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CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – A tractor trailer that caught fire late Thursday night threatened wildland and resulted in Highway 20 being shut down for several hours as firefighters worked to contain a diesel spill.

The California Highway Patrol said the crash, which took place just east of Clearlake Oaks and east of Hillside Drive, occurred just after 11:50 p.m. Thursday.

A FedEx big rig pulling two trailers caught fire and was fully engulfed by the time that Northshore Fire and Cal Fire responded, according to radio reports.

The driver reportedly got out of the rig. No injuries involving the driver were reported.

Reports from the scene stated that the big rig had gone off the road. The CHP said a trailer went over the wall and was partially in the water.

Firefighters were able to knock down the fire before it got into the wildland. The fire ultimately was contained shortly after midnight to the tractor and first trailer, with partial damage to the second trailer, according to incident commanders.

Highway 20 was reported to be blocked, and officials at the scene indicated the highway would be closed for an extended period of time during mop up.

The crash resulted in a diesel spill into the lake, with the Lake County Office of Emergency Services, the California Department of Fish and Game and Lake County Environmental Health being notified of the spill.

The battalion chief at the scene indicated over the radio that 150 to 200 gallons of diesel had gone into Clear Lake as a result of the crash and fire.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Marine Patrol and Northshore Dive Team also responded to the scene to assist with installing booms to stop the diesel spill from spreading, according to radio reports. It was estimated that up to 700 feet of boom would need to be placed.

The work of placing the booms went on into the early morning hours, according to radio traffic.

Caltrans also was called to put traffic control in place, as there were concerns about potential collisions due to some “near misses” that had occurred in the area.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – A former codefendant took the stand on Thursday to testify about his part in the events that led to the shooting that killed a child and wounded five others at a Clearlake home last June.

Clearlake resident Kevin Ray Stone, who turns 30 this weekend, took the stand on Thursday morning in the trial of Clearlake Oaks residents Paul William Braden, 22, and 24-year-old Orlando Joseph Lopez, charged with the death of 4-year-old Skyler Rapp and the wounding of his mother, stepfather and three others on June 18, 2011.

Stone also would be the main witness on the last day of witnesses presented by District Attorney Don Anderson, who rested his case Thursday afternoon after three months of testimony. The defense teams will begin to present their cases next week.

Stone originally was charged with several counts of murder and other serious felonies along with Braden and Lopez, who he allegedly drove to the scene of the shooting on Lakeshore Drive in Clearlake.

However, last fall – after negotiations with Anderson – Stone reached a plea agreement in which he pledged to testify against Stone and Lopez in exchange for being charged with being an accessory to the murder after the fact, conspiracy to commit robbery and being a prohibited person with a firearm, all of which could see him serve a total of 10 years and four months in prison.

Stone had first taken the stand briefly on May 17, but his testimony was rescheduled after it was discovered that Anderson’s notes from meetings with Stone had not been shared with the defense attorneys – Doug Rhoades, who is defending Braden, and Stephen Carter, who is acting on behalf of Lopez.

Stone testified to having a serious methamphetamine habit at the time of the shooting, which led to him selling the drug to support his own use. “It very much controlled my life.”

He had know Braden and Lopez prior to the shootings, and had socialized with the latter, as they lived in the same Clearlake apartment complex.

On the day of the shooting, he had been at his then-girlfriend Leighann Painchaud’s apartment before working on a Chevy Blazer he owned that was broken down in the Clearlake Park area.

That night he wanted to go and get more meth to sell, so Painchaud borrowed her cousin’s minivan to drive to meet a drug contact.

He said he had been asking Lopez for weeks about someone they could rob. That night Lopez allegedly texted him to say he knew of a target for such a robbery, or a “lick,” and that he also had the “strap” – or a gun – necessary for the robbery.

Stone, who said he liked guns, said he was more interested in trying to buy the gun from Lopez.

He also explained how that, in Clearlake, “dope is like currency,” with he and many others he knew using the drug in place of money.

With his girlfriend’s cousin’s car, Stone went to pick up Lopez and another man who had a rag across the bottom half of his face. That second man later would identify himself as “Paul” to Stone, who realized it was Braden.

Braden allegedly was holding a sawed off shotgun with a pistol grip, and Lopez had a similar gun, said Stone, who testified to driving back to Painchaud’s apartment, where he picked up a .22 rifle.

The three then left, with Stone taking the back ways toward Clearlake Park. Stone said Braden was telling him to drive better. “I remember it kind of struck me as odd.”

Braden also allegedly told Stone that he was wanted for murder.

Braden and Lopez directed Stone to drive to the home of Curtis Eeds, who he knew. “We were acquaintances at first and then I ripped him off,” said Stone, recounting how he substituted fake drugs during a $150 drug sale to a male subject at Eeds’ home a few weeks before the shooting.

Eeds was alleged to be a Norteno gang member while Stone said he was a Sureno.

At the shooting scene

Stone parked around the corner from Eeds’ home and he said he and the two other men made their way, single-file, through Eeds’ backyard, crouching down along the fence. Stone said he believed they were going to rob Eeds.

Stone said he could hear people talking and laughing.

“We were right here, along the fence, and that's where I heard the first boom,” said Stone.

Stone said he saw Braden, who was “right on the fence,” shooting the shotgun. “He was just pumping off rounds.”

According to Stone, he heard a total of about five to six shots, and said he thought Braden was shooting over the fence.

Lopez, at the same time, was stopped in his tracks, looking up at Braden, with his gun partially raised. Stone said he never saw Lopez shoot the gun.

Stone said he turned and ran, with Lopez coming right after him. Braden caught up with them at the car a few moments later.

They went speeding away from the scene. “I was freaking out so I just floored it. I didn't turn on the lights or anything,” said Stone, adding that he was yelling at Braden, who was sitting calmly in the backseat.

Stone crashed the vehicle nearby, and the three jumped out and began running. They threw their guns into some bushes near a home on Woodland Drive. Stone also threw the vehicle’s keys there. He then ran a different direction from Stone and Braden, and ended up staying the night at an acquaintance’s.

Stone said he never fired his gun, although he said it went off accidentally during the drive to the scene.

One of the reasons Stone said he was testifying was because he was being blamed for the murder, and he wanted to get the truth out.

“A 4-year-old kid got shot. I don't care who you are, that's not acceptable,” Stone said.

The day after the shooting, which was Father’s Day, Stone went to the home of the mother of his children. She said she had received a text warning that people were coming to kill him. Stone said she subsequently gave him a ride to Santa Rosa, where he stayed with friends.

Four days after the shooting, Stone spoke with Clearlake Police Officer Michael Ray, who tried to convince Stone to turn himself in. Stone initially agreed to meet Ray at the downtown mall, but didn’t show up because of another officer who was coming with Ray.

Stone would later be arrested by Sonoma County Sheriff’s deputies along with Painchaud, who had brought a neighbor’s vehicle with her to Santa Rosa. That vehicle was reported stolen after Painchaud didn’t return it.

Anderson would have Stone identify the .22 rifle he admitted to carrying that night, which was strapped into a long, white evidence box.

Also on Thursday, Clearlake Police Det. Tom Clements was recalled to the stand to testify to statements Stone had made to him during interviews last year.

Stone told Clements that he didn’t know if Lopez had shot his gun, and he also told Clements where the guns were deposited. Clements and another officer would go to look for them.

Officer Andrew Jones also was recalled to the stand, testifying to finding Stone’s .22 rifle shortly after 9 p.m. on the night of July 4, 2011, in the 14000 block of Woodland Drive.

Jones was the last witness Anderson called before resting his case.

Court is set to resume on Wednesday, June 6.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Funds from the latest round of financing from Caltrans will be heading to Lake County for public transit.

Caltrans said Thursday that it has awarded approximately $350 million in grants to improve public transit across California.

An estimated 80 projects will upgrade transit service, purchase eco-friendly buses, modernize transit stations and create jobs throughout the state.

“These projects are a direct investment in our state's public transit system and will help energize California’s economy,” said Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty. “Not only will these projects help create jobs, they will also reduce traffic congestion,clean the air, and provide Californians with more viable alternatives to rising gas prices.”

The grants are funded through Proposition 1B, the 2006 voter-approved transportation bond, which is providing $3.6 billion over a 10-year period to improve public transit in California.

In Lake County, Lake Transit Authority will receive $1,366,525 for five replacement buses. The funds come as Lake Transit has continued to see increased demand for its services and record ridership.

Other notable projects around the North Coast that will receive funds include an award of $283,936 to Humboldt Transit Authority for 30 foot replacement vehicles.

Among Lake's neighboring counties, the Napa County Transportation Agency will receive $178,743 for replacement vehicles; the city of Santa Rosa will receive $889,008 for replacement buses; Sonoma County Transit will receive $2,056,707 to purchase a 40-foot bus; Glenn County Transportation Commission gets $561,142 for a Glenn Ride vehicle replacement; and the Sacramento Area Council of Governments in Yolo County has been awarded two grants, one for $2.6 million for a fixed route bus replacement and the second for $197,183 to replace two double deck buses.

To date, Proposition 1B has provided $1.7 billion in funding to more than 700 transit projects statewide, with 216 completed, according to Caltrans.

GLENHAVEN, Calif. – A  Fairfield man has been arrested by deputies with the Lake County Sheriff’s Marine Patrol for operating a boat while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Sean Brian Stafford, 30, was arrested on Tuesday, May 29, according to Sgt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

On Tuesday the Lake County Sheriff’s Marine Patrol responded to a report of an unresponsive subject slumped over the steering wheel of his boat in the Glenhaven area of the lake, Brooks said.

The boat was reported to be traveling in circles and had collided with a dock, according to Brooks.

Deputies responded to the north end of Glenhaven and observed a green boat moving slowly in a circle.  Brooks said the operator – identified as Stafford – appeared to be unconscious and slumped over the steering wheel.  

The Marine Patrol deputy was able to pull alongside the circling boat. Brooks said the deputy attempted to wake Stafford to have him turn off the engine by yelling at him and pounding on the deck of his boat.  

Brooks said it took three to five minutes to wake Stafford and get him to turn the engine off.

Stafford failed to complete the field sobriety tests as demonstrated and was arrested, Brooks said.

Stafford was transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked for operating a watercraft under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Bail was set at $30,000.

Jail records indicated Stafford later posted bail and was released.

On Thursday the California Assembly passed a bill to protect access to medical marijuana and regulate the industry.

AB 2312, the Medical Marijuana Regulation and Control Act, passed the Assembly by a 41-30 vote.

Authored by Assemblymember Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco), the bill would create the first statewide regulatory framework for the medical cannabis industry in California.

“Today's vote was significant because it represents a considerable shift that the Legislature is now willing to take responsibility for the effective regulation of medical cannabis in California, 15 years after voters passed Proposition 215,” said Ammiano.

He added, “With the continuing federal crackdown, we simply cannot afford to continue keeping our heads in the sand and pretend that everything is fine. AB 2312 is an opportunity for the Legislature to defend Proposition 215 by regulating and controlling an industry that has the support of over 80 percent of Californians."

AB 2312 creates the Board of Medical Marijuana Enforcement within the California Department of Consumer Affairs to oversee and regulate the medical marijuana industry in California.

It also would authorize local governments to impose an excise tax.

Assemblyman Wesley Chesbro (D-North Coast), who represents Lake County in the Assembly, spoke in support of a bill on Thursday and was among the 41 Assemblymembers who voted for it. He also is a coauthor of the bill.

“I support this bill because it would establish a statewide regulatory system that would remove ambiguities between state law, federal law and local regulations,” Chesbro said in a statement on the Floor of the Assembly today when Ammiano presented the bill.

“Many counties have assembled their own regulations, but the inconsistencies in those regulations put patients and dispensary owners at a disadvantage,” Chesbro said. “Good actors trying to follow state law and local regulations have been penalized for their best efforts to follow the law.”

He said the goal of AB 2312 is not to limit local control, but assist local governments in grappling with the differences in local, state and federal law. “Counties still have the ability to opt out of these regulations and ban the sale of medical marijuana in their counties.”

AB 2284, Chesbro’s bill to protect the public, forests and fish habitat from illegal, environmentally destructive drug producing operations on resource lands, also was approved by the full Assembly with bipartisan support and no opposition.

Both bills now go the Senate.

The Glenn County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help in an effort to solve and prevent an ongoing rash of agricultural diesel fuel thefts which have occurred during the month of May.

Sheriff Larry Jones reported the thefts had resulted in the loss of thousands of dollars of diesel.

On Saturday, May 26, a total of 600 gallons of diesel was removed from two storage tanks located on property near Afton, according to Jones. Thieves cut the locks off of the storage tanks, taking diesel valued at about $2,000.

On Tuesday, May 29, approximately 200 gallons of diesel were removed from a storage tank located on State Highway 162 east of County Road Z. In that case, the suspects pulled up gate posts, with cable attached, in order to gain entry onto the property. The stolen fuel and the damage to property was estimated at $1,000, according to Jones.

On Wednesday, May 30, Namit Family Farms in the Butte City area reported theft and vandalism. Materials taken included 1,000 gallons of diesel, valued at $3,350; a single axle fuel wagon with 500 hundred gallon tank, yellow frame and silver colored tank valued at $3,500; a 100 gallon silver colored aluminum fuel tank valued at $600 were stolen; and $900 in damages done to fuel hoses.

Also on May 30 Vereschagin Farms near Orland reported the theft of 425 gallons of diesel fuel and the theft of a 500 gallon fuel tank from their orchard, Jones reported. The total value of those thefts was estimated at $1,750.  

In an additional agricultural theft, a Towner brand 21-foot 2000 model field disc was stolen from a field north of Highway 162 and east of Butte City at the end of April or early in May, Jones reported.

The disc, yellow in color, would weigh several tons and whoever took it would have to have had a heavy trailer to place it on and a front loader to accomplish the theft, Jones said. The equipment is valued at more than $20,000.

Anyone with information regarding these, or similar crimes, or who may have observed suspicious activity in the areas of these thefts, is urged to contact the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office at 707-934-6431. Callers may remain anonymous.  

Ranchers and farmers are also urged to take special precautions in an effort to deter fuel and equipment thefts.