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Richard Mills II, 40, sustained major injuries in the crash, as Lake County News has reported.
The California Highway Patrol said Mills was driving his 2001 Chevrolet S-10 pickup southbound on Highway 175 in Cobb at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at an unknown speed when he failed to negotiate a left curve in the roadway.
The CHP said Mills lost control of the pickup, went off the east shoulder of the roadway and sideswiped a tree before he hit a second tree head-on.
Mills was arrested at the scene for driving under the influence, the CHP said.
Mills sustained major injuries and was flown to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital by REACH air ambulance, according to the CHP.
The CHP said no update has been available on Mills’ condition.
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LUCERNE, Calif. – Pacific Gas & Electric crews were working in Lucerne on Wednesday to upgrade equipment.
The company reported that it was installing new overhead equipment in the town.
The work required planned outages in some areas of Lucerne from 8 a.m. to about 4 p.m., with affected residents receiving notices of the outages beforehand.
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The lack of precipitation across the state has led to one of the driest winters on record. According to the Department of Water Resources, the statewide water content is at 19 percent of normal.
Despite the fact that many areas of the state are experiencing cooler temperatures, the drier than normal conditions, coupled with wind events and low humidity, have frequently increased the fire danger over the past month, officials reported.
Cal Fire said its crews responded to an increased number of wildfires for a typical December.
“Fire activity in Northern California during winter is very rare, where snow-covered mountains and rain-soaked hillsides typically keep the fire danger relatively low,” said Chief Ken Pimlott, Cal Fire’s director. “We will be monitoring the rain levels over the next couple months, as it will be an indicator of the type of fire activity spring and summer will bring.”
In response to the above-normal fire activity, Cal Fire has been able to increase its staffing using its 4,700 permanent employees with the help of Cal Fire inmate fire crews.
In many areas Cal Fire has canceled burn days or even banned debris burning. The public is asked to be extra cautious due to the dry conditions, especially on windy days.
For more fire safety tips visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org or www.fire.ca.gov.
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NICE, Calif. – A Northshore man has been arrested for assaulting another man with an aluminum baseball bat in a Monday evening altercation.
Arrested in the case was 31-year-old Kevin Andrew Hoffert of Nice.
Hoffert was booked for felony assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm with great bodily injury likely and a felony parole violation on Monday night, according to his Lake County Jail booking sheet.
Lake County News had attempted on Monday and again on Tuesday to confirm with sheriff’s officials that his arrest was for the assault, but official confirmation did not come until Wednesday afternoon.
On Monday evening sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to an address on Manzanita Drive in Nice in response to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon, according to Sgt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
When deputies arrived they contacted the adult male victim, who Brooks said was was being attended to by medical personnel from Northshore Fire’s Station 85 for injuries to his head.
The victim was transported by a Northshore Fire ambulance to Sentry Market, where a REACH air ambulance picked him up and took him to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital for treatment, as Lake County News has reported.
Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital told Lake County News late Tuesday that the male victim in the case was treated and released from the hospital.
During their investigation deputies learned there had been an altercation in the street involving the victim and four other individuals, Brooks said.
The victim was in a vehicle traveling on Manzanita Drive when the four individuals – which included three females and one male – started throwing rocks at the vehicle, according to Brooks’ report.
He said the male victim exited the vehicle and asked what was going on. Two of the females began punching the victim, who put his arms in front of his face in an attempt to protect himself.
The male who was walking with the three females – who later was identified as Hoffert – allegedly struck the victim in the head with a baseball bat. The victim fell to the ground and Hoffert reportedly struck the victim on the head a second time with the bat, Brooks said.
Hoffert was later located at an address on Dawes Street in Nice, where Deputy Shawn Nimau arrested him on the charges, according to Brooks and jail records.
Hoffert was booked into the Lake County Jail and placed on a no-bail hold because of the alleged parole violation, jail records indicated.
Hoffert made his first court appearance in the case on Wednesday, at which time Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff charged with him with felony assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly using the aluminum baseball bat in the Monday night incident.
Hinchcliff told Lake County News that Hoffert is scheduled to return to court next Monday, Jan. 9.
Hoffert’s bail has been set at $100,000, Hinchcliff said.
Jail records show Hoffert was arrested last July for a felony parole violation and a misdemeanor drug charge, and arrested again on a felony parole violation in November.
Anyone who may have information regarding this case is encouraged to contact the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit at 707-262-4200.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Police have arrested a local man for allegedly raping a female acquaintance.
Charles Peter Lamb, 30, of Lakeport was arrested at 8:30 a.m. Monday by Lakeport Police Officer Joe Eastham, according to Lake County Jail records.
Lamb’s booking records show he was booked on a felony count of rape by force or fear of injury.
Sgt. Kevin Odom said that on Sunday at 9 p.m. Eastham was dispatched to St. Helena Hospital Clearlake on the report of a female who was being treated there for a sexual assault that occurred in the city of Lakeport.
Eastham responded to the hospital and contacted the alleged victim, a local woman in her 20s, who identified Lamb as her attacker, Odom said.
Odom said Eastham investigated the case and arrested Lamb the morning after the initial interview with the alleged victim.
Police aren’t offering many details on the circumstances surrounding the alleged rape.
Asked about how Lamb and the woman knew each other, Odom would only say that they were acquainted.
Lamb’s bail was set at $100,000. He remained in the Lake County Jail on Tuesday.
Odom said Lamb is expected to be arraigned in Lake County Superior Court on Wednesday.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
Richard Mills, 40, was injured when his vehicle rolled over at around 3:30 p.m. on Highway 175 at the southern entrance to Wildcat Road, the California Highway Patrol reported.
A California Fish and Game warden was among the first to arrive at the scene, finding Mills conscious and alert but with multiple fractures, according to radio reports.
Kelseyville Fire and CHP also responded to the site, where both lanes of traffic were reportedly blocked by the crash.
Firefighters transported Mills to a landing zone at Kit’s Corner, the intersection of Highway 29 and Highway 281, where a REACH air ambulance met them.
REACH 6 lifted off with Mills en route to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital at about 4:20 p.m., according to radio reports.
Highway 175 at Wildcat Road was reopened at approximately 4:13 p.m., the CHP reported.
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