How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
News
LOWER LAKE, Calif. – A fire in Lower Lake on Wednesday afternoon destroyed several outbuildings and damaged utility infrastructure.
The fire, located at the corner of Jessie Street and Highway 53, was dispatched just before 2 p.m., according to radio reports.
Lake County Fire Protection District Chief Willie Sapeta said it took about an hour to control the fire.
Sapeta said the fire burned just under an acre, destroyed three outbuildings and caused minimal damage to two residences, Sapeta said.
In addition, there was significant damage to utility infrastructure, with Mediacom, AT&T and PG&E on scene making repairs, according to Sapeta.
PG&E estimated power would be restored around midnight.
At one point Highway 53 was closed briefly because of emergency vehicles on scene, Sapeta said. Smoke also crossed the highway, causing visibility issues.
“It didn't spot,” Sapeta said, noting the wind that often is present in the area. “We were very lucky.”
A total of 35 personnel, nine engines, a water tender and a helicopter worked at the scene. Lake County Fire, Cal Fire, Northshore Fire and the Mendocino National Forest all sent personnel and equipment, Sapeta said.
Sapeta said one firefighter suffered heat exhaustion, went for medical evaluation and was released Wednesday afternoon.
He said firefighters would remain on scene for a few hours for mop up.
Fire investigators also were at the fire location Wednesday afternoon. Sapeta said it was too early to conclude on a cause.
There have been a number of fires in and around Clearlake over the last several days, including the Denton Fire last Saturday, which burned around 20 acres on Denton Lane at Old Highway 53, and an early Monday fire that destroyed a structure on 31st Avenue, as Lake County News has reported.
Some local residents have been concerned that the fires might be related and caused by arson, but Sapeta said there has been no evidence to tie them together or to suggest they were intentionally set.
He said the Denton Fire was attributed to mowing and the 31st Avenue fire does not appear suspicious in nature.
“It's just been a lack of common sense,” said Sapeta, explaining that conditions are very dry and people need to pay attention and be more cautious.
He said grass is very dry, and during the recent heat wave temperatures never dropped below 80 degrees, which didn't allow recovery from the heat for vegetation.
“Those fuels are primed,” he said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the community's help in identifying two people of interest in a theft last month at a Kelseyville property.
The two subjects were captured by surveillance video, according to Lt. Steve Brooks. Stills from the video are shown above and below.
On Thursday, June 27, a sheriff’s deputy was dispatched to the 8700 block of Soda Bay Road in Kelseyville for a reported vandalism and theft, Brooks said.
The victim reported that a lock to his property was cut and some property was stolen, Brooks said.
The date and time stamp of the surveillance stills provided by Brooks indicate the subjects were at the property shortly before 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 26.
The suspects in this crime also appeared to attempt a theft of copper wire and pipes from the property, according to Brooks.
Copper and other metal theft has reached epidemic problems both within the US and globally, Brooks reported.
According to the US Department of Energy, copper theft is a $1 billion problem.
Metal theft is on the rise due to increased motivation and opportunity. Brooks said motivation is fueled by high metal prices based on significant international demand for metals such as copper. Opportunity exists in many places as there are large amounts of unsecured metal that is in high demand.
Meth and other drug users have been capitalizing on this demand, the availability of these metals and the weak regulations around the resale of metal to create a means of supporting their habits, Brooks said.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is working to stop this cycle of metal theft, which is sometimes used to support drug abuse.
If you have information on the suspects in the above photos or other leads related to metal thefts, please contact the Lake County Sheriff’s Office at 707-263-2690.
LUCERNE, Calif. – Authorities remain on the lookout for a Lucerne man alleged to have stabbed another man during a confrontation last week.
Juan Carlos Lopez, 25, is wanted in connection to the incident, according to Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Brooks said sheriff’s deputies responded to a reported stabbing victim in the 3000 block of Country Club Drive in Lucerne last Thursday, July 11, at about 11:45 p.m. Radio reports indicated the incident occurred at Country Club Mobile Home Park.
When deputies arrived they contacted the victim, who was lying on his back in the middle of the road. Deputies located what appeared to be a puncture wound on the victims left side which was bleeding, said Brooks.
The victim told deputies that he heard an argument between a male who was later identified as Lopez and a female, according to Brooks' report.
Brooks said the victim told deputies that the argument escalated and Lopez became physical with the female. He stepped between Lopez and the female in an effort to separate the two and Lopez stabbed him one time in the left side.
Lopez then ran away from the scene in an unknown direction, Brooks said.
The victim was transported by air ambulance to UC Davis Medical Center and was listed in critical condition at the time of the transport, according to Brooks.
Deputies canvassed the area but were unable to locate Lopez. Brooks said they continued to look for Lopez throughout the weekend with negative results.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit continued the investigation and contacted several witnesses who positively identified Lopez as the person responsible for the stabbing, Brooks said.
Brooks said the victim has since been released from the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.
The investigation is ongoing and anyone who may have information regarding this case or the whereabouts of Juan Carlos Lopez is encouraged to contact the Lake County Sheriff’s Office at 707-263-2690.
California’s teen birth rate is continuing to drop, according to the California Department of Public Health.
The teen birth rate has declined to 28.0 births per every 1,000 teens ages 15-19, announced Dr. Ron Chapman, director of the California Department of Public Health and the state public health officer.
Chapman said the rate is the lowest since 1991, when it peaked at 70.9 per one thousand.
Lake County's teen birth rate for 2011 was 38.3 births per thousand, according to state data.
“California’s innovative strategies and community partnerships aimed at lowering teen pregnancy are helping young women and men make responsible choices,” said Dr. Chapman. “We must not be complacent; we must continue to promote teen pregnancy prevention programs and strategies in all communities.”
The report showed that Lake County's numbers have dropped over the most recent three years tracked by the state.
In 2009, the county's teen birth rate was 44.4 per thousand, which declined to 43.8 in 2010 and then the recent 38.3 per thousand rate in 2011, for a 2009-10 aggregate number of 42.1 per thousand.
There were 11 counties with higher aggregate teen birth rates than Lake for the 2009 to 2011 time period, according to the data.
The decrease in teen birth rates was reflected among all ethnic groups, according to the data.
Hispanic teens 15-19 years old continued to have the highest birth rate at 42.7 per 1,000, but they demonstrated a decline of 42 percent, down from 73.6 per 1,000 in 2001.
From 2001 to 2011, the number of births per 1,000 teens dropped among African American teens from 51.8 to 34.1, among white teens from 20.1 to 11.2, and among Asian teens from 13.9 to 5.3.
Early childbearing often negatively impacts academic achievement, earning potential for mother and father, maternal and infant outcomes, and early childhood development.
Health officials said the prevention of early childbearing is an essential step in improving the health of California’s youth and the well-being of the next generation of California families and communities.
California has a number of programs and policies aimed at preventing teen pregnancy and improving outcomes in the case of teen pregnancies. Some of the key components to the state’s multi-pronged approach include:
State laws requiring that school-based and other state-funded sexuality education must be comprehensive, medically accurate, and age- and culturally-appropriate.
Community-based education programs for teens and their parents that provide sexual health information, skill development, and supportive environments and opportunities for youth.
Services and supports for expectant and parenting teens to empower young families to be successful and thrive.
CDPH funds the Information and Education Program, the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) which was authorized through the Affordable Care Act of 2010, and the Adolescent Family Life Program for pregnant and parenting teens.
In addition, the state provides no-cost family planning services to eligible men and women, including teens through the Family PACT (Planning, Access, Care and Treatment) Program.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Grand Jury for the 2013-2014 fiscal year was impaneled by Superior Court Presiding Judge Stephen Hedstrom last Wednesday, July 10.
The 2013-2014 panel members are Karen Burtness of Hidden Valley Lake, John Chamberlain of Clearlake (who was sworn this past Tuesday), Virginia Cline of Lakeport, Linda Conway of Clearlake, Rosemary Dontje of Kelseyville, Janis Eckert of Lakeport, John Hart of Loch Lomond, Reba Hawley of Clearlake, Polly Johnston of Kelseyville, William Konrad of Kelseyville, Mark Lockhart of Lakeport, William Magoolaghan of Kelseyville, Nanette Marschall of Lakeport, Alan Mattern of Kelseyville, Michael McAllister of Kelseyville, Clifford Morgan of Clearlake Oaks, Linda Schreiber of Lakeport, Thomas Swihart of Hidden Valley Lake and Christopher Twohy of Lakeport.
Virginia Cline was appointed foreperson and the grand jury immediately went into session for the purpose of organization.
The major function of the Lake County Grand Jury is to examine county and city government and special districts to ensure that their duties are being lawfully carried out.
The grand jury reviews and evaluates procedures, methods, and systems utilized by these entities to determine whether more efficient and economical programs may be employed.
Grand jurors are officers of the court but work as an independent body. A grand jury works to ensure that the best interests of all citizens of the county are being served by their governmental bodies.
The 2012-2013 grand jury was discharged after filing its final report earlier.
The former panel included Virginia Cline, Linda Conway, Rosemary Dontje, Godfrey Dyne, David Eichten, Warren Fox, John Hart, Dave Johnson, Sorhna Jordan, Margaret Maloney, Alan Mattern, Karen Miller, Clifford Morgan, Janice Pankratz, Linda Schreiber, Luther Sweigert and Thomas Swihart.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force eradicated 2,986 marijuana plants, from a parcel of private property in Kelseyville on Monday.
On Friday, June 21, narcotics detectives conducted overflight missions in the Kelseyville area, according to Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office. These missions focus on locating illicit marijuana growing operations.
He said the narcotics detectives located what appeared to be an illegal marijuana growing operation in an area commonly known as Cole Creek. The location of the grow site was near the intersection of Bottle Rock Road and Nancy Drive in Kelseyville.
On Monday, narcotics detectives entered the grow site and located three separate plots connected by a trail system. Brooks said the marijuana growers had trespassed onto private property and clear cut the area to accommodate their plants.
He said they were also diverting water from the creek into plastic swimming pools to water the plants. The detectives were unable to locate any suspects or additional evidence which would assist in revealing their identities.
The Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force can be contacted through its anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.
