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LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS – On Wednesday U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) was sworn in for her fourth term as a United States senator.
Boxer took the oath of office at noon on the U.S. Senate floor.
Sen. Boxer later participated in a reenactment ceremony in the Old Senate Chamber with Vice President Joe Biden and her husband, Stewart Boxer.
She won reelection last year after a long and contentious campaign in which she battled with Republican senatorial nominee Carly Fiorina.
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The victim in the shooting was 41-year-old Josephine Navarro, who was listed as a transient but had previously been listed as being from San Leandro, according to Capt. Kurt Smallcomb of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office.
Navarro's boyfriend, 46-year-old Samuel DeJesus Campos, was taken into custody on Monday after he told investigators that he shot Navarro as she was lying in bed in their travel trailer holding their small dog, Smallcomb said.
Campos, a transient with previous connections to Oakland, said he had meant to shoot and kill the small, injured dog but hit Navarro instead, according to Smallcomb's report.
Smallcomb said the investigation into the Navarro's death is continuing.
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Robby Alan Beasley, 30, and Elijah Bae McKay, 28, both former Maine residents, appeared separately before Lake County Superior Court Judge Stephen Hedstrom Tuesday afternoon, at which time they entered their not guilty pleas, according to Senior Deputy District Attorney Art Grothe.
Beasley and McKay are each charged with two counts of murder for the slayings last January of Yvette and Frank Maddox of Maine, who investigators said came to Lake County to work for Beasley in a marijuana growing operation.
The couple's bodies were found in early March off of Morgan Valley Road in Lower Lake.
Beasley and McKay also are facing special allegations of committing multiple murders in the first or second degree, committing the offenses with the intent to inflict great bodily injury on the victims and using a 9 millimeter firearm, with an additional special allegation that Beasley had a prior 2007 felony conviction in Maine for criminal threatening with a firearm.
Ukiah attorney Richard Petersen is McKay's attorney, while attorney Stephen Carter is representing Beasley.
Carter said Beasley is set for preliminary hearing on the morning of Jan. 18.
He said he is expecting a “longer than usual” preliminary hearing, with estimates in court on Tuesday putting the proceeding at between four and five days.
Grothe said McKay will appear April 5 for the setting of his preliminary hearing. McKay agreed to waive his time, while Beasley did not, which means Beasley's case will be expedited, Grothe explained.
In court last month, Grothe stated that, as currently charged, the men could face the death penalty or life without the possibility of parole if convicted.
He said Tuesday that the decision on how to pursue the case – either as capital murder or life in prison – will come later, likely after Beasley's preliminary hearing later this month.
Grothe also wants to confer on the case with new District Attorney Don Anderson, who was officially sworn in on Tuesday morning, before making that final determination.
Beasley and McKay remain in the Lake County Jail.
On Monday, the Kennebec Journal obtained a copy of an e-mail Beasley sent his grandmother, Charlotte Beasley, which it shared with Lake County News.
In the message, Beasley told his grandmother and his father that he was to be in court on Tuesday, and that “the charges should get dropped that day.”
He wrote, “I was in court a few weeks ago, some guy was here for 15 months and my lawyer got his charges dropped and he went home. I'm not stressed out about it and you should not worry. I'm innocent. This place falsely charges a lot of innocent people with out (sic) proof.”
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Christopher Sorenson Jr., 20, was struck by a vehicle traveling southbound on Highway 53 shortly after 2:30 p.m., according to a report from Clearlake Police Sgt. Tim Celli.
Clearlake Police investigating the crash found that Sorenson had apparently exited another vehicle near the intersection of Highway 53 and Dam Road after he saw a Ray's Food Place employee chasing an alleged shoplifter, Celli said.
Sorenson had decided to join the foot chase, Celli said. As Sorenson crossed the highway, he was struck by a Nissan SUV driven by 37-year-old Clearlake resident Shanti Gallon, who was traveling at about 40 miles per hour.
Celli said Highway 53's southbound lanes near the intersection were shut down for approximately an hour as the investigation took place.
Sorenson was transported to St. Helena Hospital Clearlake where he was treated for his injuries. Celli reported that Sorenson was in stable condition Tuesday evening.
The alleged shoplifting suspect that was being chased was not captured and has not bee identified, Celli said.
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WILLITS, Calif. – Mendocino County officials arrested an Oakland man on Monday on suspicion of the killing his girlfriend while attempting to shoot their dog.
Samuel DeJesus Campos, 46, was arrested for murder following interviews with investigators, according to Capt. Kurt Smallcomb of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office.
Smallcomb said authorities weren't releasing the name of the 40-year-old San Leandro woman who was the victim, pending the notification of next of kin.
The investigation began Monday morning when the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office received a report of a possible homicide that had taken place the night before at a residence north of Willits in the 29800 block of N. Highway 101, Smallcomb said.
Sheriff's deputies, along with Willits Police officers, responded to the location and found inside the residence a deceased woman who had suffered a gunshot injury, according to Smallcomb.
On Monday afternoon, sheriff's detectives and deputies, with the assistance of newly elected Mendocino County District Attorney David Eyster and personnel from his office, continued the
investigation into the shooting, Smallcomb said.
Smallcomb explained that law enforcement officials learned that Campos and the victim had been living together in a 40-foot camp trailer north of Willits.
At some point on Sunday evening Campos allegedly obtained a firearm and fired at least one round, which Smallcomb said struck the victim in the upper torso.
When sheriff's detectives and district attorney's personnel interviewed Campos on Monday, he stated that during the day on Sunday he and the victim had been involved in a domestic verbal argument regarding their dog accidentally being injured while Campos was playing with it, Smallcomb said.
Campos reportedly told detectives that the woman was lying in bed while holding the small injured dog on Sunday night. He allegedly decided to shoot and kill the dog and retrieved a handgun, according to Smallcomb.
While the victim was still holding the dog, Campos allegedly fired one shot, missing the animal. Smallcomb said Campos stated that he fired a second shot fatally, striking the victim.
Smallcomb said Mendocino County Sheriff's detectives are continuing the investigation into the incident.
Campos is being held in the Mendocino County Jail, with his bail set at $500,000, Smallcomb said.
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However, county Road Superintendent Steve Stangland said Monday that things over the weekend went “great,” with his staff able to respond quickly to the situation the weather created.
“We came through it really well,” Stangland said.
Several of his road staff came in on New Year's Day, giving up their holiday to work on clearing the roads.
“I can't thank those guys enough,” Stangland said. “They did an excellent job.”
Stangland said the area of the county hit hardest by snowfall was Cobb, where there were two snowfalls of 6 to 10 inches each, he said.
That left Bottle Rock Road, Gifford Springs and Loch Lomond Road covered with snow. Stangland said Monday snow was still present in the Cobb area.
Along with Cobb, most of the county's snow-related road issues occurred in Kelseyville south of Mt. Konocti, the Clear Lake Riviera and Lower Lake, Stangland said.
Road crews plowed the Clear Lake Riviera, where Stangland reported about 4 inches of snow fell.
“We take care of the major roads first, then work our way into the subdivisions,” he said.
He added that sometimes people don't understand the order of clearing the roads, but he explained that it doesn't do much good to clear roads in front of homes when major roads aren't open.
Stangland said he has staffers from all three road division yards starting early, 4 a.m. shifts in order to clear the roads ahead of the commuter traffic.
Over the snowy holiday weekend, Stangland's road crews were able to help out partner agencies, such as Caltrans, and the city of Clearlake, where they kept the road open up to St. Helena Hospital Clearlake.
He said some of his staff spent Monday wrapping up their sanding of Cobb-area roads.
All three county road yards also spent the day stocking up on more sand, which Stangland said will be important to have on hand if the roads refreeze.
“Even though it's not raining or snowing, we still have to be out there,” he said.
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