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The California Department of Justice's Bureau of Gambling Control, working with the Hopland Commissioned Police and Hopland Band of Pomo Indians' Tribal Gaming Agency, conducted an investigation beginning in November 2008 that resulted in the arrests, as Lake County News has reported.
The defendants are accused of embezzlement and grand theft for allegedly taking more than $102,000 from the casino, officials reported.
Those arrested included Joan Pickron of Ukiah, a former casino shift manager; Ukiah residents Alex Ralph Martin, John Steven Glass Jr. and Roberta Lynn Reeder; Thomas Jay Williams of Redwood Valley; Mary Ann Moore of Rohnert Park; Gloria Marie Nelson of Nice; and Teresa Marie Miller of Clearlake, the Department of Justice reported.
Assistant Mendocino County District Attorney Beth Norman said Reeder, Moore, Williams and Nelson turned themselves in and appeared in court on July 26 in response to a letter issued the previous month, telling them to appear.
The other four didn't show up on that date, and were picked up more recently on felony arrest warrants the county issued, Norman said.
The Mendocino County District Attorney's Office has filed complaints against the eight, she said.
The charges are filed chronologically, Norman said, depending on who was involved at what time during the course of the alleged embezzlement.
Norman explained that some of the defendants are facing more charges than others, with Pickron being the only defendant who allegedly was consistently involved throughout.
Brett Rhodes, chief of the tribe's police department, said the discovery of a possible internal theft came to light after the tribe's gaming commission began investigating a minor internal policy violation in October 2008.
He said the gaming commission conducted its own internal investigation, determining substantial theft had occurred and, as a result, it revoked Pickron’s gaming license.
Pickron is alleged to have used her position as a casino shift manager to create and authorize false jackpots in the casino's online accounting system. Rhodes said she is alleged to have paid out those false jackpots to known associates.
Rhodes said it was important to note that the gaming devices were in no way manipulated to create the false jackpots.
The investigation was turned over to Hopland’s Commissioned Police Department for criminal investigation. Rhodes said Lt. John Larsen diligently worked on the criminal investigation and involved the state Department of Justice's Gaming Division special agents when preparing several search warrants in connection with the case.
“These investigations and subsequent arrests on this case are an excellent example of law enforcement working in cooperative policing efforts at all levels to achieve positive outcomes,” Rhodes said.
Rhodes said the casino has had minimal internal issues previously, like any other private business operation, but those usually are handled in-house. Due to the large scale and the networking of others, this was a case that he said was ripe for criminal investigation and prosecution.
Miller was in court on Wednesday and is due back Friday, Norman said, along with some of her other co-defendants. Miller has posted bail, as have Pickron, Martin and the others except for Glass, who is being held due to warrants in other cases.
Norman said her goal is to have everybody return to court on Sept. 20 so they can start setting future court dates.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
Cal Fire said the Indian Fire, first reported Tuesday afternoon at the north end of the reservoir, had reached 363 acres on Wednesday, less acreage than the agency had indicated previously.
The fire was 80-percent contained shortly after 2:30 p.m., according to Cal Fire spokesperson Suzie Blankenship. The last update of the day on the fire, made at 7 p.m., had the fire still at that containment level.
Blankenship said one strike team of five engines, four division supervisors, three water tenders, an incident commander and three crew strike teams of 102 firefighters were on scene Wednesday.
She said there were three heat-related injuries reported among firefighters Wednesday. The injured firefighters received medical treatment, she added.
The Indian Fire's cause remains under investigation, Blankenship said. Cal Fire expects the fire to be fully contained on Thursday.
Late Wednesday evening, Cal Fire and Northshore Fire Protection District responded to two fires, one on Old Long Valley Road and one New Long Valley Road, reported at about 9:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. respectively, according to radio reports.
The Old Long Valley Road fire was reported contained at between four and six acres. A transformer had blown according to a California Highway Patrol report, with Pacific Gas & Electric called to the scene.
The second fire on New Long Valley Road was reported to have grown to about six acres in size shortly before 11:30 p.m. Firefighters at that point were expected to be committed to the scene for seveal more hours.
Elsewhere in the state, Cal Fire reported that the Curry Fire in Contra Costa County had reached 375 acres and was 90-percent contained, and the Post Fire in Kern County was 60-percent contained at 1,308 acres.
With the increased fire conditions and the drawdown of resources to other area fires, Cal Fire's planned burn at Lake Sonoma's dam had been posted to Aug. 30 and Sept. 1, officials reported.
Cal Fire urged the public to remain cautious due to the high fire danger resulting from hot, dry weather.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
The fire, which occurred at U Wanna Camp on Scotts Creek Road outside of Lakeport, was reported at around 4:30 p.m., according to Lakeport Fire Protection Chief Ken Wells.
He said the campground has several permanent residents, and one of them was a woman living in a singlewide mobile home.
The woman was visiting a neighbor when someone pointed out that smoke was coming from her trailer, said Wells.
Wells responded along with two engines, a water tender and seven firefighters from Lakeport Fire, with Kelseyville Fire sending an engine and two firefighters and another four firefighters and an engine coming from Cal Fire, said Wells.
Because the fire was in the state responsibility area and there was a concern that the fire could get into nearby wildlands, Wells requested a full wildland dispatch consisting of five engines, but he said the fire was contained within about a half hour, and it didn't get out of the park.
The trailer was a total loss, although the woman was able to recover a few personal belongings, Wells said. The woman is staying with a neighbor temporarily.
Wells said the woman told firefighters that she had been having trouble with a window-mounted air conditioner.
“We think that's probably what the cause was,” he said.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
Like much of California, daytime temperatures were well above normal on Tuesday throughout Lake County, although no records were broken here.
Around the rest of the state numerous records tumbled down as the mercury shot up due to a strong high pressure system that stalled over much of California and continued to heat up Northern California, including Lake County, on Wednesday.
According to Bob Benjamin, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service, the high heat will not last and will cool down considerably through Sunday. That's when a strong trough from the Gulf of Alaska is predicted to settle over Northern California, with some areas forecast to see a 40-degree temperature drop.
High daytime temperatures should only reach the mid- to upper-80s Thursday, according to the National Weather Service in Sacramento, and will trend downward as the cold trough moves in to Lake County.
The weekend will feel almost cold by comparison when temperatures only reach the mid- to upper-70s throughout Lake County, and overnight lows dip in to the upper 40s.
Average temperatures for this time of year are in the low-90s, with overnight lows in the mid-50s.
As the cooler weather settles over Northern California, a slight chance of rain is possible in the northern mountains, but forecasters predict it will be mostly clear to partly cloudy in Lake County throughout the weekend.
For up-to-the-minute weather information, please visit the Lake County News homepage.
E-mail Terre Logsdon at
HOPLAND, Calif. – State officials have arrested seven individuals and are seeking an eighth in connection with an alleged embezzlement from Hopland Sho-Ka-Wah Casino.
The arrests resulted from an investigation begun in November 2008 by the California Department of Justice's Bureau of Gambling Control, according to a Tuesday report.
Joan Elizabeth Pickron, 42, of Ukiah, and seven associates were suspected of embezzling more than $102,000 from the casino, the Bureau of Gambling Control reported.
State agents from the bureau worked closely with the Hopland Commissioned Police and Hopland Band of Pomo Indians' Tribal Gaming Agency during the investigation, which they say revealed that Pickron and her co-conspirators had allegedly overridden jackpot slot machines to cheat the casino.
On June 26, Pickron and her seven co-conspirators were sent notices to appear in Mendocino County Court for embezzling the funds, the agency reported.
A month later, on July 26 four suspects – whose names were not immediately available late Tuesday – turned themselves in as ordered. However, the Bureau of Gambling Control reported that Pickron and three of the other suspects failed to appear in court. Based on their failure to appear, felony arrest warrants were issued.
On Aug. 19, Bureau of Gambling Control agents, Hopland Commissioned Police and Ukiah Police detectives located and arrested Pickron, along with fellow Ukiah residents John Steven Glass Jr., 38, and Alex Ralph Martin, 47, and booked them for embezzlement and grand theft.
Bail for all three arrestees was set at $15,000, according to Mendocino County Jail records. Glass also was charged with violating probation.
One suspect is still outstanding, although officials did not release that person's name.
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Employers should also review their heat illness prevention programs and remind employees of the importance of protecting themselves.
“Though this summer has been unusually mild, temperatures in many areas of the state are predicted to rise over 100 degrees this week, and everyone should take proper precautions to avoid heat-related illness,” said Schwarzenegger. “With just a few simple steps, such as drinking an adequate amount of water, staying indoors during the hottest times of the day and pacing yourself when outside, we can all keep cool and safely enjoy the outdoors during hot weather.”
The National Weather Service has forecast above-normal temperatures affecting the state through Thursday, with the highest temperatures expected in the Central and Southern California valleys on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“Though we’ve had lower temperatures recently, we cannot forget that it is summer in California and we must be prepared for hot weather,” said California Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA) Secretary Matthew Bettenhausen. “Taking time to review and update family emergency plans, restock emergency supply kits and drinking water supplies, learn first aid and CPR, are ways we can all reduce our risk and create a cooler environment to beat the heat.”
Because drinking fluids is essential to avoiding heat exhaustion, heat stroke and other heat-related illnesses, officials strongly suggested that Californians include plenty of drinking water in their emergency supply kits.
Officials also recommend Californians consider the needs of family members and neighbors, who are elderly, have physical impairments and other unique needs.
“Infants, small children, the elderly, people with illnesses and those who are taking certain medications could be at additional risk to heat-related illnesses,” noted California Department of Public Health Director Dr. Mark Horton. “If it hasn’t been done yet, now is the time to obtain extra medications and food, and to arrange for someone to check on those who are living alone or have special needs.”
Employers are also asked to take appropriate precautions.
The Division of Occupational Safety and Health investigations show that in 30 percent of cases in which suspected heat illness occurred, the employer did not have a heat illness prevention program. Heat illness is preventable. Preventing heat illness protects your workers and is good business. Health and safety problems and other health problems like heart attacks and falls may result from heat illness at the workplace.
In preparation for this week’s temperature increase, the following actions have been taken:
Cal EMA continues to conduct daily weather conference calls with the National Weather Service, state agencies, local responding agencies and private partners to coordinate response efforts;
State and local agencies continue monitoring the weather situation and providing updated information to employers and the public.
For summer heat resources, please visit Cal EMA at www.calema.ca.gov.
Additional health tips can be found on the California Department of Public Health Web site at www.cdph.ca.gov.
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