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- Written by: Lake County News Reports
NICE – An early afternoon collision near Nice on Monday resulted in injuries and a temporary closure of Highway 20.
The two-vehicle collision, which was reported shortly before 12:30 p.m., involved a car rear-ending another, according to an initial California Highway Patrol report.
At least one person from each vehicle was transported to area hospitals, including one to Sutter Lakeside and another by REACH air ambulance to Santa Rosa.
Both directions of Highway 20 were closed for about an hour, CHP reported.
Traffic was backed up a half-mile in each direction, with westbound traffic diverted at Pyle Road and the Nice-Lucerne Cutoff.
CHP reported that the crash victims suffered minor injuries. No other information about the collision was available late Monday afternoon.
E-mail Harold LaBonte at
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- Details
- Written by: Lake County News reports
California Highway Patrol Officer Adam Garcia said Kevin Wellmerling, 49, of Clearlake and two teenage girls from Cobb were injured in the two-car collision, which happened shortly after 1 p.m. Friday.
Garcia said a 17-year-old teen, whose name was not released, was driving a 2002 Chevy Suburban southbound on Highway 29 south of A Street near the Twin Lakes community when she lost control of her vehicle and crossed into the northbound lane.
There, she struck Wellmerling’s 1995 Pontiac Grand Am head-on, Garcia reported.
Garcia said it was initially claimed that the juvenile dropped a soda can at her feet and was attempting to retrieve it when the collision occurred.
A 16-year-old female passenger in the Suburban, whose name also was not released, had unbuckled her seatbelt to reach the soda when the collision occurred, he reported.
Garcia said the 17-year-old sustained major injuries and was taken to UC Davis Medical center by CalStar air ambulance.
Wellmerling was taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital by CalStar with major injuries and the 16 year-old-passenger was taken to Redbud Community Hospital with minor to moderate injuries by South Lake Fire Protection District's ambulance, Garcia reported.
Due to the collision the roadway was closed for at least an hour in both directions, according to reports from the scene.
Garcia said Officer Robert Hearn is investigating the collision.
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- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
David Garlow Deason, 68, of Clearlake was convicted in February 2006 of shooting to death his 48-year-old girlfriend Marie Parlet on Dec. 6, 2004.
However, last December the First Appellate District Court overturned Deason's conviction, ruling that the trial court in Lake County “erred in excluding evidence of his intoxication,” as Lake County News has reported.
“He's going to be retried,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff.
The trial, said Hinchcliff, is set to begin Sept. 9.
Deason allegedly had a blood alcohol level of 0.27 on the night he is alleged to have shot Parlet. The couple, according to court documents, had a disagreement earlier in the day, after which Deason left and returned later that evening. At that point he is alleged to have shot Parlet once in the chest and once in the back from a distance of 18 inches.
Judge Richard Martin had ruled during the 2006 trial that no evidence could be presented about Deason's level of intoxication. That included turning down a request by defense attorney J. David Markham to call a toxicologist to the stand.
Markham had argued that the toxicologist could explain that Deason had consumed as many as 14 drinks to get to the level of intoxication he allegedly reached. Markham also asked that the jurors be instructed to consider the alcohol consumption in deliberations.
The appellate court disagreed with Martin's ruling, saying that Deason's level of intoxication was crucial to the issues of premeditation and deliberation, which are necessary elements in a first-degree murder conviction.
Hinchcliff said the instructions about considering Deason's alleged intoxication will be given when Deason is tried next. “Other than that, it will be the same trial.”
Deputy District Attorney John Langan, who previously prosecuted the case, will work on the next trial as well, said Hinchcliff.
Langan did not return calls seeking comment. Nor did Doug Rhoades, who will be representing Deasn in his retrial.
“Probably the biggest challenge is going to be getting all of the witnesses back in to testify,” said Hinchcliff.
Parlet's son, James Clarkson, of San Marcos, Texas, told Lake County News he was in disbelief when he first heard of the conviction being overturned. He wasn't notified – he found out about it inadvertently on the Internet after searching for press on the original case. That's when the story of the overturned conviction came up.
He called the reasons for the conviction a “loophole,” and said he was convinced of Deason's guilt in shooting his mother at point blank range.
Clarkson said his mother was a “genuinely nice person” whose life was ended before her time. She was a loving mother to him, his brother and sister; she also had five grandchildren whom she hadn't yet met. He's considering coming to California for the retrial.
After his conviction was overturned, Deason was brought back to Lake County this spring. He is being held in the Lake County Jail without bail on a charge of first-degree murder.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Lake County News Reports
LAKE COUNTY – August skies are some of the most beautiful you will see all year. But before we discuss some of the night sky’s delights, we need to remember that there is a meteor shower that happens every August.
The Perseid Meteor Shower
This shower occurs in the morning of Aug. 12. The moon won’t set until 2 a.m. The moon will interfere with viewing. So it’s best to wait until after 2 a.m. before attempting to view.
Look to the east – that is where the shower will originate. A meteor shower occurs when the earth passes through the dust and debris left by a comet’s tail.
The Summer Triangle
Face south, and look directly overhead. You will see three very bright stars that form a triangle – this is called the “Summer Triangle.” Each star is in a different constellation.
The star furthest to west is Vega – it is in the constellation of Lyra the Harp (see the star chart). To the east is the bright star Deneb in the constellation of Cygnus the Swan.
To the south, the third star in the triangle is Altair in the constellation Aquila the eagle.
Deep Sky Objects
August skies have some beautiful objects that can be seen with a small to medium telescope. These objects are called deep sky objects.
One of these is the Swan Nebula – it’s a big cloud of dust and gas that looks a bit like a swan.
Another is the Wild Duck Cluster – a group of stars that appear close together that resemble a flock of ducks in flight.
And yet another is the Ring Nebula – it looks like a smoke ring in the sky!
To learn more about Lake County Skies in August, and to observe these objects through a telescope, visit Taylor Observatory (www.taylorobservatory.org) on Saturday, Aug. 23 from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
John Zimmerman has been an amateur astronomer for 50 years. He is a member of the Taylor Observatory staff, where, among his many duties, he helps create planetarium shows.
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