LAKE COUNTY, Caif. – The Lake County Sheriff's Office has issued a advisory evacutation order for areas of Hidden Valley Lake due to flooding.

Flooding in the areas of Gold Flat Ct @ Mountain Meadow South, Bear Valley Rd @ Mountain Meadow South and Oak Flat Rd @ Mountain Meadow South and North, advisory evacuations have been issued for those areas of Hidden Valley Lake.

An evacuation center has been set up at Twin Pine Casino & Hotel.

Additionally, the LCSO cautions that creeks, streams and some drainages are experiencing increased flow from heavy rainfall. Debris in roadways, including rocks and trees, have been reported throughout Lake County.

It is advised to stay home and stay off roadways. Caltrans, County Roads and work crews are working hard to clear roads of debris. These work crews will be less hindered if motorist stay indoors and refrain from driving.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Police Department is investigating the circumstances behind the abandonment of a small dog in a trash can on Friday.

The department reported that at 1:40 p.m. Friday officers were dispatched to the 1300 block of S. Main Street to investigate a citizen's report of a small dog left in a large garbage can.

Officers located and rescued the little male dog, according to the report.

Police said the dog would not have been able to get into the can on his own and they believe someone dumped him there, most likely hours earlier.

Officers have taken the dog to Lake County Animal Care and Control, according to the report.

Police are asking that anyone who may have information on this dog or the circumstances of this incident to contact them.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Lakeport Police Department by sending a private message on its Facebook page @LakeportPolice, emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , calling 707-263-5491 and asking to talk with an officer or sending an anonymous message from your cellular phone by texting the words TIP LAKEPORT followed by your message to 888777.  

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff's Office has released the name of a Lucerne man who was fatally injured in a vehicle crash on Wednesday afternoon near Nice.

Lt. Steve Brooks said the man who died was James Craig McDonald, 65.

The California Highway Patrol said McDonald was driving a 2000 Toyota eastbound on the Nice-Lucerne Cutoff east of Westlake Drive at 1:45 p.m. Wednesday, with his wife, 60-year-old Dana McDonald riding as his passenger, when the crash occurred.

The CHP said 63-year-old Michael Thompson of Lakeport was driving a 2001 Dodge pickup westbound when the vehicle drifted off the right side of the road.

Thompson overcorrected, crossed the double-yellow lines and broadsided McDonald's Toyota, causing it to roll over, the CHP said.

James McDonald was pronounced dead at the scene, his wife was flown to a regional trauma center and Thompson was uninjured, the CHP said.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – On Christmas Eve members of the Clearlake Police Officers Association assisted Santa Claus in delivering toys to several families in the city of Clearlake.

Helping Santa on Christmas Eve has been a tradition for the Clearlake Police Officers Association for more than 15 years, according to Det. Ryan Peterson, the association vice president.

Throughout the year, members of the police officers association meet a lot of families and children who are going through difficult times, Peterson said. Through theses contacts, families are chosen and contacted to see if they would like a visit from Santa Claus. 

Peterson said police Officers collect handwritten letters from the children and deliver them to Santa Claus.

On Christmas Eve, Santa Claus was given a personal escort to deliver toys to the children, which this year resulted in 26 children receiving a visit from Santa Claus, Peterson said.

This program means a lot to the Clearlake Police Officers Association and has been successful because of community support, according to Peterson.

This year, Peterson said the the police officers association offered a special thank you to Paul Gehringer and Angelo Sendejas for their donations to this program and support to the Clearlake Police Officers Association Christmas Program.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – After two years of work to get the Lakeport Police Department a newer, larger and more secure headquarters, on Wednesday the city celebrated the opening of that new facility.

“It's going to be a great thing,” Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen said at the Wednesday dedication of the new building.

About 50 people were on hand for the Wednesday afternoon ceremony, held at the building, located at 2025 S. Main St., next to Kmart.

Rasmussen, his officers and staff were joined by City Manager Margaret Silveira and city staff, along with Lakeport City Council members Stacey Mattina, Kenny Parlet and Mireya Turner, and Mayor Marc Spillman.

Sheriff Brian Martin, District Attorney Don Anderson, California Highway Patrol Clear Lake Area Commander Lt. Hector Paredes, Supervisor-elect Tina Scott and Tom Engstrom, a former city councilman and retired police chief, also attended the afternoon event.

Silveira said there are still some finishing touches before the department moves into its new digs. She said the police department will be moved into the new headquarters after the start of the year.

She thanked the city council for its vision in acquiring the building and the city staff who brought the project to fruition.

Silveira also thanked Thompson and the US Department of Agriculture for making it possible to get the funding to purchase the building.

“We've had a lot of positive things happen in the last few years,” said Mayor Marc Spillman, recounting infrastructure and road projects, the new Measure Z sales tax, three blocks reconstructed in downtown Main Street, hiring stabilization and a pay increase for the police department, and now the new building.

Spillman thanked Silveira, Rasmussen, city staff and police. He said it was their work and expertise that led to the project's completion.

“The building will provide safety, pride and functionality to our Lakeport Police Department,” as well as value and infrastructure to the city, Spillman said.

The process of getting the new building to the current point has taken about two years, said Rasmussen.

He said the department moved into its current located on N. Forbes Street in 1999 after having been located at 445 N. Main St. for many years.

“In 2007, we began to realize some serious security concerns at the facility we're in now,” said Rasmussen.

Under the leadership of then-Police Chief Kevin Burke, the department proposed a headquarters project in 2007 that didn't move forward, he said.

In 2014, after further security concerns, police staff came to Rasmussen with ideas, which he took to the city's safety committee. The committee in turn forwarded the ideas to Silveira, who took them to the council, he said.

Rasmussen said the council immediately acted, and directed staff to move forward with finding a new police station. Every single city department offered its support, and he acknowledged that the project wouldn't have succeeded without it.

There was another important benefit from the project. “Every single contractor we've had work on this project is a local, Lake County business. None of this work came from outside of this county or this community,” so the money will be cycled back into the community, Rasmussen said.

As police chief, Rasmussen said he can feel comfortable knowing the facility will provide a safe and secure home for many years for the police employees who protect the community.

While he said he couldn't disclose all the security features, “I can tell you that this facility will be under constant watch, and not penetrable by anyone who may wish to do us harm.”

He also thanked acting Sgt. Joe Eastham – who wears many hats in the department, including acting as its forensic sketch artist – for carving the large wooden badge that hangs on the wall facing the entrance in the lobby.

Eastham carved the badge to replicate those worn by the department's officers. The badge number on it, 1888, signifies the year the police department began operations following the incorporation of the city of Lakeport on April 30 of that year.

Congressman Mike Thompson's district representative, Brad Onorato, presented to Rasmussen a flag that had flown over the US Capitol building on Nov. 15 along with its authenticity certificate from the Capitol Police Department and a certificate from Thompson. Its new home will now be at the department.

Later in the ceremony, Thompson – on the road around his district for the day – arrived in time to join in the event, meet with city officials and community members, and tour the facility.

Lakeport Police's chaplain, Pastor Mike Suski of Lakeport Christian Center, also offered a benediction, asking for safety, blessings and wisdom on the department and its personnel, as well as the city and its leaders.

Joey Luiz, former mayor of Clearlake who now is district liaison for Fiona Ma, chair of the State Board of Equalization, presented to Rasmussen a proclamation congratulating the department on its new facility and honoring the agency for its commitment to the community.

Spillman and council members then unveiled a new plaque on the side of the building with the names of the council and city officials.

Rasmussen then had a chance to officially cut a blue ribbon that concluded the dedication ceremony.

Mattina said afterwards that she loved the new facility, and called it “a very happy day.”

She added, “We were starting to lose sleep. We wanted to make sure that our officers were safe. We needed a new structure, so we worked on it pretty quick. It took awhile to do the financing but we're finally there.”

Noting the better and more secure working environment for officers, Thompson added that it's always great when the federal government can come together with the local government to make such a project work.

Spillman – along with Councilman Martin Scheel, who was not at the Wednesday dedication – will leave the council on Dec. 20, when their successors Tim Barnes and George Spurr are sworn in. Parlet won a second term in November.

After the ceremony Spillman said he was glad to have seen the project finished before leaving office.

“It's been a good four years,” he said.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.