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Glenn Neasham, 51, of Hidden Valley Lake was charged and tried for a a 2008 case in which he was alleged to have sold an annuity to an elderly woman who the prosecution alleged wasn't mentally competent.
Neasham's attorney, Mitchell Hauptman, did not return a call seeking comment.
Neasham was arrested last December following a California Department of Insurance investigation that was handed over to the Lake County District Attorney's Office and prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Rachel Abelson, as Lake County News has reported.
While the jury on Friday found Neasham guilty of the principal charge of theft from an elder, jurors did not convict him of two special allegations – one that more than $65,000 had been taken from the elderly victim, and the second that more than $100,000 had been taken, Abelson said.
The trial, presided over by Judge Richard Martin, began on Sept. 21, lasted 10 days and saw 10 witnesses take the stand, Abelson said.
Deliberations started Thursday afternoon, and the verdict was handed in shortly after 1 p.m. Friday, she said.
Abelson said Neasham is due to return to court for sentencing on Dec. 20.
Based on state sentencing guidelines, Neasham could receive probation with up to a year in jail, or as much as four years in prison, which he would serve locally due to the state's prison realignment plan, Abelson explained.
She added that, in her experience prosecuting such elder theft cases, there usually is some jail time for those convicted.
According to the California Department of Insurance's December report on the investigation, it was the Savings Bank of Mendocino that originally alerted investigators to the annuity sale.
Neasham was charged with selling a $175,000 annuity to the then-83-year-old victim, who the prosecution alleged didn't have the mental capacity to enter into the contract. Neasham received a commission on the sale.
Abelson said the victim took money from a CD and put it into the annuity, which would have taken 15 years to fully mature.
“The theory was that she was deprived of a major enjoyment of her property,” Abelson said.
She added, “Dealing with elder abuse, it's easy for me to see that as theft.”
Abelson wasn't sure the jury would see it the same way, “but obviously they did.”
The case wasn't an easy one and had multiple complicated issues, Abelson said.
The female victim did not take the stand, as she wasn't mentally competent to do so, said Abelson. The woman was placed under conservatorship within the last few weeks.
Abelson said insurance expert Neil Granger gave important testimony in the case, and volunteered to testify. She said Granger is an advocate for seniors. His online resume says he specializes in the area of elder financial abuse.
She also credited the work of Department of Insurance investigators in bringing the case together.
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Paul Anthony Neuman, 33, was sentenced on Monday to aggregate 25 year sentences for the crimes of rape and robbery committed in Meridian, Idaho, at the Herb Tree Store on Dec. 10, 2010.
Judge Thomas Neville ordered that Neuman serve a minimum of 15 years before any parole consideration, according to a report from the prosecutor's office of Ada County, Idaho.
Neuman had been arrested by Lake County Sheriff's deputies in March on a $2 million Idaho warrant, as Lake County News has reported.
He pleaded guilty to the rape and robbery charges on Aug. 18, the Ada County Prosecutor's Office said.
Prosecutors said Neuman – who had worn a ski mask during the commission of the crimes – was unknown to the victim.
A sexual assault kit was immediately obtained after the crime was reported and a DNA profile was placed into the national CODIS data bank, the prosecutor's office reported.
In January, a cold hit was generated out of California identifying Neuman as a possible match. Officials said Neuman's DNA was on file in California for the crime of burglary.
Idaho State forensic scientists were able to confirm the DNA to Neuman, who then was extradited to Ada County.
In addition to serving his prison sentence, Neuman will have to register as a sex offender for life, officials reported.
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After announcing last year that the United States' combat mission in Iraq was ending, with the removal of 100,000 troops, on Friday Obama said that – with Iraqis taking full responsibility for their country’s security – the rest of the troops are coming home by year's end, in time for the holidays.
“After nearly nine years, America’s war in Iraq will be over,” Obama said.
Congressman Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena), who represents Lake County in the US House of Representatives, applauded the news.
“Today’s announcement that all United States troops will be withdrawn from Iraq by the end of the year is overdue, but welcome news,” said Thompson.
Thompson, a Vietnam combat veteran who opposed the Iraq war from the start, is a senior member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and has spent several years working as part of the group on intelligence and security related issues.
“Our country has sacrificed enormously in this conflict, suffering the loss of more than 4,400 brave American soldiers and spending more than $1 trillion,” he said. “More than 32,000 servicemen and women have been wounded.”
He added, “As a combat veteran, I say thank you from the bottom of my heart to the brave men and women who have served in Iraq, each with great distinction, and to their families. Our troops have done an outstanding job. They have done all that we asked of them and more. Now it is time to bring them home to their families and for the Iraqis to take full control of their country’s defenses.”
Obama said that as US troops prepare to come home over the next two months, they can hold their heads high and be proud of their success. “That is how America’s military efforts in Iraq will end.”
The president said that as of Jan. 1, in keeping with the United States' Strategic Framework Agreement with Iraq, the two countries will have “a normal relationship between sovereign nations, an equal partnership based on mutual interests and mutual respect.”
Obama said the drawdown in Iraq allowed the United States to refocus its fight against al Qaeda.
“Now, even as we remove our last troops from Iraq, we’re beginning to bring our troops home from Afghanistan, where we’ve begun a transition to Afghan security and leadership,” the president said. “When I took office, roughly 180,000 troops were deployed in both these wars. And by the end of this year that number will be cut in half, and make no mistake: It will continue to go down.”
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The 4,036-acre easement, located east of and adjacent to the Lake Sonoma Recreation Area, allows for sustainable commercial timber harvesting, grazing and hunting, but restricts future development, subdivision and conversion to other uses such as vineyards.
Additionally, the Baxter family wished to protect 38 acres known as the “Otis Grove” from commercial harvest. The grove includes redwoods over 600 years old and over 11 feet in diameter.
Permanent conservation measures will be taken to the portions of the Wheatfield fork of the Gualala River, Strawberry Creek and Rancheria Creek within the easement.
“We are pleased that our goal of permanently protecting our ranch has finally been accomplished,” said Barbara Baxter, who has lived on this ranch since 1947. “The outcome is certainly worth the time and effort the process took.”
Jeff Calvert, Forest Legacy Program (FLP) coordinator for Cal Fire, said, “The Baxter family should be extremely proud of this accomplishment. The family can to continue manage their ranch in the manner they desire while providing tremendous, permanent resource protection values to the public.”
Federal USDA Forest Service FLP funding, Proposition 12 grant funding through the California Wildlife Conservation Board, and a substantial landowner donation made purchase of the easement possible.
Also important was the considerable effort by attorney Ellen Fred of the law firm of Conservation Partners who partnered with the San Francisco law firm of Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass in representing the Baxter family.
CAL FIRE will hold the conservation easement and monitor compliance with it over time.
For more information on CAL FIRE’s Forest Legacy Program visit http://www.fire.ca.gov/resource_mgt/resource_mgt_forestryassistance_legacy.php.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Drugs are illegal, dangerous, and addicting for youth and adults alike. The California Highway Patrol invites the community to take a stand against drugs during National Red Ribbon Week, Oct. 22-30.
The intent of Red Ribbon Week is to raise awareness of illegal drug use and the problems related to drugs facing our community.
The CHP encourages parents, educators, business owners, and other community organizations to promote drug-free lifestyles.
“We encourage Californians to build healthy, drug-free communities and lifestyles. During Red Ribbon Week, we can take this opportunity to be vocal and visible in our efforts to achieve a drug-free community,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow.
The red ribbon symbolizes a commitment to reduce illicit drugs in our communities. In 1985, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Enrique S. “Kiki” Camarena was killed by drug traffickers.
Shortly after Camarena's death, citizens from his hometown of Calexico, Calif., began wearing red ribbons to remember him and commemorate his sacrifice.
The U.S. Congress established Red Ribbon Week in 1988.
Red Ribbon Week is observed in cities across the country the last week of October every year. During Red Ribbon Week, millions of Americans pledge to live a drug-free lifestyle by wearing red ribbons and participating in community-wide, anti-drug events.
“Taking part in Red Ribbon Week is a unified way for communities to take a stand against drugs and show intolerance for illegal drug use and its consequences,” added Commissioner Farrow.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A south county man died when his work truck went off an embankment at The Geysers geothermal steamfield just inside the Sonoma County line on Thursday.
Eugene “Corky” Bracisco, 57, an operating specialist with Calpine, was confirmed as the crash victim, according to Norma Dunn, Calpine's vice president of corporate communications.
“The cause of death is not known at this time, and we are working closely with local authorities to investigate the incident,” Dunn said in an e-mail message to Lake County News. “We do not comment further on matters under investigation.”
California Highway Patrol incident reports said the single-vehicle collision occurred in Sonoma County, in the area of Burned Mountain at Big Sulpher Creek, while Bracisco was driving a work truck. An exact time of the crash was not given, but reports indicate it happened sometime on Thursday.
When contacted for additional information, the Santa Rosa CHP office referred questions to Cal OSHA, which the agency said is handling the investigation because it happened on private property.
Cal OSHA spokesperson Patricia Ortiz told Lake County News late Friday afternoon that the report on the crash came into the agency's Santa Rosa district office at approximately 8:47 a.m. Friday. The report was submitted by the human resources director at The Geysers.
“Our inspectors are out and Cal OHSA has opened an investigation,” Ortiz said.
The CHP reported that conditions in the area were foggy on Friday morning. Two tow trucks were needed to pull Bracisco's truck up the embankment where it left the roadway. The CHP report said the vehicle was 200 feet down an embankment.
The Lake County Sheriff's Office reported that deputies were dispatched to Calpine on Socrates Mine Road in Middletown at 1:45 a.m. Friday after Bracisco's wife reported him missing.
Bracisco's wife said he had left for work at 5:30 a.m. Thursday and when he hadn't returned by 11 p.m. she called Calpine, according to the sheriff's office's Friday afternoon report.
Calpine officials told the woman that Bracisco had missed a 3 p.m. meeting on Thursday, the sheriff's office said.
The sheriff's office said that when deputies arrived at Calpine, they met with the lead operator, who confirmed that Bracisco's personal vehicle was still at the site, but his work truck was missing.
The lead operator said Calpine had notified the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office as the Calpine property straddled the Lake and Sonoma County lines, and that he had 10 Calpine employees already out searching, the sheriff's report noted.
The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office informed a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy involved in the investigation that they believed the Calpine employee was somewhere in Lake County. The Lake County Sheriff's office said another of its deputies immediately was dispatched to the area to assist in the search.
Sonoma County was waiting for the fog to lift, so they could commence a helicopter fly over to aid in the search, the Lake County Sheriff's Office reported.
The search eventually located Bracisco's work truck, which had slipped down into a ravine on Calpine property just over the Sonoma County line. The Lake County Sheriff's report said Bracisco had died by the time he was found.
The Sonoma County Sheriff’s office is handling the coroner’s investigation. A message left for Sonoma County Sheriff's officials was not immediately returned.
Ortiz said Cal OSHA investigations can take up to six months, but typically last three to four months, she said.
Cal OSHA was involved because the fatal collision occurred on Calpine's private property. “Had it been a public road we wouldn't be involved,” Ortiz said.
Dunn said Calpine was offering its sincere sympathies and condolences to Bracisco’s family. “We are working to assist the family through this very difficult time.”
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