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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Following a federal investigation that began in late 2012, on Monday federal charges were filed against two Lake County men for conspiracy to manufacture and distribute more than 1,000 plants of marijuana and using a 15-year-old girl in a drug operation, with allegations the men locked the girl in a metal box for several days.
Ryan Alan Balletto, 30, of Lakeport, and Patrick Steven Pearmain, 25, of Clearlake, are charged in a criminal complaint signed by Magistrate Judge Nandor J. Vadas and unsealed on Monday, according to US Attorney Melinda Haag's office.
Haag's said the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, Contraband Smuggling Group, worked together on the case, leading to the discovery of a 1,300-plant marijuana cultivation operation and a host of firearms in Lake County.
Balletto and Pearmain made their initial appearance on the charges on Monday in front of Judge Vadas. A detention hearing is set for both defendants on Wednesday, July 24, at 1 p.m. In Eureka.
The complaint alleges that Balletto and Pearmain kept a 15-year-old runaway girl for weeks at an extensive marijuana grow site on 681 acres of land owned by Balletto in Lake County, and that they used her to process marijuana plants.
According to the complaint, Balletto and Pearmain allegedly subjected the teenager to sexual abuse during the time they held her, with the investigation revealing items used for sexual bondage and a metal toolbox that the girl told investigators she was kept in on two separate occasions.
In addition to the conspiracy and use of a minor charges, Balletto also is charged in the complaint with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
“Some in our community believe that marijuana grow operations are run by compassionate caregivers interested only in supplying medicine to the sick. Unfortunately, this case illustrates what we in law enforcement see – marijuana grow operations that include heavily-armed, violent individuals, motivated by profit, carrying out abuses of vulnerable victims,” said Haag.
The men – arrested this spring – previously had been facing drug and human trafficking charges in Lake County, but those cases were dismissed last Friday in preparation for the federal charges, as Lake County News has reported.
Lake County District Attorney Don Anderson said last week his office will continue its investigation into the human trafficking allegations relating to the minor girl in order to potentially file charges in the future.
He said his office has been working with the US Attorney's Office on the case, which he said originated with federal investigators.
A lengthy investigation
The Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency began investigating Balletto in December 2011 on suspicion of drug trafficking, according to case documents.
In August 2012, the Homeland Security Investigations Asset Identification and Removal Group identified six parcels of land Balletto had purchased in April 2011 and a parcel purchased in July 2010, with several of those pieces of land located in the Ogulin Canyon Road area, the documents state.
This past April 12, Lake County Sheriff's Det. Frank Walsh conducted a flyover of the properties and identified two greenhouses, with Walsh and a federal special agent preparing warrants to be served in May, according to the complaint.
On April 29, the Los Angeles Police Department requested the sheriff's office's help in the search for the missing girl, who they believed had been kidnapped by Balletto and transported to Lake County, where she was being held against her will on Balletto's property.
That same day, officials went to Balletto's home address in Lakeport and spoke with his girlfriend, Christa McConnell, asking her about the girl and Balletto. Court documents said she was reported to be uncooperative and said Balletto had not been home for days.
The following day, April 30, the 15-year-old girl placed two cell phone calls to the Lake County Sheriff's Central Dispatch, telling them she was “OK” and with someone named “Ryan” in Sacramento. Officials said detectives were able to track the calls, finding the girl in a West Sacramento hotel and taking her into protective custody that same night.
At that time they also arrested Pearmain, who had marijuana and prescription drugs in his possession. In the hotel room, federal officials said they found condoms and a pregnancy test.
During the service of search warrants at Balletto's property on May 1, the complaint said agents and officers allegedly discovered a cache of weapons at the grow site, most of which were loaded, including assault weapons, such as AR-15 style rifles with night vision scopes, and pistols.
Stored with the rifles, officers allegedly found seven fully loaded 30-round .223 caliber magazines, four fully loaded 20-round .223 caliber magazines, and a large cache of assorted ammunition, officials reported.
With the weapons, Haag's office said officers allegedly found ballistic face masks, a helmet, a flak jacket, an armored plate carrier, night vision devices and a gas mask.
A search of Balletto’s Lakeport residence allegedly uncovered even more weapons, including multiple sniper rifles, additional assault rifles, shotguns, pistols and ammunition, according to Haag.
Signs of bondage, abuse
In addition to marijuana and the weapons cache, the search of Balletto's property in Ogulin Canyon revealed “equipment consistent with sexual bondage and sadomasochism,” the criminal complaint stated. Among the items found were a homemade rack and a white towel with stains which tested positive for human blood, as well as metal and leather harness.
Investigators also found a metal tool box – measuring 4 feet long by 2 feet wide by 2 feet deep – that the complaint said “had been altered to imprison a human,” with air holes drilled into the lid and a blanket inside.
Anderson had told Lake County News in a previous interview that it's believed the men kept the 15-year-old girl in the box as punishment.
During subsequent interviews with investigators, the minor girl told them that she had been trimming marijuana for the men and that she had been kept in the toolbox on two different occasions for a total of three days. Balletto reportedly told her she was a “trooper” for not screaming while being held in the box.
The complaint said investigators found a poem by the girl in Balletto's trailer on the property describing being locked inside a box with holes in it.
She related to investigators that the marijuana grow was a “mission” and that Balletto and Pearmain locked her in the box to protect that mission and to teach her because “they had to prove a point.”
The girl said she had consensual sex with Pearmain but the sex with Balletto was not consensual and was “to help him out.” The complaint noted that, at age 15, she is not legally able to give consent to have sex with an adult.
There are concerns that the potential for more victims exists, according to Haag.
“In light of the details alleged in the complaint, we fear additional victims may have been subjected to similar treatment by the defendants, and we urge anyone with information about other such victims to come forward,” Haag said.
Haag's office said the penalties Balletto and Pearmain face for the drug conspiracy and use of a minor in a drug operation charges are a maximum of life in prison, with a mandatory minimum 10-year term, officials said.
In addition, the possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime carries a mandatory term of five years in prison, consecutive to any sentence imposed, according to federal prosecutors.
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CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – An Upper Lake woman was injured early Sunday morning when she crashed into two parked Clearlake Oaks water district trucks.
Maria Vega Figueroa, 30, suffered moderate injuries in the crash, which occurred at 3:36 a.m. Sunday, according to the California Highway Patrol's Clear Lake Area office.
The CHP said Figueroa was driving a 1999 Chevy Silverado pickup eastbound on Highway 20, approaching Island Drive in Clearlake Oaks, when she failed to negotiate a lefthand curve in the roadway.
Figueroa traveled off the right side of the road, crashed through a fence at the Clearlake Oaks County Water District yard and hit two water district trucks that were parked there, the CHP said.
Figueroa was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and then flown via REACH air ambulance to UC Davis Medical Center, where she was released for treatment of moderate injuries, according to the CHP.
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The California Highway Patrol is joining 10 other state highway patrol agencies across the nation to participate in the “I-80 Challenge” to reduce fatalities on roadways.
The effort sets a goal of zero fatalities on the 2,900 miles of Interstate 80 from California to New York from July 24 through July 31 by enhancing traffic safety, enforcement and education along this section of the national highway system.
“we are excited to partner with our colleagues across the nation to improve safety along the Interstate 80 corridor in California,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “California’s highways are safer when everyone follows basic traffic safety rules: always wear a seat belt, drive at a speed safe for roadway conditions, eliminate distractions while driving, and always designate a sober driver.”
The “I-80 Challenge” was organized by the Iowa State Patrol after research identified an increase in traffic fatalities along Interstate 80 during the summer vacationing period.
Statistically, someone dies in a collision every eight days on Interstate 80 in California. Of those fatalities, 22 percent are speed related, 4 percent are attributed to distracted driving, 27 percent are alcohol related and 30 percent involved the failure to wear a seat belt.
The CHP and its law enforcement partners across the nation are joining with motorists to accept the “I-80 Challenge” by promoting safe driving along the route.
During the eight-day “I-80 Challenge,” the CHP will increase traffic safety operations to educate and, if necessary, cite drivers who violate traffic laws along the stretch of Interstate 80 that begins in San Francisco and travels through Berkeley, Vallejo, Davis, Sacramento and Truckee to the Nevada stateline.
According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 21,000 passenger vehicle occupants across the nation were killed in traffic crashes in 2011.
Of those fatalities, 52 percent were not wearing seat belts at the time of the collision. Approximately 9,900 people were killed in drunk driving crashes, with more than 3,330 killed in collisions involving a distracted driver. Nearly 10,000 lives were lost in speeding-related collisions.
Analyzing Interstate 80 collision data from 2001 to 2011 across California reveals more than 77,842 collisions or an average of 21.32 crashes each day and 498 people killed during that timeframe.
“A majority of collisions and roadway deaths are preventable if motorists follow basic traffic safety rules,” added Commissioner Farrow. “The California Highway Patrol seeks the public’s help and support during the I-80 Challenge to ensure that all motorists arrive at their destinations safely.”
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Winery Association has announced the winners of the 2013 Lake County Wine Awards.
The association hosted the 2013 Lake County Wine Awards Dinner on Wednesday, July 17, at Twin Pine Casino & Hotel.
Author, wine writer and wine educator Ray Johnson presided as director of the Wine Awards and announced best of class, best in show and winery of the year.
The awards were determined by prestigious professional wine judges from across the country who blind tasted and evaluated individual entries – awarded medals, selected top finalists of each category and determined the best overall at Brassfield Estate Winery July 10-12.
Judges, including Deborah Parker Wong, The Tasting Panel; John Buechenstein, Culinary Institute of America and UC Davis Extension Wine Educator; Catherine Fallis, Master Sommelier; Don Neel, Practical Winery and Vineyard Journal; Lee Reinsimar, Dean and Deluca Wine and Spirits Buyer; Bob Ecker, freelance writer for Dallas Morning News, Chicago Tribune, Decanter Magazine; Dan Kaiser, Jole Restaurant Wine Buyer; Mike Dunne, Sacramento Bee and Martha Dunne, Winegigs.com, awarded the following sweepstakes winners:
- BEST WINERY: Langtry Estate and Wildhurst Vineyards;
- BEST WHITE WINE: 2012 Chacewater Organic Sauvignon Blanc;
- BEST ROSÉ WINE: 2012 Steele Cabernet Franc Rosé;
- BEST RED WINE: 2010 Chacewater Petite Sirah;
- BEST DESSERT WINE: 2009 Robledo Family Winery White Riesling, Limited Edition.
Plus Best of Category winners:
- BEST Sauvignon Blanc (<$17): 2012 Chacewater Sauvignon Blanc and 2012 Chacewater Organic Sauvignon Blanc;
- BEST Sauvignon Blanc (>$17): 2012 Langtry Sauvignon Blanc, Lillie Vineyard;
- BEST Chardonnay: 2011 Wildhurst Vineyards Chardonnay;
- BEST Riesling: 2009 Gregory Graham Riesling, Roumiguiere Vineyard;
- BEST Other White: 2012 Bassfield Estate Winery Serenity;
- BEST Rosé: 2012 Steele Cabernet Franc Rosé;
- BEST Pinot Noir: 2010 Steele Shooting Star Pinot Noir;
- BEST Zinfandel: 2010 Wildhurst Vineyards Zinfandel and 2010 Wildhurst Vineyards Zinfandel, Home Ranch Vineyard;
- BEST Other Italian Red: 2011 Rosa d'Oro Vineyards Aglianico;
- BEST Syrah: 2010 Six Sigma Ranch & Winery Syrah, Marianne's Reserve;
- BEST Petite Sirah: 2010 Chacewater Petite Sirah and 2010 Steele Writer's Block Petite Sirah;
- BEST Rhone Red: 2009 Sol Rouge Gypsy Rouge;
- BEST Merlot: 2010 Wildhurst Vineyards Merlot, Plunkett Creek Series;
- BEST Cabernet Sauvignon: 2010 Langtry Cabernet Sauvignon, Tephra Ridge Vineyard and 2010 Steele Cabernet Sauvignon;
- BEST Bordeaux Red: 2009 Cougar's Leap Wild Cat Red, Black Rock Vineyard and 2010 Gregory Graham Magma Red, Snows Lake Vineyard;
- BEST Other Red: 2011 Vigilance Cimarron and 2011 Dalliance;
- BEST Sweet White Wines (>5% RS): 2009 Robledo Family Winery White Riesling, Limited Edition.
“We are privileged to have such a distinguished panel of judges join us at Brassfield Estate Winery to evaluate the wines we cultivate in this majestic region” said Jacquelyn Farrington, Event Chair
The top scoring wines in each category will advance to the People’s Choice Wine Competition held on Saturday night, Aug. 31, at the Lake County Fair, where community members will blind-taste and select the People’s Choice.
For a full list of medal winners, please visit www.lakecountywineries.org .
For more information or to purchase tickets for The People’s Choice Wine Competition on Aug. 31 visit the winery association on Facebook.
COBB, Calif. – A Cobb teenager was flown to a regional trauma center Saturday after he he was struck by a vehicle.
Hunter Toles, 14, sustained moderate injuries after the crash, which occurred at 1:55 p.m. Saturday on Bottle Rock Road at Rainbow Drive, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The CHP report said Tristen Nicholas Winkle, 18, of Angwin was driving a 1994 Toyota Camry north on Bottle Rock Road at an unknown speed when, for reasons the CHP said still haven't been determined, he hit Toles.
Initial reports from the scene on Saturday suggested that Toles may have run out in Winkle's path.
The CHP said Toles suffered moderate injuries and was flown via REACH air ambulance to UC Davis Medical Center for treatment.
The crash remains under investigation, according to the CHP.
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NORTH COAST, Calif. – On Monday Mendocino County authorities released the name of the Boy Scout leader killed in a five-vehicle crash on Highway 20 on Sunday, and gave updates on the conditions of the scouts traveling with him.
The Mendocino County Sheriff's-Coroner Office identified Robert Wayne Garrison, 55, of Newcastle, as the fatal victim of the wreck, which occurred shortly after 11 a.m. Sunday on Highway 20 near Potter Valley Road.
Riding in Garrison's vehicle – which was headed from Placer County to Willits for a Boy Scout camp – were several scout members who were injured, the California Highway Patrol said.
Garrison's 15-year-old son, Sean, was flown to Children’s Hospital and Research Center in Oakland, and 17-year-old Mason Shields of Newcastle was flown to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, both with major injuries, according to CHP Officer Patricia Benedetti.
On Monday, both of the teens were reported to be in critical condition, Benedetti said.
Other scouts members who were injured included 18-year-old Anthony Marlatte of Auburn, who had major injuries and 12-year-old Ayden Danovaro of Auburn, who had minor injuries, both of whom were transported to Ukiah Valley Medical Center, the CHP said. Garret Boswell, 17, of Auburn, was taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with moderate injuries.
Garrison's 2003 Honda Odyssey was hit head-on by a 2006 Ford F-250 pickup driven by 73-year-old Eugene E. Galletti of Redwood Valley before spinning into the path of a 2005 Dodge 2500 pickup driven by Andrew L. Rivas, 22, of Lincoln, according to the CHP.
The CHP report said the chain-reaction collision began when Galletti – driving eastbound – failed to stop for two other drivers who were stopped ahead of him.
Randall K. Johnson, 51, of Ukiah, was stopped and waiting to make a turn into a private driveway, with his signal on, and 67-year-old Joan D. Schmidt of Potter Valley was waiting behind him, the CHP said.
Galletti hit the back of Schmidt's 2011 Toyota Sequoia, which in turn was pushed into the back of a trailer Johnson was towing with a 2003 Chevy Silverado, according to the CHP.
The CHP said Galletti's pickup then crossed into Garrison's path, with the two vehicles colliding head-on before Garrison's vehicle spun into Rivas' path and was hit again. Rivas' pickup went to the right side of the highway where the travel trailer he was towing hit a guardrail.
Galletti and Schmidt both had minor injuries, while Johnson and Rivas were uninjured. Several adults riding as passengers in the vehicles also were unhurt, according to the report.
A total of 14 people were riding in the five vehicles, the CHP said.
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