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The fire was reported at a home on Dry Creek Road near Highway 29 at about 5:45 p.m., according to radio reports.
Neighbors and friends identified the homeowners as Joe and Clarine Lewkowitz.
A large column of black smoke and flames shooting 40 to 50 feet in the air were seen by neighbors as helicopters and ground units fought the blaze.
The fire was reportedly contained at approximately 6:43 p.m., according to radio traffic. Resources were committed for several more hours for mop up.
The fire's cause and details about the firefighting effort weren't immediately available Tuesday night.
The Lewkowitz family reportedly lost their dog and all of their belongings to the fire, according to their friends.
Community members discussing the fire on Lake County News' Facebook page Tuesday evening were rallying to offer help and support to the couple, known for their generosity and community involvement. Red Cross was reported to be meeting with them on Wednesday to give them assistance.
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Juan Estrada Gomez, 30, of Redwood City; Eduardo Yepis Casillas, 34, of San Mateo; Jose Manuel Hernandez, 21, of Redwood City; Jose Hernandez Bustos, 55, of Redwood City; and Cesar Vidal Martinez, 38, of Hayward were convicted of poaching, according to a report from Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff.
On Sept. 17, Department of Fish and Game Warden Patrick Freeling was patrolling in the area of the State Game Refuge north of Lake Pillsbury when he noticed two vehicles parked at the boundary of the Refuge near Broadman Ridge, Hinchcliff reported.
The refuge has signs posted at all entrances warning that it is illegal to possess firearms or hunt in the refuge, according to the report.
Upon further investigation Freeling found five individuals walking out of the refuge with hunting rifles, Hinchcliff said. When Freeling contacted them, all five men admitted they were deer hunting.
The case was referred to Hinchcliff for prosecution, and all five men were charged with illegal hunting and possession of firearms in a game refuge, in violation of Fish and Game Code section 10500.
Hinchcliff said that on Tuesday all five men pleaded no contest to possession of firearms in the refuge.
Judge Andrew Blum sentenced each of the men to three years' probation, revoked their hunting privileges for three years and ordered each to pay a fine of $1,915, Hinchcliff said.
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John Mark Sharp had some minor injuries to his head and ankle at the end of his ordeal, but was otherwise unharmed, according to a Tuesday report from Capt. James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
On Friday, Oct. 21, at approximately 7:15 p.m., sheriff’s deputies responded to the Harbin Hot Springs area of Middletown to investigate a report of a man yelling for help from somewhere in the surrounding wilderness northeast of the resort, Bauman said.
Bauman said a Harbin Hot Springs employee had reportedly searched for the man, but then aborted his search due to darkness and called the sheriff’s office.
While deputies began searching the area on foot, the Sheriff’s Search and Rescue coordinator began calling in resources for a Search and Rescue mission. Bauman said man trackers, K-Corps members, and four-wheel drive teams were summoned to the area and a California Highway Patrol helicopter with night vision equipment was requested to respond.
While Search and Rescue resources were responding to the area, a Cal Fire battalion chief who had been monitoring radio traffic responded to assist the deputies with a preliminary ground search, Bauman said.
For several hours, deputies and the Cal Fire battalion chief could hear the man yelling from the wilderness intermittently as they tried to pinpoint his location, Bauman said. At approximately 10:30 p.m., a CHP helicopter out of Napa arrived in the area and conducted a 40 minute aerial search but then had to return to base for fuel.
Shortly before midnight, a sheriff’s patrol sergeant encountered two men in a vehicle on Big Canyon Road who stated they were looking for their friend, according to Bauman's report.
Bauman said the two had reportedly ventured into the wilderness with Sharp earlier in the day, but had lost track of Sharp some time after 2 p.m. They left the area in the afternoon thinking Sharp had gotten a ride home, but after several hours had passed and Sharp had not returned home, they decided to return to the area and look for him.
Shortly before 11 p.m. Search and Rescue volunteers formed five search teams and a four-wheel drive unit and were deployed into the search area. Nearly two hours later, the Cal Fire battalion chief located Sharp, Bauman said.
Sharp was dehydrated and appeared to have sustained some head trauma due to a fall, Bauman said. While a Cal Fire engine crew and medic were able to reach the two, Sharp could not immediately be extricated from the area due to the terrain.
Air support to lift Sharp from the area was determined to be unavailable until daylight. Two fire crews from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Konocti Conservation Camp in Lower Lake were then dispatched to the area to clear an egress route for the missing man and his rescuers, according to Bauman.
At approximately 5:15 a.m., Sharp was successfully extricated from the wilderness by Cal Fire. Bauman said Sharp had sustained minor trauma to his head and ankle due to falling down an embankment, but was otherwise unharmed.
Sharp corroborated his friends’ earlier account for getting lost, telling officials he had gotten separated from his friends, and then became lost trying to find them. Bauman said Sharp was transported by ground ambulance to the St. Helena Hospital Clearlake for further treatment of his injuries.
Sheriff Frank Rivero commended his deputies, his Search and Rescue coordinator, and all Search and Rescue volunteers and K-Corps members for their response and successful conclusion of another search and rescue operation.
The sheriff also thanked the supporting agencies that responded to assist with the rescue, including Cal Fire, CHP and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
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HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the suspect of an attempted robbery at a south county pharmacy this past Saturday.
On Saturday, Oct. 22, at approximately 1:45 p.m., sheriff’s deputies responded to a reported robbery attempt at the Hidden Valley Pharmacy on Hartmann Road in Hidden Valley Lake, according to a report from Capt. James Bauman.
Bauman said staff at the pharmacy reported that shortly after opening for business at 1 p.m. a white male adult walked into the business, handed the pharmacist a note stating it was a “robbery,” and exposed what appeared to be a handgun in his left front pants pocket.
The suspect demanded the narcotic medication Oxycontin, but the pharmacist told him he had none in stock, Bauman said.
The suspect then demanded any other similar medication and the pharmacist told him he was not licensed to dispense narcotic medications. Bauman said the suspect then retrieved his note and left the pharmacy in an unknown direction, empty-handed.
The suspect was described as a white male adult, unshaven with light brown hair, approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall with a “stocky” build, wearing sunglasses, blue denim pants and a blue and white plaid shirt, Bauman said.
While checking the area for any other witnesses or information, deputies reviewed the surveillance system at the neighboring Hardester's Market and discovered the suspect had been caught on video, walking behind a building in the business center and getting into a vehicle. Bauman said that vehicle is described as a late model white SUV, possibly a Honda product.
Anyone with information on the possible identity of the suspect in Saturday’s attempted robbery is encouraged to call the Sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit at 707-262-4200 or the sheriff's anonymous crime tip line at 707-262-4099.
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HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – The death of a Hidden Valley Lake man who died last week while serving in Iraq is under investigation, according to Army officials.
Army Private First Class Steven Francis Shapiro, 29, of Hidden Valley Lake, died on Friday, Oct. 21, in Tallil, Iraq, according to the Department of Defense and officials at Fort Hood, where Shapiro was assigned.
Tyler Broadway, a media spokesman for Three Corps Fort Hood, said the cause of Shapiro's death is under investigation.
Broadway said Shapiro died as the result of a “noncombat related incident” in Tallil. He did not offer more specifics about where the incident occurred.
Once the inquiry is complete, more information likely will be available, but Shapiro added, “It takes a long time for these investigations to be concluded.”
Tallil is located in southern Iraq, about 160 miles southeast of Baghdad. It's also the location of a US air base.
Shapiro, who was supporting Operation New Dawn in Iraq, was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, the Department of Defense reported.
Shapiro entered active duty service in March 2010 as an M1 armor crewman, according to a report from Fort Hood. He deployed in support of Operation New Dawn earlier this year.
Fort Hood reported that Shapiro's awards and decorations include an Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon and Overseas Service Ribbon.
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Pfc. Steven F. Shapiro, 29, of Hidden Valley Lake, died on Friday, Oct. 21, in Tallil, Iraq, according to a Tuesday report from the Department of Defense.
Shapiro was supporting Operation New Dawn in Iraq, the Department of Defense said.
According to the Tuesday statement, Shapiro was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
Details about the circumstances leading to Shapiro's death were not immediately available on Tuesday morning from Fort Hood.
However, a Fort Hood official said more information would be available later in the day.
Shapiro's death occurred on the same day that President Obama announced that the remaining US troops in Iraq would be coming home by year's end.
Lake County News will post additional information as soon as it becomes available.
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