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MENDOCINO COUNTY, Calif. – Authorities have released the name of a man wanted for a double homicide in Trinity County who later was killed in a Mendocino crash while fleeing law enforcement.
The suspect was identified as 32-year-old Tomas Pitagoras Gouverneur, who had addresses in San Francisco and in the state of Oregon, according to Capt. Kurt Smallcomb of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office.
Gouverneur died as the result of a Monday evening crash with an oak tree while he was being pursued at high speeds on Highway 162 north of Willits by Mendocino County Sheriff's deputies, Willits Police and California Highway Patrol officers, according to Smallcomb.
He was alleged to have stabbed four people – two of them fatally – in an attack in Kettenpom, located in southern Trinity County, according to the Redding Record-Searchlight. No motive was reported.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Work to repair a breach in a levee in the Middle Creek area continued into Monday evening, with plans for crews to continue efforts to repair the damage on Tuesday morning.
The breach, first reported to Lake County Water Resources at around 9:30 a.m. Monday, resulted in numerous state and local agencies working throughout the day to stabilize the aging levee.
Converging on the site Monday were the Lake County Department of Water Resources, Office of Emergency Services, Lake County Sheriff's Office, Cal Fire, California Department of Correction and Rehabilitation hand crews from Konocti Conservation Camp, Lakeport and Northshore Fire districts, Supervisor Denise Rushing, Robinson Rancheria Tribal Police and California Department of Fish and Game.
Work continued until about 9 p.m. Monday, when Cal Fire and the Konocti Conservation Camp crews were finally released from the scene.
“At this point is looks stable,” said Mark List, incident commander for the California Department of Water Resources.
List said there were plans to leave someone on scene throughout the night to monitor the levee.
He said three hand crews are scheduled to return on Tuesday and continue shoring up the area.
The National Weather Service in Sacramento extended a flash flood warning from 5 p.m. Monday until Tuesday morning. Flooding, however, was not expected.
Sheriff's Lt. Dave Perry, who also oversees the Office of Emergency Services, was on the scene throughout the day Monday, with Sheriff Frank Rivero joining him to survey the situation in the late afternoon.
Perry said there were 20 homes in the area, but only eight were under a voluntary evacuation that the Office of Emergency Services had suggested.
Rivero said the department was not enforcing mandatory evacuations as of Monday evening.
Lake County Water Resources Director Scott De Leon explained that the leak took the form of an underground channel had developed alongside the larger of the two pipes.
That channel had allowed water to begin pushing out of Clear Lake and into the nearby fields.
De Leon, Water Resources and the Office of Emergency Services managed the scene earlier in the day until the arrival of officials from the California Department of Water Resources, which maintains the levee, estimated to have been built in the 1950s.
During the late morning and early afternoon, De Leon and his staff – including Water Resources Engineer Tom Smythe – had worked at the scene, putting down sandbags along with local residents who volunteered to come out and assist the crews. Smythe also retrieved a pump to try to take pressure off the breach.
In all, De Leon said the county brought out about 3,000 sandbags and five yards of sand.
Near the levee is a pump station, with two large pipes that extend out from the station for about 30 yards before going under a road that runs parallel to the levee. The pipes then emerge on the other side of the levee berm and empty into Clear Lake.
The efforts Monday included creating a secondary containment area where the pump station pipes emerged from under the easement road that runs along the levee.
Shortly before 6:30 p.m., under the direction of California Department of Water Resources, a contractor began pumping concrete slurry into the leak, which allowed the secondary containment area to be emptied out.
The hand crews then dug into the easement road, using shovels and pickaxes, to locate where the leak had developed alongside the pipe, with more concrete slurry being injected into those holes. Nearby, other inmate crew members worked on building a new sandbag line out closer to the pump station.
At about 7:45 p.m., List began to dismiss the hand crews, which had worked steadily through the day.
Then he and other state Department of Water Resources staff spotted water beginning to force its way out of another hole on the easement road.
The crews had to be called back to begin putting down a new line of sandbags in order to deal with that new leak before finally being released just over an hour later.
The area where the breached levee is located is part of the Middle Creek Restoration Area, the goal of which is to return about 1,400 acres of reclaimed land to wetland.
The project – years in the making, and still many years and dollars from completion – is meant not only to improve the health of Clear Lake by reducing sediment and nutrient loading, but also get rid of the aging levees which are becoming increasingly unreliable.
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KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – On Tuesday the Kelseyville Unified School District will consider approving a second interim budget report that includes all of the cuts board members identified in meetings last week.
The public portion of the meeting will convene at 7 p.m. in the Kelseyville Unified School District Office board room, 4410 Konocti Road.
The full agenda and staff reports for the meeting can be downloaded at www.kusd.lake.k12.ca.us/District/#!/District/Events/130909-Board-Meeting.html .
The board will be asked to consider approving the district's second interim budget, which it's required to do by March 15, according to a report from District Chief Financial Officer Tiffany Kemp.
The district, which is drawing on its reserves, is not running on a balanced budget and has therefore been placed on qualified status by the state. That status requires oversight by the Lake County Office of Education, which has provided a financial expert to assist with creating a fiscal recovery plan, officials reported.
Kemp writes in her report to the board that a lack of revenue from the state “will most definitely impact education funding significantly.”
She goes on to add, “We are bracing for the deepest cuts yet, with a deficit factor of 19.608 percent and ongoing cuts of $330 per students.”
Kemp's update – which is the preface to the 104-page interim budget report – includes approximately $2,293,400 in cuts the board identified in its budget last week, as Lake County News has reported.
Those cuts include one-time savings of $247,000, $867,700 for 2011-12 and in the 2012-13 school year another $1,178,700, according to Kemp's report.
Other items on the agenda include the Kelseyville Unified Teachers Association initial proposal to Kelseyville Unified School District for negotiations 2011-12 including articles on class size and grievances, and a resolution authorizing borrowing funds for the coming fiscal year, as well as the issuance and sale of one or more series of tax and revenue anticipation notes.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lakeport Police Department, Clearlake Police Department and Lake County Sheriff’s Office are extending thanks to local businesses and community organizations for their support and donations which funded this year’s local law enforcement agencies partnership with the National Child Safety Council’s (NCSC) children’s safety educational materials program.
The National Child Safety Council is a nonprofit organization whose mission is dedicated to the safety of children.
The NCSC provides more than 300 pieces of educational material about child safety, drug abuse prevention and missing children which are used by approximately 6000 public safety agencies in 40 states.
Examples of the educational books used locally for elementary through high school age children include drug abuse resistance education, school violence prevention, gang prevention, gun safety, internet safety, stranger danger, inappropriate touching, home safety and safe walker-safe rider tips.
For detailed information about the NCSC and it’s mission or materials go to www.nationalchildsafetycouncil.org.
Local law enforcement agencies use the materials to promote child safety and educate children in
our schools and throughout our communities.
A statement from the agencies noted, “We are proud to work in partnership with the NCSC, local businesses, community organizations and local school districts in protecting our youth.”
Interested local citizens, businesses, community or youth organizations or school staff may contact their local law enforcement agency for further information or to obtain copies of the educational materials.
The following local organization and business partners in this year’s local law enforcement and
NCSC program are listed below. The police and sheriff's office thanked and commended them for their outstanding support and dedication to their communities.
Lakeport: Early Lake Lions, Lakeport Kiwanis, Northlake Medical Pharmacy, Lannette R. Huffman DDS, Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Clearlake RediMix Inc., Alexander R. McGeoch DDS, Lake County Guns, Anchorage Inn Motel and Fastop Convenience Store.
Lower Lake: Epidendio Construction Inc., Lake County Gas.
Upper Lake: Pivniska Trucking LLC, Nor Cal Moto & Speed Equipment.
Middletown: Twin Pine Casino & Hotel, Noble’s Liquor.
Clearlake: Melissa Fanning-Certified Public Accountant, Bob Kraft’s Muffler and Brake, IGA Foods Etc., Tire Pros, Laguna Mexican Restaurant and LaRose Vac & Custom Framing.
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KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The second-annual Kelseyville Olive Festival, an event which focuses on the olive industry in Lake County, as well as other local agriculture, will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 20, at the Kelseyville Olive Mill located at 5625 Gaddy Lane in Kelseyville.
The festival will feature locally produced olives and olive oil, education and demonstrations, olive oil and olive recipe contests for amateurs and professionals alike, and a variety of other contests and activities for the whole family.
Vendors offering olive-related and other local products will be present the day of the event, offering samples, selling food, soaps, lotions, trinkets, and more, as well as providing educational materials about olives and our local industry.
There is no cost to attend the festival; samples and demonstrations are free of charge. Wine and beer tasting will be available for a fee.
Several related contests will be held up to and during the festival, including a poster contest, amateur recipe contest, olive pit spitting contest, and “people’s choice” contests, such as the professional recipe contest, open to professional chefs and caterers, the olive oil contest, and cured olives contest. For details, contact Livia Kurtz at 707-279-0483.
The Kelseyville Olive Festival is presented by Rosa d’Oro Vineyards and the Kelseyville Olive Mill & Wine Company. Both companies are located in Kelseyville and produce wine and olive oil.
Event proceeds from the silent auction, raffle, wine store sales, and wine and beer tasting will benefit the Lake Family Resource Center.
The Resource Center is a 501(c)3 non-profit agency in Kelseyville that provides several programs in Lake County, including the Healthy Families Program, Rape Crisis Center, 24/7 Community Crisis Line, Behavioral Health Services, Early Head Start, Lake County Tobacco Control Program, Domestic Violence Assistance and the Adolescent Family Life Program. For more information, call 707-279-0563.
For more information about Rosa d’Oro Vineyards, visit www.rosadorowine.com or call 707-279-0483.
For information about Kelseyville Wine Co. and Kelseyville Olive Mill, visit www.kelseyvillewinecompany.com or call 707-279-2995.
The Kelseyville Olive Mill is located at 5625 Gaddy Lane in Kelseyville. For more information about the Kelseyville Olive Festival, contact Livia Kurtz, Rosa d’Oro Vineyards, at 707-279-0483 or visit www.kelseyvilleolivefestival.com.
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MENDOCINO COUNTY, Calif. – A suspect being sought in connection with a double homicide in Trinity County was killed Monday night in a vehicle crash in Mendocino County.
The man, whose name was not released pending notifications of family, was killed in a crash that occurred at around 7 p.m. Monday, according to a report from Mendocino Sheriff's Capt. Kurt Smallcomb.
At 6:20 p.m. Monday the Mendocino County Sheriffs Office received an agency assist “be on the look out” bulletin from Trinity County Sheriffs Department regarding a double homicide, Smallcomb said.
He said that the Trinity County Sheriff's Office advised they had an outstanding suspect – who they alleged was responsible for a double fatal stabbing – flee Trinity County at approximately 5 p.m. Sunday and a possible route of travel would be Mina Road en route to Highway 162 through Covelo.
Smallcomb said the suspect vehicle was described as a teal-colored, small four-door sedan with Oregon license plates. The suspect was described as a white male adult with a beard.
Deputies left the Willits area en route to Covelo via Highway 162. Smallcomb said that at approximately 6:45 p.m. deputies were driving on Highway 162 towards Covelo when, at approximately mile post marker 10, they parked their car so they could see the roadway and anyone traveling along its path.
Soon after parking along the road, they observed the suspect pass them and continue driving west on Highway 162, according to Smallcomb.
Deputies attempted to make a vehicle stop but Smallcomb said the suspect failed to yield and a pursuit was initiated.
Mendocino County Sheriff's deputies requested the assistance of Willits Police Department and the California Highway Patrol. Smallcomb said deputies followed the suspect at speeds ranging from 60 to 90 miles per hour.
The suspect then turned south onto Highway 101 towards Willits, with a single sheriff's unit continuing the pursuit, Smallcomb said.
Smallcomb said that at approximately mile marker 54 near Appliance Lane, which is north of Willits, the suspect lost control of his vehicle and struck a large oak tree.
Deputies responded to the wrecked vehicle along with medical personnel and observed the suspect had succumbed to injuries received from the accident, he said.
The California Highway Patrol conducted the accident investigation and Trinity County is continuing their investigation into the suspect driver's involvement with the double homicide in their county, according to Smallcomb.
He said a forensic autopsy will be conducted on the decedent later in the week, and authorities are attempting to locate the decedent's next of kin prior to releasing his name.
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