Sgt. Steve Brooks said deputies were dispatched to the incident at 5:20 a.m. Friday.

The 83- and 84-year-old victims were sleeping in their bedroom in their Venus Village home when they were awakened at approximately 3:30 a.m. by someone shining a flashlight in their eyes, Brooks said.

Their hands were bound and they were told to lay face down on the bedroom floor while their bedroom was being ransacked, according to the report.

Brooks said one of the suspects indicated they were looking for money, jewelry and firearms.

Both victims were placed together in a locked closet. Brooks said the victims believe there were at least three suspects involved, one of which allegedly was armed with a sawed off shotgun.

Once the victims could no longer hear the suspects inside the residence, they were able to free themselves and unlock the closet door, Brooks said.

The couple attempted to call 911, but discovered the telephones had been disabled by the suspects. Brooks said they were able to contact a neighbor who summoned law enforcement.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit, as well as crime scene investigators, responded to the location. Brooks said they currently are processing the scene for evidence and conducting further investigation into the robbery.

Anyone who has information pertinent to this investigation is asked to contact the Lake County Sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit at 707-262-4200.

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Lakeport Police Sgt. Kevin Odom reported Thursday that over the past week, several cases of vandalism have been reported in the city.

He said vandals have written graffiti, which is possibly gang-related, in the 1000 block of N. Main Street, the 600 block of Forbes Street, the 400 block of Konocti Avenue, the 300 block of Lakeport Boulevard and the 1100 block of S. Main Street during the nighttime hours of Dec. 10 and Dec. 11.

Similar graffiti also was reported in the 100 block of Forbes Street and 300 block of S. Main Street on or around Dec. 12 and Dec. 13 during the night, Odom said.

He said the vandals appear to be using some type of large marking pen or similar device.

The vandalisms appear to be similar in style and design, Odom added.

Police had previously taken reports for six graffiti tagging incidents from Nov. 27 through the end of the first week in December, as Lake County News has reported.

Those earlier vandalisms had been reported in Library Park, on S. Forbes Street, N. Main Street and Park Street, police said.

Residents seeing any suspicious activity are encouraged to report it to the police department immediately at 707-263-5491. If an actual crime is in progress, please call 911.

Odom said the police department thanked the community members who have been victims of these vandalisms for their prompt cleanup efforts

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The detail has taken place during the last two weekends and is set to continue through the holidays, according to Sgt. Rodd Joseph.

During the detail, assigned officers are paired with a partner officer with their primary responsibility being the investigation of traffic violations and conducting DUI investigations, Joseph explained.

Since the start of the enforcement detail, officers have made a total of 42 traffic stops, issued 34 citations and given eight warnings, conducted four DUI investigations, made five arrests and towed one vehicle, Joseph said.

The enforcement detail will continue through the remainder of the holiday season, according to the Wednesday report.

The Clearlake Police Department is encouraging drivers not to drive while intoxicated, adding that DUI collisions are completely preventable.

To report a possibly intoxicated driver, contact your local law enforcement agency. If they are within the city of Clearlake please contact the Clearlake Police Department at 707-994-8251. Callers may remain anonymous.

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County’s sheriff said Thursday he has asked the California Attorney General’s Office to reconsider its plea offer to a former deputy sheriff that would result in a three-month jail sentence for the crime of having sex with an underage girl.

Sheriff Frank Rivero said he made the request this week regarding 39-year-old Derik Dion Navarro, who pleaded guilty on Dec. 7 to one count of felony unlawful intercourse with a child under age 16.

Rivero called the plea agreement “a travesty of justice.”

The Attorney General’s Office does not agree.

“We worked closely with the victim on this,” Attorney General’s Office spokesperson Lynda Gledhill told Lake County News Thursday afternoon.

“We believe we reached a just disposition in a case we didn’t even get until four years after the crime occurred,” Gledhill added.

The Attorney General’s Office took over the case earlier this year because new District Attorney Don Anderson had a conflict of interest due to previously representing Navarro in an administrative hearing regarding his employment with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

The victim was 14 years old in May 2005 when the sexual relationship – which occurred when Navarro was not on duty as a sheriff’s deputy – began. It ended in May 2006, according to the investigation.

Navarro originally faced 18 felony counts and two misdemeanors for sex with two underage girls, with the final plea deal dropping one of those alleged victims, as Lake County News has reported.

Navarro and the California Attorney General’s Office reached the plea agreement on Dec. 7, as his trial was about to begin.

Lake County Superior Court Judge Andrew Blum is scheduled to sentence Navarro on Monday, Jan. 9.

Navarro will face three months in the Lake County Jail and three years of formal probation, with no requirement to register as a sex offender, according to the Attorney General’s Office.

Rivero said he spoke on Wednesday with the director of law enforcement for the California Department of Justice and the special assistant to California Attorney General Kamala Harris.

He said he expressed his opposition to the proposed plea bargain and asked them to reconsider it.

That Navarro could receive such a deal after pleading guilty to having sex with a 14-year-old “is unconscionable,” said Rivero.

Gledhill confirmed that Rivero spoke with the two state officials during a “zone” meeting for law enforcement officials that the attorney general had convened in Marin County on Wednesday.

Navarro worked for the Lake County Sheriff’s Office from 2002 until his termination in April 2007.

His termination followed lengthy investigations by both the District Attorney’s Office and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office which began in January 2007 after sheriff’s officials received information about allegations of misconduct.

Navarro was arrested a week after his termination.

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After considering community concerns and assessing higher traffic volume areas of the city, the department intends to increase enforcement of hazardous traffic violations such as speed, improper turning movements, right-of-way violations, failure to obey traffic signs or signals, impaired driving and use of cellular phones while driving, according to Police Chief Brad Rasmussen.

The targeted area for the week starting Sunday, Dec. 18, will be Main Street between Lakeport Boulevard and 11th Street, Rasmussen said.

Members of the public are encouraged to contact a department supervisor to discuss any traffic safety concerns they may have, he added.

The Lakeport Police Department can be reached at 707-263-5491.

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The petition, filed last Friday, Dec. 2, seeks relief under article XXI, section 3 of the California Constitution, on the ground that a referendum measure seeking to invalidate the Citizens Redistricting Commission’s certified state Senate district map is likely to qualify for the November 2012 ballot and hence stay implementation of the map.

In light of the short time frame imposed by the impending 2012 electoral cycle, the court sought and obtained by Wednesday, Dec. 7, expedited preliminary opposition and reply briefing from the parties.

Also on Dec. 7, the Citizens Redistricting Commission filed a motion to intervene. The court sought and obtained expedited opposition to that motion.

The petition in Vandermost v. Bowen asks the court, first, to grant two forms of immediate “interim relief”: an order directing the Secretary of State to suspend the statutory requirements of filing fees and the corresponding filing period for “in lieu” petitions for state Senate candidates seeking election in June 2012; and appointment of an expert or special master to “advise and assist the court in preparing to provide interim boundary adjustments” for state Senate districts should the referendum qualify for the ballot and stay the certified map.

The petition also asks the court to issue an order to show cause to address which Senate district boundaries will apply for the 2012 elections in the event the referendum challenging the certified Senate district map qualifies for placement before the voters on the November 2012 ballot.

Acting on an “ASAP” basis today, rather than waiting until its normal Wednesday conference, the court unanimously denied the petition with respect to the two requests for immediate “interim relief,” and unanimously issued an order to show cause with respect to the request to address what Senate district boundaries will apply for the 2012 elections in the event the referendum qualifies for placement on the November 2012 ballot.

In addition, the court unanimously granted the Citizens Redistricting Commission’s motion to intervene, and set out an additional procedural issue for the parties to brief, concerning the court’s jurisdiction to entertain this writ petition.

The court established an extremely expedited briefing schedule, requiring briefing by the parties within the next 10 days, and briefing by any amicus curiae two days after that.

The court explained that this schedule is necessary in order to facilitate oral argument “as early as the first two weeks in January 2012, and the filing of an opinion in this matter as early as the end of January 2012,” so as to avoid disrupting the June 2012 Primary Election.

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