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The protest, scheduled to being at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, will be held at the casino's entrance on Highway 20, between Nice and Upper Lake.
Community members of all ethnic backgrounds are invited to the event, which the organizers says is meant to highlight the need for civil and human rights protections for American Indians.
Last month, the Robinson Rancheria Citizens Business Council voted to disenroll several dozen tribal members, as Lake County News has reported. At least 60 people had been up for disenrollment, although not all of those individuals lost their membership.
Tribal Chair Tracey Avila previously told Lake County News that the people whose names were removed from the tribe's membership rolls had been in question for some time, and that the council was conducting a housekeeping effort to finally have those names removed.
Among those organizing the protest on behalf of disenrolled families are EJ Crandell, whose election as tribal chair last summer was decertified by the tribe's election committee, and Mark and Carla Maslin.
Carla Maslin's entire 76-member family was disenrolled from the Redding Rancheria in 2004. Her family, along with other disenrolled tribal members from around the state, founded the American Indian Rights and Resources Organization – AIRRO for short – of which Maslin is board chair.
The protest organizers issued a statement this week saying that the tribal council has “created an atmosphere that oppresses their people from expressing opposing viewpoints, disregarded tribal traditions and laws to deny members their tribal identity and inherent rights.”
Those up for disenrollment already have reportedly lost regular payments tribal members are entitled to from its casino, as well as access services such as health care and education.
The Quitiquit family, with about three dozen members who were notified they are being disenrolled, reported that several members also recently were terminated from jobs with the tribe in recent weeks following the disenrollment action.
Avila said previously that the tribe only dismissed people from jobs for performance-related issues.
The tribal council's disenrollment decision has to be approved by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which has jurisdiction over the matter because of clauses in the tribe's constitution.
Those who were notified of their disenrollment have appealed the decision to the bureau, which is reportedly still in the process of arriving at a decision.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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Dr. Kelly A. Arthur, 41, of Santa Rosa was pulled over by California Highway Patrol Officer Rob Hearn at approximately 5:20 p.m. Tuesday at Highway 29 and Armstrong Drive in Middletown, according to CHP Officer Josh Dye.
Arthur, who was traveling with a male companion, allegedly had driven her 2001 Mercedes through a crosswalk and nearly hit a pedestrian, which led to Hearn's stop, Dye said.
During the stop Hearn detected the odor of alcohol and conducted a field sobriety test on Arthur, arresting her shortly afterward for driving under the influence, said Dye. It's also alleged that Arthur had a small amount of marijuana in her possession.
Arthur was booked into the Lake County Jail shortly before 9 p.m. Tuesday on felony charges of possession of narcotics, and misdemeanor DUI and use of a controlled substance.
An additional felony charge of bringing drugs into the jail was added after Hearn found her in possession of Vicodin without a prescription, Dye said.
Bail for all charges totaled $28,000, according to jail booking records.
Capt. James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office said Arthur bailed out of jail just before 3 a.m. Wednesday.
Arthur was in court on Tuesday morning to give testimony in the murder trial of David Garlow Deason, 69, who is accused of shooting his girlfriend, 48-year-old Marie Parlet, to death in December of 2004.
Deason previously was convicted of the murder, but that conviction was overturned by an appellate court in December of 2007, as Lake County News has reported.
Arthur is a staff pathologist for the Fairfield-based Forensic Medical Group Inc., which performs autopsies for several Northern California counties, and serves Lake on an “as needed” basis, according to the company's Web site. The company provides autopsies and autopsies for the Kaiser system, and also provides medicolegal consulting for criminal and civil court cases.
Lake County News was unable to contact the company for comment before close of business Wednesday, but left messages for company principals.
Deputy District Attorney John Langan said Arthur gave testimony in the Deason case beginning at 9 a.m. on Tuesday and ending around 11 a.m.
Langan said Arthur had preformed the autopsy on Parlet in 2004. Because this is a retrial, Arthur essentially was repeating previous testimony, not coming to new conclusions, said Langan. He didn't indicate any ramifications for the Deason case arising from Arthur's arrest.
While Arthur is only facing charges at this point, the possible impact of the situation on her credibility as a professional witness is a concern for local attorneys.
Stephen Carter heads Lake Legal Defense Services, which holds the Lake County public defender's contract. He said Arthur regularly testifies in local criminal trials.
If Arthur were to be convicted, particularly of the felony charges, Carter said it likely wouldn't cause concerns for past testimony, but it could become a credibility issue going forward.
“It might be something that the prosecution then has to disclose for future cases,” he said.
The situation also could create a conflict of interest for local authorities, faced with prosecuting an individual who has been an important witness in numerous cases, he said. In that situation, the California Attorney General's Office could be called in to handle the case.
Arthur's booking sheet says she is due in court on the charges in March.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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Abram Louis Sassenberg, 27, was arrested following the chase, which ended about 10 miles inside the Lake County border, according to CHP Officer John Waggoner of the Williams area CHP office. Also arrested was a passenger in the vehicle, 29-year-old Joshua George Pine if Diamond Springs.
Waggoner said a CHP officer doing speed enforcement on I-5 near Williams saw Sassenberg's 1990 Plymouth Acclaim at about 8 a.m. traveling northbound at speeds the officer clocked at close to 90 miles per hour using radar.
The officer turned around in the center divide to pursue Sassenberg, who allegedly exited I-5 onto the Highway 20 offramp, where he ran a stop sign and continued west toward Lake County, said Waggoner.
Despite the pursuing officer putting on his lights and siren, Sassenberg allegedly continued on, driving at speeds of more than 90 miles per hour. Waggoner said Sassenberg was driving wrecklessly, passing other vehicles on blind curves and double yellow lines.
Sassenberg had three passengers with him in the car – two females and Pine, said Waggoner. “All three passengers were actually trying to get the driver to stop.”
As the pursuit continued into Lake County, it became clear something was wrong with Sassenberg's Plymouth. Waggoner said the vehicle began smoking and losing oil, and appeared to have lost the function of its transmission.
About 10 miles inside of Lake County Sassenberg pulled off onto a dirt road that led to a private residence, said Waggoner.
Sassenberg stopped the car and allegedly fled on foot, said Waggoner. The three passengers stayed with the car.
As the Williams CHP officer pulled up where Sassenberg had stopped his car, an unmarked Lake County Sheriff's vehicle driven by a sheriff's detective pulled up behind him, helping detain the three subjects in the car without incident, said Waggoner.
Capt. Jim Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office and Officer Josh Dye of the Clear Lake CHP office confirmed that their agencies assisted with the arrests, but that the Williams CHP office was the lead agency.
As additional local CHP and sheriff's units arrived, they conducted a search for Sassenberg. Waggoner said Sassenberg was found lying in the ground, hiding in some bushes not far from his car.
The two women, Sassenberg and Pine were taken back to the Williams CHP office. Waggoner said the two women eventually were released.
Currently is on parole, Sassenberg has a Department of Corrections warrant for failure to appear, “which is the reason he fled,” said Waggoner.
Sassenberg was arrested on a parole hold and a charge of evading arrest. Pine also is on parole and was arrested on a parole hold, Waggoner said.
Both Sassenberg and Pine remain in the Colusa County Jail without bail, Waggoner said.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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California Highway Patrol Officer Adam Garcia reported that the collision occurred at 6:34 p.m. on Highway 29 at the intersection with Highway 175 in Middletown.
Garcia said that 55-year-old Steven Shafer of Lakeport was stopped in his 2005 Porsche SUV on northbound Highway 29 preparing for a left turn onto Highway 175.
Driving southbound on Highway 29 at Highway 175 was 36-year-old Ronnie Boyd Jr. of Clearlake in a 2003 Ford Ambulance owned by South Lake County Fire Protection District, said Garcia.
Roy Pike, 65, of Hidden Valley Lake was driving his 2001 Dodge Intrepid northbound on SR-29 approaching the rear of Shafer. Garcia said Pike was distracted and did not notice the Porsche stopped to his front until just prior to impact.
Pike swerved left but was unable to avoid a collision with the left rear of the Porsche, according to Garcia. Pike’s vehicle then struck the ambulance head on.
All parties involved sustained minor to moderate injuries, said Garcia.
Pike, Boyd and the ambulance passenger Mark Jones of St. Helena were taken to St. Helena Hospital Clearlake by South Lake Fire ambulance. Garcia said Shafer was not transported.
Traffic was detoured for approximately an hour until the scene could be cleared, Garcia reported.
Garcia said Officer Steve Curtis is handling the investigation.
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Eighteen-year-old Erik Michael McPherson of Clearlake will go on trial this month for the May 2008 stabbing death of Nicolai Chukreeff, also of Clearlake.
On Tuesday Judge Stephen Hedstrom heard a motion filed by Senior Deputy District Attorney John DeChaine, who requested that Hedstrom dismiss the case because DeChaine held that a key prosecution witness would not be available for the trial if it began this month.
DeChaine called the female witness “foundational” to his case against McPherson. He explained that the woman had allegedly driven McPherson to the Harbor Lite Motel in Clearlake. There, Chukreeff was stabbed once in the chest following an alleged confrontation.
The woman told investigators that she sat in her car waiting for 30 minutes when, according to DeChaine, McPherson allegedly came running back to the car with someone chasing after him – reportedly Chukreeff himself. McPherson is then alleged to have jumped into the car and demanded that the woman drive off.
She and McPherson then allegedly drove around during the middle of the night, with the woman telling officials that he was attempting to hide things in the bushes, DeChaine said. They they went back to her home, where McPherson allegedly put his clothes in garbage bags before disappearing into the night.
The issues with the woman's availability arose late last month, said DeChaine.
It was then that the woman allegedly stabbed herself in the chest with a knife in what appears to have been a suicide attempt.
Now living in Massachusetts, the woman was rushed to a Boston-area hospital where she underwent open heart surgery to repair an injury to her heart as well as a collapsed lung. She later required followup surgery due to internal bleeding.
During the more than two and a half hours of arguments on the motion Tuesday, DeChaine and defense attorney Stephen Carter argued whether the woman was recovered enough to take part in the trial.
DeChaine said not having her testimony could damage his case. He told the court that, if the case was dismissed, he intended to refile charges against McPherson the same day. That would allow the case to be presented at a later time when the woman was recovered enough to travel west.
Carter called DeChaine's motion a “fallback position” that he was using because he couldn't justify getting a continuance for the trial. He also called DeChaine's plan to seek a dismissal and to refile “a problem.”
McPherson, Carter argued, has a constitutional right to a speedy and fair trial. Dismissing the case and then refiling it over the witness issue would be a blatant attempt to undermine that right.
“That's the true basis of our objection to this motion to dismiss,” Carter explained.
The time to schedule McPherson's trial ran out on Tuesday, said Carter.
Carter said his private investigator found that the witness ahadn't decided whether or not she intended to cooperate with the prosecution and testify.
On Monday, the defense and prosecution had met with Hedstrom in chambers, during which time the judge had offered to get one of the victim's doctors on the phone to discuss her ability to travel. Carter said that DeChaine hadn't been interested in pursuing that discussion.
The defense's attempts to track down the witness also were meeting with limited success, said Carter. He and his law partner and wife, Angela Carter, had requested the woman's contact information from DeChaine but had yet to receive it. Stephen Carter also accused DeChaine of stalling his attempts to receive the witness' medical records.
“It's not OK what they're doing,” Carter said of the prosecution, who he suggested was trying to delay the trial because they didn't like how it was shaping up.
Carter said a dismissal or continuance could cause problems for the case at the appellate level, where he's found murder cases thrown out because of similar delaying actions.
DeChaine said his reasons for seeking the dismissal were simple: Based on the available information, the prosecution couldn't move forward with its case unless its key witness was available at the start of the trial.
He denied trying to stall the defense, which also had filed a motion it later dropped accusing him of prosecutorial misconduct, allegedly because he withheld information. “I haven't tried to hide the ball here.”
Carter, in rebutting DeChaine, accused him of “negligent and lame” attempts to get the court information on his dismissal motion.
He said DeChaine's real motive was to reevaluate the evidence, including the defense's allegations that another man is responsible for Chukreeff's murder.
“What the prosecution wants, your honor, is more time because they think they might lose,” said Carter.
Carter said the prosecution isn't supposed to seek dismissals in order to prolong a case. They're supposed to pursue “justice – always justice,” not just a conviction.
Hedstrom called a break until later in the afternoon and asked DeChaine to provide the Carters with medical information on the key witness.
Following the break, DeChaine reported he had the opportunity to speak with the witness' doctor, who submitted an electronic declaration testifying to the woman's current condition.
Looking at the declaration, Carter said the doctor had placed no travel restrictions on the woman, which meant she could come to give testimony right away, and wouldn't have to wait at least a month, as DeChaine originally had estimated.
DeChaine argued that Carter was minimizing what the doctor said, explaining that the woman's condition still needs to be stabilized. She's being treated for a pulmonary embolism – a blockage of a pulmonary artery – and needs to have her medications checked twice weekly, which DeChaine called “not insignificant.”
He maintained that he still wasn't comfortable with moving forward with the case due to his concerns about the womans' condition.
In making his ruling, Hedstrom said the reasons for the witness' possible availability issues are very serious. “This is no minor thing,” he said. “Apparently, she stabbed herself.”
A witness in the case could be subjected to serious stress, said Hedstrom, adding that she clearly has other issues.
However, Hedstrom felt it was reasonable for the woman to have one of her regular checkups, then to fly out to California, give her testimony and then return home to Massachusetts.
Some case dismissals are appropriate, said Hedstrom. Based on certain merits, “This court was fully prepared to grant a dismissal.”
However, the main factor of whether or not the woman could attend the trial changed with the new information from the doctor, said Hedstrom. For that reason, he couldn't find substantial reasons to support the prosecution's dismissal motion.
“Therefore that motion is denied,” he said.
The defense and prosecution have given varying estimates of how long the trial could last – from six to eight weeks.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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The California Highway Patrol reported that the crash occurred at about 6: 30 p.m. at Highway 175 and Highway 29 on the way to Cobb.
Two vehicles were reported to be involved. Responders included the CHP and Cal Fire.
Some of the vehicle passengers were reported to have suffered minor injuries, the CHP reported. No medical transports were reported.
Traffic was being diverted around the crash scene because the damaged vehicles were blocking the intersection, according to the CHP.
CHP reported that the roadway was cleared shortly after 7:30 p.m.
Names of the crash victims were not available from the CHP Tuesday evening.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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