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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Police arrested a Clearlake man after he led officers on a pursuit that ended in a wreck.
Cody Christopher Crouch, 22, was taken into custody following the pursuit, which occurred on Tuesday afternoon, according to a Clearlake Police Department report.
Just before 2:15 p.m. Tuesday, Officer Steven Diaz was on routine patrol in the area of 18th Avenue when he observed a white Honda Accord traveling eastbound on 18th Avenue with an expired registration, the report said.
Police said Officer Diaz attempted to conduct a traffic enforcement stop, however, the driver, later identified as Crouch, failed to stop for the emergency lights and siren.
Crouch led officers on a vehicle pursuit through the residential area of Clearlake known as the “Avenues.” Police said Crouch was driving at approximately 35 miles per hour on the dirt roads. At one point during the pursuit, the front and rear bumper were torn from the suspect vehicle.
During the pursuit, police said witnesses saw Crouch throw a firearm out of the vehicle. The firearm was later recovered.
After throwing the firearm, Crouch aimed his vehicle at an oncoming patrol vehicle, forcing the officer off the roadway to avoid a head-on collision. Police said Crouch then lost control of his vehicle and struck a parked car causing damage to the parked vehicle.
Crouch led officers to a remote area west of Seventh Avenue near the Cache Creek Apartments. Police said Crouch drove his vehicle into an empty field and crashed into a pile of rocks then fled on foot.
Officers responded to the area and set up a perimeter, according to the report. Crouch was observed running in the area by Det. Leonardo Flores and Det. Steve Hobb.
Crouch was taken into custody without further incident in the area of Dam Road near Lake Street, police said.
Police said Crouch was arrested on probable cause and booked in the Lake County Jail for multiple charges including felony evading, felony evading while driving on the wrong side of the road, felon in possession of a firearm, felon in possession of ammunition, felony probation violation, assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, hit and run, destruction of evidence, armed while committing a felony and driving without a license.
Crouch remains in custody without bail on the felony probation, according to his booking sheet.
- Details
- Written by: Lake County News reports
The move was inspired by a legislative call to pardon Bayard Rustin, a humanitarian and civil rights leader who was convicted of a misdemeanor vagrancy offense for consensual adult sexual activity.
In launching the new clemency initiative, Gov. Newsom issued Rustin a posthumous pardon.
In California and across the country, charges like vagrancy, loitering, and sodomy have been used to unjustly target lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people.
Law enforcement and prosecutors specifically targeted LGBTQ individuals, communities and community spaces for criminal prosecution.
“Now, as a proudly LGBTQ-allied state, California is turning the page on historic wrongs,” Newsom’s office said in its Wednesday announcement.
This new clemency initiative will allow pardons for people like Rustin who were subjected to discriminatory arrest and prosecution for engaging in consensual conduct with people of the same sex.
Californians can apply for clemency for people they believe meet the criteria for consideration.
“In California and across the country, many laws have been used as legal tools of oppression, and to stigmatize and punish LGBTQ people and communities and warn others what harm could await them for living authentically,” said Gov. Newsom. “I thank those who advocated for Bayard Rustin’s pardon, and I want to encourage others in similar situations to seek a pardon to right this egregious wrong.”
In 1975, California repealed the law which made consensual sex between same-sex adults a crime.
In 1997, the state established a process where individuals convicted for engaging in consensual adult sexual conduct could request removal from the California Sex Offender Registry. However, this does not modify the underlying conviction or constitute a pardon.
The new clemency initiative will work to identify eligible pardon candidates, and diligently process applications with the express goal of pardoning eligible individuals.
To learn how to apply for a pardon and to receive updates and information on the clemency initiative, sign up at www.gov.ca.gov/clemency .
Rustin recognized for efforts in social justice, racial equality
Bayard Rustin was a visionary champion for peace, equality, and economic justice, and was a key strategist and organizer behind the 1963 March on Washington.
Additionally, he worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to organize the March and the Montgomery Bus Boycott and was fundamental in integrating nonviolent direct action into the civil rights movement.
Rustin, a native of New York, traveled around the country and world to promote civil and human rights, and trained hundreds of people on nonviolence.
While in California in 1942, he visited Japanese Americans imprisoned in the Manzanar internment camp and reported on the camp’s humanitarian conditions.
On Aug. 8, 2013, President Barack Obama posthumously awarded Rustin the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States, describing him as “an unyielding activist for civil rights, dignity, and equality for all.”
Rustin died in 1987.
Rustin’s pardon request was made by the California Legislative Black and LGBTQ Caucuses, whose representatives praise Governor Newsom’s action.
“I’m thrilled that Gov. Newsom is pardoning Bayard Rustin and that he acted so quickly and decisively in response to our request. I also applaud the governor for broadening this work to provide other criminalized LGBT people with a path to clear their records of wrongful convictions on homophobic charges. These actions are consistent with the governor’s deep and longstanding support for the LGBT community,” said Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), Chair of the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus. “Generations of LGBT people – including countless gay men – were branded criminals and sex offenders simply because they had consensual sex. This was often life-ruining, and many languished on the sex offender registry for decades. The governor’s actions today are a huge step forward in our community’s ongoing quest for full acceptance and justice.”
“On behalf of the Black Caucus, I want to thank the governor for granting this posthumous pardon. The Arc of Justice is long, but it took nearly 70 years for Bayard Rustin to have his legacy in the Civil Rights movement uncompromised by this incident. Rustin was a great American who was both gay and black at a time when the sheer fact of being either or both could land you in jail,” said Assemblymember Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus. “This pardon assures his place in history and the Governor’s ongoing commitment to addressing similar convictions shows that California is finally addressing a great injustice.”
The governor regards clemency as an important part of the criminal justice system that can incentivize accountability and rehabilitation, increase public safety by removing counterproductive barriers to successful reentry, and correct unjust results in the legal system.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The kennels also have many dogs that need to be reunited with their owners. To find the lost/found pet section, click here.
The following dogs are ready for adoption.
‘Barkley’
“Barkley” is a male American Pit Bull Terrier mix with a short red coat.
He is dog No. 3528.
‘Blue’
“Blue” is a female Staffordshire Bull Terrier with a short blue and white coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 2420.
‘Chris’
“Chris” is a male American Staffordshire Terrier mix with a short brindle and white coat.
He has been neutered.
Chris is dog No. 3319.
‘Eve’
“Eve” is a female American bully with a short brindle and white coat.
She is dog No. 3480.
‘King’
“King” is a male purebred Staffordshire Bull Terrier with a short brindle coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 3034.
‘Lola’
“Lola” is a female pit bull terrier mix with a short red and white coat.
She has been spayed.
She is dog No. 3337.
‘Mack’
“Mack” is a male Labrador Retriever mix with a short black coat and white markings.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 3570.
‘Naomi’
“Naomi is a female American Pit Bull Terrier with a short red coat.
She has been spayed.
She is dog No. 1293.
‘Phoebe’
“Phoebe” is a female American Pit Bull Terrier mix with a short black and white coat.
She is dog No. 3483.
‘Woodrow’
“Woodrow” is a male Staffordshire Bull Terrier with a black and white coat.
He is dog No. 3281.
Clearlake Animal Control’s shelter is located at 6820 Old Highway 53, off Airport Road.
Hours of operation are noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The shelter is closed Sundays, Mondays and major holidays; the shelter offers appointments on the days it’s closed to accommodate people.
Call the Clearlake Animal Control shelter at 707-273-9440, or email
Visit Clearlake Animal Control on Facebook or at the city’s Web site.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Todd Metcalf, administrator of Lake County Behavioral Health Services, said staff discovered a break-in on the morning of Dec. 6 that had occurred the previous night at the Lake County Behavioral Health Services clinic, located at 7000-B South Center Drive in Clearlake.
Metcalf said the protected health information taken varied by client, and generally included some or all of the following elements: full name; prescribed medication; case number; appointment dates and times; phone number; payments; and amounts due for services received.
One compromised client file additionally contained a full Social Security Number, date of birth, disability status, medical history, substance use history, Medi-Cal beneficiary identification number, and income verification information,” Metcalf said.
Metcalf told Lake County News that the total number of potential individuals compromised is approximately 1,200.
“We have sent state-approved letters to each informing them of the incident,” Metcalf said.
The notices, according to Metcalf, detail the type of information potentially accessed.
Metcalf said the reason for the two-month delay between the break-in and the county’s public report on it was because his agency was unaware of the state’s protocol.
“Rest assured we did our due diligence and reported the incident immediately to the California Department of Health Care Services, but were just made aware of the necessity of a press release last Thursday due to the number of potential clients affected,” Metcalf said.
State civil code, which was updated with new legislation last year, includes numerous protections for consumer and health information and requirements for reporting them.
The California Attorney General’s Office reports that businesses, state and local government agencies that report personal information breaches that involve more than 500 state residents must submit to the state a data breach report.
So far, the Attorney General’s Office’s online searchable breach reports don’t include Lake County Behavioral Health’s incident.
Police investigation under way
Metcalf said the Clearlake Police Department was notified immediately of the break-in.
Based on the investigation so far, the single point of entry was a locked front window that was kicked in, he said.
From there, access was gained through a locked office, resulting in the theft of a locked filing cabinet used for storage of client protected health information, Metcalf reported.
Clearlake Police Chief Andrew White told Lake County News Tuesday that the incident initially was reported to police as a break-in, at which point it wasn’t known that a theft had occurred.
Officers went to the scene to investigate and were unable initially to locate a point of entry but found a point of exit, White said.
White said at the time the break-in was reported in December, his officers dusted for fingerprints but were unable to recover any due to issues with the surface, which he explained can include excessive dust.
It wasn’t until a county press release on the data breach and theft came out on Tuesday morning that White said he became aware that the filing cabinet had been stolen.
“We are unclear at this point as to what caused it not to be relayed to us,” White said.
White said he has since talked to Metcalf and a Behavioral Health staffer and is working with them.
“We’ll be following up on this new information we learned today on the compromised data,” White said Tuesday afternoon.
Metcalf explained that the Clearlake Police Department was informed immediately once Behavioral Health discovered the break-in, however, the missing filing cabinet was not discovered until after the report was made.
“Oddly enough, the filing cabinet is on wheels and is often moved about the building, so that’s why it was not noticed until after the police report was made,” he said.
Clearlake Police Det. Steve Hobb is assigned to the investigation. White asked that anyone with information about the case contact Hobb at 707-994-8201, Extension 321.
Taking new security measures
Metcalf said they’ve had a few recent break-ins, and are now taking a series of new measures to further secure protected health information.
Those measures include relocating any cabinets containing protected health information into a locked room that has no windows, located deep in the interior of the clinic complex, he said.
They’ve also initiated the installation of a security system in the Clearlake building that includes video surveillance and 24-hour monitoring, Metcalf said.
He said an alarm system also is being installed at the agency’s Lucerne clinic to ensure these situations will not happen in the future.
“We’re trying to cover all the bases,” Metcalf said.
Due to the risk of identity theft, White encouraged people to closely follow their credit reports.
For those individuals who are impacted, Behavioral Health encourages them to consider taking immediate action to protect their identity.
Precautions include the following.
Registering a fraud alert with the three credit bureaus:
– Experian: 888-397-3742; www.experian.com
– TransUnion: 800-680-7289; www.transunion.com
– Equifax: 866-349-5191; www.equifax.com
Ordering a free report from all three credit bureaus:
– Ordering online: http://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp .
For those with additional questions, they may contact Vanessa Mayer at 707-274-9101.
Email Elizabeth Larson at