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News

New witness statements feature prominently in request to delay Dinius trial

LAKEPORT – On Tuesday, the prosecution and defense will present arguments over whether or not to delay a Carmichael man's trial for a fatal 2006 sailboat crash, and at the heart of those arguments are new witness statements that could prove crucial to the case's outcome.


The District Attorney's Office is seeking to delay the trial date for 40-year-old Bismarck Dinius, who is being tried for vehicular manslaughter with a boat and boating under the influence.


At issue Tuesday will be new witness statements about the activities of an off-duty sheriff's deputy in the hours before the crash. Also, a sheriff's deputy has come forward to corroborate the statements of a former sheriff's sergeant who said he was ordered not to give a breathalyzer test at the scene


Dinius was at the tiller of the Beats Workin' II – owned by Willows resident Mark Weber – on April 29, 2006, when the boat was hit by a power boat driven by Russell Perdock, an off-duty chief deputy with the Lake County Sheriff's Office.


Weber's fiancée, Lynn Thornton, 51, was mortally injured in the crash and died a few days later.


Perdock was not charged in the case after a blood test showed no alcohol was in his system; Dinius, who had a blood alcohol level of .12, was charged with boating under the influence and vehicular manslaughter, with the latter charge arising largely because he is accused of piloting the sailboat without lights.


However, new witness statements have placed Perdock at Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa, where he was seen drinking and walking around some of the resort's bars.


Dinius' trial is scheduled to begin Tuesday morning, but visiting Judge J. Michael Byrne has scheduled a hearing on Deputy District Attorney John Langan's request to reschedule the trial.


Langan stated in court documents released last week that he needed additional time to investigate new information that he received during the last week in April. Some of that new information related to Perdock's whereabouts in the hours before the crash.


The discovery statements by witnesses were released in a notice of objection to the continuance Langan is seeking. That objection was filed by Victor Haltom, Dinius' defense attorney, who said he's ready to proceed to trial.


In his argument to the court, Haltom said the evidence “seriously damages the prosecution's case,” adding that “Perdock's recklessness was the proximate cause of Lynn Thornton's death, and his colleagues in local law enforcement have actively shielded his culpability.”


He added, “Evidence that Mr. Perdock was drinking alcohol shortly before the accident and that law enforcement officials did not subject him to prompt blood-alcohol level test (or breath-alcohol level test) serves only to bolster the defense position.”


While Haltom says that the new evidence justifies exploring prosecution of Perdock and his “enablers” for charges including perjury and obstruction of justice, he said it doesn't justify delaying the trial itself, because he said the prosecution has had more than enough time to examine the case, which began three years ago last month.


He then includes 27 pages of district attorney's investigation reports, submitted to the defense through discovery, that include new interviews with Perdock and several witnesses, some of whom place him at Konocti Harbor in the hours before the crash.


Witness statements give different picture


Perdock told Lake County News last Friday that he denied all of that new information, and insisted he was not on the Konocti Harbor grounds the day of the crash.


He made similar statements to district attorney's investigators on May 7. During that interview, he provided a detailed time line of his activities on April 29, 2006, which he created as a way of venting his frustration over the case, which he said Sheriff Rod Mitchell won't let him talk to anyone about.


When asked if he knew some of the people who claimed to have seen him at Konocti Harbor – including John Yashiki-Jansen, who stated he saw Perdock at Konocti Harbor's outside bar with a drink in his hand – Perdock denied knowing them and said they were lying about him.


In his statements to district attorney's investigators, Yashiki-Jansen said he knows Perdock through friends, and that the men raced their boats out on the lake between about 7:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. that night, at the time Perdock said he was still at home. Yashiki-Jansen also successfully pointed out Perdock in a photo lineup.


Richard Jones, a security supervisor at the resort, claimed to have seen Perdock that night, but did not see him drinking. He also stated that he could not be positive that he had seen Perdock there the same night as the crash, and that it may have been the night before. When presented with the photo lineup, Jones did not pick Perdock's picture.


Other witnesses investigators interviewed included Dennis Olson, currently in the Lake County Jail, who was arrested last July after he allegedly hit a young child with his pickup and fled the scene, as Lake County News has reported.


Olson, who was working as a security guard at the resort at the time of the crash, picked Perdock successfully in the photo lineup. He stated to investigators that he told two sheriff's deputies on the night of the crash that he saw Perdock at the resort that night sometime after 6 p.m. but before the collision, and that he saw him leave around 9 p.m.


That night, Olson – who said he has known Perdock for about five years – stated that he didn't see Perdock drinking.


Joseph Gliebe, Konocti Harbor's director of security, also told investigators he saw Perdock at the resort, although he was not 100 percent sure that it was the night of the crash. Gliebe further stated that he didn't see Perdock drinking, and he picked him out of the photo lineup.


Myra Martinelli, who worked at Konocti Harbor at the time of the crash as a part-time security officer, said she heard Olson and Gliebe talking the night of the crash, and that one of the men said they hoped Perdock wasn't drunk or hadn't drank too much prior to the crash.


New evidence supports former sheriff's sergeant


Langan also has made a Pitchess motion – a specific motion used to acquire peace officer records – to secure personnel records of former sheriff's Sgt. James Beland, which will be argued Tuesday.


Beland has come forward to state that he was ordered not to administer a breathalyzer test to Perdock at the scene, which contradicts testimony he gave last year at Dinius' preliminary hearing.


Haltom's objection filing includes an investigative report district attorney's investigators completed following an interview with another former sheriff's sergeant, Deputy Mike Morshed, who stated that he ordered Beland not to give the test breathalyzer test to Perdock.


Morshed told investigators that he didn't observe or smell alcohol on Perdock. He stated that he didn't want the preliminary alcohol screening (PAS) – or breathalyzer – used on Perdock because it “had not been calibrated for more than a year and would not be admissable in court and he felt blood would be much more accurate.”


Beland had said in an internal affairs investigation interview that Sgt. Dennis Ostini had told him not to administer the test, as Lake County News has reported.


In the interview with investigators, Morshed said he helped Boat Patrol Deputy Lloyd Wells tow the damaged sailboat later on the night of the crash. He said the area had a lot of light on the water.


“Deputy Morshed said he thought it strange because Russell Perdock had said it was so dark. Deputy Morshed said he thought it may have more light near the shore than out further in the water,” the report states.


Morshed also faxed investigators a letter identifying people who claimed to have seen Perdock drinking prior to the boat crash.


Tuesday's hearing begins at 9 a.m. in Lake County Superior Court in Lakeport.


E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Lucerne student finishes fifth in state elementary school spelling bee

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Lucerne Elementary student Arthur Wilkie, 11, at the California State Elementary Spelling Championship on Saturday, May 16, 2009. Wilkie finished fifth in the competition. Courtesy photo.

 

 

 

LUCERNE – An 11-year-old Lucerne student finished fifth in the California State Elementary Spelling Championship.


Lucerne Elementary sixth grader Arthur Wilkie was among 60 of the state's top spellers from 34 counties who showed off their spelling skills at the spelling bee, held Saturday at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park.


Wilkie lasted through seven of the 20 rounds in the annual event, going out on the word “soiree.” He won a trophy and a $100 US savings bond.


Quinn Hensley, an 11-year-old sixth-grader from Washington Elementary School in Santa Barbara County, was the top speller this year.


Hensley won the top prize by correctly spelling “ichthyologist,” then “sacrosanct.” For his efforts he received a trophy and a $1,000 U.S Savings Bond, and his school will receive a wall clock commemorating his achievement.


“He got some really hard words,” Wilkie said of Hensley.


Other top finishers and their prizes included second place winner, Savitri Asokan, 10, a fifth grader from Excelsior School in Placer County, trophy and a $500 U.S. savings bond; third place winner, Carina Kan, 11, a sixth grader from Los Angeles County’s Palos Verdes Intermediate School, trophy and a $250 U.S. savings bond; fourth place winner, Elijah Armstrong, 11, a fifth grader from Marin County’s Manor Elementary School, trophy and a $100 U.S. savings bond; and in sixth place, Ameet Braganza, 12, a sixth-grader from Santa Barbara County’s Monte Vista Elementary School, trophy and a $100 U.S. savings bond.


Wilkie said the spelling bee lasted close to three hours, but was “really fun.”


His fifth-place finish was a substantial improvement over his performance at the state elementary spelling bee last year, when he placed 36th.


He prepared for this year's event by practicing with a teacher and a another student, and he also had support from his class.


Wilkie said he uses Webster's Third International Unabridged Dictionary; a few years ago he spent the summer selling candy to raise the $100 necessary to buy the book.


This will be his last year in the elementary spelling bee. Next year, he'll be aiming for the junior high event, which allows students to write their answers but limits them to 15 seconds. Wilkie said the elementary spelling bee allows students a reasonable amount of time to come up with their answer, which they must spell out loud.

 

 

 

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Mark Rasmussen, Napa area captain of the California Highway Patrol, presents 11-year-old Arthur Wilkie of Lucerne with his fifth place award at the California State Elementary Spelling Championship on Saturday, May 16, 2009. Courtesy photo.
 

 

 


The rest of the field of spellers and their placement is listed below.


7. Miranda Velarde, 11, sixth grade, Jackson Street Elementary School, Siskiyou County

8. Emily Quinn, 12, sixth grade, Rio Del Mar Elementary School, Santa Cruz County

9. Quinn Camara, 12, fifth grade, Pioneer Middle School, Kings County

10. Jessica Brown, 11, sixth grade, San Jose Middle School, Marin County

11. Roopkiran Minhas, 11, sixth grade, Vacaville Christian School, Solano County

12. Leandra Evans, 11, sixth grade, Claudia Landeen School, San Joaquin County

13. Samantha Riviere, 9, sixth grade, Sutter Creek Elementary School, Amador County

14. Glenna Wardlaw, 11, fifth grade, Mammoth Elementary School, Mono County

15. Keo Jude Sarno, 11, sixth grade, Rolling Hills Elementary School, Solano County

16. Zachary Mah, 12, sixth grade, Richmond Elementary School, Lassen County

17. Katie Fisher, 11, sixth grade, Scotia School, Humboldt County

18. Matthew Spinetta, 11, sixth grade, Plymouth Elementary School, Amador County

19. Katie Doonan, 11, fifth grade, Pine Street School, Inyo County

20. Zane Harper, 10, fourth grade, C.O.R.E. Butte Charter, Butte County

21. Ashley Cain, 11, sixth grade, McCloud Elementary School, Siskiyou County

22. Karl Keck, 11, fifth grade, Anthony Chabot Elementary School, Alameda County

23. Danielle Zuppan, 10, fifth grade, Capay Elementary School, Glenn County

24. Nadia Tomaszewski, 11, sixth grade, Live Oak Charter School, Sonoma County

25. Yori Mai-Isa Hook, 11, sixth grade, Weaverville Elementary School, Trinity County

26. Martin Thompson, 11, fifth grade, Lee Vining Elementary School, Mono County

27. Jessica Burgess, 11, fifth grade, Clear Creek Elementary School, Nevada County

28. Andrew Miller, 11, fifth grade, Ocean Grove Charter School, Santa Cruz County

29. Jillian Strom, 11, sixth grade, Berrendos Middle School, Tehama County

30. Jade Holder, 11, sixth grade, Hooker Oak Elementary School, Butte County

31. Catherine Velardez, 12, sixth grade, Will Rogers Middle School, Los Angeles County

32. Gobind Puniani, 10, fifth grade, Valley Oak Elementary School, Fresno County

33. Hannah Cutter, 10, fourth grade, Arbuckle Elementary School, Colusa County

34. Gage Osborne, 11, fifth grade, Sonoma Charter School, Sonoma County

35. Alexander Chew, 11, sixth grade, Ridgeview School, Placer County

36. Lilyana DeArte, 10, fifth grade, Lincoln Elementary School, Sutter County

37. Ava Gruener, 10, fifth grade, Murwood Elementary School, Contra Costa County

38. Mashal Chhotani, 11, sixth grade, George Kelly Elementary School, San Joaquin County

39. Darius Rucker-McCarron, 10, fifth grade, Mary Covillaud Elementary School, Yuba County

40. Marsha Noeline, 11, sixth grade, Westside Elementary School, Merced County

41. Sarah Marsh, 10, fifth grade, Arbuckle Elementary School, Colusa County

42. Kathryn Moore, 12, sixth grade, Quail Lake Environmental Charter School, Fresno County

43. Zhang Vang, 10, fifth grade, Linda Elementary School, Yuba County

44. Zoe Tacderas, 11, sixth grade, Holy Rosary School, Contra Costa County

45. Kayleen Kemp, 12, sixth grade, Toddy Thomas Elementary School, Humboldt County

46. Jessica Khalili, 11, sixth grade, Susan B. Anthony Elementary School, Riverside County

47. Joe Williams, 10, fifth grade, Millville Elementary School, Shasta County

48. Brawley Parker, 10, fourth grade, Oak Manor Elementary School, Mendocino County

49. Christian Kontaxis, 9, fourth grade, St. Margaret’s Episcopal School, Riverside County

50. Glenn Duncan, 11, sixth grade, Pine Grove Elementary School, Del Norte County

51. Xiao Jin Jackson, 11, fifth grade, Mendocino K-8 School, Mendocino County

52. Simran Dulai, 11, fifth grade, Mark Twain Elementary School, Kings County

53. Hennessy McKenna, 12, sixth grade, Pacheco Elementary School, Shasta County

54. Emalee Kourani, 11, sixth grade, Lassen View School, Tehama County

55. Mahima Krishnamoorthi, 10, fifth grade, Lakewood Elementary School, Stanislaus County

56. Benjamin Harper, 11, fifth grade, Weaverville Elementary School, Trinity County

57. Noah Parham, 11, sixth grade, Willows Intermediate School, Glenn County

58. Bowoo Lee, 9, fourth grade, Fremont Open Plan School, Stanislaus County

59. Andrew Pearson, 9, fourth grade, Accelerated Achievement Academy at Calaveras, San Benito County

60. T.J. Bangle, 10, fifth grade, Charleston Elementary School, Merced County.


Students who did not attend were Emma Lauterbach, 10, fifth grade, Pleasant Valley Elementary School, Nevada County; and Emily Deluna, 12, sixth grade, Alliance Academy, Alameda County.


E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Clearlake man injured in Sunday crash

LUCERNE – A Clearlake man is recovering after a Sunday vehicle crash sent him to the hospital.


Milton Grinstead, 65, of Clearlake suffered head trauma in the single-vehicle rollover crash, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Steve Tanguay.


Tanguay said the crash occurred at 2:22 p.m. Sunday.


He said that Grinstead was driving his 1991 Ford Explorer eastbound on Highway 20 west of Bruner Drive when, for an unknown reason, he lost control of the vehicle.


The Explorer went off the roadway, where the front of the vehicle hit a boulder and subsequently rolled over, Tanguay said.


REACH Air Ambulance, which landed at Lucerne Elementary School, transported Grinstead to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with head trauma, according to Tanguay.


Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital spokesperson Katy Hillenmeyer said Monday that Grinstead was in “good” condition.


Hillenmeyer said Grinstead remained in the hospital Monday afternoon.


Tanguay said CHP Officer Brendan Bach is investigating the collision.


E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

3.4 quake reported near The Geysers

THE GEYSERS – The Geysers area experienced a minor earthquake early Monday morning.


The US Geological Survey reported that the quake, measuring 3.4 on the Richter scale, occurred at 4:40 a.m.


The quake was centered two miles north northwest of The Geysers, five miles west southwest of Cobb and seven miles west northwest of Anderson Springs. The US Geological Survey showed that it occurred at a depth of 1.3 miles.


Residents from as far away as Hayward, Murphys and Redding reported feeling the quake.


The last quake of note was a 3.7-magnitude temblor that occurred in The Geysers area on April 17, as Lake County News has reported.


E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Lepp sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for marijuana case

THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED.


UPPER LAKE – A local man known for his medical marijuana activism has been sentenced to a 10-year federal prison sentence.


Charles “Eddy” Lepp, 56, was sentenced Monday morning by Judge Marilyn Hall Patel to two 10-year sentences, which will run concurrently, according to spokesman Jack Gillund of the US Attorney's Office. Patel said the sentences were the mandatory minimum required by law.


“It's tragic,” said Lepp's attorney, Michael Hinckley.


Last September a federal jury convicted Lepp of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and cultivation of more than 1,000 marijuana plants, as Lake County News has reported.


The jury found that Lepp had grown 24,784 marijuana plants on his 20-acre property in Upper Lake, which is adjacent to Highway 20. He was indicted in 2004 in the case, which resulted from an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the sheriff's offices of Lake and Sonoma counties.


During his hour-long hearing, Lepp also was sentenced to five years of supervised release once his sentence ends.


Hinckley said that as she imposed the sentence, Patel herself stated that she believed the minimum sentence was “excessive.”


“It's way, way, way too much time,” Hinckley said.


Lepp was sentenced on the same day as the US Supreme Court declined to hear San Diego County v. San Diego NORML et al., according to California NORML. By not hearing the case, an appeals court ruling that holds that California law trumps federal law over medical marijuana will remain in place.


Patel commented during sentencing that Lepp seemed proud of what he was doing. Hinckley said Lepp did testify in the trial about being proud of the fields where the marijuana was grown, and he encouraged people to take advantage of the opportunity to grow there.


“I've never seen a man work harder to get time in prison than Mr. Lepp,” federal prosecutor David Hall is reported to have remarked during the sentencing.


Lepp must surrender himself to federal authorities on July 6.


He told Lake County News in a weekend interview, “At my time in life if all I get sentenced to is a 10-year minimum, that's a friggin' life sentence.”


Lepp was the first person in California to be acquitted in a Proposition 215 prosecution in 1996, as Lake County News has reported.


On Monday, Lepp pointed to other medical marijuana growers who have gotten deals with the government for far lesser prison terms. “I got 10 years and everybody else is getting virtually nothing.”


Hinckley said he's filing an appeal of both the sentence and the original conviction.


He said they had hoped to get underneath the mandatory minimum 10-year sentence through a “safety valve” provision, which has five elements that must be met.


Hinckley said the government argued that Lepp didn't meet two of the requirements. Those include being the leader or organizer of a criminal activity. “Our position was, that Eddy is the leader of the church,” said Hinckley. “The 'criminal activity' that they're talking about is the growing of the marijuana in the fields.”


The other requirement the government alleged Lepp didn't qualify for was that he didn't meet with the government and truthfully speak about the offense for which he's been convicted.


Hall had alleged that Lepp lied on the stand when he maintained he had not been active in running the marijuana garden, which was part of his Rastafarian religious ministry.


“He would need to admit he lied at trial,” said Hinckley.


Lepp said he met with Hall several weeks ago and was told he would need to say he lied on the stand in order to qualify for the government to drop the minimum sentence. “I went ballistic,” Lepp said.


He maintained that he had 200 volunteers that ran the garden. “I never had anything to do with it,” he said, noting that Hall accused him of being a criminal mastermind.


Lepp had been looking at a maximum sentence of life in prison on both counts, plus a $4 million fine.


“We asked that no fine be ordered because of his ability to pay,” said Hinckley.


The fine was waived, but a forfeiture action against the fields where the marijuana was being grown is still working its way through the courts, Lepp said.


An investigation conducted by the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office last week resulted in Lepp's home being raided by officials, who detained him and four other people, while they searched the house and took hundreds of pictures. Lepp said no search warrant was issued and no one was arrested after being handcuffed and held.


Lepp alleges that the sheriff's deputies came to his home by mistake, but there were concerns that there was going to be an attempt to tie that case to his current situation.


Rachel Cohen, Lepp's personal assistant said the courtroom was filled for the hour-long sentencing, with people spilling out into the hallway.


She said people were carrying signs and picketing at the courthouse, with many people showing support for Lepp. Cohen said they also were passing out “Free Eddy Lepp” buttons.


Lepp said now that he has been sentenced, he has many friends and supporters who are working to get him a topnotch appellate lawyer.


While he prepares to enter prison, Lepp said he's concerned about his daughter, who has had benign polyps found on her thyroid. It's especially worrying because her mother and Lepp's late wife, Linda Senti, died from thyroid cancer that began with polyps being discovered in the same area.


“I'm just scared to death, she's barely in her 30s,” said Lepp.


He has remarried since Senti's death. His new wife, Linda, will remain on the Upper Lake property, where no medical marijuana garden has been grown since 2004, said Lepp.


As to his ability to use medical marijuana in prison for his own health issues, Lepp said Patel told him in court that she doesn't know if he'll be able to have access to the drug.


He said it's hard to know what will happen in the next six weeks, noting there have been rumors of pardons being possible.


Hinckley said there seems to be a move in the country toward greater acceptance of medical marijuana, something he suggests Lepp may have helped facilitate.


“As of today, it's not happening soon enough to help him,” Hinckley said.


E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Annual Catfish Derby reels in records

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Stephen Cassel of Oroville was all smiles on Sunday, May 17, 2009, as he showed off his winning 28.10-pound catfish, which made him the adult winner of the 26th annual Catfish Derby. The catfish later was released back into Clear Lake. Courtesy photo.




CLEARLAKE OAKS – Clearlake Oaks' annual Catfish Derby marked 2009 with the best turnout in its history, with great weather and plenty of big fish.


The Clearlake Oaks/Glenhaven Business Association sponsors the event – billed as the largest catfish derby west of the Mississippi. It began on noon on Friday and ran through noon on Sunday.

 

Derby volunteers and participants agreed this year was the best derby ever, said Dennis Locke, one of the group of hardy derby volunteers.


There were 510 adult entries and 119 kids entries, which are both derby records by a “substantial” margin, Locke said.


Fifty-nine percent of this year's 629 entries came from outside of Lake County – including Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, Idaho and Hawaii.


The derby weighed 143 fish – 113 caught by adults, 30 caught by children – totaling more than 1,700 pounds this year, said Gail Jonas, who leads the event, which raises money each year for Clearlake Oaks' annual July 4 fireworks display.


“It's becoming more of a family event,” said Jonas, noting that whole families come and enter in the derby, which began Friday and ended Sunday.


Stephen Cassel of Oroville was this year's adult derby winner. He caught a 28.10-pound catfish just after 8 a.m. Sunday to capture the title and take home a new boat, motor and trailer.


Eight-year-old Dylan Armstrong of Nice was the winner of the kids' derby, catching an 18.40-pound catfish at 8:45 p.m. Friday and winning a new quad all-terrain vehicle.

 

 

 

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Eight-year-old Dylan Armstrong of Nice caught an 18.40-pound catfish on Friday, May 15, 2009, and won the kids' derby. His prize was a new quad all-terrain vehicle. Courtesy photo.
 

 

 


The catfish that Cassel and Armstrong caught to win their respective divisions were released back into Clear Lake, according to organizers.


Locke said more than $3,000 cash was awarded to other adult participants and $75 to kids. In addition, community members donated many raffle prizes for those entering the derby, including several fish rods and reels a derby participant donated.


Donations also were made for the awards for the youngest child participating – 4 years old – and for the child catching the smallest fish, which was 3.24 pounds.


Locke said more than 75 volunteers worked four straight days, some as long as 16 hours each day, to make the derby a success. This year's event also featured the inaugural Catfish Derby Cook-Off.


The full derby results are published below.


2009 Catfish Derby adult rankings


1. Stephen Cassel, Oroville, 28.10 pounds, caught 8:04 a.m. Sunday

2. Edward Rainey, Clearlake Oaks, 27.13 pounds, caught 9:43 a.m. Sunday

3. Tom Wheeler, Sutter, 21.11 pounds, caught 8:02 a.m. Saturday

4. Kevin Heins, Grants Pass, Ore., 21.07 pounds, caught 7:18 a.m. Saturday

5. David Fernandes, Clearlake, 19.59 pounds, caught 3:02 p.m. Saturday

6. Colleen Adair, Clearlake, 19.13 pounds, 7:02 a.m. Sunday

7. Troy Morgan, Loch Lomond, 19.13 pounds, caught 8:03 a.m Sunday

8. Matthew Ross, Clearlake, 19.07 pounds, caught 9:59 a.m. Sunday

9. C. Ferguson, Riverside, 19.01 pounds, caught 9:09 a.m. Saturday

10. Jeff Griffith, Woodland, 18.78 pounds, caught 11:31 a.m. Sunday

11. Steve Johnson, Oceanside, 18.70 pounds, caught 6:12 p.m. Saturday

12. Gary Simpson Sr., Yuba City, 18.63 pounds, caught 10:36 a.m. Sunday

13. Jorge Curiel, Vallejo, 18.35 pounds, caught 3:02 p.m. Saturday

14. Jason Costello, Lower Lake, 18.24 pounds, caught 11:01 p.m. Friday

15. Zach Medeiros, Yuba City, 18.10 pounds, caught 7:08 p.m. Friday

16. Lee Sayasombath, Santa Rosa, 18.10 pounds, caught 7:18 a.m. Saturday

17. John Handcock, Roseville, 18.06 pounds, caught 3:02 p.m. Saturday

18. Wade Stafford, Clearlake, 17.69 pounds, caught 10:37 a.m. Sunday

19. Omar Mandujano Jr., Healdsburg, 17.68 pounds, caught 12:01 p.m. Saturday

20. Jonathan Ganey, Garberville, 17.53 pounds, caught 9:39 a.m. Sunday

21. Joshua Lane, Hood River, Ore., 17.31 pounds, caught 10:39 p.m. Friday


2009 Catfish Derby children's rankings


1. Dylan Armstrong, Nice, 18.40 pounds, caught 8:45 p.m. Friday

2. Renato Mandujano, Healdsburg, 17.29 pounds, caught 1:37 p.m. Friday

3. Mical Wood, Clearlake, 16.53 pounds, caught 11:01 a.m. Sunday

4. Jerry Nelson, Clearlake, 16.24 pounds, caught 7:25 a.m. Sunday

5. Dakota McWethy, Lucerne, 15.02 pounds, caught 9:54 a.m. Saturday

6. TJ McDonnell, Kelseyville, 13.09 pounds, caught 7:12 a.m. Sunday

7. Robert Costello, Lower Lake, 12.58 pounds, caught 5:23 p.m. Friday

8. Guy Boyd Jr., Clearlake, 12.51 pounds, caught 8:24 a.m. Saturday

9. Georgia Schmit, Upper Lake, 12.13 pounds, caught 8:27 a.m. Sunday

10. Kasey Brown, Lower Lake, 11.50 pounds, caught 4:11 p.m. Saturday


Fish statistics


Total fish caught (143): Friday, 29; Saturday, 77; Sunday, 37

Total fish released (109): Friday, 25; Saturday, 48; Sunday, 36

Total fish kept (34): Friday, 4; Saturday, 29; Sunday, 1

Total weight: Friday, 335.55 pounds; Saturday, 908.09 pounds; Sunday, 518.58 pounds

Total fish poundage for the derby: 1,762.22

Largest fish for each day of the derby: Friday, 18.40 pounds (caught by Dylan Armstrong, Nice, winner of children's division); Saturday, 21.11 pounds (caught by Tom Wheeler of Sutter, No. 3 in adult division); Sunday, 28.10 pounds (caught by Stephen Cassel of Oroville, adult derby winner).


E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

 

 

 

 

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Gail Jonas presents Oroville resident Stephen Cassel with his new boat, motor and trailer. Cassel won the adult division in the 26th annual Catfish Derby in Clearlake Oaks. Courtesy photo.
 

 

 

 

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Kids' division winner Dylan Armstrong of Nice shows off his 18.40 pound catfish. Courtesy photo.
 

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Community

  • Lake County Wine Alliance offers sponsor update; beneficiary applications open 

  • Mendocino National Forest announces seasonal hiring for upcoming field season

Public Safety

  • Lakeport Police logs: Thursday, Jan. 15

  • Lakeport Police logs: Wednesday, Jan. 14

Education

  • Woodland Community College receives maximum eight-year reaffirmation of accreditation from ACCJC

  • SNHU announces Fall 2025 President's List

Health

  • California ranks 24th in America’s Health Rankings Annual Report from United Health Foundation

  • Healthy blood donors especially vital during active flu season

Business

  • Two Lake County Mediacom employees earn company’s top service awards

  • Redwood Credit Union launches holiday gift and porch-to-pantry food drives

Obituaries

  • Rufino ‘Ray’ Pato

  • Patty Lee Smith

Opinion & Letters

  • The benefits of music for students

  • How to ease the burden of high electric bills

Veterans

  • CalVet and CSU Long Beach team up to improve data collection related to veteran suicides

  • A ‘Big Step Forward’ for Gulf War Veterans

Recreation

  • Wet weather trail closure in effect on Upper Lake Ranger District

  • Mendocino National Forest seeking public input on OHV grant applications

  • State Parks announces 2026 Anderson Marsh nature walk schedule 

  • BLM lifts seasonal fire restrictions in central California

Religion

  • Kelseyville Presbyterian to host Ash Wednesday service and Lenten dinner Feb. 18

  • Kelseyville Presbyterian Church to hold ‘Longest Night’ service Dec. 21

Arts & Life

  • Auditions announced for original musical ‘Even In Shadow’ set for March 21 and 28

  • ‘The Rip’ action heist; ‘Steal’ grounded in a crime thriller

Government & Politics

  • Lake County Democrats issue endorsements in local races for the June California Primary

  • County negotiates money-saving power purchase agreement

Legals

  • March 3 hearing on ordinance amending code for commercial cannabis uses

  • Feb. 12 public hearing on resolution to establish standards for agricultural roads

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