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THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE MEN WHO RESCUED THE WOMAN.

NAPA COUNTY, Calif. – Good Samaritans are being credited with saving a San Francisco woman from her vehicle after it caught fire as the result of a Saturday afternoon crash.

Darcelle Chatoian, 45, was semiconscious and seriously injured when the passersby pulled her from the burning SUV, according to a report from the California Highway Patrol.

The two men who saved her life are 38-year-old Peter Hart of Clearlake and 32-year-old Ryan Perez of Napa, according to Napa CHP Officer Jaret Paulson.

In the process of the rescue, Perez injured his leg, Paulson said.

At 4:50 p.m. Saturday Chatoian was driving her 2004 Food Explorer southbound on Highway 29 over Mount St. Helena, just inside Napa County, according to Paulson's report.

For reasons which Paulson said are still under investigation, Chatoian failed to negotiate a lefthand curve, allowing her vehicle to travel onto the north shoulder where she collided with a tree.

After she hit the tree, Chatoian's vehicle caught fire, Paulson said. At that point, Chatoian was still seat-belted and semiconscious in the driver's seat.

Paulson said Hart and Perez put themselves at risk during the rescue. Perez kicked out the driver's window – injuring his leg – so they could pull Chatoian from the fire that would have killed her.

Chatoian was transported by REACH air ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with major injuries.

The CHP reported that Highway 29 had been closed for a time as first responders worked at the scene and the tow company arrived to remove Chatoian's vehicle.

Traffic control was conducted for approximately two hours in the area of the collision, Paulson said.

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LUCERNE, Calif. – A community town hall meeting will be held in the Northshore community of Lucerne on Thursday, March 10.

The meeting will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Lucerne Alpine Senior, Center, located at the corner of 10^th Avenue and Country Club Drive.

Supervisor Denise Rushing will host the meeting, one of a regular series of such town halls that she hosts around her district.

Topics will include an update on community redevelopment projects, other county projects and issues, a community group update and announcements, and an open forum.

Free tables will be set up for local groups, businesses or organizations wishing to distribute informational literature.

For more information contact Rushing at 707-263-2368 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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LUCERNE, Calif. – There has been plenty of nature-generated excitement throughout Lake County in recent weeks, from the snow flurries of the south shore to the seismic events at The Geysers and Lake Pillsbury.

So when John Lordemann, 60, of 6433 11th Ave. in Lucerne, was awakened around 1:30 a.m. Saturday morning to a violent shake, he assumed he was experiencing another natural event.

“I thought it was an earthquake,” he said.

After he awoke, he phoned two of his daughters who live nearby to tell them of the shaker.

He said he was then visited by a woman who inquired if he was all right and, after a brief conversation, she left.

Then, at around 2 a.m., a California Highway Patrol officer appeared on Lordemann's doorstep.

As it turned out, the officer was investigating a vehicle crash that occurred next door at 6421 11th Ave. It had been reported to law enforcement by a neighbor that a woman had driven a light-colored, later model Jeep or Toyota SUV, in reverse, into a Ford F150 pickup belonging to John Sanders.

The SUV eventually came to rest in Lordemann’s front yard, after plowing through Sanders’ yard and two fences along the way, he said.

When the CHP arrived, the female driver and vehicle were gone. By then, one of Lordemann’s daughters, Tabbitha Hodges, 28, of Nice, had arrived to help her father with the police report.

Lordemann said he eventually went back to bed and woke again at around 8 a.m. to find out that the hit-and-run accident was worse than anyone had thought.

“I could see daylight through my ceiling,” he said.

He then went outside to find the power pole, normally positioned upright in his front yard, was now pushed over and resting against the roof of his home.

Hodges had returned and was later joined by her sister, Tiffany Hunter, 32, of Upper Lake, and several of Lordemann's grandchildren. They all reported hearing wires arcing underground at the power pole.

Lordemann and his family members began evacuating the trailer, taking his personal belongings and the three family dogs.

Hodges said she felt a strong shock to her hip as she was about to exit the trailer, while Hunter reported that she and the children all developed headaches and nausea at the scene. They attributed the symptoms to the electrical current from the damaged power line.

Northshore Fire Protection District's Station 80 Lucerne was notified via a phone call around 12:30 p.m. that someone’s home had been hit by a vehicle and might need to be looked at, officials said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Northshore Fire responded with an engine, a medic unit and a battalion chief. On scene, Firefighter Odell Landers established incident command.

“We disconnected power to the residence at the main panel, cordoned off the property, requested PG&E and CHP, and stood by making sure the scene was safe,” he said.

Landers confirmed that no one complained of health issues, or requested medical treatment or transport, from the scene.

PG&E later arrived to disconnect power to the pole and informed Lordemann that once he had the damage repaired, by a contractor, they would restore power.

CHP arrived and amended their report to show the damage, previously not noted, to the pole and structure.

Lordemann said that CHP had several leads to the whereabouts of the driver in question and they were attempting to locate her. He also stated he is expecting to hear from his insurance agent on Monday and believes the structure will be totaled.

“I’ll live with my daughter, in Nice, until things get fixed,” he said.

Next door at Sanders' home, though not losing his power or lodging, he didn’t fare very well either. He plans on meeting with his insurance agent early next week.

“I lost my truck, my fences, my canoe and my yard lights,” he said, stating that he won’t even try to start his pickup until the agent arrives.

Saturday afternoon CHP Sgt. Richard Getzelman and two other CHP officers were investigating the scene, with one taking pieces of what appeared to be decorative lettering from a vehicle and putting it into evidence bags.

Getzelman said they had information on a possible suspect in the case.

There were reports from the scene that a vehicle matching the description was seen being towed from the lake’s shore west of Pepperwood Cove, which was reported to CHP.

Early Sunday morning jail records did not reflect an arrest in this case.

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LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Sheriff's deputies arrested a Lower Lake man Saturday for allegedly raping a 13-year-old girl.

Bryan Keith Hurtado-Stratton, 20, was arrested shortly before 1 p.m., which was approximately one hour after he reportedly raped the girl in a bathroom at the Lower Lake Community Park, according to a report from Capt. James Bauman.

Bauman said that at about 12:15 p.m. sheriff's dispatch received a report that a white male adult had been caught raping a 13-year-old girl.

Sheriff’s dispatch additionally was told the brother of the victim was chasing the suspect, Bauman said.

Within minutes of the call sheriff’s deputies were in the area, Bauman said. They were assisted by a game warden from the Department of Fish and Game and California Highway Patrol Officers who arrived to help search for the suspect.

Sheriff’s deputies rapidly developed information that identified Hurtado-Stratton as the suspect. They determined he was on searchable probation and lived several blocks from the incident, and Bauman said deputies subsequently went to Hurtado-Stratton's home and arrested him.

Bauman said sheriff’s detectives and the Sheriff’s Crime Scene Investigations Unit were called in to assist with the investigation, collection of evidence and processing of the crime scene. Sheriff’s detectives secured and served a search warrant on Hurtado-Stratton’s home where they collected additional evidence.

Hurtado-Stratton has been charged with rape by force, unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, sexual penetration with force, sexual battery and lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 14 years of age, according to Bauman.

Sheriff’s detectives sought and secured a bail enhancement, and Bauman said Hurtado-Stratton was booked at the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and is being held in lieu of $500,000 bail.

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LAKEPORT, Calif. – A police sergeant's attempt to stop a driver led to a high speed chase through residential areas of Lakeport on Saturday.

Sgt. Jason Ferguson eventually was able to take 23-year-old Kenneth Gary Coburn of Upper Lake into custody after Coburn ran into an unoccupied vehicle.

A report Ferguson issued Saturday explained that Coburn was seen driving a white Honda Prelude at a high rate of speed in the parking lot of CVS Pharmacy on 11^th Street.

Sgt. Dale Stoebe said Ferguson, who was on foot in the parking lot, saw Coburn driving recklessly and tried to get him to stop. In doing so Ferguson recognized Coburn, who he arrested about a month ago for driving on a suspended license.

But Coburn didn't stop and fled the scene, with Ferguson going after him, Stoebe said.

Stoebe, who lives near the area, said he heard Ferguson yelling at Coburn to stop and went out to see what was going on. Many other area residents started out to see what was going on, with a lot of foot traffic in the area.

He said the chase lasted about half a mile in the area of Sixth and Seventh streets.

The chase finally ended when Coburn hit the parked vehicle and gave himself up, according to Ferguson's report.

Coburn was taken to the Hill Road Correctional Facility where he was booked on charges of felony evading a peace officer, hit and run and driving on a suspended license. His bail has been set at $100,000.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

 

My great-grandfather, a staunchly religious New Englander, had a love affair. He just couldn’t help himself. His beloved was oh, so tempting! Spicy … rich… buttery … sweet … and just a little bit nutty.

Who was this temptress? Believe it or not, the parsnip. My mother is fond of telling me that this humble relative of the carrot was her grandfather’s favorite vegetable.

One would never guess from its simple, rough exterior just how exquisitely flavored the parsnip is.

Upon peeling a parsnip, its strong, spicy scent is emitted immediately. If eaten raw, the taste remains true to its spicy aroma; however, cooking the parsnip mellows its flavor and the spice forward taste becomes a pleasant and subtle back note.

I just ate a bowl of mashed parsnips, prepared very simply from nothing more than the peeled, sliced vegetable simmered until tender in salted water and mashed with a little of its cooking water. Even without seasoning, it was surprisingly flavorful.

In other words, it carried its own flavor tune without the need for culinary back up music. And because of its high starch content, it was also immensely comforting.

When I think of parsnips, things such as a pastoral English countryside and Beatrix Potter characters, like Peter Rabbit and his ilk, come to mind.

This makes sense in a way.

Until the potato was introduced to Europe from the Americas, the starchy parsnip was a staple in European cuisine and used much like the potato is today.

Though not as popular a vegetable as it once was, parsnips are still featured in traditional Sunday roast dinners in the United Kingdom, as well as on Christmas tables in much of the British-influenced world.

The Irish mash them with carrots and concoct creamy soups with them, often with leeks, one of their common companions.

They’re a popular vegetable for stews, soups and purees, and – despite their wonderful flavor independent of spice – pair well with seasonings such as allspice, anise, garlic, ginger, nutmeg, thyme and sage.

The parsnip has gained some notoriety outside of European cuisine and can be found paired with – for example – Indian curries. In fact, a quick review of recipes on the Internet yielded some interesting uses for parsnips, including parsnip fritters topped with bleu cheese, parsnip-apple soup, baked cheesy parsnips and parsnip-bacon chowder.

One of my favorite ways to bring out the lovely flavor of parsnips is to roast them until they’re brown and caramelized. Roasted parsnips can be eaten in their pure form, used in a soup, or pureed for a side dish.