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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Autumn is deer mating season – which means deer are on the move and less cautious about darting out into the road.
It is also mating season for elk, which are less numerous than deer, but just as hazardous to motorists here in Northern California.
“During these fall months, we see a spike in traffic collisions as a result of deer in the roadway,” said California Highway Patrol Captain Adam Jager. “The best way to avoid this type of collision is to always maintain a safe speed and stay vigilant of deer that may have entered the roadway. Driving distracted or under the influence will greatly increase your chances of being involved in a car versus deer collision.”
Drivers should be extra vigilant this time of year and follow these tips for driving in deer country:
- Be particularly attentive between sunset and midnight, the hours shortly before and after sunrise, and in foggy conditions. Most deer-vehicle collisions occur during these times.
- Drive carefully in areas known to have high deer populations. Places where roads divide agricultural fields or streams from forestland are particularly dangerous.
- If you see a deer, slow down. Others are probably nearby.
- Use high-beam headlights when there is no oncoming traffic. The high beams can reflect off animal eyes and warn you of their presence.
- If a deer is in your lane, brake firmly but stay in the lane. The most serious crashes occur when drivers swerve.
- Don't rely on deer whistles, deer fences, or reflectors to deter deer.
- Always wear seat belts when driving.
- If your car strikes a deer, don't touch the animal. If the deer is blocking the highway, call 911.
“Safety is everyone’s responsibility, remember to use extra caution and stay alert when driving so you will arrive safely to your destination,” said Charlie Fielder, Caltrans District 1 director.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Animal Coalition of Lake County will hold its fourth annual Halloween and costume party this Friday, Oct. 25.
The evening of fun will begin at 5 p.m. at the Clearlake Oaks Moose Lodge, 15900 East Highway 20.
Cocktails start at 5 p.m., with dinner served at 6 p.m.
There will be a buffet dinner, dancing, costume contest and silent auction.
Tickets cost $25 per person.
Proceeds benefit the coalition's efforts to provide low cost spay and neuter vouchers for seniors and low income residents of Clearlake, as well as animal rescue and fostering services.
Tickets are available at several Clearlake businesses, including From Me to You, the thrift shop that supports the coalition, located at 14104 Lakeshore Drive, telephone 707-994-9335; Marie's Lakeshore Feed & Grain, 14590 Lakeshore Drive, telephone 707-994-9335; Clearlake Veterinary Clinic, 3424 Emerson St., telephone 707-994-9100; and The Spot, 14625 Lakeshore Drive, telephone 707-900-8671.
For more information call 707-994-9335 or visit the group's Facebook page on https://www.facebook.com/pages/Animal-Coalition-of-Lake-County/244591148937005 .
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The man accused of shooting at two California Highway Patrol officers who attempted to pull him over early Saturday morning is now facing a murder charge after a man who jumped out of his vehicle died of his injuries.
William Edward Steele, 39, of Hopland found out he was additionally being charged with the murder of Jeremy John at his Tuesday afternoon arraignment in Lake County Superior Court.
Altogether, Steele is facing 17 counts and numerous special allegations for the early morning shooting and pursuit.
The charges include murder, two counts of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, two counts of attempted murder, kidnapping, false imprisonment, two counts of assault with a firearm, felon in possession of a firearm, felon in possession of ammunition, possession of a gun while having a restraining order, hit and run, gross vehicular manslaughter, shooting at an inhabited vehicle, felony reckless evading of a peace officer and failure to register as a controlled substances offender.
He's also charged with a number of special allegations for personal use of a firearm, personal and intentional discharge of a firearm, and personally inflicting great bodily injury on John.
Steele is alleged to have numerous past felony convictions in Mendocino County that affect his charging, including two assault with a deadly weapon convictions that took place in 1992 and 2004, and battery with serious bodily injury in 2005.
He also had a domestic violence protective order placed against him in Lake County Superior Court in August 2012, according to court records.
Attorney Stephen Carter, appointed on Tuesday to defend Steele, said the charges carry with them the possibility of “multiple life terms” if Steele is convicted.
Just after 2:30 a.m. Saturday morning two CHP officers, Shane Roach and Glen Thomas, attempted to pull over Steele's Chevy Tahoe – concerned that he was driving under the influence – on Highway 29 near Cruickshank Drive, officials reported.
Steele shot at the officers and fled, then in the area of Live Oak Drive he pulled over, made a U-turn and shot again at the officers, according to official reports of the incident.
John, a Mendocino County resident who was riding in the vehicle with Steele, was found lying on the ground in the area of Live Oak Drive, according to officials.
“It's our belief right now that he tried to jump out of the car to get away,” said District Attorney Don Anderson.
Authorities were not able to question John, who never regained consciousness, Anderson said.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Art Grothe said that at around 11 a.m. Tuesday John died at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, where he had been airlifted early Saturday.
Grothe said Steele was taken into custody later Saturday morning in the area of Wilkinson Road and Highway 29 after he had abandoned his SUV in the area of Highway 29 and Sand Hill and fled on foot.
Anderson said a female subject – identified by court records at Gavina Delgadillo – also had been detained, questioned and later released, with Delgadillo considered a witness, not a suspect. The kidnapping and false imprisonment charges against Steele relate to Delgadillo, based on the charging document.
Court records showed that in interviews with investigators on the day of the incident, Steele was exhibiting “symptoms of chronic use of methamphetamine and, at times, detailed somewhat elaborate alleged conspiracies of law enforcement officers involving ritualistic murders.”
Steele alleged in statements to investigators that law enforcement officers allegedly robbed him of $16,000 in previous encounters, and he claimed that officers also have threatened to have him killed.
“This statement was made in the context of defendant indirectly explaining his actions in the incident herein charged,” according to court records.
Steele stated during the interviews that “he presumed that due to past negative contacts with law enforcement, any dealings with law enforcement officers would inevitably turn violent.” Because of his distrust of law enforcement, Steele admitted that he routinely carried a firearm.
He also told investigators that he was carrying $30,000 on him at the time of the arrest and that he usually carries much more.
Mendocino County law enforcement officials told local authorities that the source of Steele's money is per capita payments totaling $90,000 per calendar quarter from the Lytton Band of Pomo Indians of Healdsburg, which owns the San Pablo Lytton Casino.
Steele had formerly lived at Hopland Rancheria, according to the report from Mendocino County officials, but had been banned from the rancheria due to “repeated violent and assaultive behavior.”
Grothe said Steele indicated to investigators that he has been staying in Lake County “for an undetermined period of time.”
Regarding the murder charge, Carter noted, “At this stage the prosecution doesn't have to elect what the theory of that murder charge is.”
One of the possibilities, he said, is the “felony murder” theory, which says that if a person is engaged in a felony act and someone dies, they can be charged with murder. It's different from the provocative act theory, which charges codefendants with murder when someone is killed during a felony crime.
“It's unusual in our county to have a felony murder charge,” said Carter, noting that it's still early and the prosecution could elect to pursue a different legal theory in the case.
Carter said he hasn't yet received any police reports from the prosecution, but he expects to receive them very soon.
Retired Judge David Herrick, who presided at Steele's Tuesday afternoon arraignment, ordered Steele to be held without bail. Steele's bail had been set at $200,000 at the time of his arrest and raised to $750,000 on Monday, Grothe said.
Steele is due to return to court for entry of plea and setting of preliminary hearing at 8:15 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5, in Judge Andrew Blum's Department 3 courtroom.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Carolyn Wing Greenlee, author and past Lake County poet laureate, will discuss the power of books to change lives in her presentation on Sunday, Oct. 27, as part of the Lake County Big Read program.
Sponsored by the Lake County Friends of Mendocino College and the Friends of the Mendocino College Library, affiliates of the Mendocino College Foundation, Greenlee addresses “Lalu, Joy Luck, and Growing up Chinese in America – making peace with who you are, the power of story,” in her 3 p.m. talk at the Lake Center, 2565 Parallel Drive, Lakeport.
Admission is free of charge.
The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest and presented in cooperation with the Lake County Office of Education.
For more information, visit the Big Read Communities page at www.neabigread.org or the LCOE site at www.lakecoe.org .
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Stars of Lake County Awards program is offering additional time to nominate deserving community members and organizations for recognition.
Organizers reported that nominations are arriving daily for the 16th annual Stars of Lake County, which will be held Nov. 16 at the Soper-Reese Community Theater in Lakeport.
The program is extending the nomination deadline to Monday, Oct. 28.
Because they had to postpone Stars until Nov. 16th, they are accepting nominations for the period beginning Jan. 1, 2012.
Many of the awards state “of the year” or for the past 12 months, but organizers e are setting those aside for this year's Stars due to the postponement.
As of Monday, they have not received any nominations for the following categories: female student; nonprofit organization; large business; amateur arts; man of the year and lifetime achievement.
Organizers encourage everyone to look around their community, at friends, neighbors and the businesses they deal with on a continuing basis to see if there is a deserving entity that deserves a nomination for all the good work they do.
Tickets for Stars are reserved and on sale at $25 per person. All seats in the Soper-Reese Theater are excellent but please keep in mind there are only 300 seats available.
For more information, contact the Lake County Chamber of Commerce at 707-263-5092.
NORTH COAST, Calif. – Mendocino County Sheriff's officials have positively identified a woman whose body was found in a minivan near Fort Bragg last week, but they are still attempting to find out the identity of a man whose body also was found in the vehicle.
Lt. Greg Van Patten said detectives identified Cindy Bao Feng Chen, 38, of San Francisco as one of the two people whose deaths are currently under investigation.
He said detectives are still in the process of attempting to identify the male victim and the case is still being actively investigated.
The bodies were found in a van in the 31000 block of Highway 20 near Fort Bragg last Thursday afternoon, as Lake County News has reported.
The van had been parked in a manner which prevented it from being seen from Highway 20, officials said.
Both Chen – found in the front driver seat – and the male in the front passenger seat had suffered apparent head wounds, officials said. The causes of death are pending an autopsy.
Anyone with information pertaining to this investigation is asked to contact the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office “tip line” at 707-234-2100.