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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – County officials have confirmed that a recently implemented state prison early release program has resulted in three COVID-19 positive inmates being returned to Lake County.

Lake County Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace on Thursday confirmed the release of the three inmates to Lake County from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

“They were not released to jail, but into the community,” Sheriff Brian Martin told Lake County News.

In response to a COVID-19 outbreak across the state prison system, CDCR said it was implementing a community supervision program meant to increase capacity and space to help with inmate movement, physical distancing and isolation efforts.

The program releases eligible inmates who have 180 days or less to serve on their sentences and are not currently serving time for domestic violence, or a violent or serious crime as defined by law, or are a person required to register as a sex offender, CDCR reported.

The program began on July 1.

CDCR said inmates set for release are offered testing for COVID-19 within seven days of their anticipated release.

“For those who test positive, CDCR will work with state and local public health and law enforcement officials to find housing where the incarcerated person can be safely isolated and monitored,” the agency said.

Inmates who are released are given five reusable cloth barrier masks provided by the department with appropriate precautionary measures taken during transportation.

As of Thursday night, CDCR reported that there were approximately 5,747 state prison inmates with COVID-19, of which 2,269 were active, 3,324 were resolved and 31 have died.

CDCR’s COVID-19 dashboard also noted that 123 inmates with active COVID-19 infection were released.

Pace said that all three inmates received by Lake County were COVID-19 positive. However, at the same time, he said two of the individuals had completed their isolation prior to CDCR release and the other was released into the community prior to completing the self-isolation protocol. That third individual’s isolation period has now been completed.

“These three cases are attributed to the county where the correctional facility that previously housed these inmates is located. To avoid double-counting, they are not added to Lake County’s totals,” Pace said.

“Contact with these people has been minimal due to various logistical problems. These miscommunications carry risk to public health, and meetings are ongoing with CDCR officials to ensure more effective communication in the future,” said Pace.

Sheriff Martin said the names of the three individuals are confidential but the sheriff’s office has them flagged in its system in the event law enforcement or the Probation Department comes in contact with them.

Martin said his office received prior notification of early releases from CDCR but the medical information is only shared with Public Health.

“Public Health now shares it with us when they get the information,” he said.

That’s different from what occurred earlier this year, when CDCR had similarly implemented an early release program that resulted in a COVID-19 positive male prisoner from the California Institution for Men in Chino being released back to Lake County on April 6, as Lake County News has reported.

Public Health had been notified but didn’t inform the sheriff’s office until Martin pressed Pace on whether any inmates set for early release had tested positive for the virus.

“I’m not too happy about the practice of early releasing prisoners, particularly COVID-positive ones,” Martin said.

Adding to the frustration for Martin is the fact that the state has stopped accepting people from county jails who are sentenced to prison, such as Alan Ashmore, the Clearlake Oaks man sentenced on Tuesday to 140 years in prison for an October 2017 shooting spree that killed two people and wounded two others.

It’s not just Ashmore who is awaiting transfer to the state prison system. Lt. Corey Paulich told Lake County News that 18 inmates at the Lake County Jail are waiting to be transported to CDCR.

CDCR said that, between the suspension of county jail intake as well as the expedited parole of approximately 3,500 incarcerated persons in April, it has reduced the incarcerated population by more than 8,000 since mid-March.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Local businesses are facing challenges not just in trying to avoid COVID-19 but also in adjusting when a case impacts their operations.

This week Rainbow Ag’s Lakeport store, located at 1975 Argonaut Road, enacted a brief closure in order to sanitize the facility after a member of an employee’s household tested positive.

Also this week, the owners of the Lakeport McDonald’s said the restaurant closed temporarily after finding out one of its employees had tested positive for COVID-19. Following cleaning, the restaurant has reportedly reopened.

Rainbow Ag reported that the employee whose family member tested positive had last worked on Monday, loading hay and feed. He was masked and distanced during his work time. He’s now in isolation and getting tested.

Rainbow Ag’s procedures ensure that high touch surfaces have been sanitized multiple times per day and all staff members have passed a health check before working.

Out of an abundance of caution, Rainbow Ag owner Jim Mayfield told Lake County News that they chose to close the Lakeport store on Wednesday afternoon and hired West Coast Fire & Water to professionally sanitize the entire store facility. That work was completed on Thursday.

At the same time, he said all 20 Lakeport store staffers are on paid leave, isolated and getting tested – with up to a seven-day wait for results – and won’t return to work until they have been cleared.

He said his staff at the Middletown and Ukiah stores are rallying to send team members over to help cover the Lakeport store, which will reopen on Friday, with slightly reduced hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Creating a plan for moving forward

Before COVID-19, Mayfield said Rainbow Ag has had to make adjustments to closures due to wildland fires – such as what occurred in the summer of 2018 – and purchased a generator in order to remain open during the public safety power shutoffs in the fall.

Since the pandemic started, Mayfield said work has continued at his five stores in Lake, Mendocino and Sonoma counties.

“We’ve been essential so we’ve never been closed,” he said.

While the stores’ hours initially were reduced, over the last month they’ve turned to regular hours, he said.

Mayfield said that over the last several months he’s tried to stay ahead of the situation, with his company writing the procedure for keeping his staff and customers safe as they went along. Mayfield said he told his staff they were practicing a three-month fire drill.

Outside of those efforts, “there is no playbook,” Mayfield said. “The state doesn’t tell you what to do, the county doesn’t tell you what to do,” and even the industry is vague on protocols.

He said his “team behind the masks” has done a phenomenal job of maintaining heightened awareness, developing a protocol for giving people masks or, if they won’t take them, asking them to social distance or offering to load up their vehicles.

So when the COVID-19 test in his employee’s household was reported, Mayfield said he had a plan for what to do.

He said he called Lake County Public Health about the case.

“They didn’t have a clue,” he said. “It was a very disappointing phone call, to tell the truth.”

He said all that Public Health could do was refer him to the public testing site. As for contact tracing of cases, he said on Thursday that Public Health hadn’t contacted his company.

At the same time, Mayfield – an early adopter of social media – used Facebook to communicate the situation with customers and the community.

“I was almost in tears at the response,” said Mayfield, calling it “incredibly supportive.”

He said it’s a great testament to the people he works with in his company.

When the Lakeport store reopens on Friday morning, Mayfield said the store will be sanitized, the staff will be masked and customers will meet a crew they haven’t seen before.

“We have to be more diligent now than we have ever,” Mayfield said.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Police Department is advising community members to be aware of a recurring scam that has surfaced relating to utility billings in the city of Lakeport.

The scam, which recently resurfaced, consists of a robo-style telephone call advising that it represents the city of Lakeport and references a late utility payment.

The "caller" directs the unwitting resident to either return a call to a 1-800 number or directs them to an online payment option.

Police ask community members to be cautious if they receive this call as it may be a scam.

The city of Lakeport does utilize a third party online payment collector, officials said.

If you have any doubt as to the credibility of any payment you are going to make on your utility service, the trusted online payment collection service can always be accessed directly from the city of Lakeport website. Look for "Online Bill Pay" on the big blue toolbar.

MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. – Firefighters on Thursday continued work to contain a fire on the Mendocino National Forest’s Grindstone Ranger District.

Forest officials said the Nail fire was up to 75 percent containment as of Thursday.

The fire started on Tuesday, approximately 30 miles west of Willows near Fouts Springs.

The size of the fire has been adjusted to 13 acres.

There are two crews, two engines, two water tenders and several overhead – or supervisory personnel – assigned to the fire.

On Thursday, firefighters continued to reinforce firelines and extinguish hot spots.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Forest officials said the primary wildfire response strategy for 2020 is aggressive initial attack and rapid containment to minimize the number of large wildfires.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – As Lakeport City Manager Margaret Silveira enters her final weeks on the job, the city council on Tuesday took action to give her a lasting honor.

In a unanimous vote, the council honored Silveira by naming the community center building – which she had worked more than a year to acquire for the city – in her honor.

Silveira, who has been Lakeport’s city manager for 10 years, will retire as of July 31. On Tuesday night, ahead of the community center naming discussion, the council approved the final contract with Silveira’s successor, Assistant City Manager Kevin Ingram.

At the council’s June 16 meeting, Councilmember Stacey Mattina had asked that a proposal for renaming the new community center be brought back for consideration and her colleagues agreed.

The community center, located at 500 N. Main St., formerly served as the Bank of America building.

In late 2017, the company announced it was planning to close the branch. Following the announcement, Administrative Services Director Kelly Buendia said Silveira went to work to try to secure the donation of the building from Bank of America.

Silveira’s diligence paid off, with the company agreeing. The council passed a resolution at its meeting on Jan. 15, 2019, to accept the property and held a ribbon-cutting ceremony and celebration on June 7, 2019.

Buendia offered a menu of potential naming ideas provided by staff: Silveira Center, Silveira Event Center, or SEC; City of Lakeport Silveira Center; Silveira Community Center of Lakeport; Silveira Training And Recreation Center, or STAR Center; Margaret Silveira Community Center; and Margaret Silveira Center.

“If it weren’t for Margaret, we would not have a community center,” said Mattina.

Silveira spent countless hours trying to find the right person in Bank of America to get the building donation approved, Mattina said. “She kept going until they said yes.”

Mattina added, “We’re just so lucky that she had the idea to begin with” and was willing to take the time to go after it.

Mattina said Silveira’s exceptional work for the city over the past decade has been “transforming.” She listed numerous accomplishments, from spearheading regional economic development to building partnerships, leading the city to have a lakefront plan and hotel feasibility study, the grant funding the new lakeside park and art in the city, along with ensuring a balanced budget and a surplus.

Silveira also has overseen the updating of the city’s sewer and water infrastructure, a new sales tax for police services and road repairs, goal setting and succession planning, Mattina said.

Councilwoman Mireya Turner agreed, noting Silveira’s ability to bring together jurisdictions and teams. Turner, who works for the city of Ukiah, said the city manager there was telling her the other day about work Silveira did to bring Ukiah and Lakeport closer together.

Silveira’s efforts, Turner added, will benefit the city of Lakeport for years to come.

The council briefly debated different naming options, with Councilman Tim Barnes noting he liked the STAR Center.

However, Councilman Kenny Parlet said he was opposed to names with acronyms because he was concerned that, over time, Silveira’s name would get lost and people would forget her efforts. He said he liked the Silveira Center because it was short and snappy.

“I think you make a compelling point,” said Turner.

Mattina said she thinks people will shorten it to Silveira Center anyway, and Barnes suggested they go with that name. However, Mattina wanted the word “community” included in the title.

The council agreed to support Mattina’s proposal of naming the building the City of Lakeport Silveira Community Center, which Turner seconded and was approved 4-0.

“There couldn’t be a better person to have their name on that building in perpetuity,” said Parlet.

In brief comments at the end of the meeting, an emotional Silveira thanked the council for the honor.

“I’m so humbled and overwhelmed by what you’ve done, your gesture,” she said.

Silveira said she loves the community and the people she’s worked with during her time with the city.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The man who went on an October 2017 shooting spree in which he killed his elderly father and a friend, shot and injured a California Highway Patrol officer and a woman, and set wildland fires as he tried to escape authorities was sentenced to 140 years to life in prison on Tuesday.

Judge J. David Markham handed down the sentence to 64-year-old Alan Leroy Ashmore, who reached a plea agreement with the District Attorney’s Office the day before his trial was to have begun in March, as Lake County News has reported.

The plea agreement had Ashmore plead no contest to first-degree murder for the killing of his 85-year-old father, Douglas Ashmore, as well as the killing of his friend, Richard Braden, 64, and the attempted first-degree murder of CHP Officer Steven Patrick, while also admitting to the personal discharge of a firearm that resulted in death and great bodily injury for all three of those charges.

In exchange for those pleas, the District Attorney’s Office dismissed another 18 counts that included assault with a deadly weapon, felon in possession of guns and ammunition, and hit and run. The charges were dismissed with a “Harvey waiver,” which means they can still be considered in the sentencing and victims have the opportunity to pursue restitution.

“I am happy that we were able to resolve this without a jury trial,” Ashmore’s attorney, Andrea Sullivan, told Lake County News. “I think that this is the best outcome for all parties involved because they do not have to relive this trauma of that day.”

Ashmore could eventually be considered eligible for the Elderly Parole Program, which allows for a parole suitability hearing once a prisoner is both age 60 and has served 25 years of continuous incarceration. By the time he could be considered, he would be 89 years old.

Shooting spree followed argument

Ashmore’s shooting spree began on Oct. 23, 2017. On that day, authorities said he was at his home in Clearlake Oaks when he argued with a young woman who refused to have sex with him.

That confrontation set in motion a violent response, beginning with him shooting the woman in the foot. She escaped through a window and went to a neighbor for help.

He then turned on his 85-year-old father, Douglas Ashmore, who had tried to intervene in the argument, and shot him in the face, killing him instantly.

Taking a shotgun and his father’s vehicle, Alan Ashmore began shooting at three nearby homes. One neighbor escaped injury when a pistol Ashmore was using misfired.

Ashmore killed Braden with the shotgun after finding him in a vehicle parked on the street in Anchor Village.

He confronted Officer Patrick a short time later in the area as Patrick was responding to a call about a shooting. Ashmore shot several shotgun rounds at Patrick, with the rounds hitting the officer’s vehicle and his ballistic safety vest. Patrick would continue to participate in the pursuit of Ashmore despite his injuries.

Ashmore went on to rob two gas station stores, shooting at a beer vendor while at the first store and discharging several shots while leaving the second, before heading up High Valley Road, lighting several small fires along the way.

He then drove into Brassfield Winery where he brandished a firearm at a man in the parking lot and attempted to take the man’s vehicle. The man escaped from Ashmore during a chase.

It was at a roadblock on High Valley Road that Ashmore ultimately surrendered to authorities without incident.

COVID-19 impacts on the case

In March, when Ashmore reached the plea agreement with the District Attorney’s Office, he originally was set for sentencing on April 14.

But halfway through March, the impacts of COVID-19 caused the courts to temporarily suspend proceedings at the same time as the county was put under a shelter in place order.

With courts allowed to begin reopening more services beginning in June, Ashmore’s case was rescheduled for sentencing this week.

District Attorney Susan Krones said she appeared in person in court on Tuesday morning, while Ashmore appeared via Zoom video conference from the Lake County Jail, where he has been held since his arrest.

Krones said she read five victim impact statements, one from a family member for Douglas Ashmore and the four others for Braden.

With the Lake County Probation Department in support of following the stipulated sentence that was the result of the plea agreement, Judge Markham handed down the 140-years-to-life sentence, Krones said.

Normally after such sentences to state prison are handed down, inmates are quickly transported to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for processing and to begin serving their sentences.

“San Quentin is our normal place where we transport them,” said Krones.

However, San Quentin currently is closed for transport for new inmates, she said.

That’s because of a COVID-19 outbreak at the prison. CDCR reported Wednesday that 200 staff members and 1,635 inmates have tested positive for the virus.

The state’s prison dashboard for COVID-19 shows that as of late Wednesday, 1,309 inmate cases were active, 20 were released while active, 299 were resolved and seven inmates have died.

“We’re kind of in a holding pattern,” Krones said. “He might not be transferred for a while.”

Krones added that COVID-19 “creeps into everything we do – or can’t do.”

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.