LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lakeport Police have taken into custody two female suspects – one of them a juvenile – for a Monday night stabbing in the city's downtown.

Police Chief Brad Rasmussen said a detailed and ongoing investigation by numerous Lakeport Police officers led to the arrest of the two female suspects, both residents of Upper Lake.

At 7:20 p.m. Tuesday Elysia Raylene Sandoval, 20, was located at her residence and arrested, Rasmussen said.

Rasmussen said Sandoval was booked at the Lake County Correctional Facility Wednesday morning on felony charges of assault with a deadly weapon, battery with serious bodily injury and attempted murder.

Jail records show that her bail has been set at $200,000, with her arraignment tentatively set for Friday.

Then, at approximately 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, the second female suspect, a 14-year-old juvenile, was located at her residence and arrested, Rasmussen said.

The juvenile was transported to the Lake County Probation Department and turned over to them
for juvenile booking procedures, according to Rasmussen.

Rasmussen said the investigation revealed that on Monday night the two female subjects were at Library Park, along with a third female identified as a 22-year-old Lakeport resident, consuming
alcoholic beverages.

Shortly after 9 p.m., the 52-year-old male victim walked past the location of the suspects and looked at them, Rasmussen said.

Sandoval took offense and engaged in a verbal exchange with the male, who after a short time continued on his way towards Main Street, according to Rasmussen.

Rasmussen said Sandoval made statements about assaulting the male with a knife and asked the 14-year-old to assist her by retrieving a knife, which the 14-year-old did.

Sandoval then ran after the victim and proceeded to stab him. All three females then left the area on foot, Rasmussen said.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Rasmussen said no further arrests are expected but the investigation remains active and ongoing. He added that additional information on the case won't be released until the investigation is final.

Anyone who may have information on this incident or the activities of these female suspects in Lakeport on Monday evening is asked to contact officers by sending a private message on the department's Facebook page @LakeportPolice, emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , calling 707-263-5491 and asking to talk with an officer or sending an anonymous message from a cellular phone by texting the words TIP LAKEPORT followed by your message to 888777. 

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake Police Department is working to identify the person who shot a teenager in the leg during a Sunday night drive-by shooting.

Sgt. Travis Lenz said that just before 6:45 p.m. Sunday Officer Chris Kelleher was dispatched to St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake for a report of a gunshot wound victim.

On his arrival, Kelleher located a 17-year-old male who had sustained three apparent bullet wounds to his legs from an unknown caliber firearm, Lenz said.

Lenz said the victim told Kelleher that shots were fired at him from a passing vehicle while he and his friends were walking on Dam Road, near Lake Street.

The victim was unable to provide any other information, yet stated his two friends that were with him during the incident were located outside of the hospital, Lenz said.

Lenz said one of the victim's friends was contacted at the hospital and he added that the suspect vehicle was possibly an older black Jeep.

He was evasive in his responses to the officer’s questions, and seemed unwilling to provide a statement in detail about the incident, Lenz said.

When Officer Kelleher went to recontact him a few minutes later, it was discovered that he and the other friend on scene at the time of the shooting had left the hospital to avoid providing a statement to assist in the investigation, according to Lenz.

Officers responded to Dam Road near Lake Street, where the shooting was reported to have taken place, Lenz said. After an extensive search of the roadway, Officer Kelleher located one 9 millimeter spent shell casing in the roadway.

Lenz said the investigation is ongoing and more information will be released as it becomes available.

Anyone with information about this shooting is urged to contact Officer Chris Kelleher at 707-994-8251, Extension 516. Though it is encouraged that witnesses provide their name and contact information, they also may remain anonymous.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The man who authorities say shot four people and killed one of them last week at a Clearlake Oaks home made his first court appearance this week.

Ezequiel Bravo Jr., 24, of Clearlake was arraigned on Monday afternoon, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff.

Investigators said Bravo forced his way into the home of his in-laws, Robert and Stephanie Brown, at the Elem Indian Colony at around 2 a.m. on Dec. 1.

Bravo, who is reported to be estranged from his wife, shot his wife's parents, her aunt Theresa Brown and Theresa Brown's 6-year-old daughter, as Lake County News has reported.

Theresa Brown, 45, died of her injuries. Her family members were hospitalized and are reported to be recovering.

Bravo fled the scene and was arrested several hours later in Clearlake at Pomo Elementary School, authorities said.

Hinchcliff said he charged Bravo with one count of murder, four counts of attempted murder, assault with a firearm and various other charges that include gun use allegations.

If convicted, Bravo is facing life in prison, Hinchcliff said.

Also at Monday's arraignment, Bravo's bail was raised from the initial $1 million at the time of his arrest to $7 million, Hinchcliff said.

Hinchcliff said the District Attorney's Office so far only has bare bones investigative reports from the sheriff's office, as the investigation is still ongoing.

However, based on what the investigation has uncovered so far, Hinchcliff said there are indications that Bravo had previously threatened to harm one of the family members who he ended up shooting at the Brown home early Dec. 1.

While Hinchcliff charged the case, he said District Attorney Don Anderson will personally handle Bravo's prosecution.

Representing Bravo will be Angela Carter, who heads up the county's indigent defense contractor, Hinchcliff said.

Hinchcliff said Bravo is scheduled to return to court for further proceedings on Dec. 13.

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.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The National Weather Service in Sacramento has issued an urgent weather and a freeze watch for parts of Northern California, including Lake County, warning of subfreezing temperatures early Wednesday morning.

The agency said a Canadian airmass is moving into the Northern California region and will bring cold overnight temperatures for the next few nights.

Forecasters expect late Tuesday night through about 7 a.m. Wednesday will likely be the coldest time, with temperatures expected to range from 28 to 32 degrees.

The specific Lake County forecast anticipates patchy frost beginning after 10 p.m. Tuesday.

The freeze watch is in effect from 12 a.m. to 7 a.m. Wednesday for areas below the 2,000 foot elevation mark.

Along with the freeze watch comes a reminder to take precautions to protect pets and livestock, plants and crops, and exposed pipes.

After 10 a.m. Wednesday, chances of rain are forecast in Lake County, with rain expected on Wednesday night and Thursday, with chances of rain also forecast on Friday and Saturday, the National Weather Service reported.

Temperatures from Wednesday through Saturday are forecast to range from nighttime lows in the low 40s to daytime highs in the mid 50s.

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.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Just as people plan for retirement, the California Highway Patrol urges them to plan for changing needs and abilities in their driving as they age.

The CHP joins the American Occupational Therapy Association to recognize Dec. 5 to 9 as Older Driver Safety Awareness Week.
 
The ability to drive safely can be affected by physical, emotional, and mental conditions. If family and friends discuss potential changes before they become an issue, older drivers can be involved in the planning. Proactive, early planning is essential for continued independence and safety on the road.
 
“As we age, most people want to maintain their independence, and that usually means driving,” CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow said. “Discussing how long it is safe to continue driving may be difficult for family and friends, but it is important.”
 
Drivers aged 65 and older made up about 15 percent of the licensed drivers in California in 2014.

Data from the CHP’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System show seniors were involved in 10 percent of the fatal collisions and 8.5 percent of the injury collisions in the state.

Of the 4,299 fatal collisions recorded in California in 2014, slightly more than 10 percent, or 444, involved drivers age 65 and older.
 
The CHP encourages drivers to consider their transportation options as they age. Ride-sharing and ride-hailing services present more alternatives than ever before for people who no longer drive.
 
As part of the CHP’s efforts to help California’s seniors drive safely for as long as they can, the CHP offers a two-hour Age Well, Drive Smart course.

Through this program, seniors can tune up their driving skills, refresh their knowledge of the rules of the road, and learn how to adjust to normal age-related physical and mental changes.

Information about the free classes is available from Area CHP offices or at www.chp.ca.gov .

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake Planning Commission, meeting jointly as the Parks and Recreation Committee, is meeting to discuss the master plan for Austin Park.

The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.

The main agenda item is the review of the master plan for the park.

The draft plan, which can be seen below, was completed by Melton Design Group.

It offers a site analysis, includes design options and a preliminary site plan, sums up three public workshops held on the park and gives an outline of the plan's implementation.

Also included is a draft estimated cost of construction, which puts all phases at around $4.2 million.

Commissioners are expected to offer comments and a possible recommendation, but no formal action is being requested by city staff on Tuesday.

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.

120616 Clearlake Planning Commission - Austin Park Master Plan by LakeCoNews on Scribd

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – A 3.1-magnitude earthquake was reported in the Upper Lake area early Monday morning.

The quake was reported at 12:59 a.m., according to the US Geological Survey.

It was centered 13 miles north northeast of Upper Lake and 24 miles east northeast of Ukiah, at a depth of about 8 miles, the agency reported.

The coordinates given for the quake place it within the boundaries of the Mendocino National Forest.

The epicenter also appears to be only a few miles from the epicenter of a 5.1-magnitude quake that occurred on Aug. 9, as Lake County News has reported.

For the Monday quake, the US Geological Survey received seven shake reports from four zip codes: Upper Lake, Kelseyville, San Francisco and Berkeley.

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.