News

Details

Written by: Lake County News reports

Published: 12 December 2023

LAKEPORT, Calif. — The Lakeport Police Department is among a group of California law enforcement agencies that have been selected to receive a portion of grant funding to help curb underage drinking and educate licensees about alcoholic beverage laws.

The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, or ABC, said it has been awarded a $3.7 million grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety.

It will use those funds to support 26 law enforcement agencies with up to $40,000 each for alcoholic beverage compliance check operations for licensees and delivery services to make sure only people of legal drinking age purchase alcohol, as well as enforcement throughout the state during holiday periods where people are more likely to be drinking alcohol.

“ABC is grateful for the partnership and support from OTS and NHTSA,” said ABC Director Joseph McCullough. “The resources provided to us through this grant will help reduce youth access to alcohol and increase safety in communities throughout California.”

At its Nov. 7 meeting, the Lakeport City Council approved Police Chief Brad Rasmussen’s request to enter into an agreement with ABC for the grant. Rasmussen said the city had requested $10,000.

The grant is important for Lakeport because, as Officer Todd Freitas — the Lakeport Police Department’s school resource officer noted — the city has approximately 34 licensees.

For the year to date at that point, Freitas said the police department had 100 arrests for alcohol-related statute violations alone, which doesn’t include those who became involved in fights while intoxicated.

He estimated that a quarter of the calls for service in Lakeport involve alcohol.

The funds will help the department meet its goals of voluntary compliance through education. A big part of the grant is working with merchants to follow the rules for alcohol sales.

It will also help address the problem of youth acquiring alcohol.

The grant will run through the end of September 2024. ABC programs funded through the grant include Minor Decoy and Shoulder Tap operations, fake identification enforcement, compliance checks involving alcohol delivery services, designated special events where alcohol is served, underage retail theft, Informed Merchants Preventing Alcohol-Related Crime Tendency (IMPACT) inspections, Licensee Education on Alcohol and Drug (LEAD) trainings and Target Responsibility for Alcohol-Connected Emergencies (TRACE) investigations.

In addition to Lakeport, the law enforcement agencies who have been selected by ABC to receive grant funding include the police departments for Corona, Costa Mesa, Davis, Emeryville, Escondido, Folsom, Gardena, Hermosa, Hollister, Milpitas, National City, Oxnard, Pasadena, Pomona, Redlands, Rio Del, San Jose, San Luis Obispo, Sanger, Santa Maria, Soledad, Turlock and Westminser, and the sheriff’s offices for Riverside and Tulare counties.

Details

Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS

Published: 12 December 2023

NORTH COAST, Calif. — The Lake County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue team was among agencies around the North Coast that joined the effort to find a missing Piercy man over the weekend.

Human remains were located on Sunday, but so far officials have not been able to confirm if they are those of 63-year-old Scott William Graves, whose family had last heard from him on Dec. 4.

The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office said deputies received a missing person’s report on Graves on Dec. 7.

His family reported that on Dec. 4 he had tried to leave his property in the 73000 block of Island Mountain Road in Piercy, but it was too wet and the roads were unsafe for travel. He said at that time he planned to leave on Dec. 5.

When his family didn’t hear from him by Dec. 7, they went to his property to look for him. Officials said they couldn’t find him, but that it didn’t appear Graves had left the property as the majority of his personal belongings and vehicle were at the property.

A three-day search ensued, with search and rescue personnel from California Search and Rescue, the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, Bay Area Mountain Rescue Unit, Napa County Sheriff’s Office SAR, California Rescue Dog Association, Marin County Sheriff’s Office, Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office, Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, Lake County Sheriff’s Office, California National Guard Blackhawk Crew, San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office and Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office joining the effort.

On Sunday, the searchers located a deceased person in the missing person investigation established search area.

As of Monday, the person was unidentified due to the condition of the body.

Mendocino County Sheriff's detectives are actively conducting investigations in an attempt to determine the identity of the person along with the cause and manner of death.

Anyone who might have information that could assist Sheriff's Detectives in this investigation are urged to contact the Sheriff's Office Tip-Line by calling 707-234-2100 or the WeTip Anonymous Crime Reporting Hotline by calling 800-782-7463.

Details

Written by: Lake County News reports

Published: 11 December 2023

LAKEPORT, Calif. — On Monday, the Wreaths Across America truck will make its annual visit to Lakeport.

Beginning at around noon on Monday, the Lakeport Police Department and Lakeport Fire Protection District will conduct an emergency vehicle escort of the Wreaths Across America truck, which is carrying wreaths to be placed on local veterans graves.

The route starts on South Main Street at Highway 29 and travels north to 11th Street then west on 11th to SR 29.

Community members are invited to come out and line the streets.

Wreaths Across America’s goal is to remember, honor and teach.