Bismarck Dinius, 41, was the last of three witnesses to take the stand Thursday morning before the defense rested in his trial. He spent just under an hour answering questions about the events that led to the fatal collision.

By the end of the morning the judge estimated that the case could be handed over to the jury next Tuesday or Wednesday.

The Carmichael resident was at the tiller of Willows resident Mark Weber's sailboat on the night of April 29, 2006, when it was hit by a powerboat driven by Russell Perdock, an off-duty sheriff's deputy.

Weber's girlfriend, 51-year-old Lynn Thornton, was mortally injured and died three days later.

While Perdock is alleged to have been going anywhere from 35 to 55 miles per hour on the dark night, Dinius is being prosecuted for boating under the influence causing great bodily injury because the prosecution contends he was the boat's operator and had failed to turn on the navigation lights. It's also alleged that he had a blood alcohol level of 0.12.

Just after 9:30 a.m., Dinius himself took the stand after the testimony of two other witnesses. After he was seated defense attorney Haltom called him “Bismarck,” and Hopkins objected, saying they needed to be more formal in court.

As the jury watched him attentively – most of them taking notes – Dinius recalled that Weber had invited him on the nighttime cruise, and that it was Weber who was directing the boat, with Dinius following his directions.

The boat's lights were on, said Dinius. “The cabin lights were definitely illuminated.”

He said the cabin lights made it possible for him to see a wind indicator on the top of the mast. “I was using the cabin lights to see the wind indicator so I could gauge the wind,” he said, noting the sails also were completely illuminated.

Dinius said he was at the tiller after Weber asked him to help man the boat while he got the sails ready. He said he'd had alcohol to drink that night at Richmond Park Bar & Grill, where the boat had been docked following the Konocti Cup earlier in the day.

He sustained injuries to his back, suffered two broken ribs and bruising to the entire right side of his rib cage, a broken and badly cut hand, and a severe concussion that left him with a “tennis ball” on his head for three months. As a result he suffered memory loss.

“What kind of memory loss did you suffer?” Hopkins asked.

“Part of that day, I don't recall the accident,” said Dinius, noting he also had short-term memory loss.

Hopkins questioned his recollection of the wind indicator being illuminated. How many such indicators were on the boat? He asked. Dinius didn't know. Was there one lower on the boom? Hopkins asked. Dinius didn't remember.

Why did he look at the wind indicator? Hopkins asked. Dinius said it helps with handling the boat.

Dinius didn't recall pulling out of the dock, whether he was at the tiller or if they used a motor to go out. “We were well under way” when he remembered being at tiller.

That cruise was the only time he had ever been on Weber's boat. “I was at the tiller as he hoisted his sails and manned the rigging on his boat.”

Hopkins asked when he noticed he sails illuminated. Dinius wasn't sure. He did remember it was about dusk and getting dark when they left. “It was definitely leaning towards the dark side of the evening.”

Dinius didn't remember his conversation with Boat Patrol Supervisor Sgt. Dennis Ostini at the hospital early on the morning of April 30, 2006. Ostini testified that Dinius told him he was at the tiller.

When Weber asked him to go on the cruise, Dinius had been ready to leave Richmond Park for the evening, but Weber said it was going to be really quick.

“It was a nice night, good way to end the sailing day,” Dinius said.

He explained he had only sailed on Clear Lake while participating in the Konocti Cup race, which he had taken part in with Don Hare on Hare's sailboat earlier that day. “I didn't come up here for recreation at all.”

There was a wine tasting event in conjunction with the regatta, and Dinius said he had two to three sample glasses, about 2 ounces each. He also drank Corona beers and a Coors Light. “I couldn't tell you the number.”

He said he didn't recall the wine being very good. “Careful what you say about Lake County wine,” Hopkins joked. “I didn't say it was Lake County wine,” Dinius replied.

Dinius said he thinks he and Hare took Hare's boat out at Boren Bega around 4:30 p.m., then Hare drove them to Richmond Park, where there were a lot of people socializing and having “sailor talk.”

He recalled drinking a lot of water before dinner and throughout the day, because he was dehydrated from being on the lake. Dinius said he had dinner between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., drinking either water or ice tea, and started drinking beer after dinner. He remembered having a Coors Light in his hand when they boarded the boat, and he thought someone brought him a Corona while they were sailing.

Weber was giving the orders. “He raised the sails and he tended to the sails the entire time,” Dinius said.

At one point Weber was playing with the radio after Thornton said something to him about it. They were well under sail at that point, Dinius said.

Hopkins questioned him about his statements in an Aug. 8, 2007, deposition for a civil lawsuit relating to the crash. At that time he stated that he had three to four beers. Did that sound correct, asked Hopkins? Yes, Dinius replied.

Dinius gave a rough estimate that the sailboat had been cruising 30 to 45 minutes before the crash. He didn't recall any other people at the tiller during that time.

He said everyone was seated in close proximity, illuminated in the cabin lights.

When they were under way, they were in full sail, but Dinius said he didn't recall if they were on a starboard or port tack. He remembered Weber giving the order to come about as they turned near Fraser Point to head back to the restaurant.

Dinius said he couldn't remember the sails' orientation. If he wasn't looking at the sails, why was he looking at the wind indicator? Hopkins asked. Dinius said he didn't say he wasn't looking at the sails, he just couldn't remember them.

After the crash, he didn't remember the ride to the hospital, although he had a flash of another person in the ambulance with him. He thought it was Thornton, who had been sitting next to him on the sailboat. Other witnesses have testified it was Jordin Walker, who was on Perdock's powerboat along with her father, James.

Dinius thought Weber came into his room at the hospital to ask how he was doing. Within a few weeks to a month, Weber called Dinius.

Referring to a deposition Dinius gave in the civil lawsuit in August 2007, Hopkins asked, “He asked you if the lights were on, correct?”

“Yes,” Dinius relied.

“Did you decline to talk to him about accident?” Hopkins asked.

Dinius said he did, telling Weber the crash was under investigation and he didn't feel comfortable discussing it. He didn't recall giving Weber an answer about the lights.

Shortly after Dinius left the stand, Haltom told the court that the defense rested.

Attorneys enter stipulations, hear from other witnesses

When court began earlier that morning, and before testimony got under way, Haltom read into the record two stipulations to which he and Hopkins had agreed.

The first was that no report was prepared by the Lake County Sheriff's Office regarding a contact witness Jean Strak said she had with a sheriff's deputy in the days after the crash.

The second stipulation between the defense and prosecution agreed that on April 29, 2006, sunset at the Clearlake Highlands took place at 8:01 p.m. and in Lakeport at 8:03 p.m., with civil twilight ending in the Clearlake Highlands at 8:30 p.m. and at 8:31 p.m. in Lakeport. The waxing crescent moon, of which only 5 percent was visible, set at 10:51 p.m. in the Clearlake Highlands and 10:52 p.m. in Lakeport.

The day's first witness was Malcolm Davy, who owns Down Under Boat Works in Kelseyville. The New Zealand native said he has considerable boating experience, and has built and repaired boats since he was a teenager.

Perdock called him within a few weeks of the crash to ask for a repair estimate to submit to his insurance company for his 24-foot Baja Outlaw powerboat. Although Perdock's boat had been impounded, Davy said he was allowed to see it in the sheriff's Boat Patrol facility at Braito's Marina.

When he went into the building both the powerboat and sailboat were cordoned off with security tape. Davy spent about 20 minutes examining the Baja.

The deputy wasn't with him the entire time. “Something happened, he had to leave me there. He had to go back to the office to do something. So I was there on my own.”

After examining the boat, “I was really surprised at the extent of the damage to the powerboat,” Davy said.

He explained that Bajas are a well designed and well built boat for offshore use – specifically, for going high speeds in ocean conditions.

Davy said here was a very large hole in the powerboat's bow – so large that the combing off the sailboat with all the winches still attached were stuffed into it. “It was very extensive damage.”

Haltom asked if that damage signified anything to him. Hopkins objected. Judge J. Michael Byrne allowed Davy to answer, and he said, “Yes.” When Davy said he had repaired boats before that have gone over other boats, Hopkins objected and Byrne sustained.

How did the damage compare to other boats he's seen? Haltom asked. Hopkins objected, saying it was irrelevant.

Haltom asked if he could compare this damage to that suffered by other boats. Davy said, normally, there's no damage to the boat going over, but Perdock's had a huge hole.

Dave said he was still collecting prices on replacement parts and gel coats when Perdock called and told him not to bother, that the case was going to be hung up for quite a while.

Richard Higinbotham, a former Lake County District Attorney's Office investigator, came to the stand next. A former California Highway Patrol officer of 22 years, his salary was covered by a driving under the influence grant that ran out on Dec. 31, 2008.

He said Deputy District Attorney John Langan, who he was assigned to assist, directed him to interview Perdock, which he did on Sept. 24, 2008.

During the interview they talked about the investigation, said Higinbotham. Nautical terms came up with which Higinbotham said he wasn't familiar.

Higinbotham said Perdock wanted “to express that certain things could be brought to light with the investigation.” Perdock gave Higinbotham a copy of a report done by GAB Investigations, a firm his insurance company had hired to investigate the incident.

During the interview, which wasn't taped, Higinbotham said they discussed wind speed, the speed of the boats, a possible re-interview of Jim Walker, Perdock's friend who was with him on the powerboat during the collision, the collision's mechanics and the lighting conditions.

Haltom asked the purpose of the interview. “I don't know,” said Higinbotham.

Higinbotham said it was his understanding that Perdock had concerns about the investigation that could be helpful. In his report he suggested that if any more interviews were conducted with Perdock that someone more experienced with nautical terms be present. Higinbotham said his experience involved accident reconstruction for vehicles, not boats.

He took a copy of the GAB report, which he attached to his report, and gave the original GAB document back to Perdock.

Hopkins asked Higinbotham if he felt that he was mandated to do things Perdock suggested. He said no. “The only thing I did do was document the interview,” he said.

Court sets out tentative schedule for rest of trial

After the defense rested for the day, Byrne told the jurors that Hopkins had the right to bring rebuttal evidence, which is scheduled for Friday, and that jurors would be excused for the rest of the day.

“We are still running ahead,” said Byrne.

He told the jurors that they may hear evidence from both sides on Friday, and he encouraged them to keep open minds until they've heard everything.

As he dismissed them, Byrne told jurors, “Pretty soon you're going to have to go back to the real world.”

With the jury gone, Haltom finished entering items into evidence, with Hopkins successfully objecting to the entry of a diagram drawn by Lt. Charles Slabaugh of the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office, who helped investigate the case.

Also excluded for lack of foundation was a local Masonic Lodge picture that featured District Attorney's Investigator John Flynn. Perdock, who is also a member, wasn't pictured. “It shows them wearing really goofy purses,” Haltom quipped.

On Friday, Hopkins' rebuttal witnesses will include Ostini, District Attorney's Investigator Craig Woodworth and Deputy John Gregore. Also to be called is Lake County Publishing reporter Denise Rockenstein. She gave the prosecution information about a defense witness, John Jansen, who testified on Wednesday to seeing Perdock in the outside bar at Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa and racing boats with him a few hours before the crash.

Byrne will work with Hopkins and Haltom on jury instructions on Monday, which Dinius has waived his right to attend. On Tuesday, Aug. 18, a hearing is planned regarding Perdock's personnel records. Haltom could recall Perdock to the stand based on the outcome of the records hearing.

The judge estimated closing arguments could begin Aug. 18, with the jury getting the case later that day or the next day, Wednesday, Aug. 19.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Bismarck Dinius, 41, is facing felony boating under the influence with great bodily injury for an April 29, 2006, boat crash. He was at the tiller of a sailboat owned by Willows resident Mark Weber, whose girlfriend, 51-year-old Lynn Thornton, died as a result of injuries in the crash. The sailboat is alleged to have been under way without lights and the prosecution alleges that Dinius was legally intoxicated.

On Tuesday, Russell Perdock was on the stand. Currently a sheriff's captain, Perdock was off duty when his powerboat collided with Weber's sailboat. He has not been charged in the case, but issues of his speed and responsibility have been linchpins of defense attorney Victor Haltom's case.

Perdock maintained on Tuesday that he was driving his powerboat at about 35 miles per hour, the sailboat wasn't lit and he didn't set foot at Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa the night of the crash.

But testimony on Wednesday challenged critical portions of his testimony, from his speed to his whereabouts, with some witnesses maintaining they saw the sailboat with lights.

The day's first witness was Hans Peter Elmer, now a rancher in Montana. A retired police officer whose duties included being a watch commander of the East Bay Regional Park District's marine patrol, Elmer was at the Young Scandinavians Club, sitting on top of a picnic table overlooking Konocti Bay after dinner with his wife, when they witnessed the crash.

Elmer said he heard the powerboat coming around Fraser Point before he saw it enter Konocti Bay, with its running lights visible and the boat itself visible in light that was reflected on it. “I could see he was traveling at a very high rate of speed for nighttime.”

He recalled he told others at the club that night, “There's an idiot for you. He's going to kill himself or somebody else.” Five or six seconds later he heard the loud sound of fiberglass crashing together.

Elmer said he didn't see what the boat hit, because he had watched the powerboat and nothing else ahead of it. He estimated the crash occurred about 15 to 20 seconds after the boat came around Fraser Point.

He grabbed a cell phone and tried to call 911 but couldn't get through. He tried another cell phone and reached a 911 operator, who told him they were fielding other calls. Elmer told the dispatcher he and about 20 other witnesses were there and he suggested having a deputy come out to take their statements.

He said he dispatcher told him, “We've got it covered.” A deputy never came out and Elmer said local law enforcement never called him. Elmer said 10 days after the crash he heard the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office was investigating the incident and left four messages before then-Sgt. Charles Slabaugh called him back.

Hopkins asked questions about Elmer's police background. Elmer started as a police officer with the University of California, Berkeley in 1974 before transferring to the East Bay Regional Park District, the country's largest regional park system, which is located in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. He supervised patrol units in Contra Costa County and did boat patrol as well. He was promoted to sergeant in 1979 and retired in 1987.

Hopkins asked if he is familiar with how dispatchers can be overrun with calls during collisions. Elmer said yes.

Elmer, who has been visiting the Young Scandinavians Club since 1962, said the powerboat “sounded like a dragster” when it came around Fraser Point, traveling in a southwesterly direction.

He said its stern light disappeared in its wake five or six times as it traveled at a 45-degree angle before planing out. Even with the shore lights Elmer said he could clearly see the boat as it accelerated. He said he was afraid the boater was going to hit a log or dock and kill himself.

Elmer said he had a clear view of the whole bay, adding there is a flagpole there that his daughter always puts her underwear up when they visit.

As he watched the powerboat, he saw its lights go up in the air, come down and then it went dark.

Hopkins asked if he had said in other statements that there was no moon. “I don't remember that,” said Elmer.

Elmer said he had been counting to estimate the boat's speed, but couldn't remember at what number he stopped. “When I heard the crash everything else changed.”

Hopkins questioned him further about the 911 calls. Was it his opinion that the sheriff's office needed to send someone to interview he and other witnesses? Yes, said Elmer.

Several men from the club went out in a boat to offer help. “I could tell from the cries of help that somebody was seriously injured,” said Elmer.

“Why did you think they could spare somebody to talk to you?” Hopkins asked.

Elmer said the dispatcher didn't take his name and number when he tried to give it to her. In all Elmer made three 911 calls. “They told me they had it covered. I assumed that meant they were going to come out and talk to me.”

When Haltom attempted to ask Elmer to give an estimate of the powerboat's speed, Hopkins objected, saying, “That's beyond the scope.”

Byrne sustained, saying it's beyond the scope of the expertise for Elmer that had so far been established. “I think you're asking for speculation.”

Haltom asked to offer proof, and then asked Elmer if he had watched boats and estimated speed before. Yes, said Elmer, in the scope of employment. He also received training in estimating boat and traffic speed.

Hopkins still challenged the foundation for the evidence. But when Elmer estimated the boat's speed at between 50 and 55 miles per hour, Byrne allowed it to stand.

Had Elmer paced cars and done radar? Hopkins asked. Yes, said Elmer. He'd also done it on boats.

“You feel pretty comfortable about your ability to fix a speed?” Hopkins asked.

Elmer said yes, noting that he had written “a couple hundred” citations to boats for speeding. Hopkins asked how many were at night. Elmer couldn't say, but he was confident that at night it's even easier to determine speed due by using points of light.

What if the stern drive's engineer said the stern drive would have broken off above a certain speed? Hopkins asked. “I know that guy was going way faster than 40 miles per hour,” Elmer replied.

Knight was invited on nighttime cruise

Julie Knight testified to going to Richmond Park Bar & Grill in the hours before the crash with her friend, Jean Strak.

There they were eating, dancing, singing karaoke and watching the sailboats. She met Dinius there, and he invited her and Strak out on the night cruise but they declined.

Asked if the lights were on, she said, “They were. Absolutely,” noting she waved goodbye to them as they left.

Under Hopkins' questioning, she said said arrived at the restaurant about 7 p.m. Hopkins asked if she and her friend hadn't arrived at either 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. Knight believed it was later in the evening, but said it could have been earlier.

She was drinking champagne that evening when she and Strak met Thornton. They had dinner and she met Dinius at the bar, where he bought her a couple of drinks.

“Was Mr. Dinius being flirtatious with you?” Hopkins asked.

Knight said she didn't think so, saying he was just having fun. They talked but she added, “I wasn't hanging out with him,” because they were with different groups.

She went outside with Strak, who was smoking a cigarette overlooking the boats. “It was getting dark and it was lit up,” Knight said of the sailboat. She didn't recall a motor.

Hopkins asked if she had told an investigator that she got to the restaurant at 3 p.m. and watched the races. “I don't recall talking to anybody.” She did, however, remember, talking to Haltom's investigator more recently.

Statement places Perdock at resort

Next up was Dennis Olson, formerly assistant director of security at Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa. He was transported from the Lake County Jail, where he is serving time in connection with a hit and run that occurred last year. When he appeared before the jury he wore street clothes.

Olson said he knows Perdock – he'd seen him at the resort over the years and their children were on the same sports team – and he saw him at the resort “several times” over a few hours.

He said Perdock was at the main bar and the outdoor Tenderfoot Bar, where he was with a group of five adults, males an females; he didn't recall children being with the group. About 60 people were at the resort that night.

Olson didn't remember seeing Perdock's friend Craig Scovel, who had testified to being at the resort the night of the crash. If he had seen Scovel, who he knew, Olsen said he would have said hello.

He said he recognized Perdock's boat, although he could not describe what it looked like. He saw the boat leaving the resort's harbor but didn't recall Perdock getting into it before it pulled out. Olson said Perdock's group was saying it was “dead” at Konocti Harbor and they were going to Richmond Park.

He said he heard about the crash just after 9 p.m., about 25 minutes after he saw Perdock's boat leave the facility. That's when a 911 dispatcher called the resort's front desk to ask for help with landing a helicopter.

Olson saw Young Scandinavian Club members come in that night, noting they appeared shaken up. Sheriff's deputies also walked through the resort and asked if Perdock had been at Konocti Harbor that night.

Hopkins asked Olson what he remembered about the helicopter landing. Olson said they set up the landing spot in an upper part of the resort where helicopters have landed before. They put down flares and sandbags to hold them down. He said an ambulance came up and a person was loaded onto the helicopter. Later the deputies told him it was a woman who had been involved in a crash involving Perdock.

Did Olson remember the deputies? Olson said there was something said at the crash scene that Perdock was there. “I'm not asking you for the whole conversation, I'm just asking you if you remember who the officers were,” Hopkins said.

Olson didn't recall if the ambulance or helicopter left first. He didn't remember a concert that night.

During testimony, Olson said during his 10 years working at the resort he had seen Perdock drink at the resort during some of his visits, but added that he never saw him drink when he was running his own boat.

Strak recalls a well-lit sailboat

Jean Strak told the jury that she saw the sailboat completely alight before it set out on the lake that night.

She said she and Knight got to Richmond Park at about 3 p.m. or 4 p.m., met a lot of people and talked to Dinius, who invited them on the sailboat. Strak wanted to go on the cruise but Knight didn't want to.

“I saw the lights on,” said Strak, who worked for Bayshore Marine Service and now supervisors Konocti Harbor's marina. If she hadn't seen the lights, “I woulda yelled at 'em.”

Strak, who said the whole boat was lit up with white lights all around it, stated that a uniformed deputy came to her tanning salon in the Clear Lake Riviera the following week to interview her for an hour. She also gave a statement to an insurance adjuster.

Watching the boat pull out as she smoked a cigarette, Strak remembered a “little tiny motor” being used to pull the boat out. At that point, “It wasn't pitch black but it was just after dusk,” she said. “It was to the point where I would have known if the lights weren't on.”

Hopkins – pointing to Sgt. Dennis Ostini, sitting beside him at the prosecution table – asked if he had interviewed Strak at her salon. “No, he was younger,” she said of the deputy who interviewed her, adding, “No offense.'

Strak was positive that she spoke with the deputy within a week of the incident, but she couldn't remember his name.

Witness claims something is “fishy” with case

Peter Erickson was with Elmer at the Young Scandinavians Club the night of the crash. He was helping clean up dishes after dinner, and didn't see the accident, but he responded to it on his boat along with four others.

He said he drove his boat out very slowly to the scene, which he found following Elmer's directions. “It was completely pitch black. You could barely see in front of the boat.”

The night was so dark that they were 60 feet from the sailboat, darkened after the crash, when they came upon it, Erickson said.

He said he asked if everyone on the boat was all right, and they told him they needed help immediately. “It sounded like the guy was crying.”

Two of the men on his boat got onto the sailboat and began cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Thornton while others called 911.

Erickson initially thought the crash site was a crime scene, and he was reluctant to move the boats. He said he was yelling at another boat in front of him to get out of the way as he towed the sailboat to shore and was told the boat couldn't be moved because it was disabled, a reference to Perdock. Hopkins objected and moved to strike the statement, and Byrne sustained.

Erickson towed the sailboat in to Boren Bega, where paramedics cared for Thornton and Ostini interviewed him.

“He told me the lights were off on the sailboat,” Erickson recounted of his interview with Ostini. Another deputy took names and information.

Erickson said he saw Perdock on shore. “He seemed very agitated and he was talking on the cell phone for a large portion of the night.”

He recounted hearing Perdock making a statement about having a soda at Konocti Harbor and going to Richmond Park for a soda.

“It was the most chaotic night of my life,” said Erickson. “It was almost surreal.”

Erickson and his friends later went back to the club and then on to Konocti Harbor, where he had contact with Olson.

Under Hopkins' cross-examination, Erickson maintained he definitely heard Perdock talking about getting a soda at Konocti Harbor while speaking with deputies.

At the scene deputies kept walking up to Perdock and shaking his hand. “I thought that was weird,” he said, so he tried to get closer so he could overhear what was being said.

Erickson believed he saw Perdock at the scene after midnight, and Hopkins asked him if it would be different if there were hospital records showing otherwise. Erickson's response was that everything in the case was “fishy.”

He added, “I don't believe a lot of what's been said,” but he said he had no bias in the case.

Following the crash the men went to Konocti Harbor for a last call, said Erickson. “Our nerves were frayed, our adrenaline was pumping, it was chaotic.”

Hopkins asked if Elmer told him the boat was going 60 miles per hour that night. “He said it was flying,” Erickson said, adding he believed it was going between 50 and 55.

Erickson maintained the boat was going “way too fast for conditions.”

“I know that because there was an accident and people died so it wasn't a safe speed,” he said.

Resort security director says he saw Perdock before the crash

Defense team member Paige Kaneb questioned the next witness, Joe Gliebe, Konocti Harbor's security director since 2004.

Gliebe and Olson worked on the night of the crash, and together assisted with the landing of an air ambulance helicopter that Gliebe said didn't end up transporting a patient, contrary to Olson's earlier statement. He said there also wasn't an ambulance that came to the resort to meet the helicopter.

Gliebe, who said he knows Perdock through the sheriff's office and as a patron, said he saw him earlier that night on a ramp coming from the marina into the resort's outdoor Tenderfoot Bar. It was getting dark and Gliebe said Perdock was a distance away that in court was estimated to be about 20 feet.

He said he waved at Perdock, briefly said hello and continued in his rounds. Gliebe successfully picked Perdock's picture out of a photo lineup presented to him by District Attorney's Office investigators, as Olson also had done.

Gliebe also remembered sheriff's deputies walking through later that night, which he said is common.

Myra Martinelli, a Konocti Harbor security guard who wasn't on duty that night, gave the shortest amount of testimony so far. In only about a minute on the stand, she recounted that she was heading to the resort that night to hang out and heard about the crash on a police scanner about 15 to 20 minutes before arriving.

Martinelli said she got to the resort at about 9:45 p.m., where she interrupted Gliebe and Olson, who were her superiors in the security department, talking about the crash. She said she heard them mention Perdock, a statement to which Hopkins objected. Byrne sustained the objection.

Haltom did not question her further and Hopkins did not cross-examine Martinelli.

Ex-wife disputes Perdock's time line

Perdock's ex-wife, Donna, took the stand Wednesday afternoon. Her testimony contradicted an events time line Russell Perdock submitted to District Attorney's Office Investigator John Flynn.

She said she was at home with her son and his friends, who were over for a slumber party, when she received a cell phone call from her then-husband to tell her about the crash. The call cut off and she couldn't reach him, so she called his mother.

Later, she left after midnight to pick him up from the emergency room at Redbud Community Hospital, since renamed St. Helena Hospital-Clearlake. She found him with sheriff's Chaplain Bob Sola. He was bleeding from the head and briefly told her what happened.

“He was upset. You could see that,” she said.

She said she only ever saw him wear glasses when he came home at night. The doctor had given him a prescription which she thought were for tired eyes.

Haltom asked if Russell Perdock drives fast in his speedboat, and if he finds it exhilarating. Donna Perdock said yes.

The day of the crash began with her making breakfast for their son and helping pack his things for a Scout hike. She disputed Russell Perdock's account in his time line that he made breakfast for his son.

Later, when they gathered for a birthday party for their son at Lower Lake pizza parlor, she said he arrived at 3 p.m., not 4:50 p.m., saying that the time line only allowed for an hour and 10 minutes for a birthday party attended by seven or eight boys. Donna Perdock said he had a beer at the pizza parlor.

She estimated he spent 45 minutes getting his powerboat ready to put in the water. She asked him not to go because she had three of their son's friends staying over for a slumber party, but she said he told her to “deal with it,” and left in the boat at around 7 p.m., not 8 p.m. It was still light at the time.

When it was rough water, Russell Perdock drove his powerboat slower, she said, and faster when it was smooth. She said the boat went on plane at 30 miles per hour.

Haltom briefly recalled Ostini to the stand, asking how long the sailboat was left unattended at the sheriff's Boat Patrol facility on the day following the crash. Ostini said it was from 2 a.m. to about 9 a.m.

“I made a mistake. I should have had somebody on it,” Ostini said.

At the time, he said he didn't think they had the equipment or resources to get the boat out of the water at 2 a.m. “It took multiple people to do that.”

Speed skier says he and Perdock raced their boats in hours before crash

John Jansen, a speed skier, was the day's last witness. He said he spent much of April 29, 2006, on the lake, practicing with friends.

He said he knew of Perdock, who he saw socializing, with a drink in his hand, at Konocti Harbor's Tenderfoot Bar at around 5:30 p.m. or 6 p.m.

Later, at around 7:30 p.m. or 8 p.m., Jansen said he and Perdock raced across the lake to Pine Dell Resort.

It took only a few minutes to get across the lake in Jansen's fast boat, which he said outpaced Perdock's. “I just shut my boat down. There's no way he was catching me.”

After the race, Jansen said Perdock came up to him and they talked briefly about boats before Perdock went on his way. Jansen then headed back to the resort, running his boat around to see if anyone could beat him. Back at Konocti Harbor, he said he didn't see Perdock there.

Hopkins asked Jansen if he knows Denise Rockenstein, reporter for the Clear Lake Observer American and the Lake County Record-Bee, and if he was at the Lakehouse Inn in Clearlake with two friends talking about racing to Pine Dell in Rockenstein's presence. He said no.

Did he tell Rockenstein about the race? Hopkins asked. “She questioned me about it,” said Jansen.

Hopkins asked if Jansen told Rockenstein that he raced with Perdock in the afternoon. “No, I told her it was in the evening.”

At the end of court Judge Byrne told the jurors they were ahead of schedule in the trial, with evidence likely to be completed Aug. 18. Final arguments and instructions are tentatively scheduled for Aug. 20, with the case going to the jury either Aug. 20 or Aug. 21.

“The case will be in your hands and I can't tell you how long it will take,” said Byrne.

Testimony continues Thursday.

Witnesses so far, in order

Day one (following opening statements): James Ziebell, sailor, helped skipper Beats Workin' II in Konocti Cup; Doug Jones, past commodore of local sailing club; Anthony Esposti*, fisherman; Colin Johnson*, fisherman.

Day two: Lake County Sheriff's Det. Jerry Pfann; Andrea Estep*, phlebotomist, St. Helena Hospital-Clearlake (formerly Redbud Community Hospital); former sheriff's Sgt. James Beland; LaDonna Hartman, phlebotomist, Sutter Lakeside Hospital; retired sheriff's Sgt. Mark Hoffman; California Department of Justice criminalist Gregory Priebe, Santa Rosa lab; California Department of Justice criminalist Gary Davis, Sacramento toxicology lab.

Day three: Jennifer Patterson, witnessed crash from Holdener property on lakeshore; Gina Seago, witnessed crash from Holdener property on lakeshore; Jordin Walker, passenger on Russell Perdock's powerboat; James Walker*, high school friend of Perdock's and passenger on his powerboat; sheriff's Deputy Mike Morshed*; sheriff's communications operator Kimberly Erickson; sheriff's Boat Patrol Deputy Lloyd Wells*.

Day four: Craig Woodworth, the District Attorney's Office's acting chief investigator; John Yount, criminalist with the California Department of Justice's Santa Rosa lab; sheriff's Det. Jerry Pfann; Boat Patrol Supervisor Sgt. Dennis Ostini; Lt. Charles Slabaugh of the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office.

Day five: Richard Snyder, retired Mercury Marine engineer; Lt. Charles Slabaugh of the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office.

Day six: Lt. Charles Slabaugh of the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office; California Department of Justice criminalist Toby Baxter; retired Sgt. Wes Frey, Lake County Sheriff's Office; Jeff Holdener, who responded to the crash scene via boat; Stephanie Green, friend of Weber and Thornton, who saw them leave in the sailboat a few hours before the crash; Craig Scovel, friend of Perdock's who assisted in taking his boat and trailer to the sheriff's Boat Patrol building.*

Day seven: Craig Woodworth, the District Attorney's Office's acting chief investigator. The prosecution rested.

Day eight (Defense begins presenting case): Dr. William Chilcott, forensics engineer; Mark Weber, owner of the Beats Workin' II and Lynn Thornton's longtime boyfriend.

Day nine: Mark Weber; Brian Stole, witness at Bayview Estates; Zina Dotti, passenger on the Beats Workin' II; Ed Dominguez, passenger on the Beats Workin' II and Dotti's fiance; Russell Perdock, owner of Baja powerboat that hit the Beats Workin' II.*

Day 10: Hans Peter Elmer, retired police officer, witnessed crash from Young Scandinavians Club; Julie Knight, met Dinius at Richmond Park and saw sailboat leave; Dennis Olson, formerly assistant director of security at Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa; Jean Strak; witness at Richmond Park; Peter Erickson, responded to crash from Young Scandinavians Club; Joe Gliebe, Konocti Harbor's security director; Myra Martinelli, Konocti Harbor security guard; Donna Perdock, Russell Perdock's ex-wife; John Jansen, ski racer.

* = Indicates a witness subject to recall at the request of the defense.

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MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST – Firefighters responded to a wildland fire in the Mendocino National Forest on Wednesday afternoon.

Dubbed the Summit Fire, the blaze was reported at around 1:30 p.m., according to Mendocino National Forest spokesperson Tamara Schmidt.

Schmidt said the fire is located near the Summit Springs trailhead on the southern edge of the Snow Mountain Wilderness in Colusa County,

At 4 p.m. Schmidt estimated the fire was between 15 and 20 acres in size, with multiple spot fires. By 5:30 p.m. the fire was reported to have grown to 40 acres.

“We're still in initial attack,” said Schmidt.

She said the fire had a slow rate of spread, despite the fact that winds were contributing to the spot fires.

Schmidt said the resources working the fire late Wednesday included one engine, one lead plane, three air tankers, one air attack, four hand crews, three helicopters and eight smokejumpers.

Because the fire is in a remote location, Schmidt said firefighters were having to hike in to it.

Firefighters were making good progress, Schmidt said.

Schmidt said a cause for the fire hasn't been reported.

Lake County News received reports from residents around Lake County who saw smoke from the fire on Wednesday afternoon.

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In the end, Judge J. Michael Byrne, who is presiding over 41-year-old Bismarck Dinius' trial for felony boating under the influence causing great bodily injury, decided there was no issues with the juror and that he would deny the defense's request for the trip onto the lake.

Dinius' trial is now in its third week. He was at the tiller of Willows resident Mark Weber's sailboat when it was hit by a powerboat driven by Russell Perdock, an off-duty sheriff's chief deputy, on the night of April 29, 2006.

Weber's girlfriend, Lynn Thornton, died of injuries she suffered in the crash, which the prosecution argues was Dinius' fault because he allegedly was steering the boat and was under way without navigation lights, and is alleged to have had a blood alcohol level above the legal limit.

On Wednesday morning, before testimony began, Byrne and the attorneys discussed a letter submitted to them by Carol Stambuk, a friend of Thornton's and the executor of her estate, regarding a potential indirect contact involving District Attorney Jon Hopkins and a juror.

Hopkins said he was having lunch at Angelina's Bakery when he saw an acquaintance who was having lunch with one of the jurors. “I had no conversation with the man I know while he was having lunch,” Hopkins said.

Byrne said he saw no issues, although it was good that it was pointed out. He said he expects it to happen since there are so few places to eat downtown. The judge also was reluctant to question the juror about it due to concerns about making the individual feel pressured.

However, during an afternoon break defense attorney Victor Haltom raised the issue again, saying he had spoken with Stambuk about what she had witnessed.

“I don't want to single out this juror,” Haltom said. “I do think there needs to be an inquiry.”

Byrne had Stambuk take the stand and put her under oath, then began questioning her about what she saw at Angelina's Bakery on Tuesday.

Stambuk said she saw a juror at the next table eating with a man who was not identified. Hopkins came into the restaurant, and the male subject with the juror got up and hugged Hopkins.

As the juror and the man were leaving the restaurant, Hopkins' acquaintance turned back to Hopkins and said, “Good luck with the case,” which Stambuk said she could hear from across the room.

Haltom and Hopkins both took brief turns questioning Stambuk. Hopkins asked her about where each of the parties were in relation to each other and distances. He asked if she was the person who brought the civil lawsuit in relation to Thornton's death. Stambuk, who has been at the trial almost every day, said yes.

Byrne called out the male juror and briefly asked him questions. The man acknowledged seeing Hopkins but said he and the other male didn't discuss the case. “We talked football,” the juror said, noting that he didn't hear his friend say anything to Hopkins.

The judge then asked the juror if he was bothered by the questions, and he replied no.

Afterward, Byrne told the prosecution and defense he was “personally satisfied” there was no issue with the juror.

Attorneys discuss witnesses

Following the last witness Wednesday and after the jury was dismissed for the day, Haltom told the judge he wanted to call to the stand this week Deputy District Attorney John Langan, who formerly had prosecuted the case.

Haltom said he wanted to question Langan about why no report was ever filed on the statement witness Jean Strak said she gave a sheriff's deputy. On Wednesday Strak testified that she had seen the sailboat's lights on when it was leaving Richmond Park Bar & Grill for the night cruise during which it was hit.

“Are we going to call the secretaries, too, to see if they didn't get one?” Hopkins replied.

He called Halton's request “nonsensical,” and announced his intention to call rebuttal witnesses with respect to the issue.

Hopkins said he and his investigators currently are examining the sheriff's automated records to see if a sheriff's deputy ever talked to Strak. He said the issue isn't relevant unless a report was made.

Haltom replied that it's very relevant because part of his case is based on the idea that “these guys were in a campaign, from day one, to say, 'Lights not on, let's protect Perdock.'”

He also wanteda former District Attorney's Office employee who now works in Mendocino County available for testimony. Hopkins said the man will appear.

The defense's case could rest Thursday, Haltom said.

Judge turns down jury view

Haltom argued for taking the jury out on pontoon boats to see the effect of background shore lights at night. If that wasn't approved, he wanted to take them to the Young Scandinavians Club, where several people reportedly saw the crash, and Bayview or Boren Bega, where the damaged boats were towed.

Hopkins argued that Haltom hadn't laid the foundation for such a trip. He said there was no scientific information to justify it from defense expert Dr. William Chilcott, whose testimony, Hopkins said, “is way up for grabs.”

He asserted, “This is an experiment,” not a jury view.

Witnesses have stated they saw the lights on the sailboat about 45 minutes before the collision, but not during, said Hopkins. He also questioned Strak's testimony, which he said contradicted everyone else's because she had stated the boat was lit up “like a Christmas tree.”

He said the jury's view would not be the same as that of the parties on the night of the crash. He cited several California Supreme Court cases – spanning between 1966 and 2002 – to prove his point. As he started presenting appellate court cases Byrne stopped him and said the Supreme Court cases were enough.

“It comes down to discretion,” said Byrne.

There also are three main factors to consider – convenience, appropriate value, and diagrams and physical evidence that can be substituted for the actual viewing, Byrne said.

Haltom said he didn't need to lay a foundation for the importance of seeing the shore lights, because the case itself has laid them.

Byrne said he didn't see the value of going to the Young Scandinavians Club because the testimony of Hans Peter Elmer, one of the witnesses from that location, didn't address shore lights.

If the conditions could be duplicated, Byrne said the trip would be valuable, but he said at best he believed it would end up being an experiment, because he didn't think they could get an exact location on the crash. He also suggested there might be additional safety issues, with more boats on the water at this time of year.

He said the sunset in the next few days would be different from the day of the crash. “We have information it was pitch black that night,” he said, with only one witness recalling a sliver of a moon.

Another concern is the difficulty in keeping jurors from discussing such a trip, because they'll want to talk and ask questions, said Byrne.

Deciding that the witnesses, diagrams and photos were sufficient at the time, Byrne said, “At this time I'll exercise my discretion and deny the request.”

According to the US Naval Observatory's online database, the nighttime conditions on Tuesday, Aug. 18, will closely resemble those of April 29, 2006. To see an assessment of those similar conditions, see

Prosecution, defense argue final motions before Dinius trial begins .

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A crowd of about 50 people watched from the courtroom's gallery as Russell Perdock gave testimony about the crash between his Baja powerboat and the Beats Workin' II, the sailboat which Bismarck Dinius was steering on the night of April 29, 2006.

The prosecution alleges that Dinius, 41, was under the influence of alcohol and was under way without required navigation lights, and thus is responsible for the great bodily injury that led to the death of 51-year-old Lynn Thornton of Willows, who died as a result of the crash. Thornton's boyfriend, Mark Weber, owned the boat.

Dinius' defense has asserted that Perdock was driving too fast on the night of the crash, and speed would be a central theme in the questions defense attorney Victor Haltom put to Perdock.

The day began with testimony from Weber, crash witness Brian Stole, and sailboat passengers Zina Dotti and Ed Dominguez, before Perdock took the stand in the afternoon.

Perdock, 47, originally had been scheduled to testify last Thursday, but District Attorney Jon Hopkins rested without calling Perdock, who he had been notified was the focus of an internal affairs investigation and has been on medical leave since June, as Lake County News has reported.

Wearing a dark gray suit, Perdock answered questions over an hour and a half, his voice sometimes so soft it could barely be heard.

On three occasions Haltom attempted to ask questions relating to Perdock's job with the sheriff's office – specifically, his current job status, and whether the case has resulted in any actions against him or adverse consequences. On all questions Hopkins objected to the relevance and Judge J. Michael Byrne sustained.

On the day of the crash Perdock took his son – who was celebrating his birthday – to a Lower Lake pizza parlor where Perdock said he had a beer that he didn't finish.

Under Haltom's questioning, Perdock maintained he did not set foot at Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa that day, although he drove past the docks with friends James and Jordin Walker – who were with him for a nighttime boat ride – before the crash.

Haltom asked Perdock if he had received information about any of the day's earlier testimony from his girlfriend, Tami Turner, who was in the courtroom during the morning and was witnessed sending text messages. He said he only received information about scheduling because he hadn't wanted to be late.

Perdock, currently a captain, was a chief deputy at the time of the crash and was ranked second in the sheriff's office. He said his title changed due to a department restructuring.

He had an oversight role in sheriff's investigations and was the interim supervisor for the investigations unit at the time of the crash. He evaluated the performance of subordinates and his ratings could affect their pay and rank.

Everyone but Sheriff Rod Mitchell was subordinate to him at the time of the crash. However, only Mitchell had the power to terminate.

Perdock said the sheriff ordered him not to be involved in the case. “Did you comply with that order?” Haltom asked. “Absolutely,” Perdock replied.

Former Deputy Mark Hommer, who now works for the Lakeport Police Department, had sent an e-mail on Oct. 15, 2006, to records clerk Amy Valerio, communications supervisor Janell Rivera and Perdock regarding a response to a subpoena for the 911 records.

That e-mail included several recordings of 911 calls reporting the crash. Perdock said there may have been attachments, and then he said he deleted them.

In September of 2008 he provided the District Attorney's Office with the results of an investigation conducted by his insurance company. He said he only reviewed information on the case that came through a civil lawsuit, and didn't read sheriff's reports on the case.

When he met with district attorney's investigators John Flynn and Craig Woodworth in May, he suggested they look at wind conditions that night and contact Richmond Park Bar & Grill to see if the people on the sailboat had been drinking.

Questions of speed arise

He recalled giving statements to Lake County Sheriff's Boat Patrol Supervisor Sgt. Dennis Ostini and then-Sgt. Charles Slabaugh of the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office about his speed, but didn't recall talking to then-Sgt. Mike Morshed. Perdock said he estimated his speed at 35 miles per hour, although Morshed had testified to Perdock saying he was going 40 miles per hours. Slabaugh also put down between 40 and 45 in his report. Perdock said that was a mistake.

Looking at a picture of the powerboat's instrument panel, Perdock said he had given Slabaugh “my best estimate” about his speed, estimating his revolutions per minute was between 3000 to 3200.

If the speed indicators had been pointing up, how fast would the boat have been going? Haltom asked. Perdock said between 50 and 55 miles per hour. But he said he told investigators he erred in that estimate after he saw a picture of the gauges.

During testimony Perdock said his boat doesn't go on plane – or level out – until it hits around 30 miles per hour.

Perdock said he didn't see the sailboat before the impact, just a green glow of his navigation lights reflecting off of it. The crash was immediately after that. Perdock said he didn't see the sails even as his boat vaulted through the air.

Haltom had Perdock look over a time line he submitted to Flynn earlier this year. On that time line he said he put his boat in at around 8 p.m. on the night of the crash, after having spent a few hours cleaning it.

Perdock was asked if he knew Dennis Olson, formerly a security guard at Konocti Harbor, and he said yes. He also knew Joe Gliebe, the security director, but denied knowing John Walker Yashiki-Jansen, who has claimed he raced his boat against Perdock's earlier that day. Perdock said he didn't see any of them the day of the crash.

At one point during his boat ride his gas gauge dropped, so Perdock planned to go to Richmond Park to get gas. However, the needle then went back to half full.

He continued on his course around Fraser Point and into Konocti Bay, “just going for a short ride.” He was going to travel along the shoreline but along the way he spotted a white light from another boat off the bay's eastern shore, which appeared to him to be a stern light but which was a fisherman flashing a spotlight at him. Perdock He maneuvered his boat away from it to give the boat plenty of room, and the crash happened about a minute later.

After his powerboat went over the sailboat, Perdock estimated his boat stopped about 60 to 70 feet out from the sailboat, which was just visible within his stern light.

He said he didn't make a statement to the people on the sailboat that their lights were off. Dominguez, sitting in the audience, could be heard to say, “Liar.”

Perdock said he tried to get his powerboat back to the sailboat, starting up his engine. But the engine seized and quit around five to 10 feet from the sailboat.

During the crash he suffered a head injury, and then-Sgt. James Beland drove him to Redbud Community Hospital – now St. Helena Hospital-Clearlake – where his blood was drawn and he received stitches for his head injury.

The day after the crash, he and his friend, Craig Scovel, went to the sheriff's Boat Patrol facility at Buckingham Point to photograph the boats at the request of his insurance agent. He said Ostini supervised them while they did it.

He did not go to the sheriff's evidence facility. Perdock also confirmed that he was a member of the Masonic Lodge in Clearlake, along with Flynn.

Hopkins asked him if he had seen the lights on the sailboat before the impact, during or afterward. He said no.

He said he's experienced taking his boat out at night on Clearlake and differentiating between shore lights and navigation lights.

Perdock noted that he called sheriff's dispatch because if he called 911 he would have been routed to the California Highway Patrol dispatch in Ukiah. Following the crash he made several calls to Central Dispatch to give them updates on the situation.

Haltom asked Perdock if he was wearing his glasses at the time of the crash. Perdock said he wasn't. Did he have a prescription? Yes.

“Do you like the speed?” Haltom asked. “Does that do it for you, going fast in a powerboat?”

Perdock said no.

Hopkins complained that comments were being made in the audience. Byrne told the bailiff to tell people to step outside if it happened again.

Other than the 911 e-mail he was copied on, Perdock said he received no other official communications on the case. He did discuss the case with Mitchell, who informed him of the result of his blood alcohol test, which revealed zero alcohol.

Hopkins asked him about his glasses prescription. Perdock said he went for a normal eye check and told the doctor his vision gets blurry when his eyes are tired or stressed, so the doctor gave him a light prescription.

“Did you ordinarily wear them when you drove?” Hopkins asked. No, Perdock said.

Does the Department of Motor Vehicles require he wear corrective lenses? Hopkins asked. No, Perdock said.

Did he wear them for boating? No, Perdock said.

Perdock was excused just after 3:30 p.m., and admonished that he is subject to recall by the defense.

A hearing scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 18, could determine if Perdock will come back to answer further questions.

Haltom filed motions last week for information regarding the internal affairs investigation and to have access to his personnel files. Perdock's attorney, Alison Berry Wilkinson, is out of state until next week. Byrne set the Aug. 18 hearing so that Wilkinson can be present to argue against the motion.

Weber returns to stand

Testimony on Tuesday had started with Weber back on the stand. He began his testimony on Friday.

Under Hopkins' cross-examination, Weber recalled getting to Lake County on April 28, 2006, the day before the crash. He and Thornton played golf that night at Rob Roy Golf Club then went to Richmond Park Bar & Grill to socialize before turning in for the night.

On race day, he was up at 6 a.m. and back to Richmond Park for a skippers' meeting. Weber raced in the half-cup which started at 10:30 a.m. and lasted until about 2 p.m., when he went back to Richmond Park. He and his team – which included Jim Ziebell and Bill Pickering – placed second in the half-cup race.

Weber said he had a 12-pack of Bud Light in his ice chest which he and others drank after the race and over the course of the afternoon. There also was a Coors Light and red wine on board, along with vodka and tequila, which had been on the boat in a cabinet for some time.

At Richmond Park that evening there was socializing and celebrating. Weber said he and Thornton ate dinner with Rob and Stephanie Green between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Later, he recalled, “We were down on the dock and a big gust of wind came up.”

Weber added he and Bismarck looked at each other. “I think we may have had the same thought at the same time” about taking a sail.

Thornton had just introduced him to Dominguez and Dotti, who she had met while golfing at the Clear Lake Riviera golf course earlier that day. She asked the couple to come along on the cruise.

Before they set out, Weber said he turned on the running lights and got out of the sailboat to walk around and make sure the stern light was on. The mast light didn't work, he recalled.

They motored out about 8:30 p.m. and set off across Konocti Bay, with Dinius taking the tiller as Weber raised the main sail, followed shortly by the smaller sail. They took a port tack going out, Weber said.

As they turned around about 600 to 700 yards off Fraser Point, the wind was coming from slightly behind the sailboat, Weber said. On the way back to Richmond Park, the wind died and he took down the smaller sail because he said Thornton asked him to.

“She was calling, pretty much, most of the shots,” he said. Hopkins asked if she was determining the course. No, said Weber.

Later, when it was dark, Weber turned on the cabin lights. He had turned on the AM/FM radio a short time after leaving dock.

Hopkins asked him why he turned on the running lights. Weber said it's the law. “You're very foolish to be out there without lights.”

The boat left about dusk and it got dark quickly. No moon was visible, Weber said.

Hopkins, quoting back to Weber a statement he made on the stand on Friday, asked if he says “We've got lights, let's go” every time he sails. Weber said no.

During the sail Weber recalled going to get Dinius a beer but finding there were no more left in the ice chest. He believed Dinius had a Coors Light from the cooler before they left dock.

Dinius was at the tiller from the time Weber got up and began manning the sails when they left the dock to the time of the crash.

A bottle of vodka was found on the deck. Weber didn't remember how it got there from a cabinet in the cabin. Hopkins cited statements Weber made to Haltom's investigator on Aug. 4 that the vodka and a tequila bottle had flown out of a cabinet during the crash.

The crash occurred about 30 or 40 minutes into the cruise, Weber estimated.

Hopkins asked him why he didn't turn the cabin lights on when he turned on the running lights. He said it was light then; he turned the cabin lights on when it was dark.

Weber recalled meeting Dinius around 1999 or 2000, and meeting up with him annually at the Konocti Cup.

He couldn't remember how much he'd had to drink that night. Weber explained that he had a head injury as a result of the crash, which knocked him out for five to seven minutes. There are many things about the day that he can't remember.

Weber said he also couldn't remember talking to Sgt. Dennis Ostini at the hospital in the early morning hours of April 30, 2006.

Hopkins put up a map of Konocti Bay and announced that a juror had brought laser pointers for he and Haltom to use. “Just don't use them against each other,” Judge Byrne quipped, which drew laughter from the roughly 20 people in the gallery during the morning session.

Witness saw lights converge

After an hour on the stand Weber was excused. He remained in the courtroom as Brian Stole came to testify.

Stole and his fiancée were at Bayview Estates next to the shoreline when he noticed Perdock's powerboat. “I did notice that there was a boat going too fast across the water.”

He said he saw the lights on the powerboat, which he estimated was going about 50 miles per hour, and also heard its motor. Stole said he saw the powerboat's lights and the lights on another object converge and then heard a collision.

Stole noted under Hopkins' cross-examination that “usually the faster the boat goes the louder the engine is going to run.” Hopkins asked if that sound figured into his speed estimate. Stole said yes.

When the boats collided, it sounded like “a stick of dynamite going off. It was pretty loud,” Stole said.

Hopkins questioned the different statements Stole had made to Haltom's investigators and district attorney's investigators. In two separate interviews, he stated he believed he powerboat was going 45 miles per hour, but he told Haltom it was going between 50 and 60 miles per hour. Hopkins also questioned different light colors Stole had attributed to the boats' running lights, which varied between green and red, white and yellow.

At one point Stole told one of Hopkins' investigators that he didn't know if the powerboat hit a boat or a dock. He'd also told a district attorney's investigator initially that he thought the crash was five to 10 miles away, but later said he thought it was 500 yards away. Stole said he'd had nothing to drink that night.

Sailboat passengers recount deadly crash

Dotti, who along with her fiance, Dominguez, went out on the sailboat that night, testified about meeting Thornton on the golf course that morning before later meeting her, Weber and Dinius at Richmond Park, where they were asked to go on a sail. Dotti said the sail had to be a short one, because she and Dominguez were meeting his parents later for dinner at Konocti Vista Casino.

It was still light when they left, and Dotti recalled they didn't use the motor going out. She remembered the cabin light being on; there was light illuminating grass and tules in the water, and they could see each other on the boat.

In response to Paige Kaneb, an attorney with Dinius' defense team who questioned her, Dotti said they weren't partying on the boat, but were talking about children and Thornton's golf game.

Dotti said they saw no other boats on the water that night. She was sitting on the sailboat when she heard something. It was a powerboat that “sounded like it was going fast.” She said Dominguez told her she didn't finish her sentence before the collision.

“Total chaos” followed, she said.

She remembered Perdock shining the light on them and asking if everyone was on the boat. Dotti recalled them yelling for 911.

Dominguez was giving Thornton cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the boat until the paramedics took over on shore.

Dotti, who had an injured leg and was covered with blood, said she and her fiance weren't treated at all for their injuries when they got to shore. “Nobody even looked to see whether we were hurt,” she said.

A deputy later questioned them about where they had been during the entire day. “It sounded like they already made a decision whose fault it was,” said Dotti, referring to the sailboat.

They asked for a ride back to Richmond Park and a deputy said they didn't have enough cars. Later they did get a ride from a deputy back to the restaurant, where their car was parked.

Hopkins asked Dotti if she felt the deputy's questioning was inappropriate. “Yes, I did.”

She'd been asked if she had drinks earlier in the day. “You thought it was inappropriate they determine your perception as a witness was unaffected by alcohol?” Hopkins asked.

Dotti replied that she felt they should have checked on their physical well being.

She said she had a vodka cranberry at the bar before leaving on the sailboat. Thornton went in to sing a karaoke song before the cruise. Dotti said Weber and Thornton were excited about his second-place finish in the race that day.

On the cruise, she recalled Weber explaining what he was doing as he was working on the boat. Later, after the cruise was under way, she said he got Dinius a Coors Light, got wine for Thornton and Dominguez, and brought out the vodka for her. But there was nothing to mix with it, so she didn't drink any, and she said he left the bottle out on a bench.

For the most part, the conversation was between Dotti, Dominguez and Thornton. Dotti said Weber “was pretty quiet. He was running the boat.”

She remembered seeing stars but not the moon. Dotti estimated about 45 minutes passed before the start of the cruise and the crash.

She didn't see the powerboat before the crash; she only heard it, noting it sounded like the boat was accelerating. It happened so fast that she didn't see the collision.

When Perdock was asking if people were in the water, at first they weren't sure, said Dotti. The mast had fallen over and Dinius, Weber and Thornton were underneath it, with both men having collapsed on top of Thornton. They threw the sail and mast over the side of the boat so they could pull the injured out from under it.

She said Perdock asked if they needed a first aid kit. “More than a first aid kit was needed at that point,” she said.

Dotti sat at the tiller as the boat was towed in, getting instructions on how to steer from people on another boat. She recalled holding Thornton's hand on the trip in to shore.

Dominguez followed Dotti to the stand. He and Dotti had met Thornton on the fourth hole of the Riviera golf course that morning and played about six holes with her before agreeing to meet her later at Richmond Park.

The only boat light he could remember that night was the cabin light, but he said he didn't look for the others. Darkness fell quickly after they left on the cruise. He said he didn't recall seeing a spotlight that fisherman Colin Johnson said he flashed at the boat.

After the crash Dominguez and Dotti were the only ones still sitting up, while the rest had been knocked to the deck. Someone from the powerboat said, “You didn't having your f'ing lights on.”

He found Thornton under the sail, with Weber and Dinius lying across her. Dinius was having trouble breathing. Dominguez tried to prevent Weber from seeing Thornton “because she didn't look good.”

“She had a pulse at first,” he said, then he lost it as he did CPR on her.

Hopkins asked him about a statement he had made in the preliminary hearing about Dinius being “hammered up.” Dominguez said he meant that Dinius was looking like he was happy and having a good day.

“If I would have thought he was drunk I would never have gotten on the boat with him, if that's what you're implying,” Dominguez said to Hopkins.

When he was first invited to sail, Dominguez said he wasn't concerned because it was a short trip. Someone suggested the worst case scenario would be the boat tipping over and all of them having to swim back to shore, which he said everyone laughed at at the time.

Just before the collision itself, he heard a motor, and he wasn't sure if it was out of the water running. The collision happened so quickly he wasn't sure he saw the powerboat, although he said he can see it every time he closes his eyes.

The defense will continue presenting witnesses on Wednesday morning at 9 a.m.

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George Canovas, 50, was treated at Ukiah Valley Medical Center for a complaint of neck and shoulder pain, according to the California Highway Patrol's Ukiah office.

Canovas, along with 30-year-old Travis Harrel of Ukiah, was riding in a 1998 Plymouth Voyager driven by Ukiah resident Steven Berry, 51, when the crash occurred on Highway 101 at the N. State Street ramp at 4:45 p.m., the CHP reported.

While merging onto northbound Highway 101 from N. State Street, 83-year-old Ralph Olson of Redwood Valley slowed his 2003 Pontiac Grand Am to move into traffic, according to the CHP.

Berry, who was behind Olson, came to a quick stop to avoid hitting the Grand Am, the report noted.

The CHP said Richard Van Buren of Fort Bragg was behind Berry's vehicle in a 2005 Ford Expedition. He was looking over his shoulder at oncoming traffic and collided with the rear of Berry's Voyager. The collision caused the front of Berry's vehicle to hit the back of Olson's.

Besides Canovas, no injuries were reported. The CHP said all of the drivers and passengers were wearing their safety belts.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

The National Weather Service in Sacramento (NWS) expects highs in the mid-90s in Lake County today through Saturday, with temperatures on the cooler side at lower elevations.

Average temperatures for today include a low of 53 degrees and a high of 93 degrees. The record high for Aug. 13 was 111 degrees in 1933 the record low was 41 degrees in 1921.

The gusty afternoon winds on Tuesday and Wednesday cleared out the upper-level haze that the recent weather patterns have brought in to the Clear Lake basin and much of Northern California from fires burning in Shasta and Santa Barbara counties.

However, the Summit fire in nearby Colusa County in the Mendocino National forest, which had increased to 40 acres by 6:30 p.m. last night according to Cal Fire, may create more haze if not contained soon.

Gusty afternoon winds are expected to continue, according to the NWS today and Friday, but Saturday and Sunday should be calm.

Highs for Saturday are predicted to be in the mid-90s and a few degrees warmer on Sunday. Low overnight temperatures are expected near 60.

For up-to-the-minute weather and wildfire information, visit our homepage at www.lakeconews.com .

E-mail Terre Logsdon at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Caltrans said it's expediting a safety project on a half-mile-long stretch of Highway 20 east of Walker Ridge Road, located between Clearlake Oaks and the Colusa County line.

The project is in response to an increased number of collisions that have occurred on the downhill curve. Officials said the goal is a better, safer highway.

“This is just going to construction,” said Caltrans spokesman Phil Frisbie.

The project will take place in the area of mile post marker 44.19, located across the highway from the location of the now-mitigated Abbott and Turkey Run mines.

As Lake County News first reported in March, the area had been the site of several crashes in the last two years. By June 15 there had been seven collision in the area, at least two of which – including a March crash – have been fatal.

The California Highway Patrol has maintained that speed was the primary cause in all of the collisions, and all but one happened on wet or icy pavement.

But earlier this year, defense attorney Angela Carter told Lake County News that part of the problem was the roadway itself. Carter's firm is defending Suisun City resident Debra Curtis, who is being prosecuted for vehicular manslaughter for a fatal May 2008 crash in which a Sebastopol woman died.

Earlier in the year, Caltrans took several actions in an attempt to reduce crashes in the area. They included reducing the advisory speed at the curve from 40 to 35 miles per hour, and adding larger signage and rumble strips meant to raise motorists' awareness. Officials also shortened a passing lane prior to the curve.

Frisbie said Caltrans' Traffic Safety Office initiated this latest safety project in May.

The project went out to bid, with bids closing last month. The bids were opened on July 28 and the project, coming in at nearly $137,000, was awarded to Santa Rosa's Argonaut Constructors on Aug. 5, Frisbie said.

Frisbie, who anticipated that work on the project will start around the first week of September, said the project will begin with grinding off the top layer of asphalt.

Argonaut Constructors will then pave that section of highway with a 1-inch aggregate open-graded asphalt, which has a higher coefficient of friction and will provide more traction than smaller aggregates more commonly used, according to Frisbie.

The open-graded asphalt also contains open spaces between the aggregate which work with the grooves on vehicle tires to help insure against hydroplaning in wet weather, according to Frisbie.

The expedited construction schedule is meant to insure that the project is completed by the end of October, before the wet winter weather begins, Frisbie said.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The California Highway Patrol's Ukiah office said the crash occurred just after 6:30 p.m. May 28 on Highway 101 north of N. State Street.

The head-on collision claimed the lives of Catherine Denise Shaw, 48, of Ukiah and Michael Wayne Berry, 63, of Redding. Press reports at the time stated that Shaw, who had been seen driving recklessly, had to be identified by dental records after her car burst into flames.

Berry's wife, Donna Marie Berry, 60, sustained major injuries in the collision, the CHP reported.

Officials said Shaw was determined to have a blood alcohol level of 0.22 at the time of the collision. She also tested positive for Delta-9 THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. The state's legal limit for blood alcohol concentration is 0.08.

Shaw was determined to be the cause of the collision due to driving under the influence with the associated factor of driving at an unsafe speed for conditions, the CHP said.

“Every year, members of our community are needlessly maimed and killed on our roads,” said CHP Capt. Ray Madrigal. “Our goal is to ensure the safe passage of each and every motorist by targeting roads where there is a high frequency of drunk driving.”

Madrigal said sobriety checkpoints, saturation patrols and educational presentations on driving under the influence are some of the tools the CHP uses to address driving drunk.

A helicopter making a water drop on a hot spot in the Hartmann Incident. Photo by Rick Hamilton.

The two-acre Hartmann Incident was located on the corner of Hartmann Road and Highway 29. Firefighters were dispatched at 1:38 p.m., said Cal Fire Capt. Paul Duncan.

At one point a lot of resources were assigned to the fire as part of Cal Fire's standard response, including one air attack, two tankers to drop retardant, one helicopter with eight personnel, six engines and two dozers. Duncan said a total of 28 personnel were on scene.

He said Cal Fire responded along with South Lake County Fire.

The fire, which was located in grass and brush, was completely out by 2 p.m., Duncan said.

No cause has been reported, Duncan said.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

A picture of the fire taken from the top of Powderhorn Road in Hidden Valley Lake. A helicopter is shown dumping water on the fire at the corner of Highway 29 and Hartmann Road. Photo by Tina Hopper.

A Cal Fire plane overhead during the Hartmann Incident. Photo by Rick Hamilton.

The Hartmann Incident, pictured from Coyle Springs Road. Photo by Eric Soderstrom.

Dennis and Viola Scoles' Volvo station wagon after a crash that occurred on Highway 29 on Saturday, August 8, 2009. Photo by Rick Hamilton.

Dennis Scoles, 66, and Viola Scoles, 65, were transported to the hospital following the crash, which occurred at around 2:50 p.m. on Highway 29 north of Highway 175 to Cobb, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The CHP said Dennis Scoles had stopped his 2001 Volvo V-70 station wagon on the northbound shoulder of Highway 29 within a private driveway entrance, facing in a southwesterly direction and preparing to make a U-turn onto southbound Highway 29.

Kay White, 49, of Sacramento, was driving a 1998 Peterbilt tractor truck with two flatbed trailers following a car, traveling northbound on Highway 29 at a stated speed of about 45 to 50 miles per hour, approaching Scoles' position.

Behind White was Olivia Peregrina, 26, of Cobb in a 2002 Dodge Neon with a 3-year-old boy in the car with her, the CHP said.

When the car ahead of White passed Scoles, he is reportedly to have suddenly pulled into White's path, according to the report.

The CHP said White aggressively applied the truck's brakes and attempted to avoid Scoles but couldn't.

The front of the Peterbilt struck the Volvo's driver's side, causing the Volvo to spin off the road and onto a dirt area south of the highway where it came to rest on its wheels, facing in a southerly direction.

The CHP said Peregrina noticed quite a bit of smoke created by the braking Peterbilt and aggressively applied her own brakes.

She veered off the highway to the north to avoid striking the Peterbilt's rearmost trailer. The action caused her to run off the road onto a dirt embankment, suffering a flat right front tire.

White safely brought the Peterbilt to rest on the highway's northbound shoulder, the CHP said.

Both Dennis and Viola Scoles were airlifted to Sutter Santa Rosa for treatment of their injuries, the CHP reported.