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Law enforcement apprehends suspect in connection to early morning shooting, possible vehicle assault
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Early Saturday morning authorities were searching in the Kelseyville area for a suspect who allegedly had shot at law enforcement officers and may have injured a person with a vehicle.
A male suspect was said to have been taken into custody about two hours after the search began.
Shortly after 2:30 a.m., a medical aid was dispatched in the area of Live Oak Drive in Kelseyville, where there was a report of shots fired and a person lying in the roadway, according to radio reports.
Witnesses reported seeing a full-sized white SUV with a loud exhaust system speed from the scene, heading southbound on Live Oak Drive. There was a white male suspect in the vehicle, wearing a black hat, who was possibly accompanied by a second person.
Radio reports indicated the person found lying in the roadway may have been shot, but other reports indicated the person had been hit by the fleeing vehicle.
A landing zone was set up at Kelseyville High School, where REACH 6 landed to pick up the patient, lifting off for Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital shortly after 3 a.m.
As the search continued, reports from the scene indicated that the suspect had taken four shots at the California Highway Patrol, which returned fire.
A large number of deputies were called to the scene, with other agencies also assisting, bringing K9s and, later in the morning, a CHP helicopter to help with the search.
The SUV later was found abandoned on a hillside in the area of Highway 29 and Sand Hill. Deputies were directed to shut down a portion of Highway 29 in the area of Cole Creek Road to Cruickshank Road, with Caltrans later reported to be setting up barricades on the highway.
Two K9 teams were searching around a nearby area of barns and dilapidated buildings, where the male suspect was taken into custody after 4 a.m.
A second suspect wasn't found, and just before 5:15 a.m. deputies were reported to be heading back to their patrol units, with some personnel remaining on scene for an evidence search, based on radio reports.
Scene reports indicated the highway was expected to reopen sometime later in the morning. It remained closed as of about 6:30 a.m.
Dispatch was advised to cancel a planned warning call to area residents. However, just after 5:30 a.m. there were reports of some residents receiving the calls, which warned of two armed and dangerous suspects and advised people to stay in their homes.
Additional details on the male suspect in custody were not immediately available.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The man accused of randomly shooting to death a father of four in Clearlake last month and three others charged with being his accomplices are set to go to preliminary hearing later this month.
The preliminary hearing for Joshua Robert Beavers, 24, of Clearlake is set for Oct. 30, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff.
Beavers is accused of shooting to death 29-year-old Clearlake resident David Ferrell on Sept. 8.
Beavers is charged with murder, attempted murder, assault with a firearm, discharging a firearm in a grossly negligent manner, assault with a semiautomatic firearm and carrying a loaded handgun in a vehicle or public place, and a host of special allegations for the shooting.
He pleaded not guilty to all of the counts last month.
Three other individuals who were allegedly with him at the time of the shooting or who helped harbor him also were arrested, including Orlando Esquivel Sr., 48, and his wife, 50-year-old Angel Aileen Esquivel, and Brenden Alicea, 26.
The Esquivels and Alicea are each charged with a count of conspiracy. They also have pleaded not guilty in the case.
While Hinchcliff has charged all four separately in the case, he said he plans to try to have their preliminary hearing conducted together on Oct. 30.
Ferrell was at his home in the area of 19th and Gardner avenues with friends and family on Sept. 8, celebrating his eldest daughter's birthday, when Beavers drove to the neighborhood to look for a man with whom he had fought earlier in the day, according to police.
Ferrell had nothing to do with Beavers or the earlier fight, police said. Yet Beavers is alleged to have begun randomly shooting with a .22-caliber semiautomatic handgun, striking Ferrell in the head and killing him instantly.
Felicia Vance, Ferrell's wife, told Lake County News that she was in the house when she heard the gunfire.
When she went outside, she found her husband lying on the ground, and said she saw Beavers, Alicea and Orlando Esquivel Sr. giving each other high fives and “laughing like what they did didn't matter.”
She said she yelled that she was calling 911, and that more shots subsequently were fired, striking Rachel Patterson and Paul Cressy, who were standing near her. Patterson and Cressy did not suffer life-threatening injuries, according to police.
Beavers remains in custody, with bail set at $2.9 million. Alicea and the Esquivels also remain in jail, with bail for each now $250,000, according to jail records.
A raffle and bake sale fundraiser to benefit Ferrell's widow and children is being held from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday at Ray's Food Place, 15930 Dam Road in Clearlake.
For those who can't make the event but would like to donate, an online fundraiser is available at http://www.gofundme.com/4phkao , and donations also can be made at Mendo Lake Credit Union, Account No. 70002726.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
NORTH COAST, Calif. – Authorities are investigating the deaths of a man and woman whose bodies were found in a van in Fort Bragg this week.
Lt. Greg Stefani of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office said that just after 2:30 p.m. Thursday deputies were dispatched to the 31000 block of Highway 20, Fort Bragg, for a report of a suspicious vehicle parked in the area.
Upon their arrival, sheriff's deputies located a mini van parked near the area of the “bark dump.” Stefani said the van was parked in a manner which prevented it from being seen from Highway 20.
Deputies checked the interior of the van and discovered a deceased female in the front driver seat and a deceased male in the front passenger seat, Stefani said.
He said both victims appeared to have suffered wounds to the head. The exact cause of death is pending the results of an autopsy.
Preliminary investigation indicates that the victims may not be Mendocino County residents, according to Stefani.
The female victim has been identified, but sheriff's detectives are still attempting to locate her next of kin, said Stefani.
He said the male victim has yet to be positively identified.
Anyone with information pertaining to this investigation is asked to contact the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office “tip line” at 707-234-2100.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – School bus safety is a two-way street, a responsibility shared by professional school bus drivers and the rest of the motoring public.
To help bring awareness to the safe transportation of students throughout the state, the California Highway Patrol is proud to observe National School Bus Safety Week, Oct. 21-25.
Nearly one million California students ride on school buses every day and more than 25,000 certified drivers are dedicated to providing safe transportation for children in the state.
These drivers go through 40 hours of intense training by the Department of Education, in addition to a rigorous certification process by the CHP, physical examinations, and drug tests.
Drivers must also possess a valid first aid and medical card and obtain a background clearance from the California Department of Justice. Additionally, the CHP inspects and certifies every bus annually.
“School buses provide safe transportation for getting children to and from school,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “Not only are the buses designed for safety, the drivers operating them are well-trained drivers and certified by the state.”
Although there were more than 1,700 collisions involving school buses in 2011, preliminary data from the CHP’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System indicates no school bus passengers were killed in those crashes.
According to the California School Employees Association, studies have shown that the most dangerous part of a school bus ride is when the students are getting on and off of the bus. Motorists are encouraged to pay attention to school buses when bus warning lights are flashing.
In California, flashing yellow lights on a school bus are a warning to slow down and prepare to stop. Flashing red lights and the extended stop arm require all motorists to stop for children entering and exiting the bus and crossing the street.
“Motorists are reminded to pay close attention and exercise caution when they see a school bus stopped to load or unload students,” added Commissioner Farrow. “Never let a distraction compromise a child’s safety.”
NORTH COAST, Calif. – A Rodeo man died on Thursday when he was shot while hunting in the Mendocino National Forest.
Edgardo A. Godoy, 52, was hunting near Covelo when another hunter shot and mortally wounded him, according to a report from the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office.
At around 3:30 p.m. Thursday the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office was dispatched to mile post marker 11.2 on Road M1, located in the Mendocino National Forest, near Covelo, regarding the hunting accident, officials said.
Upon arrival sheriff's personnel learned from a witness that a member of a hunting party saw a wild pig approximately 70 yards uphill and across a ravine from his location. Not seeing Godoy, the hunter shot at the pig.
When the hunter went to the area where he last saw the wild pig, he located Godoy, who had suffered a single gunshot wound, officials said.
The witness – whose name is being withheld as the investigation is continuing – immediately rendered aid to Godoy and called for help on his handheld radio. Other hunters quickly arrived at which time they assisted in rendering first aid as well, according to the report.
Godoy was moved to the M1 Road where first aid was continued until medical personnel from Cal Fire US Forest Service arrived. Sheriff's officials said medical personnel from Cal Fire and the US Forest Service rendered aid to Godoy for at least 10 minutes, at which time a medical team from CalStar landed to assist.
When the medical flight team arrived, Godoy was pronounced dead, the sheriff's office reported.
Upon further investigation it was determined that Godoy received a single gunshot wound to the lower abdomen, officials said.
The agency said the names of the witnesses and other involved parties to this incident are currently being withheld as the investigation into the shooting continues.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Due to an overwhelming response from concerned citizens regarding invasive mussel infestations in California’s bodies of water, boat owners will now see an additional fee on their California Department of Motor Vehicles vessel registration.
This fee is a result of AB 2443 that was signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2012.
“The money collected by the DMV will go to the State of California Department of Boating and Waterways to make grants available to local agencies to fund Quagga and Zebra mussel prevention plans,” said Lake County Public Works Director Scott De Leon.
Since 2008, the county of Lake has taken what officials termed “a positive, proactive and aggressive approach” to the threat of an invasive mussel infestation because of the huge impact it could have on the ecosystem of Clear Lake and the local economy. This approach has been funded largely by the fees received from the County’s sticker program.
In order to keep Clear Lake free of invasive mussels and keep its ecosystem intact, boat owners are still required to participate in Lake County’s mussel prevention plan.
This will include the annual requirement of purchasing a Lake County Quagga Mussel Sticker, as there is no guarantee that monies collected through the DMV will be awarded for use in Lake County.
Community members are asked to continue to support the Lake County program by showing their current mussel sticker and remembering to check in with a participating screener when you return from an out-of-county trip with your boat. Rescreening and any necessary decontamination are free.
County officials credit the local prevention program with being the reason Clear Lake is still free of quagga and zebra mussels. They ask for the community's assistance in keeping it that way.
Officials thanked all of the screeners for the success they have achieved. For the latest list of screeners see www.nomussels.com or call 707-263-2344.
The 2014 mussel stickers will be available in late December of this year.