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Authorities arrest three more men in Lakeport evacuation area
*** This article has been updated: According to Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rassmussen the individual identified as Brandon Leon Bowyer, 21, residence unknown was not arrested. The individual who was arrested is Jordan Bowyer. "He provided a false name, his last name is the same but he provided a false first name and age," said Cheif Rassmussen. Rassmussen suspects Jordan Bowyer provided false information because Bowyer has warrants out of Riverside County for property and vehicle theft. ***
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Police officers have taken three more men into custody after finding them in the mandatory evacuation area in Lakeport.
Jordan Bowyer age unknown, city of residence unknown, was arrested on Sunday, while Travis Scott Jones, 25, and Tacoma Elliott, 40, both of Lakeport, were separately taken into custody on Monday, according to the Lakeport Police Department.
These latest actions by police brings the number of arrests in the Lakeport evacuation area to five.
The department said that at 11:30 a.m. Sunday Lakeport Police officers found Bowyer on foot in the area of 16th Street and Hartley Road.
When officers contacted him, Bowyer could not provide any reason as to what he was doing or why he was in the area. After further investigation it was determined Bowyer did not live in the area and could not provide a reason for being in a evacuated area, police said.
Bowyer was placed under arrest for unauthorized entry into a closed emergency area. During a search of Bowyer, police said he was found to be in possession of methamphetamine as well as being under the influence of methamphetamine.
He was transported to jail where he was booked without incident, Bowyer said.
At 12:30 a.m. Monday, on-duty Lakeport Public Works staff notified Lakeport Police officers of a suspicious person with a backpack riding a bicycle in downtown Lakeport. Officers located the subject, identified as Elliott, in the area of Museum Park and inquired what he was doing.
Police said Elliott told officers he was trying to get some cigarettes but failed to notice the road closures and barricades that he rode through on his bike. The officers discovered Elliott's backpack was empty, leading them to believe he was in the area for reasons other than buying cigarettes.
Elliott was placed under arrest for unauthorized entry into a closed emergency area and transported to jail, authorities said.
Then, at 6 a.m. Monday, Lakeport Officers located a pickup truck in Lakeport near Clearlake Avenue and North High Street driven by Jones.
Police said Jones could not provide a lawful reason for being in the area and in fact admitted he came from outside Lakeport and drove past barricade closures to to enter Lakeport.
Jones was arrested for entering and remaining in a closed disaster area. During a search incident to arrest, tools believed to be possessed for the purpose of burglary were located and seized. He was also charged with possession of burglary tools and booked into jail, according to police.
The Lakeport Police Department said it’s working jointly with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office the Lake County Office of Emergency Services and other allied agencies to protect the evacuated area.
“We want the community to know that we will absolutely not tolerate this type of behavior,” the department said in a written statement. “We are committed to protecting the safety of our residents, businesses and their property while our communities remain evacuated and we will be aggressive in these efforts.”
The agency said any unauthorized person who willfully and knowingly enters a disaster area and who willfully remains within the area after receiving notice to evacuate or leave shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.