CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Lake County's sheriff has released his own version of the events last week that led to Clearlake Police officers arriving at a home with guns drawn to discover undercover agents involved in an operation about which the police had not been notified.

Sheriff Frank Rivero has defended his actions in not notifying Clearlake Police as part of the undercover drug operation, which took place Thursday, May 19, and lasted into the following day.

Rivero's statement said six felony arrests resulted from the operation, but the following four individuals are the only ones listed as arrested by the Sheriff's Narcotics Task Force: 25-year-old Michael Tremell Mitchell of Clearlake; Cebram Lawrence Roston, 29, of Clearlake; and Edgar Agustin Castellanos, 30, of Las Vegas and Fernando Flores-Nunez, 25of Clearlake, both of whom are allegedly in the United States illegally.

The task force also reportedly seized methamphetamine, marijuana and two handguns, one of which Rivero said was stolen out of the Clearlake.

Rivero's statement said that on the afternoon of May 19 Sheriff's Narcotic Task Force detectives developed information from a case that originated in the county that a narcotics transaction involving a large amount of methamphetamine was going to occur that evening on the grounds of the Yuba College in Clearlake.

The detectives established surveillance on the campus just before 6 p.m. that day, with uniformed sheriff’s deputies and two narcotics detection K-9 teams were also staged in the area, the sheriff's office said.

Mitchell, the subject of about a dozen active court cases and a recent Clearlake Police arrest, allegedly rode onto the campus on a dirt bike at about 6:15 p.m., stopped near a parked vehicle and got into it. That's where the sheriff's office said detectives detained Mitchell, who is on probation.

Because of his probation status, detectives were able to search Mitchell and found an ounce of methamphetamine in the car, the sheriff's office reported.

Following Mitchell's arrest, Rivero said detectives developed more information that another sales transaction involving an even larger amount of methamphetamine that was to occur within 20 minutes at Mitchell’s home on 19th Avenue in Clearlake.

“With a very short time frame to work in, detectives quickly went to Mitchell’s home to insert detectives, conduct surveillance and intercept the unidentified drug traffickers,” the statement said.

After they arrived at Mitchell's home, the detectives arrested Roston, who showed up as they were waiting for the other suspects, the sheriff's office said.

Roston, who had multiple arrest warrants for narcotics and other charges, was taken into custody while the detectives waited for the drug traffickers they told were to arrive, the report noted.

After the detectives arrived at Mitchell's home the Clearlake Police Department received two 911 calls from Mitchell's girlfriend, who stated that three large male subjects dressed in dark clothing had her boyfriend in handcuffs at the home and that she had been told to take her baby and leave.

Based on that information, as well as a 911 call from Mitchell's sister, the Clearlake Police believed there was a hostage situation under way.

“Shortly after Roston was taken into custody, Clearlake Police officers arrived at the home as someone had reportedly witnessed undercover detectives, who were wearing sheriff’s raid jackets, handcuffing him and taking him into the home,” according to Rivero's report.

But the statement about raid jackets doesn't match Mitchell's girlfriend's statements about the men's dark clothing. The police dispatcher had asked her if the men were law enforcement and the woman did not identify them as such.

The sheriff's report also conflicts with statements by Clearlake Police Sgt. Rodd Joseph, who wrote in his report that one of the undercover deputies was wearing a light-colored shirt and another a red shirt.

Rivero's report also stated that “one of the detectives inserted in the home saw the uniformed Clearlake Officers approach. The detective called out to the uniformed officers announcing there were sheriff narcotics officers inside. He then opened the front door, announcing Sheriff’s Office presence again and presenting his badge. The Clearlake officers immediately recognized the undercover narcotics detective and then left without incident.”

That statement conflicts with the reports of Joseph and Ray, who said they had their weapons trained on a figure they saw in the window, and it was only after Officer Alan Collier knocked on the door and announced the police presence that Deputy Steve Herdt opened the door, said, “It's the f***in' sheriff's department,” and then closed the door.

The police reports said Herdt had a badge around his neck, but that he did not present it before closing the door on them. They did not recount any sheriff's detective calling out to police to warn them of the narcotics detectives' presence.

Not long after the four Clearlake Police officers cleared the scene, a gold pickup truck reportedly arrived at the home and as two suspects – later identified as Castellanos and Flores-Nunez – got out and approached the front of the house, multiple detectives and uniformed deputies moved in and detained them, according to the sheriff's office.

The sheriff's office reported that narcotics detection K-9 teams checked the truck and the dogs “hit” on several areas of the vehicle, but no drugs were located.

“Detectives believe that the suspects intended to collect payment for the intended transaction before actually delivering the drugs, as is common practice with drug dealers,” the sheriff's office said.

The investigation would take the detectives to two other homes in Clearlake where they believed Castellanos had resided.

The sheriff's statement said detectives worked into the early morning hours of Friday to “freeze” homes located on 33rd Avenue and Vista Street, and search warrants were written and secured for both locations.

Shortly after 4 a.m. May 20, sheriff's detectives served the search warrants at both homes, the sheriff's office reported.

At the 33^rd Avenue home detectives seized a total of 351 marijuana plants from an illegal grow in the backyard, according to the sheriff's report.

It also was there that the sheriff's office reported that it seized two firearms – a .45 caliber semiautomatic pistol and a .45 caliber revolver – the former later being determined to have been stolen out of Clearlake.

Mitchell, Roston, Castellanos, and Flores-Nunez were all transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked, the sheriff's office reported.

Mitchell was charged with possession of a controlled substance for sales and transportation of a controlled substance, with bail set at $15,000. Jail records showed he later posted bail and was released.

Roston was booked on a total of six warrants for his arrest for narcotics offenses and other charges. His bail was set at $20,000. He remained in custody on Tuesday, according to jail records.

Castellanos was booked for conspiracy to sell methamphetamine, cultivation of marijuana, grand theft of a firearm and an immigration hold. Flores-Nunez was booked for conspiracy to sell methamphetamine and an immigration hold. Jail records showed that both men also remained in custody on Tuesday.

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