crash occurred, Hechim said he was glad no one else was hurt.
Caltrans assisted with control traffic around the scene while the CHP continued its investigation.
A full CHP report is expected later Thursday night.
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NORTH COAST, Calif. – Authorities have taken into custody two people who they say were responsible for stealing mail in Mendocino and other Northern California counties.
Donald Gordon Powell, 34, of Cottonwood and Lawanda Jean Parks, 30, of Corning were arrested in the case, according to a report from Capt. Greg Van Patten of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office.
Van Patten said that on June 9 Mendocino County Sheriff’s deputies were notified that mail was taken from a residential mailbox in Leggett.
The 65-year-old male victim was alerted to a vehicle parked next to his mailbox with a male and female inside, Van Patten said. When the victim was approaching the vehicle, the individuals drove off.
Van Patten said the victim followed the suspects to Boomers Bar in Laytonville, where deputies responded to investigate further.
The individuals then drove off at a high rate of speed but eventually pulled over as the deputies caught up to them and initiated an enforcement stop, Van Patten said.
Deputies spoke with Powell, who was driving, and Parks; Van Patten reported that both originally denied stealing any mail.
During the investigation, the deputies discovered several pieces of stolen mail within the vehicle from at least 11 victims, all from other counties, totaling $22,076.75 in altered money orders or checks, Van Patten said.
The deputies located two additional money orders that the Leggett victim had previously placed inside his mailbox. Van Patten said those money orders had already been altered by having Powell’s name written on them.
Van Patten said deputies learned Powell was wanted in Shasta County for a burglary arrest warrant. During the course of the investigation methamphetamine was discovered inside the vehicle as well.
Powell and Parks were booked into the Mendocino County Jail, Van Patten said.
Parks was booked on felonies including receiving stolen property, conspiracy and possessing or receiving forged notes, with bail set at $15,000, according to jail records.
Powell was booked for those same three felony charges, along with felony forgery and burglary, misdemeanor drug possession, and a felony probation violation and felony probation revocation, jail records showed. His bail was set at $185,000.
In a new report, “The Facts Hurt: A State-By-State Injury Prevention Policy Report,” California ranked fourth lowest for the number of injury-related deaths in the state, with a rate of 44.6 per 100,000 people.
Overall, the national rate is 58.4 per 100,000.
Rates in California decreased over the past four years for injury deaths, which includes drug overdoses, motor vehicle crashes, homicides and others.
Overall, 17 states increased, 24 remained stable and nine decreased. Injuries are the leading cause of death for Americans ages 1 to 44 – and are responsible for nearly 193,000 deaths per year.
Drug overdoses have become the leading cause of injury in 36 states, including California, surpassing motor vehicle-related deaths.
Nationally, drug overdose deaths have more than doubled in the past 14 years – resulting in 44,000 deaths per year, and half of those deaths (22,000) are related to prescription drugs. California ranked ninth lowest for drug overdose deaths – at a rate of 10.7 per 100,000 people.
California scored seven out of 10 on key indicators of steps states can take to prevent injuries – nationally, 29 states and Washington, D.C. scored a five or lower. New York received the highest score of nine out of a possible 10 points, while four states scored the lowest, Florida, Iowa, Missouri and Montana, with two out of 10 points.
The key indicators include having seat laws; mandatory ignition interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers, even first offenders; requiring booster seats up to at least the age of 8; driver licensing for teens; requiring bicycle helmets for all children; homicide rate at or below national goal of 5.5 per 100,000 people; child abuse and neglect rates at or below the national rate of 9.1 per 1,000 children (in 2013); deaths from unintentional falls below national goal of 7.2 per 100,000 people (2011-13 data); a mandatory prescription drug monitoring program; and the state law allows prescribing and access to naloxone – a drug used to counteract overdoses – for use by laypersons.
“Injuries are not just acts of fate. Research shows they are pretty predictable and preventable,” said Jeffrey Levi, PhD, executive director of TFAH. “This report illustrates how evidence-based strategies can actually help prevent and reduce motor vehicle crashes, head injuries, fires, falls, homicide, suicide, assaults, sexual violence, child abuse, drug misuse, overdoses and more. It’s not rocket science, but it does require common sense and investment in good public health practice.”
Some key findings include:
– Drug abuse: More than 2 million Americans misuse prescription drugs. The prescription drug epidemic is also contributing to an increase in heroin use; the number of new heroin users has doubled in the past seven years.
– Motor vehicle deaths: Rates have declined 25 percent in the past decade (to 33,000 per year).
– Homicides: Rates have dropped 42 percent in the past 20 years (to 16,000 per year). The rate of black male youth (ages 10 to 24) homicide victims is 10 times higher than for the overall population. One in three female homicide victims is killed by an intimate partner.
– Suicides: Rates have remained stable for the past 20 years (41,000 per year). More than one million adults attempt suicide and 17 percent of teens seriously consider suicide each year. Seventy percent of suicides deaths are among White males.
– Falls: One in three Americans over the age of 64 experiences a serious fall each year, falls are the most common nonfatal injuries, and the number of fall injuries and deaths are expected to increase as the Baby Boomer cohort ages.
– Traumatic brain injuries from sports/recreation among children and youths have increased by 60 percent in the past decade.
“Injuries are persistent public health problems. New troubling trends, like the prescription drug overdose epidemic, increasing rates of fall-related deaths and traumatic brain injuries, are serious and require immediate response,” said Corrine Peek-Asa, MPH, PhD, Professor and Associate Dean for Research at the College of Public Health, University of Iowa. “But, we cannot afford to neglect or divert funds from ongoing concerns like motor vehicle crashes, drownings, assaults and suicides. We spend less than the cost of a box of bandages, at just $.028 per person per year on core injury prevention programs in this country.”
“This report provides state leaders and policymakers with the information needed to make evidence-based decisions to not only save lives, but also save state and taxpayers’ money,” said Amber Williams, executive director of the Safe States Alliance. “The average injury-related death in the U.S. costs over $1 million in medical costs and lost wages. Preventing these injuries will allow for investments in other critical areas including education and infrastructure.”
For the state-by-state scoring, states received one point for achieving an indicator or zero points if they did not achieve the indicator. Zero is the lowest possible overall score, 10 is the highest.
States scored as follows:
– 9 out of 10: New York.
– 8 out of 10: Delaware.
– 7 out of 10: California, New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia.
– 6 out of 10: Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island and Virginia.
– 5 out of 10: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Utah, Vermont and Wisconsin.
– 4 out of 10: Arizona, District of Columbia, Idaho, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania.
– 3 out of 10: Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming.
– 2 out of 10: Florida, Iowa, Missouri and Montana.
A full list of all of the indicators and scores is available along with the full report on TFAH's Web site at www.healthyamericans.org .
The report was supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – A Clearlake Oaks man was arrested Tuesday after he attempted to flee from the scene of a fatal motorcycle wreck in Napa County.
Kenneth Donald Schussolin, 67, was arrested in the case, according to the California Highway Patrol's Napa Area office.
Napa resident Harley Kellner, 58, died in the crash, which the CHP said occurred just after 4 p.m. Tuesday on Highway 29 north of Tubbs Lane.
The CHP said Schussolin was traveling northbound in a 2011 Dodge Ram pickup on Highway 29 at an unknown speed, with Kellner – on a 1987 Harley Davidson – traveling southbound, also at an unknown speed.
As Schussolin entered a curve in the roadway, he allowed his pickup to travel to the left of the solid double yellow lines, moving directly into Kellner's path, the CHP said.
Schussolin's pickup collided with the motorcycle, with the impact throwing Kellner from the motorcycle and into a power pole, according to the CHP report.
The CHP said Schussolin fled the scene of the crash, continuing northbound on Highway 29 without reporting the incident.
Kellner died of his injuries at the scene, the CHP said.
Several witnesses assisted the CHP by giving a description of Schussolin and his vehicle, the CHP said.
He later was located by a CHP air unit and the Clear Lake Area CHP responded to conduct an enforcement stop, the report said. Both Schussolin and his passenger – who wasn't named – were taken into custody.
Napa County Jail booking records said Schussolin was taken into custody on Highway 29 south of Highway 53 in Lake County at 6:55 p.m. He was booked at 11 p.m.
Booking records showed that Schussolin was booked on felony charges of hit-and-run, vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol causing injury.
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