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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
A statement issued early Friday morning by the Clearlake Police Department reported that officers responded to Redbud Hospital's emergency room at 9:07 p.m. on the report of a shooting victim.
At the hospital officers found Daniel Williamson, 25, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
Williamson was life-flighted to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital by REACH helicopter, where police said he was last reported in critical condition.
The investigation is ongoing, with police identifying and interviewing several people of interest, according to the statement.
In particular, police contacted 20-year-old John Smith, who was arrested on a parole hold.
Anyone with information on the case should contact Officer Ray or Det. Martin Snyder at 994-8251.
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A report from California Highway Patrol Officer Adam Garcia said the collision took place at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Michael Green, 51, of Kelseyville was riding his Honda ATV four-wheeler southbound on Live Oak Drive north of Cole Creek Road when he drove straight as the road curves right, according to Garcia's report.
Green traveled down a dirt and brush embankment before coming to rest approximately 100 feet down the hill, Garcia reported.
Garcia said Green was not wearing a helmet.
REACH air ambulance transported Green to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital by REACH, Garcia reported.
Alcohol is believed to be a factor in this collision, according to Garcia, and consequently Green was
arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence.
Due to the extent of his injuries, Green was released to the care of the hospital, according to Garcia.
Officer Dallas Richey is investigating the incident, Garcia said.
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LAKEPORT – As John McCoy lay dying from eight stab wounds in the early morning hours of May 4, he reportedly identified his attacker to Clearlake Police, who said they found the suspect at the scene, the bloody knife still in his hands.
After listening to testimony that included eyewitness accounts of the attack on McCoy, a jury on Wednesday morning found Andre Lafayette Stevens, 43, guilty of first-degree murder.
Deliberations weren't quick, however; Stevens' attorney, Jason Webster, said Tuesday that the jury went into deliberations on Thursday, but had Friday and Monday off before resuming Tuesday. At one point the jury asked for some testimony to be read back as it considered the case.
Attempts to reach Webster on Wednesday for comment on the guilty verdict were unsuccessful.
Deputy District Attorney John Langan reported that the jury handed down the first-degree murder verdict, with special allegations, at about 10 a.m. Tuesday.
Stevens had pleaded not guilty to the murder charge and the special allegation of using a knife in a June court appearance, despite having admitted during interviews with police that he stabbed McCoy, as Lake County News previously reported. Since his arrest he has remained in Lake County Jail on $1 million bail.
Langan said all of his testimony came from eyewitnesses, included the neighbors in the apartment complex who were calling police while McCoy was being stabbed.
Stevens' motive for the brutal crime appeared to be jealousy, according to Langan.
Two weeks before the stabbing, Stevens' girlfriend broke off their relationship and returned to the Midwest.
Not only did Stevens lose a relationship, Langan said he also lost a steady form of income. That's because his ex-girlfriend was an In-Home Supportive Services client, and he was her IHSS care provider.
Langan said the prosecution's theory was that Stevens stabbed 42-year-old John Rayford McCoy Jr. believing that McCoy and Stevens' ex-girlfriend had been in a romantic relationship.
The two men weren't unknown to each other, said Langan. McCoy, who police reported had only been in the Clearlake area about a month, had stayed at Stevens' home a few times before the murder, said Langan.
Early on May 4, the prosecution alleged that Stevens took a 12-inch military knife and stabbed McCoy eight times, twice in the heart, said Langan.
Witnesses testified that after stabbing McCoy, Stevens continued his assault, kicking McCoy as he died.
"It was just a brutal, brutal killing," said Langan.
Langan credited the neighbors at the apartment complex for their efforts to save McCoy by calling police to report the attack. Their testimony proved key to the trial, he added.
Police arrived within a minute of the 911 call being placed, said Langan. They were on scene so quickly, he said, that the neighbors were still on the phone with the 911 operator.
"The police got there with Mr. Stevens still holding the knife in his hands," said Langan.
McCoy, who was mortally wounded, died within minutes of Clearlake Police's arrival, said Langan. There was nothing officers could do because of the extent of his injuries.
Langan said Stevens waived time throughout the proceedings, which led to a very quick trial – it's been just over four months since McCoy's murder.
Stevens will return to court at 8:30 a.m. Oct. 5, when Judge Robert Crone – who is sitting in for Judge David Herrick – will pass sentence, said Langan.
The first-degree murder conviction carries a sentence of 25 years to life, said Langan.
Additional time will be added for three special allegations the jury found to be true, said Langan, including the fact that he used a knife in committing the murder of McCoy, which added another year to the sentence.
The second special allegation involved Stevens' conviction of a previous “strike” under California's Three Strikes Law for a 1990 robbery in Santa Clara County. That strike doubles Stevens' sentence to 50 years to life, said Langan.
Stevens also had previously been convicted of two counts of felony battery on a police officer in 1999, also in Santa Clara County, said Langan.
Although that conviction didn't count as a strike, it did provide another special allegation against Stevens. Langan said Stevens had been released from prison in August 2005 and, because he committed another crime within five years of the conclusion of a prison term, another year will be added to his sentence, Langan explained.
"What it means is Mr. Stevens will likely have to serve 52 years until he's eligible for parole," said Langan.
Based on the sentencing guidelines, Stevens would be 95 years old before he would become eligible for parole.
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BARTLETT SPRINGS – In yet another blow to Lake County's historical buildings, a Tuesday fire claimed the Bartlett Springs Resort gazebo and another building on the remote site of the once-famed resort.
Mendocino National Forest officials reported Wednesday that the buildings were destroyed in a 50-acre wildland fire that broke out on private property.
Forest spokesperson Phebe Brown reported that the fire was located on Forest Service Road M-16/Bartlett Springs Road, about 15 miles north of Highway 20 and six miles east of Clearlake by air.
Brown said firefighters worked quickly on the fire, containing it in about six hours.
Smoke was first reported about 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, said Brown. Air and ground firefighting resources from the Forest Service and Cal Fire quickly began suppression actions, with air tankers and helicopters dropping water and retardant, and ground crews and equipment fighting the fire directly.
Firefighters contained the fire at 10:30 p.m., Brown reported.
The gazebo and a shop building that burned were located on the 1,990-acre property owned by Nestle. Brown said firefighters saved a house and five other structures, also on private property that the fire threatened.
The fire, according to Brown's report, began on private land and spread to the National Forest lands.
She added that the fire is believed to be human caused, and is still under investigation.
On Wednesday firefighters continued mopping up smoldering debris, reinforcing the existing fire line and looking for areas where the fire could flare up again.
This is the second time in less than two months that fire has destroyed buildings with ties to the historic Bartlett Springs Resort, founded in the 1870s, as Lake County News previously reported.
On July 28 a fire attributed to arson burned the lodge that resort caretaker Zane Gray had completely rebuilt in 1989, after the second lodge building to be located on the site was knocked down in a windstorm the previous year.
In the July fire, Gray said he found what he believed to be an ignition device in the lodge remains, which had been extensively vandalized in recent years despite his efforts to protect the buildings.
The July fire burned right up to the gazebo and stopped, Gray said.
Gray also had rebuilt the gazebo in 1985 in order to restore it to its early 20th-century look.
His efforts to care for the resort grounds saved all of the buildings during the 1996 Forks Fire, which destroyed numerous structures and burned 83,000 acres.
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