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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Firefighters in Mendocino and Napa counties have been working a number of wildland fire incidents over the last few days.
Cal Fire reported that there were two small wildland fires in Mendocino County on Monday afternoon.
The first fire, the Spy incident, started just before 3:30 p.m. Monday at mile post 77 along Highway 101 in Laytonville, Cal Fire said.
The agency said the Spy incident burned half an acre of grass and brush and was contained just after 5:20 p.m.
The second fire, the Tan incident, started at 3:45 p.m. at the Tan Oak Park in Leggett, according to Cal Fire.
The Tan incident was contained at 5:45 p.m. and burned four and a half acres acres of grass and heavy timber, with difficult access for firefighters. Also presenting challenges for firefighters were downed power lines, Cal Fire reported.
Cal Fire said the initial response included one copter, two tankers and multiple engines and crews.
Patrol of the fire area continued on Tuesday, with three engines and two crews assigned, Cal Fire said.
Cal Fire's incident commander reported that the grass and timber were very dry and burned like late July conditions.
Cal Fire's Mendocino Unit also reported that it is staffing up in order to be ready to respond to the season's very dry conditions.
Then, on Tuesday afternoon, Cal Fire's Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit and the Napa County Fire Department responded to the Garage Fire in Napa County.
The wildland fire was first reported shortly before 3:30 p.m. near the intersection of Howell Mountain and Pope Valley roads, the agency said.
Structures were threatened but none were burned thanks to air tanker and helicopter drops that – in concert with ground forces – kept the fire away from the buildings, according to a Tuesday evening report from Fire Capt. Joe Fletcher.
Fletcher said suppressing the fire was a challenge due to gusty winds and steep terrain. However, forward progress of the fire was stopped when fire line around its perimeter was complete just after 4 p.m.
Altogether, the fire burned 36 acres and was 75-percent contained, according to Fletcher's Tuesday night report.
Engine companies and fire crews were scheduled to work on mop up and patrol throughout the night, Fletcher said.
Approximately 220 residents in the Pope Valley and Berryessa Estates communities were expected to be without electrical power until midnight because Pacific Gas and Electric was completing power line repairs, Fletcher said. Howell Mountain Road between Pope Valley Road and Ink Grade Road was to remain closed while the repairs took place.
There were no injuries, Fletcher said.
Resources on scene included nine engine/truck companies, two water tenders, three volunteer companies, two fire crews, two helicopters, five overhead personnel, two bulldozers, four air tankers and 103 personnel, according to Fletcher's report.
For information on how to be ready for wildfire visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org .
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NICE, Calif. – A Redwood Valley woman died early Tuesday morning following a crash on Highway 20, with officials seeking information about the driver of a white pickup that may have contributed to the wreck.
The California Highway Patrol did not identify the 65-year-old crash victim pending notification of her family.
The crash occurred at 6:15 a.m. on Highway 20 east of Floyd Way in Nice, according to the CHP.
The Redwood Valley woman was driving a 2010 Toyota Corolla westbound when she attempted to pass a white pickup truck by using the center two-way turn lane, the CHP said.
The CHP said that as the woman was attempting to pass the pickup, the pickup appeared to accelerate as both vehicles entered a right curve in the roadway.
The Toyota driver lost control of the vehicle, which veered across the eastbound lane and struck a dirt embankment on the south side of the highway. The CHP said the impact caused the Toyota to overturn before it hit a large tree.
Firefighters responded to the scene and found the Toyota driver deceased. The CHP said the Toyota's driver was wearing her seat belt.
The crash remains under investigation, led by Officer Michael Phillips. The CHP said it is unknown if drugs or alcohol contributed to the crash.
The CHP is actively seeking any witnesses to the crash as well as any information that would help identify the unknown white pickup truck and its driver.
If anyone has any information they are asked to contact the CHP's Clear Lake Area office at 707-279-0103.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – A local man is looking at spending the rest of his life in prison after a jury convicted him of murder for the September 2011 shooting of an Upper Lake woman that he said was an accident.
The jury, which had begun deliberating late Thursday afternoon, handed down the conviction in the trial of 53-year-old Daniel Ray Loyd of Nice by late Friday morning.
Loyd was on trial for the shooting death of 48-year-old Cindy Yvette Quiett early on the morning of Sept. 13, 2011, in Lucerne.
Prosecutor John DeChaine said the jury returned guilty verdicts on all five felony counts in the case: first-degree felony murder, with a special circumstance that the murder occurred during the commission of an attempted robbery; attempted robbery; assault with a firearm; being a felon in possession of a firearm; and being a felon in possession of ammunition.
In addition, the jury also found true certain special allegations, including that Loyd personally used a firearm in the commission of the murder, and that he committed attempted robbery and assault with a firearm.
DeChaine said Loyd is facing a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Loyd's defense attorney, David Markham, told Lake County News that Loyd plans to file an appeal, but said he could make no other comment on the case at this time.
Judge Stephen Hedstrom, who has presided over the trial, must still decide on some special allegations relating to two prior prison terms that Loyd served as well as an out-of-state strike, DeChaine said. However, those matters are unlikely to have much – if any – impact on Loyd's ultimate sentence or the prison time he will serve.
DeChaine presented a case showing that Loyd drove to Lucerne that morning intending to rob Quiett's boyfriend, Patrick Ryden, after Ryden failed to pay him back for meth he had fronted him to sell.
Loyd, having borrowed a van and a .357 pistol from another man, confronted Ryden, sticking the loaded gun in his face and demanding, “Give me your s***.”
The two men struggled, Ryden pushed the gun away and into the direction of Quiett – standing between 12 and 20 feet away – who was struck in the stomach and mortally wounded when the gun went off. She died later that morning.
Jury selection on the trial began in mid-April, with testimony taking place for more than a month, averaging about two days a week, according to jury foreman Val McMurdie.
During that time, the prosecution had put on significant evidence before Markham presented his case over the course of one day on May 28, with Loyd on the stand for much of that time. Markham would not discuss the reasons for having Loyd testify on his own behalf.
While on the stand, Loyd – who admitted to being a drug dealer – had insisted that the shooting was an accident and that he felt remorse.
He said that at the time of the shooting he had been high on methamphetamine and had not slept in 10 days.
Loyd admitted in court to writing a letter in April to a female friend who regularly visited him at the jail, urging her to tell other witnesses in the case about the felony murder rule and not to come to court to testify against him, otherwise he was facing life in state prison.
Both the prosecution and defense had agreed in closing arguments last week that Loyd didn't intend to kill anyone, and that the shooting was an accident.
However, DeChaine had successfully argued that – accident or not – the shooting still rose to the level of felony murder.
McMurdie estimated the jury deliberated for a total of two and a half hours, beginning on Thursday afternoon and finishing up on Friday morning.
With experience in law – he's practiced in two states – McMurdie said one of the key issues jurors discussed during their short deliberations was probable cause, and whether it could have been foreseen that a struggle and, ultimately, the shooting of a person who wasn't the intended victim might have resulted.
“There were three jurors who wanted to explore that,” he said.
As for Loyd's testimony, “The jury itself as a group did not discuss it,” said McMurdie, adding that in some side conversations with other jurors they indicated that Loyd's statements were “stupid,” especially his justification for sending the letter trying to dissuade witnesses from appearing.
“I think that it was very damaging to the defendant,” McMurdie said of Loyd taking the stand.
Other than that, Loyd's testimony did not figure significantly because, McMurdie said, there was more than enough evidence for the jury to convict Loyd of the charges.
He said that the sheriff's office had, in its investigation, caught everything – except the smoke from the pistol used in the crime.
McMurdie said he found the case interesting from the standpoint that it involved a local criminal underworld made up of its own particular community – people who were longtime Lake County residents, career criminals, and drug dealers and users.
“What could go wrong?” he asked.
DeChaine said he was pleased that the jury didn't accept Loyd's explanations about the crime, and that the trial's outcome showed the justice system works.
“They recognized that he was responsible for Cindy Quiett's death, and hopefully that provides some solace for Cindy's family and friends,” DeChaine said.
In addition to his own murder trial, Loyd – who has been in custody since the September 2011 shooting – took the stand as an informant in another local murder case, that of 4-year-old Skyler Rapp, who was shot to death in June 2011 in Clearlake.
During the trial of Paul Braden, Loyd testified that Braden – who had been housed with him at the Lake County Jail – had confided to him about key points in the crime, including admitting to being the gunman in the shooting, which also wounded several other people. Braden would be convicted in that case and sentenced to more than 300 years in prison.
While Loyd's murder conviction automatically calls for a sentence of life without parole, the case will still be referred to the Lake County Probation Department, which DeChaine said will conduct its analysis and make a sentencing recommendation to the court.
A sentencing date in the case has not yet been set, DeChaine said.
Loyd has waived the time limits for sentencing, so he will return to court on June 30, at which time DeChaine said Loyd's sentencing date is expected to be set.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Local officials have issued an update regarding a large number of dead carp that are appearing on Clear Lake and washing up on the shoreline.
This fish die-off seems to be lakewide and only affecting carp, according to a report from the county of Lake.
In 2008, Clear Lake experienced a very large carp die-off, numbering in the hundreds of thousands.
At that time, fish tissue analysis done by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) determined the cause to be koi herpes virus.
It is CDFW’s opinion that this may be the reason for this year’s die-off. Fish tissue analysis will be performed by CDFW this week.
Koi herpes virus is specific to the carp family, Cyprinidae. The virus does not sicken any other animal or humans.
The preferred method of disposal of dead carp is to bury the carp as soon as is feasible landward of the high water mark or to place the fish in a plastic bag in the trash can, officials said.
As temperatures begin to warm up throughout the state, California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Director Dr. Karen Smith advises California residents to prepare themselves for what could be a very hot, dry summer.
“Because this hot spell has come on rather suddenly, many people may be caught off guard by the warm up,” Dr. Smith Said. “It is important that all Californians take precautions to prevent heat-related illness and stay hydrated.”
In Lake County, the temperatures were reported to have hit the century mark on Monday, with forecasters calling for the remainder of the week to see highs topping out in the 90s, and the possibility of thunderstorms and some rain on Tuesday.
In areas where air quality is impacted, people with heart disease, asthma or other respiratory diseases should minimize outdoor activities, CDPH said.
Summer schools and programs with children who have sensitive conditions, including heart disease, asthma and other respiratory diseases should not participate in outdoor physical activity and should stay indoors as much as possible.
Extreme heat poses a substantial health risk, especially in vulnerable populations including young children, the elderly, people with chronic diseases, pregnant women, people with disabilities, and people who are socially isolated.
Heat-related illnesses include cramps, heat exhaustion and, most seriously, heat stroke and death. Warning signs of heat-related illnesses vary, but may include heavy sweating, muscle cramps, weakness, headache, nausea or vomiting, paleness, tiredness or dizziness.
Smith offered the following tips to stay safe in extreme heat:
– Those lacking air conditioning should go to a cooling center, library, or public place such as a shopping mall to cool off for a few hours each day.
– Avoid physical exertion/exercise outdoors during the hottest parts of the day to avoid overheating. Reduce exposure to the sun from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. when UV rays are strongest, and keep physical activities to a minimum during that time. When working outside, drink plenty of water or juice even if you are not thirsty, and take rest breaks in the shade.
– Check on elderly who live alone every 24 hours; many may be on medications which increase likelihood of dehydration.
– Those lacking air conditioning should go to a cooling center, library, or public place such as a shopping mall to cool off for a few hours each day.
– To prevent overheating, use cool compresses, misting, showers and baths. Get medical attention if you experience a rapid, strong pulse, feel delirious, or have a body temperature above 102 degrees.
– Never, EVER leave infants, children or frail elderly unattended in a parked car – it can take as little as 10 minutes for the temperature inside a car to rise to levels that can kill.
– Wear a wide-brimmed hat to cover the face and neck, and wear loose-fitting clothing to keep cool and to protect your skin from the sun and mosquitoes.
– Wear sunglasses that provide 100 percent UVA and UVB protection. Chronic exposure to the sun can cause cataracts, which left untreated, can lead to blindness.
– Liberally apply sunscreen (at least SPF 15) 15 minutes before venturing outdoors and re-apply at least every two hours – sunscreen may reduce the risk of skin cancer, the number one cancer affecting Californians. Sunscreen may also prevent premature aging.
In California, employers with outdoor places of employment are required to prevent heat illness in their employees.
For more information, please see Cal/OSHA’s Web page on Heat Illness Prevention: http://www.dir.ca.gov/DOSH/HeatIllnessInfo.html .
For more information, go to CDPH’s Preventing Summer Heat Injuries page at www.cdph.ca.gov .
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The scheduled sentencing for a Hopland man facing more than 150 years in prison for the attempted murder of two California Highway Patrol officers and dozens of other felonies has been postponed and another trial – this time relating to his mental competence at the time of the shootings – is set to be held next month.
In April a jury convicted 41-year-old William Edward Steele of Hopland of 22 felony charges, chief among them the attempted murder of CHP Officers Shane Roach and Glen Thomas, as Lake County News has reported.
Other charges the jury convicted Steele of include assault with a deadly weapon, discharging a firearm from a vehicle, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, violating a restraining order by possessing a gun, shooting at an inhabited car, reckless evading, evading a peace officer causing death or serious injury, and more than 30 special allegations relating primarily to firearm use as well as causing great bodily injury.
Roach and Thomas had attempted to pull Steele over early on the morning of Oct. 19, 2013, in the area of Highway 29 and Cruickshank Drive in Kelseyville as they believed he was driving under the influence.
Steele pulled a .380-caliber semiautomatic handgun and shot at the officers before fleeing. He then turned around near Live Oak Drive and shot at the officers again.
In the Chevy Tahoe that Steele was driving were Jeremy John and Gavina Delgadillo. John jumped from the vehicle to escape, hit his head and died days later at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.
The jury found Steele not guilty of murder for John's death, but did convict him of involuntary manslaughter, deadlocked on a hit and run charge and found Steele not guilty of kidnapping Delgadillo, but did convict him of her unlawful imprisonment.
Steele was set to have been sentenced on May 18, at which time it was estimated that he was facing at least four life sentences for attempted murder charges – two for each of the CHP officers.
However, Senior Deputy District Attorney Art Grothe – who prosecuted the case – said the criminal proceedings were temporarily suspended after Steele raised doubt as to his own mental competence.
Ahead of the sentencing, the Lake County Probation Department prepared a sentencing recommendation for Steele in the case that Grothe said came to 154 years and eight months in state prison.
Following that, during the first week of May, Steele raised the mental competence issues, Grothe said.
Steele then fired his attorney Patrick Pekin and began filing his own motions in the case, according to Grothe.
Steele asked for and received another attorney, whose caseload was too heavy. Tom Quinn told Lake County News that he subsequently was appointed as Steele's new attorney.
Quinn said he couldn't offer further comment on the case at this time.
Grothe said Steele requested a jury trial on his mental competence, which Quinn agreed to do.
That request comes under Penal Code 1368, which allows for the inquiry into the competence of a defendant before trial or after conviction in cases.
Based on the penal code, Steele and his attorney will have the burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that he was incapable of understanding the nature of the criminal proceedings or incapable of providing any meaningful assistance in his defense to his attorney due to a mental defect.
In his 26 years as a prosecutor, said Grothe, he's never encountered this type of situation.
That special trial is scheduled for July 15, Grothe said. He estimated it could run as long as two days, and will require the selection of a new jury.
In preparation, Grothe said the District Attorney's Office has reports from two doctors saying that Steele is mentally competent.
In this trial, the finding will be competent or incompetent, as opposed to guilty or not guilty, Grothe said.
“If he’s found competent, we’re back on track in the criminal proceedings,” with a new sentencing date to be set, said Grothe.
Should Steele be found incompetent, he would be sent to the Napa State Hospital, where he would be enrolled in a program that helps get individuals to the point of being competent. Grothe said Steele would then be returned to Lake County for sentencing.
The time when Steele could have pursued the insanity defense is well past, said Grothe.
Separately, Grothe said Steele and Quinn have indicated they will seek a new trial.
As for whether or not the potential for spending the rest of his life in prison may have been Steele's motivation in seeking the competency trial, Grothe said, “I really don’t want to speculate at this point.”
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