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LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Richard H. Lewis School celebrated senior graduation on Wednesday at the Lower Lake Schoolhouse Museum.
School Director Nancy Harby said the 14 students completed Konocti Unified School District’s traditional curriculum through independent study and are heading off to a variety of schools for further study, including the areas of business, education, cosmetology, nursing, sound engineering, counseling, childcare, computers, art and paramedics.
The following students donned the green caps and gowns to celebrate the culmination of their high school journey: Ariana Ari, Lacey Baumer, Josh Brooks, Lisette Chavira, Jonathan Grafton, Kyha Heller, Annie Keller, Lindsey Kenton, Justice Menear, Ryan Reed, GuadaLupe Sepulveda, Maria Shannon, and Ashley Shrum. Jonathan Young also was a recent graduate.
The staff of Lewis School was joined by all members of the Konocti School Board, Superintendent Donna Becnel, Lake County Superintendent of Schools Wally Holbrook and County Senior Director Brock Falkenberg in celebrating the students’ accomplishments.
Also in attendance were honorary guests Richard and Betty Lewis.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A Lake County mussel sticker is still required for all boats on Clear Lake, county officials said this week.
This year, boat owners also were required to pay an additional fee to the California Department of Motor Vehicles on their vessel registration, and have received a state-issued mussel sticker.
The state-issued mussel sticker is not the same as the Lake County mussel sticker. Both stickers are required for all boats on Clear Lake, the county reported.
The Lake County mussel stickers can be purchased at a variety of screening locations around the lake and the cost is $10.
A list of those locations can be found at www.nomussels.com . A downloadable mussel screening application also is available on the Website .
Remember, any boat on Clear Lake not displaying the Lake County mussel sticker will be cited, even if it is displaying the state-issued sticker.
COBB, Calif. – Narcotic’s detectives who checked a vehicle blocking a roadway in Cobb on Monday ended up arresting a local man, eradicating hundreds of marijuana plants and seizing processed marijuana.
Sean Michael Tragni, 45, of Cobb was arrested, according to Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
On Monday at approximately 12:15 p.m., narcotics detectives noticed a pickup blocking a portion of Meadow Circle in Cobb, and contacted Tragni, who was standing next to the vehicle, Brooks said.
While talking to Tragni, Brooks said the detectives noticed the bed of Tragni's pickup contained marijuana plants. Tragni explained that he was moving his plants, due to his lease agreement falling through.
Detectives located 20 marijuana plants in the back of the pickup and 19 additional plants on the property. There were no residences or permitted structures on the property, which is a county code violation. All of the plants were eradicated, Brooks said.
Brooks said detectives recognized Tragni from prior law enforcement contacts and asked if he was still growing marijuana at his residence. Tragni replied that he was not growing at his residence.
One of the detectives explained that he had been to his residence during a prior contact and at the time it appeared he was setting up an indoor grow, Brooks said. Tragni disagreed and told the detective that he had never been to his house.
Upon further questioning, Tragni admitted to growing marijuana at his house. When asked how many plants he had, Tragni replied “too many,” according to Brooks' report.
Detectives secured a search warrant for Tragni’s residence, which is located in the16000 block of Ponderosa Drive in Cobb and served it a short time later, Brooks said.
During the search detectives located two rooms under the residence which was being used to grow marijuana. From the two rooms, Brooks said detectives located and eradicated 644 marijuana plants.
Brooks said detectives located a shed on the property which was also being used to grow marijuana. They located and eradicated 149 marijuana plants from the shed and an additional 8 marijuana plants which were growing outside.
During a search of the residence, detectives located eight 1-pound packages of processed marijuana. Brooks said they also located approximately 10 pounds of processed marijuana which had not yet been packaged, along with digital scales, packaging materials, pay owe sheets and two firearms, all of which were seized as evidence.
Sean Tragni was arrested for cultivating marijuana, possession of marijuana for sale and being armed in the commission of a felony. He was transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked, Brooks said.
Tragni's bail was set at $50,000. Jail records indicated he later posted the required percentage of bail and was released.
The Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force can be reached through its anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.
NORTH COAST, Calif. – A Covelo man wanted on a Lake County warrant was arrested early Thursday in connection to the shooting death of a woman last Sunday.
Jeremy Jason Freeman-Britton, 21, was arrested for the murder of 21-year-old Rosalena Belle Rodriguez of Covelo, according to a report from Capt. Greg Van Patten of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office.
Van Patten said Freeman-Britton also was arrested on a Lake County felony arrest warrant for a charge of criminal threats in regards to an unrelated incident.
A motorist found Rodriguez's body last Sunday morning in the roadway in the 78000 block of Hopper Lane in Covelo, Van Patten said. She appeared to have been shot several times.
A Tuesday autopsy confirmed she had suffered multiple gunshot wounds. Van Patten said blood alcohol and toxicology analysis is pending.
At 11 p.m. Wednesday Mendocino County Sheriff's detectives contacted 28-year-old Nicole Hawkins at Willits residence, subsequently arresting her for an open charge of elder abuse and probation violation in regards to an unrelated incident, Van Patten said.
He said Hawkins was booked into the Mendocino County Jail to be held in lieu of $25,000 bail.
Van Patten's report did not explain Hawkins' connection to the case.
At 1 a.m. Thursday, sheriff's detectives contacted Freeman-Britton and Sidney Lewis Freeman, 23, also of Covelo, at a residence in the 100 block of Yuki Street in Covelo, Van Patten said.
During the contact Freeman-Britton was arrested on the Lake County warrant, with Freeman arrested on an active Mendocino County misdemeanor arrest warrant for a charge of violation of probation, according to Van Patten.
After the arrests were made, Van Patten said sheriff's detectives established probable cause to arrest Freeman-Britton and Freeman for the murder of Rodriguez, and both were booked into the Mendocino County Jail to be held on a no bail status.
At noon on Thursday the Mendocino County District Attorney's Office decided not to file a murder charge on Freeman after a review of the evidence collected by investigators to date, Van Patten said.
He said sheriff’s detectives are continuing investigations and no further information will be released at this time due to the ongoing investigation.
Freeman-Britton remained in the Mendocino County Jail on charges including murder early Friday, according to booking records.
Anyone with information that could assist sheriff's detectives with their investigation into this incident is urged to leave a message on the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office Tip-Line by calling 707-234-2100.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Clearlake Police officers have arrested a local man on a host of charges including human trafficking, pimping and kidnapping as the result of an investigation that began on Wednesday.
Clearlake resident Darryl Dwayne Williams, 53, was arrested in the case, according to Sgt. Nick Bennett.
On Wednesday Clearlake Police Lt. Tim Celli and Sergeant Rodd Joseph were driving through the parking lot of the Travelodge Motel, located at 4775 Old Highway 53, when they observed an adult male sitting in the seat of an expensive Mercedes Benz which was backed into a parking stall at the rear of the business, Bennett said.
Not far from the Mercedes Benz, Celli and Joseph saw a female, who appeared to be in distress, standing next to another vehicle, according to Bennett.
The officers asked her if she was all right and as she walked toward them, she stated, “That’s my pimp,” and made statements how she was afraid of him and feared he was going to beat her, Bennett said.
As the only person the officers had observed in the area was the individual in the Mercedes Benz, Bennett said Celli's and Joseph's attention was directed to him.
Bennett said the individual, later identified as Williams, had exited his vehicle when the officers contacted the female and had begun walking quickly away from the area.
Bennett said officers eventually contacted Williams at a neighboring auto parts business located on Lakeshore Drive, some distance from where his vehicle was parked.
The female contacted by the officers provided information that she had been abducted by Williams in Fresno and forced into prostitution with the threat of harm being done to her child if she refused, Bennett reported.
Williams, who is a convicted and registered sex offender for pimping and pandering, was arrested jut after 3:45 p.m., according to booking records. Bennett said Williams was booked into the Lake County Jail for pimping, pandering, kidnapping, possession of narcotics and human trafficking.
Jail records showed that Williams' bail has been set at $300,000.
Bennett said the investigation is continuing by Clearlake Police detectives into Williams' involvement in other similar illegal activities in Clearlake and other jurisdictions.
Anybody with further information on this case is encouraged to contact Det. Ryan Peterson at 707-994-8251, Extension 320.
UPPER LAKE, Calif. – A Wednesday afternoon fire near Upper Lake damaged several vehicles and boats and charred a small amount of wildland.
The fire, reported shortly before 3 p.m., burned on a property located between Three Brothers Chevron and Lake County Car Audio and Security, near the intersection of Highway 20 and Highway 29, according to Northshore Fire Chief Jay Beristianos.
Beristianos said his agency responded, as did Lakeport Fire, the Mendocino National Forest and Cal Fire.
He said firefighters controlled the fire within about 15 minutes of arrival, with the first unit on scene getting a handle on the burning vehicles and the second unit working on the burning grass.
On the property line were stored a number of vehicles. Beristianos said there was a small Jeep that was destroyed along with a boat, and four vehicles and another boat damaged.
Beristianos estimated that a quarter of an acre of berry bushes and weeds burned.
Radio reports also indicated that the fire damaged a power pole and phone lines, with Pacific Gas and Electric responding to make repairs.
Beristianos said the investigation into the fire's cause is under way, however, firefighters believe it was accidental.
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