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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Police this week arrested a man for a hate crime after he assaulted a local religious leader at a city store.
Michael Munoz, 49, was arrested Wednesday afternoon, according to Sgt. Rodd Joseph of the Clearlake Police Department.
Just before 12:30 p.m. Wednesday Officer Mike Ray began an investigation at the police department, where a local religious leader had gone to report being assaulted while performing religious activities near Rays Food Place, located at 15930 Dam Road, Joseph said.
Joseph said the victim reported he was there with another church member promoting their religious beliefs when they were approached by a former church member whom they know as Munoz.
During the encounter, Munoz began arguing with the victim about why he was no longer with the church. Joseph said the conversation became heated and Munoz became aggressive.
At that point, the victim asked Munoz to leave. When Munoz refused, the victim began dialing 911 on his cellular phone to call for police assistance. Prior to completing the 9-1-1 call, Munoz grabbed the phone from the victim and smashed it on the ground, Joseph said.
Joseph said Munoz then punched the victim in the face with a closed fist, causing injuries.
After striking the victim, Munoz left the area and the victim traveled to the police department to report the crime. The victim provided a description of the suspect which was disseminated to other officers, Joseph said.
Police Chief Craig Clausen and Lt. Tim Celli drove to the area near Rays Food Place and located a male subject matching Munoz’s physical description near the intersections of Dam Road and Dam Road Extension, according to Joseph.
Clausen and Celli contacted Munoz, who Joseph said initially was uncooperative and resisted them.
Joseph said the victim subsequently completed an in-field show-up and positively identified Munoz as his attacker.
Munoz was arrested for two misdemeanor violations of interfering with a 911 call to police and vandalism, Joseph said.
During questioning, Munoz denied assaulting the victim or damaging the victim’s cellular phone. Munoz did admit to arguing with the religious leader over Munoz’s belief that the church’s publications were promoting demonic beliefs, Joseph said.
Based on this additional information and the totality of the incident, Joseph said Munoz additionally was charged with a felony hate crime and booked into the Lake County Jail.
Anyone who may have witnessed this incident is asked to contact Clearlake Police Officer Mike Ray, the investigating officer, at 707-994-8251, Extension 504.
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area’s office is getting some new wheels.
The CHP has been gradually transitioning patrol cars at its offices across the state to SUVS – or PUVs, which stands for “patrol utility vehicles,” according to CHP Officer Joe Wind.
The new specially outfitted PUVs are produced by Ford Motor Co.
Based on its Explorer SUV, Ford has named the patrol vehicle version the Police Interceptor Utility.
It can seat up to five people and has a 365-horsepower engine, according to a Ford fact sheet.
Wind said the Clear Lake Area office got its first PUV in mid-December and its second one the first week of January.
The vehicles are being subbed in as the older Ford Crown Victoria patrol cars come to the end of their service life. Wind said the office has a fleet of 12 vehicles.
Officer Kory Reynolds said the all-wheel drive vehicles have great stability and a V6 engine, and actually are faster than the Crown Victorias.
He said they come equipped with new radio systems and mobile audio video recording systems, which means all vehicle stops are recorded.
They're also more comfortable and sit up higher, which he says should save wear and tear on the officers themselves.
“This is the new look, and you'll see a lot of them out,” he said.
The reason for the vehicle transition, according to Clear Lake Area office Commander Lt. Hector Paredes, is a matter of equipment and weight.
With the amount of equipment a typical CHP officer now has – in addition to computers, weapons and other items – the current patrol vehicles are nearing weight capacity, he said.
“We’re just carrying around more gear,” he said.
Paredes said other law enforcement agencies are moving to SUVs for similar weight and capacity reasons.
He’s tested out the new PUVs at a training and said they’re lowered and extremely stable, and are hard to roll, even when turning hard at 35 miles per hour. A computer in the vehicle senses such hard turns and engages the wheels a certain way to keep the PUV from rolling.
“They're a great vehicle,” Paredes said.
The Clear Lake Area office's two PUVs puts it just behind the much larger Santa Rosa Area office, where Capt. Greg Baarts – Paredes' predecessor as commander in Lake County – now works.
Baarts told Lake County News that Santa Rosa has gotten three PUVs and is due to get two more as they swap out the cars in their 27-vehicle fleet.
Like Paredes, Baarts took a training in the PUVs, and even when jerking the wheel at moderate speed, he said it didn't flip. “The thing drives by itself.”
Over the years, the CHP has had a variety of patrol vehicles, including muscle cars like the Ford Mustang – which the agency used in the 1980s and 1990s – and the Chevy Camaro, as well as the 350-horsepower Chevy Impala and, most recently, the Dodge Charger.
Before Paredes' arrival, the Clear Lake Area office had one of the Dodge Chargers. He said the trouble with using them as patrol vehicles was, again, a weight issue, besides the very small trunk.
As to which of the CHP’s cars over the years was fastest, Paredes said it was between the Mustang and the Impala.
“The Impala got up and went,” said Paredes. “That was the idea. The Impala was supposed to replace the Mustang as a chase vehicle.”
However, Paredes said the Mustang was the most fun.
“It was a stick,” and topped out at 140 miles per hour, he said.
In the video above, CHP Officer Kory Reynolds takes one of the new PUVs out for a drive.
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State health officials have confirmed more cases of measles in California as the result of an outbreak that began last month, but Lake County's health officer said the illness has not appeared locally.
Dr. Ron Chapman, director of the California Department of Public Health and state health officer, said that as of Wednesday local public health officials have confirmed a total of 59 cases of measles in California residents since the end of December 2014.
“If you have symptoms, and believe you may have been exposed, please contact your health care provider. Unless you have an emergency, it is best to contact your health care provider by phone to prevent spread in doctor’s offices.” said Chapman. “The best way to prevent measles and its spread is to get vaccinated.”
Measles – a highly infectious, airborne disease – was eliminated in the United States in 2000.
However travelers who visit areas of the world where measles is prevalent have led to the illness' occasional and limited reappearance in this country. In recent years there have been large measles outbreaks in Western Europe, Pakistan, Vietnam and the Philippines, health officials said.
Of the confirmed cases in California to date, 42 have been linked to an initial exposure in December at Disneyland or Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim, Chapman said.
The confirmed cases include five Disney employees. In addition, CDPH said other cases have visited Disney parks while infectious in January.
Chapman reported that the California measles patients reside in 11 local health jurisdictions in Southern California and the Bay Area.
In Southern California, cases have been reported in Los Angeles (9), Orange (20), Riverside (4), San Bernardino (3), San Diego (10) and Ventura (3) counties, and the cities of Long Beach (2) and Pasadena (1), while in the Bay Area measles has been confirmed in Alameda (5), San Mateo (1) and Santa Clara (1) counties, according to a CDPH report on the measles outbreak.
Of those 59 cases, 42 are epidemiologically linked to Disneyland, while the remaining 17 have no known epidemiological link, the state reported.
Patients range in age from 7 months to 70 years, according to CDPH.
Vaccination status is documented for 34 of the 59 cases. Of the 34, CDPH said 28 were unvaccinated, one had received one dose and five had received two or more doses of MMR vaccine.
Besides California, several measles cases related to Disneyland have been reported, including three in Utah, two in Washington, and one each in Colorado and Oregon, and one in neighboring Mexico, according to CDPH reports.
Local health departments and CDPH continue to investigate reported cases.
Several “secondary” cases in persons exposed to the initial group have been reported. CDPH said secondary cases are common with measles.
As with the first group of cases, there is a risk of additional transmission in places where the secondary cases have been while infectious. CDPH said persons can be infectious for a few days prior to developing symptoms of measles and may feel well enough to be out and about potentially exposing others.
In addition, CDPH said public health officials are continuing to contact persons exposed to measles cases to determine their vaccination history and implement strategies to prevent spread.
CDPH said the situation is ongoing, and it expects to receive additional reports of measles cases.
Lake County Health Officer Karen Tait told Lake County News that there have been no reports of measles in the county thus far, “and I'm happy about that.”
She said the outbreak “really raises concerns,” and with the cases having been transmitted at a place like Disneyland, Tait said it makes the point that a person can be exposed to such illnesses anywhere, at any time.
“It's just a good reason to be vaccinated,” she said.
Tait added, “you can see what happens if you have susceptible people in the population.”
Measles typically begins with fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes, and within a few days a red rash appears, usually first on the face and then spreading downward to the rest of the body, health officials said.
CDPH recommends that any patient with a measles-compatible illness who has recently visited venues where international travelers congregate – such as theme parks or airports – be considered as having a “plausible exposure” to measles.
Health officials maintain that vaccination is the most important strategy to prevent measles. Two doses of the measles-containing MMR vaccine are more than 99 percent effective in preventing measles.
Measles vaccines have been available in the United States since 1963, and CDPH said two doses have been recommended since 1989.
If you are unsure of your vaccination status, CDPH urges you to check with your doctor to have a test to check for measles immunity or to receive vaccination.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – A Lakeport man is facing prosecution for a wreck earlier this month during which he is alleged to have been driving under the influence and which injured his passenger.
Ryan Matthew Lunas, 22, was arrested following the crash, which occurred late on the night of Jan. 13, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Kory Reynolds.
Reynolds said Lunas was driving a 1995 Oldsmobile 88 eastbound on Riggs Road, east of Riggs Court near Lakeport, just after 11 p.m. Jan. 13 with 22-year-old Lakeport resident Brittany Faustino riding as his passenger.
Lunas, who was traveling at an unknown speed, failed to negotiate a lefthand curve and went off the road, hitting a tree and coming to rest in a field, Reynolds said.
Faustino suffered major lacerations to her head and face, as well as a complaint of pain to her back and neck, and was transported by REACH air ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, according to Reynolds.
Reynolds said Lunas also had a complaint of pain, with lacerations on the back of his head, and abrasions on his back and right arm.
Lunas was arrested by CHP Officer Mark Crutcher just before 11:30 p.m., according to booking records.
Lakeport Fire paramedics transported Lunas to Sutter Lakeside Hospital by ambulance for treatment before he was taken to the Lake County Jail, Reynolds said. Lunas was booked the morning following the crash.
The CHP's crash report was completed and sent to the District Attorney's Office this week, Reynolds said.
Reynolds said the charges filed against Lunas include felony driving under the influence causing injury and a misdemeanor probation violation.
Lunas has remained in the Lake County Jail since his arrest, with bail set at $200,000, according to his booking records.
Court records indicate Lunas is scheduled to make an appearance in court on Thursday afternoon.
Due to being the nephew of Lake County Superior Court Judge Michael Lunas, Ryan Lunas' case is to be heard by a visiting judge, as all other local judges also are expected to recuse themselves due to concerns about potential conflicts.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lake County Sheriff's deputies arrested a Lakeport man Wednesday afternoon on firearms charges following an investigation that identified him as the suspect who brandished a handgun at Running Creek Casino earlier in the day.
Robert Arthur Doane, 61, was arrested for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and being a convicted felon in possession of ammunition, according to Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Brooks said that shortly before 5 a.m. Wednesday sheriff’s patrol deputies responded to Running Creek Casino in Upper Lake after a customer told a security officer at the casino that someone had just shot at him.
When a deputy contacted the victim, the victim denied having any knowledge of the incident and said he did not want to report anything, Brooks reported.
The deputy contacted a security officer who provided him with photographs of the incident which their security cameras recorded. Brooks said deputies contacted the victim a second time, in an attempt to obtain additional information. The victim refused to cooperate and left the casino a short time later.
Brooks said the deputies reviewed the photographs, which showed a white male adult holding a handgun while he was talking to the victim.
Deputies were able to obtain the license plate of the suspects vehicle and had Central Dispatch run a records check, Brooks said. Central Dispatch advised that the vehicle was registered to Doane.
Brooks said deputies secured a search warrant for Doane’s residence, which is located in the 2000 block of Green Street in Lakeport.
At 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, detectives served the warrant at the residence, detaining Doane without incident, Brooks said.
During a search of the premises, deputies located a loaded .32-caliber handgun, which Brooks said was seized as evidence.
Brooks said Doane was arrested and transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked.
Sheriff Brian Martin personally responded to the scene on Wednesday.
“I am proud of the work these deputies and detectives put in to identify this person and take him off the streets,” Martin said. “They accomplished their job effectively, professionally, and most importantly, safely. Our communities are safer because of actions such as this.”
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A federal judge last week threw out a new labor rule that was to have provided overtime for an estimated two million providers of In-Home Supportive Services across the United States.
The Jan. 14 decision by US District Court for the District of Columbia Judge Richard Leon invalidated a US Department of Labor rule – set to go into effect at the start of this month – requiring overtime protections, travel and wait time pay for homecare workers nationwide.
The following day, California Department of Social Services Director Will Lightbourne announced that the agency was halting implementation of the changes to the In-Home Supportive Services program.
“In view of the fact the federal requirements relating to overtime payments have been vacated by the court, California will retain the program structure that existed before the Department of Labor issued the rule,” Lightbourne said. “This means recipients of services will continue to receive all of the monthly hours they have been authorized, and will continue to receive their services from their provider of choice.”
In-Home Supportive Services, which provides domestic and personal care services for senior citizens or individuals with physical disabilities – allowing them to stay in their homes – is offered in all of California's 58 counties.
The program includes more than 400,000 care providers serving the full caseload of 490,000 recipients, the California Department of Social Services reported.
In Lake County, there are about 2,000 providers, with recipients also numbering about 2,000, according to Social Services Director Carol Huchingson, whose agency oversees the county's IHSS program.
President Barack Obama in 2011 announced a proposed rule extending the Fair Labor Standards Act to homecare workers.
The US Department of Labor said it subsequently issued the Home Care Final Rule to extend minimum wage and overtime protections to almost two million homecare workers, effective Jan. 1.
In September, Home Care Association of America v. Weil was filed to challenge the US Department of Labor's new rule.
On Dec. 22. Judge Leon vacated a portion of the regulation and issued a temporary restraining order against the rule going into effect until Jan. 15, later issuing his final decision.
In a statement on its Web site, the US Department of Labor said of the legal developments: “The Department strongly disagrees with both orders, and we are considering all of our legal options.”
The agency said it stands by its final rule. “We believe the Rule is legally sound and is the right policy-- both for those employees, whose demanding work merits these fundamental wage guarantees, and for recipients of services, who deserve a stable and professional workforce allowing them to remain in their homes and communities.”
The California Department of Social Services said IHSS providers will continue to be paid straight-time at the locally bargained hourly wage, in the same manner in which hours were reported and providers were paid in 2014.
While the state of California has halted its implementation of the rules, California United Homecare Workers – the union that represents IHSS workers in 23 California counties, including Lake – said there is funding still available to cover overtime for IHSS workers, and nothing in Judge Leon's ruling stops the state from paying it.
The union also called on Gov. Jerry Brown to move forward with paying overtime to homecare workers, pointing out that last year Brown signed a bill into law allowing IHSS workers to earn overtime pay for the first time in history.
California United Homecare Workers is hosting a petition drive to convince Brown to take the action at http://www.cuhw.org/2015/01/sign-the-petition-for-overtime-pay/ .
The union said many IHSS workers are among the working poor, noting that they make just $10 an hour on average.
IHSS need continues to grow at county level
“These things are never simple,” Huchingson said of the latest development regarding IHSS rules.
The overtime rule wasn't to have had a fiscal impact on the county of Lake because Huchingson said the county pays a “maintenance of effort” – or share of cost established by the state – for its IHSS program.
She said that share of cost number increases by 3.5 percent annually to allow for growth in the program.
The most recent maintenance of effort for the county's IHSS program totals $4.6 million, which Huchingson said includes not only the county's share of the cost of the hours and services but also administrative costs for the program.
“I think the biggest impact in this last minute, unexpected change, is that an incredible amount of time had been put into preparing for this,” she said, adding, “That's how it is in government.”
In December, Lake County's IHSS providers provided 200,000 hours of services, Huchingson said.
“It's huge,” she added.
She said Lake's IHSS caseload is much higher than comparable counties due to the high number of elderly and disabled here.
Huchingson said qualified IHSS clients can receive up to 283 hours of assistance a month, depending on need.
She said there is a “steady stream” of applicants for IHSS assistance.
Huchingson said if someone applies for IHSS, a social worker will be sent to their home to see if they qualify.
Those who want to apply for the program can call Social Services Adult Services Office at 888-221-2204 or 707-995-4680.
As for other potential changes or updates on the overtime issue, Huchingson said she's poised and waiting to see if anything happens to overturn the judge's decision.
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