Lake County Sheriff’s deputy dies following fight, crash Tuesday night
- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Authorities are investigating the Tuesday night death of a veteran Lake County Sheriff’s deputy following a fight with a domestic violence suspect and a vehicle crash in Lakeport.
Deputy Robert Rumfelt, 50, died at Sutter Lakeside Hospital where he had been transported following the wreck, according to Sheriff Brian Martin.
Rumfelt is the first sworn member of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office to die in the line of duty in nearly four decades.
“Our hearts are saddened,” Sheriff Martin said, adding of Rumfelt, “He was a true friend to a lot of us. He was very well respected by his peers and everyone who knew him.”
Martin said Rumfelt was looked up to by deputies and sergeants alike.
“He will be sorely missed,” Martin said.
Sgt. Corey Paulich of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said that at 7:55 p.m. Tuesday Lakeport Police units were dispatched to the 900 block of Boggs Lane in Lakeport for a report of four to five subjects physically fighting, with one of the subjects running from the scene with blood on him.
Lake County Sheriff’s units responded to assist, arriving on scene within five minutes. Paulich said the deputies – who included Rumfelt – observed a large group in front of a residence on Healton Circle and saw a bloody subject run into the woods.
The sheriff’s deputies searched the area and located the male subject who was later identified as Alex Michael Castillo, 21, of Nice, Paulich said.
The deputies attempted to take Castillo into custody, but he physically resisted. Sheriff Martin said Rumfelt was involved in the altercation with Castillo.
Deputies deployed a Taser and were able to place Castillo under arrest for a domestic violence incident that was related to the original call. Paulich said Castillo also had an outstanding warrant for his arrest for failing to appear in court related to a separate domestic violence charge.
Shortly after police and sheriff’s units cleared the scene, Rumfelt’s patrol SUV struck a tree on Hartley Street north of 20th Street, according to the sheriff’s office report.
District Attorney Don Anderson is leading the investigation into Rumfelt’s death under the auspices of the county’s critical incident protocol.
Anderson told Lake County News that it’s not yet known why Rumfelt lost control of his vehicle and crashed into the tree.
Anderson said Rumfelt, who was in the vehicle by himself, was not driving with lights and sirens or at high speed at the time of the crash.
Both Martin and Anderson said there are concerns that Rumfelt may have suffered an injury in the fight that led to him having the crash.
Anderson said he suspected that Rumfelt – who didn’t appear to have suffered serious injuries from the fight – also could have had a medical emergency such as a heart attack that resulted in the wreck.
However, Anderson – who spoke to Lake County News at about 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday – cautioned that the investigation is in its very early stages.
“We’re not going to know for sure until we have an autopsy,” he said.
Sheriff’s units on scene requested medical assistance for Rumfelt after the crash. Lakeport Fire Protection District units responded to the report of the officer-involved crash in the area Boggs Lane and Hartley Street just minutes after 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to radio reports.
Lakeport Fire Chief Doug Hutchison said when he and his firefighters arrived at the scene, they found the patrol vehicle had hit a tree.
Shortly before 9 p.m., radio reports indicated firefighters were working to resuscitate Rumfelt.
REACH 6 was requested to respond to Sutter Lakeside Hospital, where Hutchinson said Rumfelt was transported.
Hutchison, who rode in the back of the ambulance with Rumfelt to the hospital, said the original plan had been to transport Rumfelt to an out-of-county trauma center.
However, Hutchison said the decision was made to instead treat Rumfelt at Sutter Lakeside Hospital due to the severity of his condition.
Martin said that despite the lifesaving efforts made by medics, Rumfelt was declared dead at Sutter Lakeside shortly after his arrival at the hospital.
Complex investigation under way
Early Wednesday, after the scene was cleared, Anderson said his investigators were at the jail to interview Castillo, and also were speaking with people at the original fight scene and the other deputy who responded along with Rumfelt to the fight call.
At that point, Anderson was at a hangar where his office was storing Rumfelt’s Ford SUV patrol vehicle so it can be processed as part of the investigation. He said the SUV sustained major front-end damage in the crash.
His office is being assisted in the investigation by the Lakeport Police Department and the California Highway Patrol.
Anderson said his team has been in contact with the CHP’s Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team, or MAIT, to get advice and suggestions on the inquiry. He said MAIT may help examine the patrol vehicle at some point, but the team’s involvement is yet to be determined.
The district attorney said the goal is to keep his investigation separate from the sheriff’s office in order to ensure there are no conflicts of interest – or even the appearance of a conflict.
“The sheriff’s office has a limited role,” Anderson said of the investigation. “They’re there to help if we need them.”
Martin agreed, explaining that they want to make sure there is a thorough and impartial investigation conducted.
“When it’s one of our own, it tends to be very emotional,” Martin said, noting that his deputies are processing their own emotions as a result of Rumfelt’s death.
“We’re going to leave the criminal investigation to the DA’s Office,” said Martin, explaining that work will include looking at criminal actions that contributed to the situation.
Additionally, Martin said the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office has been asked to handle the coroner’s investigation aspect of the case.
Martin had been in Mount Shasta for a California State Sheriff’s Association Board of Directors meeting when he was notified of the incident involving Rumfelt.
He said the CHP flew him back to Lake County late Tuesday night.
Since arriving back in Lake County, Martin was able to speak to Rumfelt’s wife and one of his daughters, and other immediate family members.
Rumfelt was a lifelong resident of Lake County and a law enforcement veteran who came from a family known for its community service. His father, Bob Rumfelt, was a longtime member of the Lakeport City Council and former mayor who also worked for a time as a deputy sheriff.
Rob Rumfelt began his law enforcement career as a police officer with the Lakeport Police Department in 1997, the sheriff’s office said.
He left the police department in 2006 to work as a private contractor overseas, where he conducted law enforcement training.
Rumfelt returned to Lake County and was hired as a deputy sheriff with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office in 2014.
During his time with the sheriff’s office, Rumfelt was a firearms instructor, field training officer and mentor to many newer deputies.
Rumfelt also active in the community as an assistant football coach at Clear Lake High School.
He is survived by his wife, Kelly; daughters, Brittany and Nicole; sister, Amy; parents, Leslie and Robert “Bob” Rumfelt, and mother Juanita Dickson, the sheriff’s office reported.
Rumfelt’s death is the first in the line of duty for a sworn sheriff’s office employee in Lake County in 36 years and the fourth on-duty death in the Lake County Sheriff’s Office’s history.
Sheriff George Kemp in 1910, Deputy Sheriff William Hoyt in 1967 and Sgt. Richard Helbush in 1981 all gave their lives while in service to Lake County.
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