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Northern California commercial fishing boats will have to wait until the end of December to fish for Dungeness crab.
The commercial Dungeness crab fishing season north of Sonoma County is now scheduled to open Dec. 31.
The season had already been delayed from its originally scheduled Dec. 1 opening to Dec. 16 because tests were showing Dungeness crabs off the Northern California coast had not sufficiently developed meat.
The Dungeness crab season from Sonoma County south does not fall under the same restrictions. That season opened on Nov. 15.
“Another round of preseason quality tests revealed that crab from Mendocino County and north won’t be ready for harvest by the delayed opening day of Dec. 16. However, crab are projected to meet the quality standard by Dec 31,” said Department of Fish and Game (DFG) Environmental Scientist Christy Juhasz.
“Crabs ready for harvest should ideally contain at least 25 percent of their body weight as meat,” Juhasz added.
Oregon and Washington are also scheduled to open Dungeness crab seasons on Dec. 31 on the basis of mutually conducted crab quality tests.
Regulations allow for delays off California’s northern coast if Dungeness crabs have soft shells or are of poor quality.
The delays may not extend past Jan. 15.
CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – A Northshore man suffered a head injury and was flown to a regional trauma center on Thursday after his semi truck rolled over on Highway 20 east of Clearlake Oaks.
Jerry Talton, 58, suffered major injuries in the rollover, which occurred at approximately 11:24 a.m. Thursday and caused the highway to be closed for several hours, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The CHP said Talton was driving a 2009 Peterbilt tractor-trailer combination carrying a load of lumber, traveling westbound on Highway 20 west of the Oasis.
The truck was heading downhill, with the CHP reporting that Talton was traveling at an unsafe speed for conditions.
As Talton entered a sweeping right curve in the road, the truck rolled over, spilling the entire load of lumber and blocking all lanes of the highway, the CHP reported. The truck tractor also rolled over, blocking three traffic lanes.
The CHP said Talton, who was wearing his seat belt, was determined to have suffered a significant head injury and as a result was airlifted by REACH air ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.
Highway 20 was closed for approximately four hours due to the significant cleanup effort, according to the CHP.
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LAKEPORT – The new Mendocino College Lake Center now nearing completion at 2565 Parallel Drive in Lakeport is scheduled to open on Monday, Jan. 14, college officials said Thursday.
As part of the college transition plan for its new permanent educational center in Lake County, the old Lake Center at 1005 Parallel Drive will close at 3 p.m. Friday, Dec. 14.
The Mendocino College Spring 2013 semester begins on Tuesday, Jan. 22.
Spring class schedule information for all college classes including those offered at the new Lake Center, registration services, and links to other student support services at the Ukiah campus are accessible at the college Web site, www.mendocino.edu .
The new Lake Center is expected to have all student support services, including academic counseling appointments, admissions and registration services, public phone and Internet access available at the new location beginning Jan. 14.
Beginning on Dec. 18, a recorded message with basic information about Lake Center services and links to other college offices can be reached at 707-263-4944.
THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – A former Maine resident was found guilty on Thursday of the shooting deaths of a couple who had come to California from the East Coast to work with him in his marijuana business.
Following less than a day’s worth of deliberations, a jury found Robby Alan Beasley, 32, guilty of the January 2010 murders of Frank Maddox, 32, and his wife Yvette Maddox, 40, of Augusta, Maine.
Beasley is to be sentenced at 1:30 p.m. Jan. 8. He faces life without the possibility of parole, according to Senior Deputy District Attorney Art Grothe, who prosecuted the case.
Defense attorney Stephen Carter said he will file a notice of appeal on Beasley’s behalf at the time of sentencing.
The verdicts were delivered shortly before 2 p.m. Thursday.
Beasley was convicted on all charges, including two counts of first degree murder, being a felon in possession of a firearm, special allegations of committing multiple murders, personally inflicting great bodily injury on the couple and personal use of a firearm to commit the murders.
He was accused of killing the couple on the side of Morgan Valley Road near Lower Lake on Jan. 22, 2010.
The prosecution presented evidence at trial that Beasley had hired the Maddoxes to work for him in the marijuana business. However, he kicked them out of his Lower Lake apartment in December 2009 due to concerns over their behavior, including a domestic dispute that it was feared would draw police attention.
At trial, Grothe said Beasley believed the Maddoxes were responsible for later breaking into the apartment and stealing an estimated three pounds of marijuana.
Beasley had lured them into giving him a ride down Morgan Valley Road, with plans to scare them into admitting they stole the marijuana from him, but the confrontation quickly turned deadly.
After shooting them both in the head, Beasley drug the bodies down an embankment and, believing them to still be alive, shot each in the head an additional time. Passersby found the bodies about a month and a half later.
Beasley killed the couple with a 9 millimeter handgun he had been given by his codefendant in the case, Elijah Bae McKay, 30. The gun was never found.
Beasley's defense attorney, Stephen Carter, had asserted during Wednesday's closing arguments that it was McKay, not Beasley, who killed the Maddoxes.
“Mr. Beasley’s position has remained that McKay is the responsible party,” Carter told Lake County News Thursday evening.
Beasley did not take the stand, but McKay did, testifying to giving Beasley the gun for protection and helping him dispose of evidence after the murders.
McKay has yet to stand trial, and Carter noted, “It will be interesting to see what the district attorney does in regard to McKay, now that McKay has testified under oath to so much complicity in the murders.”
The six-man, six-woman jury had begun deliberating at 3:45 p.m. Wednesday, and stayed in session for 45 minutes before being released for the day. They had returned to continue deliberations at 9 a.m. Thursday before reaching their verdict by the early afternoon.
Judge Andrew Blum thanked jurors for their patience and attentiveness during the trial, which had run nearly two months. He then excused them shortly after 2 p.m.
Blum also granted a motion made by Grothe to not pursue the prosecution of a previous strike conviction Beasley has.
Although it was a double homicide, Grothe said the district attorney decided against seeking the death penalty for Beasley after considering the evidence, circumstances and required statutory factors.
Grothe acknowledged the work of the investigators who helped put the case together.
“This was the most thoroughly investigated case that I’ve seen,” he said.
Retired sheriff’s Det. Tom Andrews, along with Det. John Drewrey and all of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office investigations and evidence personnel “put in an extraordinary amount of time and effort and developed a great case,” Grothe said.
Grothe also credited the jury for its work. “The jury was extremely attentive and conscientious in doing their job during what was a very long trial. We really appreciate the time and effort that they put into this trial.”
Charlotte Beasley of Richmond, Maine, Robby Beasley’s grandmother, said her grandson had maintained that he hadn’t killed the couple.
“For two years he told me he’s innocent and I believed him. I know McKay’s a liar, but I don’t know how you prove that,” she said.
She wasn’t able to come to California for the proceedings, but – referring to Carter – said her grandson had a good lawyer, and that he was happy with Carter’s efforts on his behalf.
As to her belief about whether or not her grandson killed the Maddoxes, she said, “I don’t know what I believe. I know I want to believe he wouldn’t do such a thing. I don’t want to believe anyone would do such a thing.”
Craig Crosby of Maine’s Kennebec Journal contributed to this report.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lakeport Fire Protection District’s main station in downtown Lakeport, Station 50, has gotten a new look in recent months.
The station has been painted thanks to the generosity of Phil Blair, and also sports some new murals inside thanks to the work of district firefighters.
In the video above, shot and edited by John Jensen of Lake County News, Blair and fire department staff, including Chief Ken Wells, and firefighters Andrew Bergem, Derek Reisbeck and Spencer Johnson, discuss the improvements.
Follow Lake County News on Twitter, @LakeCoNews.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The defense attorney for a Maine man accused of a double murder presented the last of his case on Wednesday morning before both sides offered their closing arguments to the jury.
Robby Alan Beasley, 32, is accused of killing Frank and Yvette Maddox of Augusta, Maine, on Jan. 22, 2010, alongside of Morgan Valley Road near Lower Lake.
Dressed in a light-colored suit, Beasley was attentive throughout the proceedings. His attorney, Stephen Carter, questioned two final witnesses – former sheriff's detective Tom Andrews and Det. Frank Walsh – before closing arguments started.
Beasley is charged with two counts of murder, one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and special allegations of committing multiple murders in the first or second degree, committing the offense with the intent to inflict great bodily injury and use of a firearm.
Beasley did not take the stand during the trial, although his co-defendant in the case, Elijah Bae McKay, 30 – who had grown up with him in Maine and helped set up Beasley in the marijuana growing trade – did testify.
McKay has so far not been scheduled for trial, although he faces the same charges and is alleged to have provided Beasley with the 9 millimeter handgun he used to shoot the Maddoxes and helped destroy evidence afterward.
Carter would focus on McKay in his closing arguments, suggesting it was McKay, and not Beasley, who took the Maddoxes’ lives.
Beasley had brought the couple from Maine to work with him in growing marijuana. However, believing they had broken into his Lower Lake apartment and stolen marijuana, Beasley is alleged to have lured the couple into driving him down the remote road, convincing them that his grandmother had died and he needed to be driven to the airport.
McKay had testified earlier in the trial that Beasley had planned to scare the couple into admitting that they stole his marijuana, but that the confrontation deteriorated and that after shooting at their feet, and shooting Frank Maddox in the leg, he shot both of them in the head.
After Judge Andrew Blum read jury instructions, prosecutor Art Grothe moved into closing arguments by reviewing the charges against Beasley, explaining to jurors the process of considering the charges, and how to understand malice and the deliberative process on Beasley's part.
In most trials, there are at least a few points in dispute. In this case, he said the only point of dispute between the prosecution and defense is whether or not Beasley killed the Maddoxes.
He explained how McKay had brought Beasley out from Maine and set him up in marijuana growing, and how that in the fall of 2009 Beasley then brought the Maddoxes to California, where they began working in McKay's grow on Morgan Valley Road.
“In short order they start causing trouble with the other trimmers” in that operation, said Grothe.
When McKay returned from a fall fishing trip, he told Beasley to get them out of the operation because they were causing trouble. Beasley then had them work for him, and they stayed at his Lower Lake apartment where some of his growing operation was taking place.
At the end of 2009 the couple was involved in a domestic dispute and there were concerns that the police would be called, Grothe said. McKay again warned Beasley about the Maddoxes, who he said were a risk to their operation.
Beasley kicked them out in December 2009 and they moved in with Elvin Sikes, who allowed them to use a spare bedroom. At about that time, someone broke into Beasley's Lower Lake apartment, and Grothe said Beasley concluded that it was the couple, based in part on a small footprint that he found and believed was Yvette Maddox's.
McKay testified to telling Beasley to get the 9 millimeter he kept at his outdoor grow and use it to protect himself from getting ripped off, Grothe recounted.
Beasley then began talking about killing and burying the couple, with McKay suggesting that instead he scare the couple, Grothe said.
Grothe said McKay's attitude was that Beasley had made a mess of killing the couple and that he needed to clean it up himself.
When McKay went to pick Beasley up from Morgan Valley Road, Grothe said Beasley's first words to him were, “I'm going to hell.” Grothe said Beasley continued obsessing, and was worrying about killing the wrong people.
Beasley's girlfriend, Kim Van Horn, testified at trial that she visited him in the Lake County Jail, where he wrote on his hand, “Did they find the gun?” Grothe said McKay had asked Beasley about the gun, with Beasley replying that no one would ever find it.
Grothe also recounted testimony from correctional officer James Dunlap, who said Beasley had scratched “Elijah McKay is a rat bitch snitch New England” in a cell. That graffiti, said Grothe, showed that Beasley didn't call McKay a liar, but showed his anger at being ratted out.
On the night of the murders, Beasley went to Walmart to buy new cell phones, boxer shorts and Armor All wipes. Surveillance cameras showed him wearing a black leather jacket McKay had given him.
Grothe showed a chart of cell phone calls and texts that showed a flurry of calls between Beasley and McKay after 6:30 p.m. on the day of the murder. It was sometime between 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m., Grothe argued, that the Maddoxes were killed.
Sikes had testified that Frank Maddox had admitted to “taking what was owed him from his friend,” with Sikes saying that Beasley was the only person Frank Maddox called a friend, Grothe said.
When Andrews had questioned Beasley about the couple, Grothe said Beasley kept going off on tangents, suggesting gangs may have been involved or veering to other topics. He claimed to have not seen the couple since before Christmas 2009.
Defense seeks to shift blame to McKay
In his afternoon closing arguments, Carter took on the prosecution's case, arguing that it had not been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
“I assert to you that there is absolutely another reasonable explanation,” he said.
That explanation, he said, was that it was McKay who committed the murders.
Carter said McKay lied in his testimony more than once, pointing to inconsistencies in his statements about where he kept an unregistered 9 millimeter handgun, which he had said he kept both in the marijuana garden and in his home.
“He lied to you, absolutely lied to you,” Carter maintained.
Carter also faulted McKay's testimony about when he was gone on a trip to the East Coast in January 2010.
It was only after McKay returned and turned his “business” phone back on, on Jan. 22, 2010, that the couple was murdered. “It's when McKay gets back that the Maddoxes die.”
Carter said it was a juror who had raised the question about whether or not there had actually been a cake at a birthday party for McKay's brother Taj on the day of the murder.
McKay had testified to choking some down after getting back from picking up Beasley not far from the murder scene. However, Carter said no one else testified to there being a cake, and Taj said he hadn't wanted one. Carter said Elijah McKay's response to his questioning on that point was “the definition of squirrely,” with McKay saying it could have been pie or cake.
Carter said McKay is highly motivated to lie and that he's protected by an immunity agreement from being prosecuted for information he provides as part of his testimony. He accused McKay of being part of an interstate drug trafficking ring and being concerned about the Maddoxes harming his business.
“No one's going to get between Elijah and his money, and his money is weed,” said Carter.
Carter said the correctional officer had acknowledged that the words “rat” and “snitch” can be applied to liars, and pointed out that nothing in the way of DNA connected to Beasley was found at the murder scene.
He said there was another “reasonable interpretation” for Beasley's question to Van Horn about the gun, and that was that he wanted the gun to be found, as it would prove McKay was guilty.
Carter suggested that McKay and some of the witnesses in the case were working together in the illegal marijuana business and covering for each other while throwing Beasley away. “Wouldn’t it be nice if we had unbiased witnesses?”
The “big boss” wasn’t Beasley, but McKay, Carter said. “Elijah McKay had every reason in the world to want the Maddoxes gone,” because they were threatening his business.
Carter questioned the prosecution’s cell phone logs and call chart, which he called “far from infallible,” and argued that no one put Beasley at the murder scene with a gun except for McKay.
He said McKay got back from the East Coast, was angry to find the Maddoxes still there and decided to get rid of them himself.
Carter questioned why the prosecution didn’t present when Beasley entered Walmart, only that he left shortly after 8 p.m. The surveillance cameras showed him wearing a black t-shirt he often wore, which Carter said proved once again that McKay’s testimony was flawed, since he had stated on the stand that he had burned all of Beasley’s clothes after the murder.
He said the interstate pot ring McKay was running proved a big enough reason for him to kill the couple.
In his rebuttal, Grothe said the jury needed to look at the evidence, not “wild theories” not supported by the evidence.
He said minor inconsistencies in testimony due to the fact that nearly three years have elapsed – and peoples’ memories aren’t foolproof after that time – are to be expected.
Regarding the different statements about where McKay kept the 9 millimeter, Grothe said it was in the pot garden during the growing season and was kept at McKay’s house at other times of the year. He also chalked up the matter of pie versus cake to an issue of memory.
The testimony by Sikes couldn’t be discounted, and Grothe said the phone calls and texts all pointed to Beasley luring the couple to give him a ride. “And he took them out and he killed them.”
Grothe said the Maddoxes were brutally executed over about three pounds of marijuana. “They were killed by their friend, Robby Beasley.”
The jury began deliberations at 3:45 p.m. and Blum allowed them to go home at 4:30 p.m. He directed them to return and continue deliberations at 9 a.m. Thursday.
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