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On Wednesday, Tammy Sue Grogan Robinson, 56, of Clearlake Oaks was taken into custody in Duquesne, Missouri, said Lt. Corey Paulich of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Grogan Robinson is charged with the July 7 killing of Charles Vernon McClelland, 56, of Rohnert Park at her Clearlake Oaks residence.
Authorities said sheriff’s deputies first encountered Grogan Robinson at a local hospital in the hours after the shooting.
She told investigators that McClelland, who she had an on-again, off-again dating relationship with for five years, had sexually assaulted her at gunpoint, and that she had gotten control of the weapon and shot him.
McClelland’s autopsy the day after the shooting showed he died of multiple gunshot wounds, authorities said.
On Friday, Paulich said that over the past month the Lake County Sheriff’s Major Crimes detectives conducted an extensive followup investigation in the case.
He said they interviewed several family and friends of McClelland and Grogan Robinson, served several search warrants, and analyzed evidence at the scene as well as digital evidence.
After evaluating this evidence, detectives determined the shooting of McClelland was not justified, Paulich said.
The case was submitted to the District Attorney’s Office, which Paulich said filed a complaint for murder against Grogan Robinson.
Paulich said an arrest warrant for the charge of murder was issued for Grogan Robinson by the Lake County Superior Court.
He said detectives worked with authorities in Kansas City, Joplin, and Duquesne, Missouri to locate Grogan Robinson and arrest her on Wednesday.
As for why Grogan Robinson was in Missouri, Paulich said she had family there.
Grogan Robinson was booked into custody at the Jasper County Detention Center in Carthage, Missouri, with bail set at $2 million, Paulich said.
Paulich said Grogan Robinson is awaiting extradition to Lake County.
The sheriff’s office extended its thanks to the Joplin, Duquesne and Kansas City Missouri police departments for their assistance.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — As firefighters continued to raise the containment on the Cache fire, officials on Thursday began the work of turning from emergency response to the recovery process.
On Thursday, Lake County Fire Protection District Chief Willie Sapeta said the fire had been mapped at 83 acres, with containment between 30 and 40 percent.
Sapeta and several other local officials offered an update on conditions during a news conference at Clearlake City Hall that lasted just over 15 minutes on Thursday evening.
While not as big as some of Lake County’s other destructive fires, Sheriff Brian Martin said the Cache fire nonetheless impacted the community “quickly and severely.”
Sapeta said fire crews continued working on the incident around the clock throughout Thursday, and they were expected to downgrade to 12-hour shifts on Saturday or Sunday. Nine engines are to be working in the fire area on Friday.
He said firefighters originally had been dispatched to an oven fire at another location when they saw the column of smoke and he requested Cal Fire and area strike teams to respond.
Because of how fast the fire was moving, Sapeta said there was a delayed initial attack on the fire, with resources instead focused on evacuating residents in the area. He has estimated that as many as 1,600 residents were evacuated at the peak of the incident.
Clearlake City Manager Alan Flora said an initial damage assessment completed on Thursday identified 56 destroyed homes, 81 outbuildings and 158 vehicles.
Clearlake Police Chief Andrew White said they are not aware of any fatalities and have no formal missing person reports.
He said his officers and detectives have been working to contact all the residents of the homes destroyed in the fire area and have so far been able to clear 51 of them. Additional properties are yet to be searched.
Those displaced by the fire still have an evacuation shelter available to them. On Thursday, the shelter was moved from Kelseyville High School to Twin Pine Casino in Middletown. Theresa Showen of the Lake County Department of Social Services said between Wednesday and Thursday they had a total of 72 people registered.
Showen said they were working to meet immediate needs — a place to stay, food, medications — with the Red Cross to take over the sheltering effort and the county to have a support role.
Evacuation orders for parts of Clearlake and Lower Lake remained in effect on Thursday.
Sapeta said he looks forward to being able to lift those orders, but explained that making sure it’s safe for residents is a “very daunting and slow process.”
He said a significant amount of trees need to be cut back, while repairs need to be made to infrastructure. Thirty utility poles were destroyed and a tower was damaged, and Pacific Gas and Electric was brought in on Thursday to begin repairs.
Mayor Dirk Slooten thanked the many agencies that had helped the city and the numerous nonprofits that are also coming forward to offer assistance. “We can do this together. Remember this is Lake County strong.”
Supervisor Bruno Sabatier, formerly a Clearlake City Council member, also expressed his thanks to firefighters. “While the fire was devastating and extreme, it was stopped from doing further destruction” by those first responders, he said.
Sabatier pledged that the county will work with state and federal partners to help the city. “The conversations have already begun.”
Fire district, city council approve emergency declarations
During a special Thursday morning meeting, the Lake County Fire Protection District Board approved an emergency declaration in response to the fire.
Board President Jacqueline Snyder said taking such an action is “a first” for the district in her time there.
With the fire in the local responsibility area, not the state’s, the district could be hit hard by the impacts, Snyder said.
“We’re all having to learn a different way of life at this point,” said Snyder.
That action was followed on Thursday evening by the Clearlake City Council unanimously ratifying the declaration of a local emergency that Flora had issued the previous night in his authority as the city’s emergency services director.
Councilman Russ Perdock noted that the county’s past fires have been bundled with other incidents in order to qualify for federal assistance. He asked if it’s possible with this fire.
Flora noted it’s a great question. “At this point, it’s not looking likely,” but he said the city and county supervisors are asking if that’s possible. The city has a call scheduled on Friday with Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry and state Sen. Mike McGuire to discuss the matter.
Later in the meeting, Flora updated the council on the overall fire situation, explaining a variety of agencies are continuing to assist the city in the recovery efforts that will be ongoing for some time.
He said Lake County Environmental Health did an assessment in the fire area, finding no industrial scale waste but a lot of household hazardous waste. That’s along with the ash and heavy metals from monitor heaters, propane tanks, burned mobile homes and vehicles.
Another concern is the proximity to Cache Creek and the potential for contamination from the burned properties, which included what Flora called an “unofficial wrecking yard” filled with vehicles.
There also are issues with drinking water availability. He said the Cache Creek Mobile Home Park, one of the parks in the fire area, lost its water system to the fire.
On Thursday afternoon, Flora spoke with the general manager of the Konocti County Water District, which was in the process of taking that system over, and they are working on an emergency tie for that park to ensure a water source.
Flora said the city has asked for a hazmat team from the California Office of Emergency Services. The state has agreed to provide that team but the city doesn’t yet know when.
Due to high winds, a lot of ash is blowing into Cache Creek, with Flora explaining that the state hazmat teams have treatments to address that.
In the meantime, Clearlake Public Works is using a water truck to keep the area damp to stop ash from moving into the watershed. Even though there isn’t much water in Cache Creek, Flora said if pollutants get into the creek, they could travel into Yolo County.
He said that the city has done a lot of towing of abandoned vehicles over the last several months and so has zero capacity for storing more. That will necessitate an emergency contract to remove the vehicles from the fire area.
Flora said few of the property owners who had damage actually have property insurance. “That’s going to be a problem for the recovery efforts.”
At the same time, however, it does strengthen the city’s chance of getting state resources, he said.
Flora said there also has been an outpouring of offers of assistance and support, including from contractors the city works with on a regular basis.
He said he was very pleased with how the community is already stepping in, again, to offer support. “It’s a large disaster for us.”
While he doesn’t expect the city to meet the thresholds for state and federal assistance, Flora said they were going to work to get the needed resources.
Both Flora and White noted during the meeting that the fire caused significant infrastructure damage.
While the meeting was taking place, White received an update from PG&E on the repairs. He said it’s possible that Dam Road could be reopened on Sunday, but added, “There’s a lot of infrastructure repair to be done.”
Councilman Russ Cremer said he had toured the fire area with Sabatier and Martin. “It’s total devastation,” he said.
Slooten added that it reminded him of escaping the Sulphur fire with his wife in 2017.
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Konocti Unified reopened for classes on Monday. Just two days later, shortly after 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the Cache fire erupted in Clearlake, swiftly moving into parts of Lower Lake.
On Thursday evening, officials said damage assessments so far have found the 83-acre fire destroyed 56 homes, 81 outbuildings and 158 vehicles.
The fire, at that point about 40% contained, damaged utility infrastructure. On Thursday evening, 105 customers in the fire area along Dam Road were still out of power, Pacific Gas and Electric reported.
Evacuation orders also remained in place for portions of Lower Lake and Clearlake on Thursday night.
The Cache fire, hit by strong winds, threw numerous spot fires, some of them burning close to Lower Lake Elementary School and Lower Lake High School.
The fire’s proximity — there were reports that it burned on school property near the site of facilities that had burned in the Clayton fire — necessitated the evacuation of students.
Officials said students were evacuated by 2 p.m. Wednesday and transported by bus to Haverty Field at Austin Park in Clearlake.
Superintendent Dr. Becky Salato said the district evacuated 1,500 students and 200 staff “very successfully.”
In a message to parents, Dr. Salato said there was no structural damage to any of our schools.
She said Lower Lake High School, Lower Lake Elementary School, Carle Continuation High School, Blue Heron and Highlands Academy were closed on Thursday and would remain closed on Friday.
From Friday through Sunday, staff will deep clean the interiors of the school buildings. Salato said that work includes cleaning and disinfecting horizontal surfaces, hepa-vacuuming carpets, cleaning and disinfecting bathrooms, and changing HVAC filters.
The goal, said Salato, was to have students back in class in Lower Lake on Monday.
She said all of the district’s other schools will remain open on Friday.
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- Written by: Debra Fredrickson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — After missing last year due to the pandemic, the Lake County Home Wine and Beer Makers’ Festival is back.
This family-friendly fundraiser will take place at its usual location — Library Park in Lakeport — but on a new date, Sept. 18.
The “WineFest” normally happens annually on the Saturday before Father’s Day, so planning normally begins in February.
Since COVID-19 restrictions remained unclear in early 2021, organizers felt it prudent to change the date to later in the year.
Now in its 20th year, the WineFest has become a fixture in Lake County.
It was originally started by amateur winemakers who were members of the Lake County Symphony Association, to help raise needed funds for the Lake County Symphony.
The WineFest was later expanded to include amateur and commercial beer makers — a welcome addition that has included participants such as the Konocti Mashers and the O’Meara Bros. Brewing Co.
For nearly two decades, home winemakers and brewers from all over Northern California have come to Lake County to pour samples for the public.
Home winemakers have the chance to enter their products before the event for judging by experts. All participants are eligible for the gold, silver and bronze ribbons which are awarded for a wide range of varietals and brews. All have a chance to win the popular “Peoples’ Choice” awards voted on by attendees, with results announced during the festival.
While commercial Lake County wineries are usually on hand to pour tastes of their products too, they are not eligible for prizes; these only go to the amateurs.
But it’s not just about the wine and beer. As in past years, there will be numerous vendors offering arts and crafts, clothes and agricultural products. Attendees to this year’s event can also expect a variety of delicious food choices, including tri-tip sandwiches from our local Knights of Columbus.
Live music will be provided by the David Neft Duo, featuring David Neft on keyboard and Steve DuBois on drums.
The silent auction is another important piece of the WineFest as is the "barrel of wine" raffle, which gives the winner a huge assortment of Lake County wines.
“We are really glad we could make the WineFest happen in 2021,” said Carl Fredrickson, president of the Symphony Wine Club. “We did not want to miss another year. This is a major fundraiser for our local symphony and supports youth music programs, lessons and scholarships.”
WineFest chairperson Deborah Spangler-Welch added, “We are happy for the opportunity to share our local wine and beer again, and, of course, hoping for a huge turnout. We think people are ready to get out there, make up for the past year and have a fun day while supporting a good cause.”
There is still time for commercial or amateur wine and beer makers to get registered and participate in a day of friendly competition. Booths are provided at no charge to amateur wine and beer makers who register by the deadline. Food and craft vendors also have time to reserve a spot. Go to www.homewinemakersfestival.org for more details and to download an application.
Businesses or individuals who wish to support the symphony with a donation for the silent auction (gift basket, original artwork, gift card, or something similar) can contact Kerry Moore at 707-364-6165.
Admission to the WineFest is $30 with advance purchase, or $35 at the gate, and includes tasting of both amateur and commercial wines and beers. All tasters receive a commemorative wineglass and a wrist band for identification. Children and leashed pets are welcome, although tastings are restricted to those 21 years and older.
There is no charge for those who only want to walk around the area or visit the food vendors or the craft booths.
Advance tickets are available for purchase at Watershed Books and Lake County Chamber of Commerce in Lakeport, or online through Eventbrite.
For more information, go to Lake County Home Wine and Beer Makers Festival on Facebook or send an email to
Debra Fredrickson is a member of the Lake County Symphony Association.
