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Ricardo Ruiz, 36, of Clearlake was taken into custody on Thursday evening in Brea.
He was arrested on felony charges of contacting a minor to commit a felony, arranging to meet with a minor for a lewd purpose and meeting with a minor for a lewd purpose, said Lt. Tony Barbosa of Brea Police Department.
Ruiz did not, however, actually meet a minor. Rather, he had been chatting online with an adult posing as a young teenage girl as part of a sting operation conducted by a private group called CC Unit.
Ruiz set up a meeting with the decoy and was in Brea to meet her when he was taken into custody.
Lakeport Unified School District Superintendent Matt Bullard confirmed to Lake County News that Ruiz is a district employee.
Bullard said Ruiz has been the Terrace Middle School physical education teacher since August.
CC Unit’s founder, who identified himself as “Ghost” to protect his anonymity and future operations, said his group never makes first contact with an individual.
He said Ruiz contacted the decoy through a messenger app on the night of Nov. 22 and over the course of their interactions arranged to meet her this week, over the winter break.
During their ongoing chats, Ruiz said he was 27 years old and “said a bunch of graphic stuff” of a sexual nature, Ghost said.
Ghost said he confronted Ruiz when he showed up for the planned meeting at a Target store in a shopping center in Brea on Thursday.
Barbosa said Brea Police Department was not working with CC Unit, but was notified that it was doing a recording of a sting operation at the Gateway Shopping Center.
Ghost explained that he livestreamed himself confronting Ruiz at the store. He said his group didn’t call police, adding he believed it was a livestream viewer who called them.
Officers took Ruiz into custody in the shopping center parking lot, Barbosa said.
Late Friday afternoon, Bullard sent out a letter to parents about the situation, explaining that the Brea Police Department had notified the district of Ruiz’s arrest.
“The District’s primary concern is the safety of our students, employees, and greater school community. As such, we will fully participate with all law enforcement investigations. Unfortunately, in order to preserve the integrity of the investigation, we are unable to provide any additional information,” Bullard wrote.
“LUSD has been in contact with law enforcement and its legal counsel and will immediately implement a local investigation into the conduct and behavior of the teacher in question. This investigation will be partnered with immediate steps that will ensure the safety of our student body and school community,” Bullard’s letter continued.
Ruiz was immediately placed on leave status and will not be at Terrace Middle School when students return on Monday, Jan. 3, Bullard said.
Bullard asked parents to report any incidents or concerns involving Ruiz to the district office.
Ruiz, who was booked into the Theo Lacy Facility jail complex in Orange County following his arrest, was released from custody just before 5 p.m. Friday, online jail records showed.
CC Unit’s operations have resulted in one other arrest in Brea, Barbosa confirmed.
Separately, Ghost said their stings, which began in 2018, have led to numerous arrests and some convictions in other parts of the state.
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District Letter Re_ TMS Teacher by LakeCoNews on Scribd
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Kelseyville Fire Chief Joe Huggins confirmed to Lake County News on Thursday that the district’s Measure A fire tax appears to have failed to get the support of voters.
Huggins said the election’s outcome won’t be finalized until the last tally takes place on Jan. 4.
The district hired MK Election Services LLC for election administration services, including sending out the ballots based on information provided by the Lake County Registrar of Voters Office.
The measure needed to pass by a two-thirds majority of the ballots returned.
In a letter to the Kelseyville Fire Board of Directors this week, Kenneth Mostern, principal of MK Election Services, reported results for the initial count that put the measure at well below the necessary two-thirds majority.
Of the 7,289 ballots mailed to voters on Nov. 8, only 2,145 were submitted for the selection, the letter said.
The letter to the fire board noted that due to a data processing error on the company's part, 1,177 ballots were sent to addresses of registration rather than mailing addresses, necessitating them to be mailed out again on Nov. 18.
Altogether, there were 998 “yes” votes and 1,134 “no” votes, with two blank ballots submitted and 11 ballots rejected, according to the report.
That tally means the measure received only 46% support, 21% below the approval threshold.
Earlier this year, the district began moving toward the formation of a community facilities district, holding meetings and hiring a consulting firm, CivicMic, to assist with the process.
The district proposed the action to enhance fire and emergency medical services, including building a new fire station in the Soda Bay corridor, specifically, the community of Buckingham.
To fund building the new fire station — at an estimated cost of $2.4 million, plus more than $1.2 million in annual staffing costs and $200,000 in annual debt service and administrative costs — the district proposed to levy special taxes for residents and business owners and authorize a $4 million bond issuance.
Regarding the amount of increases for residents, the information on current tax rates was not made available by CivicMic. When Lake County News contacted the firm for information, it was referred back to the company’s website, where current tax rates were not reported.
Ballots were mailed out in early November and were due by 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 21.
While the county elections office handled aspects like signature matching, MK Election Services took care of other duties, including having a hotline for voters, authenticating ballots and conducting the official count, or canvass.
The letter to the fire district board said 150 ballots remain “at large” due to needing to have their signature matched, lacking a signature on the return envelope or because the signature doesn’t match one on record with the Registrar of Voters Office.
“MK Elections will return to Kelseyville to reopen the canvass on Jan. 4, 2022, to complete the tally and provide final certification of the count,” Mostern wrote. “In the meantime, the election record is being sealed and signed by the canvassers and left in the custody of the District.”
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The National Weather Service said more than half an inch of rain and winds topping 20 miles per hour are in the Friday forecast.
For Christmas Day, up to a quarter inch of rain is expected during the day, with chances of more rain plus snow on Christmas night.
The potential for snow is expected to continue into Sunday morning, falling to as low as 1,000 to 2,000 feet in elevation.
While no accumulation is anticipated in the lower elevations, heavy mountain snow is expected, the forecast said.
The National Weather Service said there are chances of rain again on Monday, with potential for snow showers from Monday night through Thursday.
Temperatures through the weekend and into next week are forecast to be in the high 30s to low 40s during the day and at night hovering in the low 30s until the middle of next week, when they could drop into the high 20s.
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The City of Clearlake Animal Association also is seeking fosters for the animals waiting to be adopted.
Call the Clearlake Animal Control shelter at 707-273-9440, or email
Visit Clearlake Animal Control on Facebook or on the city’s website.
The newest dogs are listed at the top of the following list.
‘Holly’
“Holly” is a female terrier mix with a beige coat.
She is dog No. 49159116.
‘Isabella’
“Isabella” is a female Chihuahua mix with a short tan coat.
She is dog No. 49292130.
‘Winnie’
“Winnie” is a female Doberman pinscher-Australian shepherd mix with a short tricolor coat.
She has been spayed.
She is dog No. 49228128.
‘Andy’
“Andy” is a male American pit bull mix with a short gray and white coat.
He is dog No. 48995415.
‘Arnold’
“Arnold” is a male American Staffordshire terrier mix with a short brindle coat with white markings.
He is dog No. 49029348.
‘Bear’
“Bear” is a male Labrador retriever-American pit bull mix with a short charcoal and fawn coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 48443153.
‘Bear No. 2’
“Bear No. 2” is a male American pit bull mix with a short tan coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 48731556.
‘Bella’
“Bella” is a female American pit bull mix with a short gray brindle coat.
She has been spayed.
She is dog No. 48448381.
‘Gingy’
“Gingy’ is a female terrier mix with a tan and white coat.
She is dog No. 49228146.
‘Levi’
“Levi” is a male golden retriever-Labrador retriever mix.
He has a short golden coat.
He is dog No. 48975687.
‘Maria’
“Maria” is a female Shar-Pei mix with a short tan coat.
She is dog No. 49047315.
‘Mitzi’
“Mitzi” is a female Australian cattle dog mix with a medium-length black and white coat.
She has been spayed.
She is dog No. 48443306.
‘Nala’
“Nala” is a 1-year-old female German shepherd mix.
She has a medium-length black and tan coat.
She is dog No. 48289638.
‘Priscilla’
“Priscilla” is a female Brittany spaniel mix with a white and copper coat.
She is dog No. 49089138.
‘Sassy’
“Sassy” is a female American pit bull mix with a short black coat.
She has been spayed.
She is dog No. 48443128.
‘Snowball’
“Snowball” is a male American Staffordshire mix terrier with a white coat.
He is dog No. 49159168.
‘Tanisha’
“Tanisha” is a female Australian cattle dog mix with a short red and white coat.
She has been spayed.
She is dog No. 48443302.
‘Terry’
“Terry” is a male shepherd mix with a short brindle coat.
He is dog No. 48443693.
‘Turk’
“Turk” is a male chocolate Labrador retriever mix.
He is dog No. 48911836.
‘Willie’
“Willie” is a male Chihuahua mix with a short black coat and white markings.
He is dog No. 49141640.
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