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LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Tuesday the former pastor of a Clearlake church was sentenced to prison for embezzling more than $100,000 in cash and property from the congregation.
Bruce Anthony Stark, 63, of Stockton was sentenced to three years in state prison, according to Deputy District Attorney Sharon Lerman-Hubert.
Stark reached a plea agreement with the District Attorney's Office and was sentenced to the upper term, Lerman-Hubert said.
The theft of the funds and property occurred between 2002 and 2007, while Stark served as pastor of the Hilltop Apostolic Church in Clearlake. The church's members first reported in 2008 that church property, funds and a vehicle had been stolen, according to law enforcement reports on the case.
Clearlake Police Det. Carl Stein undertook the lengthy investigation, which included interviewing more than two dozen witnesses and reviewing voluminous financial information.
Stein's work resulted in the Lake County Superior Court issuing an arrest warrant for Stark for a charge of grand theft in December 2012. The Elk Grove Police Department arrested Stark on the warrant last March.
Lerman-Hubert said the amount of money and property taken totaled more than $100,000, according to the church.
Stark was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon following the hearing and booked into the Lake County Jail.
Lerman-Hubert said a restitution hearing is scheduled for March 18. At that time, the court will determine the amount Stark will be ordered to pay to the church.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
NORTH COAST, Calif. – Authorities have identified the man whose body was found on the side of the road in Calpella last week, with dogs reportedly attacking it.
The man was identified as Pedro Tepale, 51, of Ukiah, according to the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office.
Tepale's body was spotted by a motorist on the side of the road in the 5000 block of N. State Street on the morning of Friday, Feb. 14, as Lake County News has reported. The motorist told authorities that two dogs appeared to be attacking the body.
A Mendocino County Sheriff's Office animal control officer who arrived at the scene a short time later found a Rottweiler and a pit bull standing over Tepale's body, the agency said.
When the officer yelled at the dogs, the Rottweiler charged and the officer shot it dead. The pit bull ran from the scene and couldn't be located at that time, according to sheriff's officials.
An autopsy was performed on Tepale's body on Tuesday. Officials said the preliminary findings were not available, with results – including toxicology analysis – still pending.
So far, it's not believed that the dogs were the cause of Tepale's death, although officials said there was evidence of “animal activity” on Tepale's body.
Mendocino County Sheriff's Office detectives also have confirmed that the two dogs found standing over Tepale's body belonged to him, according to the report.
The pit bull was turned in to the Mendocino County Animal Care facility by an unknown person later on the day Tepale's body was found, officials said.
UPPER LAKE, Calif. – A vehicle stop conducted last Thursday evening resulted in two arrests, and the seizure of methamphetamine and processed marijuana.
Lt. Steve Brooks said the Sheriff's Narcotics Task Force arrested 34-year-old Richard Brendon Hinds of Lucerne and Justin Paul Spellman, 31, of Lakeport following the stop.
At 6:38 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, a member of the Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force was traveling westbound on E. State Highway 20 in Upper Lake when he observed ahead of him a Chrysler sedan that did not have a rear license plate properly displayed, Brooks said.
The vehicle turned left from the highway into a parking lot without activating the proper turn indicator and failed to stay in the proper lane while turning, according to Brooks.
Brooks said the narcotics detective conducted an enforcement stop of the vehicle in the 600 block of East State Highway 20 in Upper Lake.
The detective contacted the driver of the vehicle, who was identified as Hinds, and also contacted a passenger in the vehicle who was identified as Spellman, Brooks said.
While speaking to Hinds, the detective could smell the odor of marijuana emitting from the vehicle, Brooks said. When asked, Hinds admitted to having two or three marijuana cigarettes in the vehicle.
A K9 unit arrived to assist with the enforcement stop. Brooks said the K9 officer deployed his partner to conduct an exterior sniff of the vehicle. The canine positively alerted to several areas of the vehicle, indicating there was the odor of a controlled substance present.
During a search of the vehicle, narcotics detectives located a burnt marijuana cigarette inside a soda can, which contained soda. The soda can was located in a cup holder, in the center console, between both Hinds and Spellman, Brooks said.
Detectives also located a plastic bag inside the same soda can. Brooks said that when the bag was removed from the can, detectives noticed it contained a white crystalline substance, recognized to be methamphetamine.
The bag was open while it was inside the can, causing the majority of the methamphetamine to fall out of the bag into the soda fluid. Brooks said it was apparent to detectives that Hinds and Spellman put the methamphetamine in the soda, in an attempt to destroy or conceal evidence.
Detectives were able to seize 1.3 grams of methamphetamine from the plastic bag inside the soda can. Brooks said they also located a duffel bag in the vehicle which contained 43.84 ounces of processed marijuana and 7.2 grams of concentrated cannabis.
Brooks said all of those items, including the liquid inside the soda can, were seized as evidence.
Hinds was arrested for possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana for sale, possession of concentrated cannabis and sales of concentrated cannabis. Brooks said detectives located $840 in Hinds possession which was seized pending asset forfeiture proceedings.
Spellman was arrested for possession of a controlled substance and for destroying or concealing evidence, Brooks said.
They were both transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked. Hinds' bail was set at $20,000 while Spellman's bail was $15,000. Hinds remained in custody on Tuesday, while Spellman had posted bail and was released.
The Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force can be reached through its anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Kelseyville native Alexander Stempe reigns today as the equivalent of a chessmaster after ascending to a Pokémon championship at the 2014 Pokémon Winter Regional Championships in Salem, Oregon.
Stempe is one of five Masters Division champions to emerge from hundreds of players across the U.S. who competed in the video game competition held Jan. 18 and 19.
Adding to the significance of his title is who he defeated in the head-to-head finals of the event: a close friend who not only coached Stempe in Pokémon, but spent eight hours driving him to Oregon for the event.
Which may not be the best way to express appreciation.
“He's the one that got me involved competitively when I first got into college,” Stempe said of his friend and erstwhile coach, Tom Oglaza.
“He was frustrated,” Stempe, a 21-year-old fourth-year economics major at UC Davis, said of Oglaza's reaction to the championship match. “But, yeah, it was pretty cool.”
Pokémon, an abbreviation from the Japanese title of Pocket Monsters, is a game that many compare to chess. Others argue it is a game of probability management and strategy while chess is a game of pure strategy. Undeniably, the game has international popularity.
The tournament won by Stempe is the second of three regional tournaments taking place throughout the U.S. and Canada in the 2014 Pokémon Championship Series season.
The next regional in which Stempe will compete will also be in April. With his triumph in the Winter Regional Championships, Stempe qualified for the U.S. National Championships in Indianapolis this summer.
Stempe, who also competes in bowling and racquetball, said he has played Pokemon since its origin “because it was very original and different. I always played it for fun.
“Then I started going to tournaments with one of my friends in college.” Last year, he finished second, losing in the finals.
Overall, Stempe said “I didn't do very well last year. I like my chances a little better this year, although it's hard to tell. I'm up against some stiff competition.”
One of his head-to-head matchers in Salem took eight hours to complete.
There are more than 700 cartoon characters involved in the video game, each with its own function.
“I doubt that I could name them all,” said Stempe.
Email John Lindblom at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Marymount California University has appointed Sharon Maher as its enrollment coordinator for the new Lakeside Campus in Lucerne.
Maher's responsibilities include assisting prospective students with the application and financial aid processes.
Michelle Scully, executive director of the Lakeside Campus, welcomed Maher to the university and is impressed by Maher’s dynamism and commitment.
“My personal experience with financial aid and being a working student, fuels my desire to help others navigate through the enrollment process and achieve their educational goals,” Maher said.
The Lakeside Campus of Marymount California University will open this fall for students who are completing their bachelor’s degrees in psychology, business or liberal arts with emphases in psychology and business.
For those students wanting to return to college for a master’s degree, the university offers a master in science in community psychology, a master of science in leadership and global development, and a master of business administration.
Maher was raised in Lake County and graduated from Clear Lake High School.
She attained her mortuary science degree and embalmers/funeral directors licenses at American River College, Sacramento. After finishing her apprenticeship in Santa Rosa, she returned to Lake County to work for Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary.
Simultaneously, she enrolled at Mendocino College and will graduate with her second associate degree this spring. She has plans to attend Marymount California University to earn her bachelor’s degree.
“I have a very strong passion for both education and my community. At my prior job, I valued being able to be supportive to those in need and I feel the same way as I approach my job as an enrollment coordinator,” said Maher.
Maher added, “I'm happy to be working for Marymount because I believe their mission of 'fostering a student-centered approach to learning that promotes the development of the whole person' demonstrates how Marymount cares about each student. I love Lake County and I look forward to being able to use what I learned through my own experiences to help students.”
For more about Marymount California University, visit http://www.marymountcalifornia.edu/ .
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The original theater and radio variety show “Lake County Live!” presents its 26th outing on Sunday, Feb. 23, featuring the Dorian May Trio.
The show will take place from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Soper-Reese Community Theatre, 275 S. Main St. in Lakeport.
This month, the show welcomes the Dorian May Trio, with special guest Jim Leonardis. The trio presents Dorian May on piano, Dorothea May on bass and Tom Richart on drums.
The group features a smooth blend of jazz and contemporary styles sure to delight the audience.
“Each month, I continue to be impressed by the talents of our local artists,” said show creator and host Doug Rhoades. “Not only have we established a quality level of polished musicians and vocal performers, that level rises with each show. Our live audience in the theater and at home continues to provide support and we are so appreciative of their loyalty to the show.”
Lake County Live! is presented before a live audience at the Soper-Reese Community Theatre. It is broadcast on Lake County Community Radio, KPFZ 88.1 FM, and streamed live on the Internet via www.kpfz.org .
Support for the show is also provided by Lake County News, www.lakeconews.com , and the Lake County Community Co-op.
Tickets are available each Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the theater box office and at the Travel Center, 1265 S. Main St. in Lakeport, or online at www.soperreesetheatre.com .
For more information visit www.facebook.com/lakecountylive .