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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A former sheriff’s deputy has reached a plea agreement with the District Attorney’s Office in the case alleging he was trafficking in prescription pills.
Eric Van Mendonca, 43, is expected to do a maximum of 180 days in jail as well as probation after agreeing to plead no contest to two counts of possession of hydrocodone for purpose of sale on Friday, according to Senior Deputy District Attorney Art Grothe.
Mendonca is set to return to Lake County Superior Court’s Department 3 for sentencing at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 2 by Judge Andrew Blum, Grothe said.
Until that time, Grothe said Mendonca has been released on his own recognizance with a search clause.
Mendonca was arrested at his Middletown home in June as the result of an FBI Safe Streets Task Force investigation, as Lake County News has reported.
It’s alleged that he had accumulated approximately 17,540 prescription pills between March 2009 and this past February, using multiple prescriptions and “doc shopping” to get them.
When Mendonca originally was charged in June, he was looking at a total of 16 felony counts for possession for sale, sale and offering to sell hydrocodone. Those charges were boiled down to two through negotiations between the District Attorney’s Office and Mendonca’s defense attorney, Roy Miller.
Mendonca formerly worked in law enforcement, serving as a Petaluma Police officer and later a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy, reportedly retiring from the sheriff’s office about a decade ago and since working as a butcher.
He was arrested last December and charged in federal court with conspiring with three other men to commit a home invasion robbery in Hidden Valley Lake for the purposes of stealing marijuana while dressed as law enforcement officers.
This past April, that federal case against him was dropped, with a federal judge noting the concern that the case against Mendonca was “built on innuendo and surmise rather than admissible evidence and that possibly he is an innocent man.”
One of his codefendants in that case, Jack Pollack, was sentenced to six years in the federal case and is facing a 24-year sentence in a separate local drug case, according to Grothe.
Pollack will return to court for sentencing Dec. 3, the day after Mendonca, Grothe said.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A Hidden Valley Lake man sentenced last month in federal court to prison for drug charges is facing sentencing on a separate drug case in Lake County.
Jack David Pollack, 55, was found guilty by a jury of methamphetamine possession and being a felon in possession of a weapon, and is facing more than 24 years in prison due to a number of prior felony convictions, according to Senior Deputy District Attorney Art Grothe.
The case arose from an arrest on Nov. 9, 2012, Grothe said.
Pollack was found parked on the side of the road. Deputies searched his truck and found methamphetamine, and then searched his house and found drug scales and scanners, plus a rifle, according to Grothe.
The following month, Pollack would be arrested along with three other men by federal law enforcement officials for allegedly taking part in a home invasion robbery in Hidden Valley Lake dressed as law enforcement officers, with Pollack allegedly helping case the home.
In September, he was sentenced to six years in federal prison on two counts of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance in connection with that case, according to federal court records.
Grothe said Pollack has six prior convictions, dating back to 1984, for commercial drug cases involving transportation, possession for sale or manufacture of controlled substances.
It’s those prior convictions that are increasing the prison time Pollack is facing in the most recent local case, according to Grothe.
Pollack was remanded into custody on Oct. 11 when the jury returned with a verdict, Grothe said. He was back in court on Friday.
Grothe said Judge Stephen Hedstrom is scheduled to sentence Pollack on Dec. 3, the day after one of his former codefendants in the federal case – Eric Van Mendonca, 43 – is to be sentenced on a prescription drug trafficking case.
It’s not clear where Pollack will serve time first on the federal and local cases. Grothe said Pollack must turn himself over to federal authorities in January.
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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – The chief executive officer of Adventist Health’s St. Helena Hospital Region has stepped down.
On Friday morning, Bill Wing, chairman of the Board of St. Helena Hospital Region, announced the resignation of Terry Newmyer.
Hospital officials did not give a reason for Newmyer’s resignation.
Newmyer was appointed to the position in January 2009, succeeding JoAline Olson.
In a memo to employees, physicians and volunteers, Wing wrote, “I want to acknowledge Terry’s service to the St. Helena Region, the Northern California Network and to our healthcare system.”
Wing has appointed Steve Herber, MD, EVP/CMO, as interim CEO of the St. Helena Hospital Region.
In addition to his role as CEO, Newmyer served as the president of the Northern California Network of Adventist Health including the three hospitals of the St. Helena Hospital Region as well as Ukiah Valley Medical Center and Frank R. Howard Memorial Hospital in Mendocino County.
As chairman of the board, Wing will assume leadership over the Northern California Network.
Adventist Health has initiated an executive search for a permanent replacement.
In closing remarks to staff, Herber reminded them that “As caregivers of Adventist Health, our first and primary focus remains on our patients and on delivering superior care. Our mission and vision remain fully intact and as vibrant as ever. We are here, and we will live up to the promise and commitment we’ve made to our communities.”
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – A Thursday afternoon two-vehicle crash near Kelseyville injured a child and two adults.
The crash occurred on Highway 29 at Cole Creek Road at approximately 1:11 p.m., according to a report from the California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office.
Terry Lee Williams, 31, of Kelseyville was driving a 1988 Toyota 4Runner eastbound on Cole Creek Road with his 4-year-old daughter – whose name was not released – riding in a child safety seat in the vehicle’s rear seat, according to the report.
The CHP said witnesses had called 911 prior to the collision to report seeing Williams driving the 4Runner erratically in the area.
Frankie Julia Blavet, 25, of Kelseyville was driving southbound on Highway 29. Williams failed to stop at a stop sign prior to pulling onto Highway 29 in front of Blavet and the two vehicles collided, the CHP said.
Both vehicles had major damage; the CHP said Blavet’s Scion came to rest off the west side of the road, while Williams’ 4Runner came to rest up against a tree on the road’s east side.
Williams suffered moderate injuries; the CHP said he was transported via air ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.
The 4-year-old girl suffered minor injuries and was released to her parent/guardian, the CHP said.
Blavet had minor injuries and was transported by ambulance to Sutter Lakeside Hospital for treatment, the report said.
The CHP placed Williams under arrest for driving under the influence, with the report noting that DUI is believed to be a contributing factor in the collision.
Blavet, Williams and the child were all wearing their safety equipment, according to the CHP.
Highway 29 was closed intermittently for 15 minutes while the damaged vehicles were cleared from the roadside, the CHP said.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Do you remember the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake?
Lake County News asked community members on Facebook to share their memories of the big quake, which took place on Oct. 17, 1989.
The responses poured in, with readers sharing a number of interesting anecdotes about the earthquake.
Using Storify, Lake County News collected the responses, which are shown below.
Readers are welcome to add their own memories in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A man who was pulled from a burning pickup by a California Highway Patrol officer earlier this year is facing prosecution for the crash as well as a robbery in which he was alleged to have participated last week.
Dow Edwin Walton, 54, is set for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 3 on the crash case and currently remains in jail for the robbery case, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff.
On Jan. 27 Walton is alleged to have been driving under the influence when his pickup when off Highway 29 and into a creekbed north of Hofacker Lane, as Lake County News has reported.
Two other people were with him in the pickup – Andy Hopper and Regina Walton – with Hopper getting out on his own, according to the original report.
CHP Officer Adam Garcia arrived as the pickup's engine compartment ignited, and managed to pull both Dow Walton and Regina Walton to safety.
For his actions, Garcia has since received several awards and commendations, most recently the California State Firefighters’ Association Award of Valor on Oct. 5, as Lake County News has reported.
All three of the pickup's occupants were injured, with Dow Walton arrested after the crash on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to the original CHP report.
Hinchcliff said Walton is charged with driving under the influence causing bodily injury.
Walton also is facing prosecution for his alleged participation in a robbery in Lower Lake last week, Hinchcliff said.
On the morning of Thursday, Oct. 10, Walton and his codefendant, 37-year-old Lance Leland Scarborough, are alleged to have gone to a Lower Lake home where they attempted to steal marijuana from the backyard, according to Hinchcliff.
Walton and Scarborough allegedly were in the backyard cutting the plants to take them when the owner of the plants confronted them, Hinchcliff said.
Scarborough allegedly pulled out a revolver and pointed it at the victim before he and Walton ran from the scene, said Hinchcliff.
Walton was arrested a short time later, according to his booking records. His bail is set at $100,000.
His booking sheet lists him as an employee at the Lake County Mental Health Department, which recently changed its name to Behavioral Health.
However, officials said Walton’s employment with the county ended in April 2012.
Hinchcliff said Walton is charged with robbery and grand theft in the case.
Scarborough was arrested last Saturday night after an alert Clearlake Police officer recognized him despite the fact that Scarborough was wearing a wig to conceal his identity, according to Clearlake Police.
Scarborough, who is on formal probation, also was found to be in possession of ammunition and a ballistic vest similar to ones worn by law enforcement officers, which he's prohibited from possessing due to a previous felony conviction, police said.
Scarborough was arraigned on Wednesday afternoon, Hinchcliff said.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated and corrected to reflect that Walton is a former employee of the county of Lake.
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