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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A Lakeport man arrested for the November murder of a Northshore resident has had the charges against him dropped.
District Attorney Susan Krones said that charges were dropped on Wednesday against 49-year-old Daniel Wayne Ford for the murder of Lucerne resident Nicky Dale Smith.
Ford is the second suspect in the case to have charges dropped against him.
However, Krones said that, depending on the findings of the ongoing investigation, new charges could be brought at a future time.
Smith, 70, was found murdered on the morning of Nov. 23 in the 4550 block of Scotts Valley Road in Lakeport, as Lake County News has reported.
Later that same day, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office arrested both Ford and 35-year-old Michael Sean Shaffer of Upper Lake for the murder.
In court filings made against Ford and Shaffer, the Lake County District Attorney’s Office said Smith was killed on Nov. 22, the day before his body was found.
The sheriff’s office said Smith’s autopsy concluded that he died of blunt force trauma and gunshot wounds. Court filings said he was killed by being beaten with a flashlight and shot with a handgun, both of which initially were believed to have been wielded by Ford.
Smith’s dark green Toyota Tundra pickup went missing at the time of his killing but was found on Dec. 9 in a remote location in the Scotts Valley/Eickhoff Road area, according to Lt. Corey Paulich.
Krones said materials that were found in the pickup are undergoing forensic testing.
While Krones said the initial investigation indicated Shaffer and Ford were the prime suspects, she has since decided to drop the charges against the men.
In mid-December, Krones decided not to pursue charges against Shaffer, citing new evidence as part of the ongoing investigation, including additional witness statements, but charges remained in place against Ford.
Krones said investigators have gotten more information since the arrests, with a lot of leads, people to interview and evidence to collect.
As a result, “I decided that at this time we don’t have sufficient evidence to go forward,” she said Thursday, the day after the charges against Ford were dropped.
Krones said she wants to wait for the results of the forensic testing to come back and reevaluate them. In the meantime, she doesn’t want to keep charges in place or file new charges until she has the results of that testing in hand.
“The forensics are going to tell us a lot, hopefully, but that takes time to get back,” she said.
The California Department of Justice is handling the testing. Krones said the most significant evidentiary items were sent first.
The hope is that results will be returned in a timeframe of between one and three months, but Krones said she didn’t know when that testing might be complete.
“It’s so hard to say,” she said. “They’re overworked, too.”
Krones said it’s possible that new charges could be filed in the case. Referring to Shaffer and Ford, she said, “These individuals were not just plucked off the street. There was some connection with this case, either as witnesses or defendants.”
She added that, if not charged, they could still be witnesses in the case.
Krones said there is a third individual who is being investigated as a possible suspect.
That man is in prison on other charges. “He’s not going to be going anywhere for at least a year,” she said.
What’s still isn’t clear is why Smith was targeted. Krones said she can only speculate at this point.
However, she did offer that what she termed as “common motivations” – such as theft and carjacking – could have been in play, as so far she has had no information that anyone wanted to kill him.
“All motivations are possibilities at this point,” she said. “But I think it was probably theft-related.”
In particular, she pointed to his stolen pickup, found more than two weeks after his death, which she said may have been the target.
“That’s the main suspected motivation,” she said.
It’s not yet clear what might have been taken from the truck. However, Krones said it appeared to still be drivable and wasn’t stripped.
While the charges in the Smith murder case have been dropped against Ford, he is remaining in custody to serve time in a misdemeanor battery case for which he was sentenced to jail time last year, said Krones, who also had handled that case.
She said Ford had been set to turn himself in to serve his time in that case on Nov. 26 but was picked up three days earlier on the Smith murder. He’s set to remain in jail until sometime in February.
“Even though he’s been in all this time, he would have been in any way on this sentence he had to serve,” she said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
The county of Lake reported that followup testing after the initial detection has been negative, so all caution signs have been removed and any restrictions have been lifted.
Initial testing in December demonstrated a low level of anatoxin (0.17 µg/l) and “Caution” signs were posted.
Further tests were conducted on Dec. 16 and Jan. 7, and both specimens showed no signs of toxin, the county reported.
Per the state’s protocol, when two consecutive tests come back negative, warning signs can be removed and usual activity can be resumed.
Conditions can change at any time, so county officials recommend continuing to watch for algae blooms, avoid contact, and report changes to Water Resources at 707-263-2344 or to Environmental Health at 707-263-1090.
The Clear Lake cyanobacteria monitoring program run by the Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians and Elem Indian Colony funded the analysis.
Their program has been routinely collecting a water sample at the Upper Blue Lakes as part of their monitoring program. Further testing will be performed in order to monitor ongoing risk.
County officials said the program has been highly beneficial to the health of our community.
For more information, the Water Board posts information about the bloom on the State Water Boards Twitter page.
For current cyanotoxin lab results, please visit the Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians cyanotoxin monitoring website.
For more information and resources, visit the County’s cyanobacteria pages at http://www.lakecountyca.gov/cyanobacteria/ or http://www.lakecountyca.gov/cyanohealth/.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
The California Department of Food and Agriculture will hold an open house-style public scoping meeting regarding the statewide Hydrilla Eradication Project from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 29, at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
Hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata) is a highly invasive aquatic plant that has the capacity, by forming dense mats that restrict dissolved oxygen levels, to disrupt many of the water-based activities that are synonymous with Lake County.
Statewide efforts to eradicate hydrilla have been generally successful, with the invasive plant fully eradicated in 15 California counties.
Lake County is one of three counties currently affected by hydrilla infestation, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture is asking for the community’s help to achieve the goal of getting Clear Lake and all California waters 100-percent hydrilla free.
Since 1994, CDFA has sought to keep Clear Lake healthy and bass fishing and other water-based industries vibrant by responsibly managing the spread of hydrilla.
Periodically, CDFA is called upon to prepare an environmental impact report, or EIR, for its entire Hydrilla Eradication Project, in accordance with the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act.
CDFA currently is receiving public comment toward a new draft EIR. The comment period ends at 5 p.m. Feb. 16.
At the public scoping meeting on Jan. 29, state officials and others will be present to address the comments, concerns and questions of community members as they work to develop the updated EIR.
CDFA’s Notice of Preparation is available at https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/ipc/hydrilla/pdfs/Hydrilla-NOP.pdf .
If you are unavailable to attend, written comments can be submitted to CDFA at the following mailing and email addresses: Attn: ATTN: Michelle Dennis, Branch Chief Integrated Pest Control, California Department of Food and Agriculture, 2800 Gateway Oaks Drive, Sacramento, CA 95832, email
Please direct any questions regarding Aquatic Plant Management activities in Lake County to Invasive Species Program Coordinator Angela De Palma-Dow at the Lake County Water Resources Department at 707-263-2344, or email
To stay up to date on activities and outreach, follow the Lake County Water Resources Department on Facebook, @lakecountywater.
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- 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.
‘Chevelle’
“Chevelle” is a female American Pit Bull Terrier with a short brindle and white coat.
She is dog No. 3527.
‘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.
‘Clarice’
“Clarice” is a female German Shepherd mix puppy.
She has been spayed.
She is dog No. 3402.
‘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.
‘Linus’
“Linus” is a male Staffordshire Bull Terrier mix with a short gray and white coat.
He is dog No. 3255.
‘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.
‘Naomi’
“Naomi is a female American Pit Bull Terrier with a short red coat.
She has been spayed.
She is dog No. 1293.
‘Nook’
“Nook” is a male American Staffordshire Terrier mix with a short brindle and white coat.
He is dog No. 3415.
‘Phoebe’
“Phoebe” is a female American Pit Bull Terrier mix with a short black and white coat.
She is dog No. 3483.
‘Spice’
“Spice” is a female pug mix with a short tan coat and black markings.
She has been spayed.
Spice is dog No. 3033.
‘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