LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A Lucerne man who claimed to have been the victim of a shooting last spring has been arrested for perjury, and the man he accused in the case has been exonerated.

Michael Anthony Arreaga, 56, of Lucerne was arrested on March 30 for three counts of perjury, providing false information to a grand jury and filing a false police report, according to District Attorney Don Anderson.

Anderson said Arreaga’s arrest came at the end of a three-month-long investigation by the District Attorney’s Perjury Investigation Unit, which determined that Arreaga had accidentally shot himself in the leg during an altercation at his home involving his adult son, Jason Arreaga, and Jeremy Lee Bryant of Red Bluff.

At the same time, Anderson said the investigation cleared Bryant, 40, who was arrested last April for first-degree burglary, assault with a firearm, attempted robbery and causing great bodily injury, as Lake County News has reported.

Lake County News was unable to reach Bryant’s attorney, Mitchell Hauptman, for comment on the case developments.

Anderson said the case originated on April 18, 2016, when a report was made to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office of a shooting at 6014 East Highway 20 in Lucerne.

Michael Arreaga told sheriff's deputies that Bryant and several other people had forced their way onto the Arreaga property through a security fence and then into the residence. Anderson said Arreaga told authorities that Bryant and the other individuals were there to rob his son, Jason, of marijuana and money.

Anderson said Michael Arreaga told deputies that, fearing for his life and that of his son, he got his rifle and confronted Bryant, who he said grabbed the rifle and struggled with him for control of it.

It was during that struggle that Michael Arreaga claimed that Bryant shot him in the leg, a story corroborated by his son, leading to Bryant’s arrest later that day, Anderson said.

The April 2016 incident came just two months after Jason Arreaga, 32, was acquitted at his second trial for a double homicide case in Humboldt County, as Lake County News has reported.

Then, early on the morning of July 18, 2016, Clearlake Police officers were dispatched to an address in the 14500 block of Walnut for a subject yelling and making threats that he was going to kill the person living at a nearby residence, according to acting Police Chief Tim Celli.

Celli told Lake County News that officers who responded to the scene contacted Jason Arreaga, who was trying to conceal himself behind a nearby Uhaul truck.

Celli said Jason Arreaga was found with a loaded .357-caliber handgun and narcotics and was arrested on a number of charges.

He has remained in custody since that time, with charges against him now including attempted murder and bail being set at more than $1 million, according to jail records.

Anderson said his investigators were monitoring phone calls between Michael Arreaga and his son at the jail, and during their conversations the Arreagas discussed how they were going to try to get Bryant convicted and acknowledged his innocence in the shooting.

The information about Bryant’s innocence got to the investigators on Jan. 5, just two weeks before Bryant’s jury trial was set to start, Anderson said.

On the same day, and after spending almost nine months in custody, Bryant was released from jail, pending further investigation which Anderson said ultimately cleared Bryant of the allegations.

“We didn’t want to convict an innocent person,” said Anderson, who added that, before the information was revealed, the case against Bryant had appeared very strong and likely to lead to a conviction.

As part of the followup investigation, Anderson impaneled a criminal investigative grand jury. On Jan. 27 Michael Arreaga testified before the grand jury, giving the same information that he had reported to the sheriff's deputies.

However, District Attorney's Office investigators determined that during the April 2016 altercation between Jason Arreaga and Jeremy Bryant, Michael Arreaga obtained a rifle and had accidentally shot himself in the leg, Anderson said.

It also was determined that Bryant – who the evidence suggests went to the Arreaga property for a confrontation – never entered the Arreaga residence or struggled with Michael Arreaga for the rifle as Michael Arreaga testified before the grand jury, Anderson said.

Jason Arreaga also testified before the grand jury in January. “He didn’t tell the truth,” said Anderson, but the younger Arreaga’s statements were evasive and not substantive enough to lead to criminal charges against him.

If he’s convicted of all charges, Michael Arreaga – who was in court on Tuesday – faces a maximum sentence of six years in prison, Anderson said.

Michael Arreaga remained in the Lake County Jail on Thursday, with bail set at $50,000.

Anderson said his office is continuing to actively investigate and prosecute perjury cases, and more arrests are anticipated.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – A group of volunteers that has played a key role in rescuing pets and livestock from the county’s wildland fires will meet for a training this weekend, with community members interested in joining their ranks invited to attend.

Lake Evacuation & Animal Protection, or LEAP, will hold its annual meeting and training from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 8, at South Lake County Fire Protection District’s Station 60, 21095 Highway 175 in Middletown.

Nehemiah White, deputy director of Lake County Animal Care and Control and LEAP’s coordinator, said the event is both a refresher training for current volunteers and an introduction for those interested in joining.

Topics of the Saturday gathering including a LEAP introduction, fire safety/behavior, training requirements, radio protocols, go kits, LEAP software demonstration (animal management), personal protective equipment and fire shelters, and sand tray.

White said volunteers also will need to complete a volunteer application with the county, participate in online training and, if they want to be able to drive into disaster areas, have a report from the Department of Motor Vehicles approved by the county.

LEAP was formed in 2011 under the auspices of Animal Care and Control, as Lake County News has reported.

In its first year, LEAP had 12 volunteers, according to Animal Care and Control. Today, it has 48 volunteers, not counting staff, to help with staging and working with animals. Another 18 of those volunteers certified to go into the field on rescues, White said.

LEAP has worked to rescue animals from the path of several of the county’s significant wildland fires, including the Wye, Rocky, Jerusalem, Valley and Clayton.

For its work during the Valley fire – rescuing everything from dogs and cats to parrots, tortoises and livestock – LEAP received the 2015 Governor’s Volunteering and Service Award for Governmental Agency of the Year, as Lake County News has reported.

LEAP wasn’t activated during this year’s floods, but Animal Care and Control helped shelter animals from that event, White said.

Animal Care and Control Director Bill Davidson said White’s first assignment as deputy director was to get a trailer for the agency and LEAP’s operations.

He said the ASPCA awarded the agency a grant in December for a new disaster response trailer.

That trailer is still under construction and is expected to be completed the middle of this month, Davidson said.

For more information about LEAP call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Four friendly dogs are waiting at Clearlake Animal Control for new homes this week.

This week's featured animals include three female dogs and one male.

To meet the animals, contact Marcia Taylor, the animal control outreach technician, at 707-994-8201, Extension 103, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday, or leave a message.

Below are this week's available pets.

‘Betty’

“Betty” is a 4-month-old black Labrador Retriever mix.

She has a short, all-black coat.

Shelter staff said she is a wonderful dog that gets along with everyone.

‘Chamaca’

“Chamaca” is a 2-year-old female pit bull mix.

She has a short tan coat with white markings.

She is a pretty girl who likes to go for walks on a leash.

‘Charlie’

“Charlie” is a 5-month-old mastiff-shepherd mix.

He has a short tan coat with white markings.

Shelter staff call him a "sweet loving little boy.”

‘Lucy’

“Lucy” is a 2-year-old Labrador Retriever-pit bull mix.

She has a short, all-black coat.

Shelter staff said she is a very sweet dog.
 
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. – This winter’s storms have had serious impacts on roads in the Mendocino National Forest, where closures are in effect and repairs need to be completed.

Mendocino National Forest employees continue to inventory and evaluate roads and damage across the forest as weather and conditions permit.

Forest visitors need to be aware that there may be hazards that have not been identified yet as some areas are unsafe for employees to enter.

Several road closures are in effect and additional closures may need to be issued. Employees are noticing that travelers are going around road barriers and even trying to remove debris.

“Ignoring road barriers and trying to remove debris is dangerous for travelers and our employees. There may be more problems beyond the visible damage at the road barrier and removing debris may generate more movement on hillsides,” said Mendocino Forest Supervisor Ann Carlson.

She added, “Please be alert and adhere to all road barriers.”

As the snow continues to recede, many hazards may exist: unstable roads due to saturated soil, blocked roads from downed trees, plugged culverts, deep ruts and running water.

The local weather forecast shows showers and windy conditions likely over the next few days.

Visitors are encouraged to call ahead before traveling to the forest. Please check the forest Web site at https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/mendocino/alerts-notices for alerts and notices.

The Governors Highway Safety Association projects an 11-percent increase in the number of persons on foot killed on U.S. roadways last year, compared to 2015.

This would represent the steepest year-to-year increase since record-keeping began, both in terms of number of deaths and percent increase.

The annual Spotlight on Highway Safety report from the association, or GHSA, offers a first look at state-by-state trends in pedestrian traffic fatalities for 2016, using preliminary data provided by all 50 state highway safety offices and the District of Columbia.

The report was authored by Richard Retting of Sam Schwartz Transportation Consultants.

“This is the second year in a row that we have seen unprecedented increases in pedestrian fatalities, which is both sad and alarming,” said Retting.

From 2014 to 2015, the number of pedestrian deaths spiked more than 9 percent. “It is critical that the highway safety community understand these disturbing statistics and work to aggressively implement effective countermeasures,” Rettig said. “The information in this report will help states and localities pursue engineering, enforcement and education solutions to reverse this trend.”

States reported 2,660 pedestrian fatalities for the first six months of 2016, compared to 2,486 deaths during the same time period in the previous year.

Adjusting for underreporting and past full-year data trends, GHSA estimates an 11 percent rise in pedestrian fatalities from 2015 to 2016.

Compared to 2014, the number of pedestrians killed in 2016 increased by 22 percent. Pedestrians account for approximately 15 percent of all motor vehicle deaths.

More than twice as many states reported an uptick in pedestrian fatalities in the first six months of 2016 than had decreasing numbers.

Thirty-four states saw an increase, while 15 states and the District of Columbia reported decreases, and one state had no change.

There are many possible factors contributing to this spike.

As economic conditions improve and gas prices remain low, the U.S. has seen an increase in motor vehicle miles traveled.

At the same time, a growing number of Americans are choosing to travel by foot for health, transportation, economic or environmental reasons.

Another potential factor is a sharp rise in the use of smartphones to send and receive multimedia messages, a frequent source of mental and visual distraction for both walkers and drivers.

“Everyone walks, and we want to encourage that, but at the same time we want to make sure that we all get to our destinations safely,” said Jonathan Adkins, GHSA executive director. “Unfortunately, this latest data shows that the U.S. is not meeting the mark on keeping pedestrians safe on our roadways. Every one of these lives represents a loved one not coming home tonight which is absolutely unacceptable.”

GHSA also asked its state members, which are responsible for addressing behavioral safety, to provide examples of their efforts to reduce pedestrian and motor vehicle collisions.

Promising strategies include high visibility enforcement and public information campaigns aimed at both motorists and pedestrians; identifying high-risk zones and conducting educational outreach in these areas; adoption of Complete Streets policies, which ensure streets are safe for all users regardless of mode, age and ability; and strategic partnerships with local universities and community organizations to advance pedestrian safety.

State Highway Safety Offices also collaborate with state DOTs that are tasked with infrastructure improvements. The report provides specific examples of these efforts in 41 states and the District of Columbia.