Friday, 29 March 2024

News

LAKEPORT – Facing a tough economy and foreclosures, on Wednesday Piedmont Lumber took action to close one of its North Coast facilities.


The company has several properties around Northern California, including a store at 2465 S. Main St. in Lakeport.


James Simmons, a spokesman for the company, said Piedmont Lumber closed its Calpella-based truss manufacturing facility – Calpella Lumber & Truss, located at 6301 N. State St. – on Wednesday.


“The word is, unfortunately, it had to be closed immediately,” he said.


Wednesday was the end of the year's first quarter, and the company determined that it was the appropriate time to make the transition, Simmons said.


He did not have information on the number of employees affected, and didn't know if any would be transferred to other Piedmont Lumber properties.


“I know employees were laid off effective today,” he said.


Simmons said the reason for the closure was, simply, the state of the economy.


“It's just a bad economic situation here in the state,” he said. “It just could not sustain operations.”


The economy, coupled with the impacts of the company's loss of its Walnut Creek store to a fire on March 13, made it “too difficult” to keep the Calpella facility open, Simmons said.


“The inventory there at Calpella has been moved to the Lakeport facility, which will remain open,” said Simmons.


Piedmont Lumber also is facing a lawsuit filed earlier this month by its lender, Umpqua Bank, which is seeking judicial foreclosure on several of its properties, including the Lakeport store, as Lake County News has reported.


On March 1, the same day that the bank filed the lawsuit, it also served notices of default against the Lakeport store, a securing property on two loans totaling more than $14.5 million.


In addition, the company is facing a federal lawsuit alleging it has failed to pay benefits to its union-represented workers.


E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

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Kevin Gomes captured a picture of the black smoke coming from the burning home in the Clear Lake Riviera on the afternoon of Saturday, March 27, 2010. He reported hearing loud explosions that are believed to have come from nearby propane tanks.
 

 



CLEAR LAKE RIVIERA – A fire destroyed a home in the Clear Lake Riviera this past Saturday.


The fire occurred at 4664 Kaweah Road at Sequoia Road, according to Kelseyville Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Joe Huggins.


Huggins said the fire was dispatched at 4:47 p.m., with a total of four engines – three from Kelseyville, one from Lakeport Fire – responding.


Initial radio reports indicated that the home was fully involved at the time of dispatch.


“The fire originated in the garage and extended into the house,” Huggins said.


He said that the fire got up into the attack and firefighters had to pull the ceiling down to access the fire.


The 1,250-square foot home was a total loss, with anything that didn't burn being damaged by smoke, Huggins said.


Firefighters cleared the scene by 7:15 p.m., he said.


The cause of the fire is still pending an investigation, but Huggins said it appeared to be related to malfunctioning electrical equipment in the garage.


E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

LAKEPORT – A Lakeport teenager at the wheel of a car that flipped over several times Saturday night has been arrested.


Jaime Luis Mitchell, 18, was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury at 11:50 p.m. Saturday at the scene of the crash, according to the California Highway Patrol.


Mitchell sustained major injuries, including facial fractures. His passengers also were hurt – Philip Patereau, 18, of Lakeport suffered a head laceration and back pain, and 19-year-old Nathaniel White of Lakeport had back pain and facial lacerations, the report said.


The severity of the crash resulted in a response from numerous agencies, including Lakeport Fire Protection District, Northshore Fire Protection District, Lake County Sheriff, California Highway Patrol, CALSTAR and REACH, as Lake County News has reported.


The CHP collision report said that, just after 11 p.m. Saturday, Mitchell was driving his 1998 Honda Civil northbound on Lakeshore Boulevard at Hill Road at a high rate of speed and he failed to negotiate a right curve in the roadway.


The Honda crossed the southbound lane, went off the road and struck a concrete abutment, which caused the car to roll over four times, hitting several objects including two fences, the CHP said.


None of the three teens were wearing safety belts, and all were ejected from the car as it was rolling. Mitchell was ejected into the intersection of Lakeshore Boulevard and Penelope Court, the CHP reported, while Patereau and White were thrown onto the shoulder of Lakeshore Boulevard.


All three teens were transported by air ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, according to the CHP.


An update on the teens' condition was not available Tuesday evening.


CHP Officer Joe Wind said Tuesday the crash is still being investigated.


He said CHP Officer Kory Reynolds is the lead investigator on the crash.


E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

LAKE COUNTY – The 2010 Census forms have arrived in mailboxes throughout Northern California.


It should take approximately 10 minutes for each household to complete its form. Each 2010 Census packet includes a postage-paid envelope addressed to one of three U.S. Census Bureau’s Data Capture Centers located in Jeffersonville, Indiana, Phoenix, Arizona or Baltimore, Maryland.


Census forms are delivered directly to each household, either by the U.S. Postal Service or U.S. Census Bureau’s employees. About 90 percent of households in the United States received the census forms in the mail, the remaining 10 percent rural households had their forms hand-delivered.


Each census form contains a unique barcode and the 20-digit identification number for each household. The information embedded in the barcode and the 20-digit identification number allow the Census Bureau to precisely allocate the count to the cities and counties where these households are located.


Opportunists and scammers may want to take advantage of this once-a-decade national effort.


To ensure that the count is safe and confidential, the following information will help residents avoid census fraud and scams:


  • The unique barcode and the 20-digit ID number are on the back of each 2010 Census form.

  • None of the questions on the 2010 Census form asks for Social Security number, driver’s license number, bank account or PIN number, immigration or citizenship status.

  • The Census Bureau NEVER asks for donations or money.

  • The Census Bureau NEVER requests for information via e-mail.

  • The Census Bureau does not conduct surveys or censuses on behalf of political parties or organizations.


If you are unsure that the 2010 Census form you received is authentic, please visit a Questionnaire Assistance Center (QAC) near you for help or call the Seattle Regional Census Center at 425-908-3000.


QAC locations can be found on the Internet at www.2010census.gov ; a list of local centers can be found at http://lakeconews.com/content/view/13258/919/ .


Toll-free telephone assistance hotlines are available seven days a week, from 8 am to 9 pm, in English and five other languages: English (1-866-872-6868), Spanish (1-866-928-2010), Chinese (1-866-935-2010), Vietnamese (1-866-945-2010), Korean (1-866-955-2010) and Russian (1-866-965-2010). Deaf and hard-of-hearing persons can call the TDD number: 1-866-783-2010.


Beginning in May, census workers will be visiting households that fail to mail back the 2010 Census form to collect information.


To help residents avoid fraud and scams, here are ways how census workers can be identified:


  • The 2010 Census workers will present residents a notice titled “Your Answers Are Confidential,” which explains the U.S. Code, Title 13, which guarantees the safeguarding and confidentiality of information collected by the Census Bureau.

  • Questions asked by 2010 Census workers will be the same questions on the 2010 Census form.

  • The 2010 Census workers will NEVER ask to come into your home.

  • The 2010 Census workers will NEVER ask for money or donations, Social Security number, driver’s license number, bank account or PIN number, immigration or citizenship status.

  • The 2010 Census workers wear a white ID badge with blue and red lettering.

  • The 2010 Census workers may carry a black and white canvas bag that bears the Census Bureau’s name and logo.


In the event residents want to verify that the census takers at their doors are legitimate employees of the US Census Bureau, they are encouraged to call the Seattle Regional Census Center at 1-877-471-5432.


Residents also can ask census workers to provide them with a Local Census Office’s telephone number, which they can call to verify employment status. If residents feel threatened, they should call local law enforcement or 911.


Mandated by the U.S. Constitution, the census takes place every 10 years. Census Day is April 1, 2010. Census data determine boundaries for state and local legislative and congressional districts.


More than $400 billion in federal funds are distributed annually based on census data to pay for local programs and services, such as schools, highways, vocational training, emergency services, hospitals, unemployment benefits and much more. Learn more about the 2010 Census at www.2010.census.gov .


Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED WITH A QUOTE FROM THE DEFENSE ATTORNEY.


LAKEPORT – One of two men who were the subject of a day-long manhunt in Hidden Valley Lake in November of 2008 has been sentenced to prison.


Charles William Burk, 32, a transient, was sentenced by Judge Arthur H. Mann on Monday to 20 years and four months in prison, according to a report from Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff, who prosecuted the case.


Burke pleaded guilty on Feb. 10 to attempted murder and assault on a deputy sheriff, and admitted a special allegation of personally using a firearm during the commission of a felony, Hinchcliff said.


Thomas Quinn, Burke's defense attorney, said his client “expressed great remorse for this episode which was largely induced by his having been up for four days on methamphetamine.”


Quinn added, “He realizes, however, that that doesn't excuse his conduct, which he took responsibility for, and harbors no animosity towards the victims who are his family.”


According to the investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, on Nov. 13, 2008, Burk and a co-defendant, Malcolm Safa Brown, broke into the home of Burk’s adoptive parents on Noble Ranch Road in the Hidden Valley Lake area at approximately 7 a.m., while they and their 22-year-old son were home sleeping.


Upon entry, Brown began hitting the 22-year-old son in the head. Burk grabbed a .22-caliber rifle he was aware was kept in the residence and pointed it at his father when his father emerged from the bedroom from a few feet away, and pulled the trigger.


There was no bullet in the chamber and the gun did not fire. Burk then attempted to chamber a round in the barrel, but the bullet lodged sideways in the chamber and would not fire.


The victims were able to force Burk and Brown to leave the residence after a violent physical confrontation in which the victims received physical injuries requiring sutures at the hospital, according to the report,


While fleeing the scene down Spruce Grove Road with Burk driving, Burk encountered sheriff’s Deputy Bryan Smith responding to the scene. Burk intentionally swerved his vehicle into Deputy Smith’s patrol vehicle and rammed the patrol vehicle, then continued with his escape.


Burk and Brown then drove through a metal gate and a cyclone fence on private property off of Spruce Grove Road, drove down a driveway, through a chicken coop and crashed their vehicle into a tree near a residence. Burk then left the vehicle with the motor running and attempted to break into a house on the property, but was prevented from gaining entry by the residents inside.


The men then separated, and Burk broke into another residence on Raven Hill Road that did not have anyone home at the time. Inside the residence Burk gathered a bag of food and other items to use in his escape, and found a razor which he used to shave his head and face to disguise himself.


Burk also, for an unknown reason, removed clothing from and cut the hair off of several Barbie dolls belonging to the daughter of the owner of the residence.


An extensive manhunt was conducted by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, including assistance from a Sonoma County Sheriff’s helicopter.


Both suspects were located later that day by Lake County deputy sheriffs and California Highway Patrol officers and arrested. An extensive investigation by the Sheriff’s Department followed.


Brown was previously sentenced on May 26, 2009, to 16 years in prison.


At Burk’s sentencing on Monday, Judge Mann sentenced him to the upper term of nine years for attempted murder, 16 months for the assault on Deputy Smith, and an additional 10 years for use of a firearm, for a total of 20 years and 4 months.


In addition, Burk was ordered to pay a restitution fine of $4,200 and restitution to the victims totaling $21,266.01.


Burk will be sent to San Quentin for processing and classification to determine in which prison he will be housed.


Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

CLEARLAKE OAKS – District 3 Supervisor Denise Rushing invites the public to attend a Clearlake Oaks Community Town Hall Meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday April 7, at the Clearlake Oaks Moose Lodge.


The lodge is located at the corner of Highway 53 and Highway 20.


County staff will provide updates on the redevelopment process, local projects and other issues.


The agenda includes an open forum to discuss issues of interest to the community of Clearlake Oaks. Parking at the Moose lodge is limited, so carpooling is encouraged.


Once again, free tables will be set up for local groups, businesses or organizations wishing to distribute informational literature.


For more information contact Supervisor Denise Rushing at 707-263-2368 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .


Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

CLEARLAKE – Construction has begun on a new veterans health care clinic in Clearlake, which Congressman Mike Thompson and Veterans Affairs officials will tour next week.


The new community based outpatient clinic (CBOC) in Clearlake will be located at 15145 Lakeshore Drive, Clearlake. The existing facility is undergoing a completely new design and renovation process.


The new clinic will have approximately 8,600 square feet of clinic space and will offer primary care, mental health services and limited specialty care through tele-health technology, linking the Clinic with specialists at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and Santa Rosa VA Outpatient Clinic.


Congressman Mike Thompson and VA officials will tour the new clinic space on April 6 at 11:30 a.m.


They will be joined by Clearlake Mayor Judy Thein and her colleagues Joyce Overton and Curt Giambruno; Lakeport Mayor Jim Irwin; Lake County Supervisors Anthony Farrington, Denise Rushing, Rob Brown, Jim Comstock and Jeff Smith; Lake County Veteran Administrator Kelly Cox, and Lake County Veterans Service Officer/Health Department Director Jim Brown.


Congressman Thompson has been a passionate advocate and longtime supporter of establishing a VA clinic in Lake County. “Our veterans deserve to be able to access care close to home, rather than being forced to travel to San Francisco or Ukiah to get health care. This is great for our vets and our entire community,” said Thompson.


The Clearlake VA Clinic is scheduled to be operational by the fall of 2010, with management and staffing the responsibility of the San Francisco VAMC. VA estimates about 8,000 veterans living in Lake County, with nearly 3,000 already enrolled with VA, many of which receive care at the Ukiah VA Outpatient Clinic.


Veterans who are interested in receiving care at the Clearlake Clinic may register at the San Francisco VAMC or any of its outpatient clinics. In addition veterans can register at www.va.gov or www.sanfrancisco.va.gov or contact the VAMC Eligibility Office at 415-750-2015.


This project is under the joint supervision of Capital Partners Development Co. LLC, Vila Construction Company of Petaluma, Carpenter Robbins Commercial Real Estate and the SFVAMC’s Planning and Engineering departments.


Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

MENDOCINO COUNTY – A local man has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for a murder-for-hire plot to kill his political rival that took place nearly five years ago.


Kenneth Allen Rogers, 52, was convicted last summer of conspiring with an employee, Richard Peacock, to kill Alan Simon on June 17, 2005, in Westport. Since the shooting Rogers had moved to Lake County, as Lake County News has reported.


Last Friday, Mendocino County Superior Court Judge Ron Brown denied Rogers' motion for a new trial, denied probation and sentenced Rogers to a state prison term of 25 years to life for conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and attempted murder with special findings of willfulness, deliberation and premeditation, according to a report from the office of Mendocino County District Attorney Meredith Lintott.


Rogers will not be eligible for parole until he has served a full 25 years in prison.


“Everyone can sleep better knowing a very violent criminal has been sentenced,” Simon said.


On July 22, 2009, a Mendocino County jury of eight women and four men in Ukiah convicted Rogers of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and attempted first-degree murder, in the 2005 shooting of Simon, then 53.


Simon had replaced Rogers on the Westport County Water Board in an August 2004 recall election and had then voted to fire Rogers as assistant fire chief.


The evidence at trial showed that Rogers at the time of the shooting was chairman of the Mendocino County Republican Party, and that he viewed these setbacks as hurtful to a political career in Sacramento.


The shooting occurred at 10:26 p.m. on a Friday night, when Peacock, after knocking on the front door of Simon's residence, shot through it nine times.


Simon dove to the floor, resulting in his being grazed by a bullet in the forearm and scalp. He was able to remain conscious and give the 911 dispatcher a description of the shooter's vehicle, a white Miata convertible with unique damage to the left front fender.


The next day Peacock, then a 54-year-old resident of Sacramento and an employee of Rogers with a long criminal record, was arrested in Laytonville.


In September 2006, Richard Peacock was tried and convicted for attempted murder. Because of Peacock's having “three strikes,” he was sentenced to 71 years to life.


Tim Stoen, the deputy district attorney prosecuting Rogers, called a variety of witnesses to establish guilt by circumstantial evidence.


The evidence showed that the gun discarded by Peacock had been in the possession of Rogers, that Rogers had a photo of Simon's house on his digital camera, that Rogers was so angry with Simon that “spittle was flying” at the mention of his name, and that Peacock did not know Simon and had no connections to Westport.


After the trial – in which Rogers had been represented by Lakeport attorney J. David Markham – Rogers hired new defense counsel, Kenny Giffard, from Sacramento.


On March 26, prior to rendering judgment and sentence, Judge Brown conducted a hearing on Giffard's motion for a new trial, which was based primarily on the allegation of “ineffective assistance of counsel.”


Giffard contended that Markham had made a prejudicial mistake in asking a question he did not know the answer to in advance, and had improperly advised Rogers not to testify on his behalf.


At the hearing Mr. Markham testified there was a tactical reason for asking the “blind” question so as to show Rogers was not the “loose cannon” the prosecution contended him to be. Markham also testified he had advised Rogers of his right to take the witness stand, but had recommended he not do so.


Markham said he had made that recommendation based on 22 hours of meetings with Rogers, during which he determined Rogers was unable to adequately explain important evidence, made incriminating statements with unawareness of their effect and came across as unbelievable.


Markham, who is certified by the California State Bar as a criminal law specialist, further testified he was able to keep away from the jury photos of Miracle-Gro next to water pipes in the water district headquarters which the prosecution contended showed the stealing of public water to irrigate pot plants, and was able to keep away from the jury a flier allegedly circulated by Rogers saying “Heil Simon.”


Rogers also testified at the hearing. He denied having anything to do with Simon's shooting and contended Markham had been ineffective as his counsel.


Judge Brown, who had presided over the trial, ruled that Giffard had not met his burden to show ineffectiveness of counsel and denied the motion for a new trial.


Stoen argued that probation should be denied for a number of reasons, including the sophistication of the crime.


“This was almost the perfect crime,” Stoen said. “Alan Simon is shot in his own house, separated from other houses and in a rural area, at 10:30 at night. Nine bullets go through his door … If it were not for the providential act that he ducked, he would have been killed. His body would not have been discovered until 8 a.m. or so the next day at the earliest. By then the shooter, Richard Peacock, would have been long gone from Mendocino County to his home in Sacramento, and the gun would have been thrown into the Sacramento River.


“Nobody would have remembered Richard Peacock being in Westport on the day of the shooting, since he came at night, so as to be able to identify him as the shooter,” Stoen continued. “And Kenneth Rogers would have relaxed on his property, having formulated an intent to kill and having sent his lackey to do the killing, with no physical connection to any of the empty cartridges on Alan Simon's front lawn. That, your Honor, is how close we came to have a murder on our hands which would never – repeat never – have been solved.”


Based on the probation officer's recommendation, Judge Brown denied probation. Following the Penal Code's required sentence for conspiracy to commit first degree murder, Judge Brown sentenced Rogers and remanded him into the custody of the California Department of Corrections.


Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

Upcoming Calendar

30Mar
03.30.2024 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Lakeport Community Cleanup Day
30Mar
03.30.2024 9:00 am - 11:00 am
Second annual Bunny Brunch
30Mar
03.30.2024 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Lake County poet laureate inauguration
31Mar
03.31.2024
Easter Sunday
31Mar
03.31.2024 1:15 pm - 1:45 pm
Lakeport Rotary Club Easter Egg Hunt
1Apr
04.01.2024
Easter Monday
1Apr
10Apr
15Apr
04.15.2024
Tax Day

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