Saturday, 18 May 2024

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A fifth-wheel travel trailer caught on fire and burned to the frame, causing a backup on Highway 20 just outside of the Lake County line on Friday, September 9, 2011. Photo by Terre Logsdon.


 




NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – A vehicle fire just outside of the Lake County line on Friday shut down Highway 20 and resulted in a small vegetation fire nearby.


Officer John Waggoner of the California Highway Patrol's Williams office said the fire in the fifth-wheel travel trailer began at 10:20 a.m.


Waggoner said 65-year-old Edward Alexander of Fort Bragg was towing the trailer with his pickup westbound on Highway 20 just east of Highway 16 when he looked in his mirror and saw smoke.


Alexander pulled over to the right as far as he could but was still partially blocking the westbound lane, Waggoner said.


At that point, the fire started spreading in the trailer. Waggoner said Alexander was able to unhook his pickup and get it away from the trailer.


Waggoner said the trailer fire sparked a vegetation fire.


Luckily, with a Cal Fire station located nearby, firefighters were able to quickly respond, Waggoner said. “They were able to get a jump on this fire before it got too far.”


Cal Fire spokesperson Suzie Blankenship said the fire burned up the hill from the trailer. In all, a total of four acres were burned.


Blankenship said there were no structures threatened and no injuries.


Cal Fire sent a helicopter, three engines and 15 firefighters, and a battalion chief, while the Williams Fire Department sent one engine and one water tender, with one water tender coming from Colusa, Blankenship said.


Waggoner said the trailer was a total loss, burning down to its frame.


The highway was completely closed for about an hour in order to let fire equipment access the trailer, Waggoner said.


Once the fire was extinguished, the highway was reopened with traffic control. Waggoner said the highway was completely reopened at 12:45 p.m.


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

 

 

 

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Highway 20 just outside of the Lake County line was closed for about an hour on the morning of Friday, September 9, 2011, following a fifth-wheel travel trailer fire that caught nearby vegetation on fire. Photo by Terre Logsdon.
 

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Celestial Summer Dove Cassman, 35, of Santa Cruz, Calif., was found dead on Thursday, September 1, 2011, in Maui, Hawaii, the victim of an apparent homicide. Photo from the Web site of law firm Atchison, Barisone, Condotti and Kovacevich, where Cassman was employed.

 




LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Charges were filed Wednesday against a Santa Cruz man who is alleged to have killed his female companion – a young attorney raised in Lake County – during a visit to the Hawaiian island of Maui.


Gerald W. Galaway Jr., 38, is facing second-degree murder and kidnapping charges for the murder of 35-year-old Celestial Summer Dove Cassman of Santa Cruz, according to Maui County Prosecuting Attorney John Kim.


Cassman, who was born in Hawaii, was a 1994 graduate of Clear Lake High School in Lakeport, according to friends and a biography of her posted on the Web site of the law firm where she worked, Atchison, Barisone, Condotti and Kovacevich.


Galaway and Cassman were reportedly on a visit to Maui, having checked into the Kaanapali Beach Hotel on Wednesday, Aug. 31, according to the charging documents posted online by Hawaii News Now, www.hawaiinewsnow.com.


A report released to Lake County News by Lt. Wayne Ibarra of the Maui Police Department, police officers responded to a call regarding a domestic dispute involving a male and a female shortly before 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 1.


The court documents said that a female witness saw the couple arguing, with Cassman running up to the woman's vehicle to ask for help. Galaway allegedly came up behind Cassman and grabbed her around the neck.


The witness said Galaway picked Cassman up several times and slammed her body on the asphalt roadway, as Cassman fought and screamed for help. He then drug Cassman by her head into shrubs near the rental vehicle, and kept yelling at the witness to leave, which she finally did, going to borrow a cell phone to call 911.


When officers arrived at the scene, in the area of Nakalele Point along Kahekili Highway, they saw a male, alleged to be Galaway, who was wearing a dark blue t-shirt and was nude from the waist down, according to the charging document. When police attempted to contact him he fled and jumped off a cliff into the ocean, where he swam out to sea and screamed for help.


Kim said Galaway fell about 100 feet before going into the water, and was injured as a result.


The Maui Police Department reported that the Maui Fire Department and United States Coast Guard responded to assist in rescuing Galaway.


Cassman was found about an hour after the initial call, and was unresponsive when officers discovered her, the Maui Police reported.


Kim said Cassman was found near the roadside, not far from where the rental car she and Galaway had shared was abandoned.


Court documents said she was found down a small embankment, under a tree. The way her body was found and her clothes were torn suggested she could have been sexually assaulted.


It wasn't until about 6:45 a.m. the day after the incident that Galaway was rescued, according to the Maui Police report.


On the morning of Friday, Sept. 2, officers were airlifted by helicopter to the rock point at Nakalele, where they found Galaway and took him into custody, police said.


The Maui Police reported that Galaway had sustained non-life threatening injuries. He was transported to the Maui Memorial Medical Center.


A hearing regarding Galaway's medical condition was held in the case on Wednesday morning. Galaway wasn't present, according to Kim.


“He's in the hospital under guard,” said Kim.


Kim added, “He's technically not been arrested and booked because I don't believe they can move him because of his medical condition.”


In the mean time, the complaint against Galaway was filed in district court, and the court must now decide when to schedule a preliminary hearing, Kim said.


Galaway was represented by two attorneys in the Wednesday hearing, Hayden Aluli, who did not respond to a message seeking comment, and William Sloper.


Sloper, when contacted by Lake County News, would not comment on the case or Galaway's condition, only offering that Galaway still was considered innocent under the law.


Officials so far have not stated the exact cause of Cassman's death.


“We had an autopsy done on Monday. The report is forthcoming,” said Kim, adding he was not at liberty to say more.


The Maui Police Department's official confirmation of Cassman's identity is pending a positive identification by her family. Ibarra said Wednesday that family members were in the process of traveling to Maui to make the positive identification and complete the notification of kin.

 

According to her biography, Cassman received a bachelor's degree in political philosophy and art in 1998 from the University of California, Santa Cruz.


From 1998 to 2001 she worked for a nonprofit affordable housing and community building organization in Portland, Ore., and entered UC Davis' King Hall School of Law in 2001. She graduated three years later and was admitted to the State Bar of California in 2004.


After law school, Cassman worked for three years for McDonough Holland & Allen PC in Sacramento. In 2007 she returned to Santa Cruz to join Atchison, Barisone, Condotti and Kovacevich, where she continued working in public and municipal law.


Bay Area media has reported that Cassman served as deputy city attorney for the coastal communities of Half Moon Bay, Capitola and Santa Cruz through her work with Atchison, Barisone, Condotti and Kovacevich.


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




090711 Gerald Galaway Court Filing

My last article discussed the power of attorney for personal care. That article discussed how to authorize an agent to handle financial and property issues largely related to your personal care. This article discusses how to make your health care wishes enforceable.


The Advance Health Care Directive, the Do-Not-Resuscitate Order, and the Physicians Order for Life Sustaining Treatment are the primary documents to be aware of. Let's examine them.


The Advance Health Care Directive ("AHCD") has two primary purposes: first, to express your health care wishes; and second, to authorize a health care agent to make medical decisions on your behalf only when you become incapacitated.


For example, whether or not to receive heroic life-sustaining treatment when in an irreversible vegetative state; whether or not to receive pain killing medicine if terminally ill even if it hastens an inevitable death; and whether or not to donate organs.


But the directive can also say who should be allowed to visit you while you are in hospital; what kind of human contact you want to be allowed; and how your funeral should be conducted. Your AHCD agent will have access to your confidential health care information and be authorized to make decisions on your behalf consistent with the wishes you express in you directive.


Various printed AHCD forms are available. The California Medical Association ("CMA") form is widely used and recognized by California hospitals. It can be ordered by phone at 800-882-1262 or online at http://www.cmanet.org. California also has its own version of the AHCD form.


A health care directive, however, cannot by itself prevent emergency responders from administering life support such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). For persons who do not wish to have CPR and who wish to allow a natural death to occur, it is necessary to have either a "do not resuscitate" (DNR) form or a "physician's order for life sustaining treatment" ("POLST").


The Emergency Medical Services ("EMS") DNR form issued by the CMA is the older approach. A DNR form must be signed by the physician and the patient. A Medic-Alert bracelet should also be obtained and worn at all times so that emergency responders can immediately identify the person's DNR status. DNR forms require consultation with a physician and a physician's signature.


The more recent two page POLST form is much broader than the DNR form. Like the DNR form it requires a consultation with a physician. Unlike the DNR form, which serves only to say, "no CPR", the POLST form requires a broad discussion with the physician regarding the degree to which medical

treatment should be given on a wide range of issues: resuscitation, medical conditions, use of antibiotics, artificial nutrition, and other life sustaining treatments.


For example, the POLST form can be used to authorize that CPR be performed to restore one to a worthwhile condition of health, but otherwise to forego CPR.


POLST forms are signed by the physician and the patient, and are a doctor's order. The POLST form is

intended for a person who has a serious illness. It should accompany you wherever you go at all times. California's POLST is printed on bright pink stationary, but it can be printed on white paper too.


For more information regarding the POLST visit, www.capolst.org.


The POLST form, however, does not replace the AHCD. Only the AHCD allows you to authorize an agent to make health care decisions for you and to express your wishes regarding organ donation, funeral arrangements, and other concerns. Everyone should have an AHCD.


Dennis A. Fordham, attorney (LL.M. tax studies), is a State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law. His office is at 55 First St., Lakeport, California. Dennis can be reached by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone at 707-263-3235. Visit his Web site at www.dennisfordhamlaw.com.


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

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A property owner and firefighters were able to protect a historic barn near Upper Lake, Calif., that was threatened by a small vegetation fire on Thursday, September 8, 2011. Photo by Gary McAuley.





UPPER LAKE, Calif. – A small wildland fire threatened an 1800s barn in Upper Lake on Thursday.


The fire, reported at 3:41 p.m., occurred at 10940 Elk Mountain Road, according to reports from the scene.


The vegetation fire, which radio reports indicated burned about a quarter acre, was in heavy brush and heavy grass.


It was heading toward a barn reportedly built in 1888 that the current property owner is attempting to restore. The barn suffered some minor damage.


The property owners were using a bulldozer and farm tractor to put a line around the fire when firefighters arrived, radio traffic indicated.


Three Northshore Fire engines, a battalion chief and the district chief responded, with Cal Fire arriving with a battalion chief and engine crew, according to reports from the scene.


The fire was reported to be contained at around 4 p.m., with fire units staying on scene another hour for mop up.


Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

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David Mills of Kelseyville, Calif., was arrested by narcotics detectives on Friday, September 2, 2011. Lake County Jail photo.

 

 



KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – A Kelseyville man has been arrested after narcotics detectives found him with what is believed to be methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.


Lake County Narcotic Task Force detectives arrested David Bradley Mills, 50, of Kelseyville for possession of a controlled substance and possession of controlled substance paraphernalia, according to Michelle Gonzalez of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.


Gonzalez reported that on Friday, Sept. 2, at approximately 5:15 p.m. Lake County Sheriff’s detectives attached to the Narcotics Task Force pulled over a GMC SUV for traffic violations.


Mills, the driver of the vehicle, acknowledged that he was on searchable probation, Gonzalez said.


A search produced a glass pipe, commonly used for smoking methamphetamines, and a silver container in which there was a plastic bag containing a white, crystalline substance, according to Gonzalez.


Mills was arrested and transported to the Hill Road Correctional Facility. On testing the substance it flashed blue, a presumptive positive for methamphetamine.


On Thursday Mills remained in the Lake County Jail on a no-bail hold for the alleged probation violation.


The Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force can be contacted through its anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.


Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A man who has previously done prison time for his part in a 1980s savings and loan fraud case in Sonoma County has been indicted for felony tax evasion.


Jay Scott Soderling, formerly of Healdsburg and now reported to be living in Hidden Valley Lake, was arrested on Wednesday on one count of tax evasion, according to a report from United States Attorney Melinda Haag and Scott O’Briant, special agent in charge of the Internal Revenue Service's Criminal Investigation division.


Soderling, 54, made his initial appearance in federal court in San Francisco on Thursday before federal Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley, the US Attorney's Office reported.


During the brief arraignment, Soderling entered a not guilty plea and was assigned Geoffrey Hansen as his defense attorney, according to case documents. Assistant US Attorney Tom Moore is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Kathy Tat.


Following the hearing, Judge Corley signed an order directing the US Marshal to release Soderling on his own recognizance.


An investigation by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation division led to the prosecution, the IRS and US Attorney's Office said Thursday.


A federal grand jury indicted Soderling on the tax evasion charge on Aug. 9. An arrest warrant was issued the same day, and the US Attorney's Office succeeded in having the court seal the indictment in order not to tip off Soderling to his pending arrest.


The indictment stated that Soderling, the owner of Ripp It Earth Movers, willfully attempted to evade paying $161,155.44 in federal income and employment taxes due for tax years 1995 through 2004.


He allegedly placed assets in the names of nominees, dealt in currency, caused debts to be paid through and in the name of nominees, submitted a false financial statement to the IRS and made false statements to an IRS revenue officer, according to court documents.


The case against Soderling also alleges that he used funds from a nominee bank account to pay creditors, spend for a Hawaiian vacation, a Mastercraft boat and trailer, and a Dodge Viper.


He faces a maximum of five years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000, the US Attorney's Office said.


This isn't Soderling's first brush with federal prosecution.


Soderling and his brother, Leif, pleaded guilty in 1987 to bank fraud for stealing millions of dollars from depositors in their roles as directors and officers at the Golden Pacific Savings & Loan in Santa Rosa, based on case documents.


Court documents stated that the Soderlings did eight months in prison and were ordered to pay $6 million in restitution to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.


Rather than making payments on the restitution, however, a 1990 Fortune Magazine report said the Soderlings went on a $500,000 spending spree while on probation. A judge sent them back to prison for six years each.


After the Soderlings were released, Jay Soderling found himself back in federal court once again for violating his probation. In December 1997 Magistrate Judge Bernard Zimmerman sentenced Soderling to six more months in prison, according to the case history.


Over the last several years the brothers had been involved in unlicensed construction activities in Lake County and racked up large bills with local vendors. Ripp It Earth Movers is not licensed by the California Contractors State License Board, and neither of the Soderlings currently has an active contractor license, according to the board's online license database.


Neighbors of some of Jay Soderling's building projects in the Clearlake Park area told Lake County News that he attempted to harass and intimidate them. Soderling also clearcut oak woodlands on property he owned surrounding Borax Lake.


At one point in 2008 Jay Soderling had set up a pump to try to empty out Borax Lake. This reporter witnessed the setup, which neighbors later brought to the attention of state officials.


Neighbors told Lake County News that Soderling was trying to empty the lake to develop the land as part of a large subdivision.


According to a Santa Rosa Press Democrat article, Soderling had borrowed money from Sonoma County developer Clem Carinalli and backed up the loans with the 850-acre Borax Lake property. Carinalli foreclosed on the Borax Lake land in 2009.


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




080911 Jay Soderling Indictment

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The county's first detection of West Nile Virus has been confirmed in a mosquito sample, according to the Lake County Vector Control District.


Vector Control District Manager and Research Director Dr. Jamie Scott reported Thursday that routine surveillance detected the virus in a sample of 31 Culex stigmatosoma – the banded foul water mosquito – collected near Kelseyville on Friday, Sept.


Scott reminded county residents that any source of standing water can produce mosquitoes, and that residents can help protect their community by maintaining their pools to prevent mosquitoes, and to letting the district know of unmaintained swimming pools and spas.


“Our employees have been working hard to make sure that neglected swimming pools are not producing mosquitoes,” said Scott. “A single unmaintained pool can produce hundreds of thousands mosquitoes per week, and those mosquitoes can fly up to five miles away.”


She said that one neglected swimming pool increase an entire community’s risk of mosquito bites and mosquito-borne illness.


West Nile Virus has been detected in Lake County every year since its arrival in 2004, but only three residents have become ill from WNV infection in that time. Scott attributes the low incidence of West Nile virus disease in Lake County residents to the district’s vigorous efforts to control mosquitoes.


The Vector Control District regularly traps and tests mosquitoes throughout the county to identify the areas that are at highest risk, and target those areas for source reduction and treatment.


The district reports that mosquito activity – particularly for the Culex mosquitoes that transmit WNV – has been very high in some localized areas of the county.


While mosquitoes are an important part of the environment and cannot be eliminated completely, the district works to reduce mosquito populations near places where people live and recreate to prevent disease.


The district recommends that residents dump out buckets, wading pools and other sources of water where mosquitoes develop; avoid being outside when mosquitoes are active, especially near dusk and dawn; wear long sleeves and pants and use a mosquito repellent – always read and follow label directions – if they are outside when mosquitoes are active.


The Lake County Vector Control provides free mosquito-eating fish to Lake County residents for use in animal water troughs, ornamental ponds and out-of-service (“green”) swimming pools.


Residents are urged to call the district at 707-263-4770 or visit the district's Web site at www.lcvcd.org to request service if they are having problems with mosquitoes or if they want to request mosquitofish.


Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Cal Fire said Wednesday that it's increasing staffing due to predicted dry lightning and strong winds throughout Northeastern California this week.


An upper level low will approach the California coast drawing in monsoonal moisture, which is predicted to trigger dry lightning across the northeastern section of California including Lassen, Modoc, Siskiyou and Shasta counties, Cal Fire said.


“The forecasts indicate weather conditions could be similar to the lightning siege we experienced in 2008 when the state saw nearly 2,000 lightning sparked fires,” said Chief Ken Pimlott, director of Cal Fire. “Cal Fire's firefighters are ready to respond if more fires do break out, but we especially need the public to be extremely cautious, because we don't need any additional fires.”


In response to the predicted dry lightning, Cal Fire is moving fire engines and resources into the areas expected to see an increased fire danger.

 

As this low moves into Nevada on Thursday, it will shift winds to the northeast creating breezy and dry conditions Thursday night into Friday across most parts of Northern California, including the areas where the dry lightning is predicted to hit, Cal Fire said.


In addition to the prepositioning of fire engines, Cal Fire also is staffing all reserve fire engines, staffing additional inmate fire crews 24 hours a day and plans to hold all personnel on duty.


Cal Fire reported that it is in close communication with local, state and federal partners including the U.S. Forest Service, the California National Guard and the California Emergency Management Agency.

 

Cal Fire is urging Californians to remain extra fire safe and help prevent new fires.


A few helpful reminders and safety tips include:

 

  • Any mowing or weed eating should be done before 10 a.m. (and NEVER during extremely dry conditions).

  • Never use lawn mowers in dry vegetation.

  • Ensure campfires are permitted and, if so, be sure to extinguish them completely when done.

  • Never pull your vehicle over in tall dry grass.

 

For more ways to help prevent wildfires visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org or www.fire.ca.gov.


Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Lake County Family Resource Center’s recent decision to vacate its facility in Clearlake in response to indoor air quality health concerns raised by health officials has prompted questions from the public about possible health impacts of geothermal gas releases on the surrounding neighborhood.


Lake Family Resource Center, on the advice of county health officials, moved out of their Clearlake building last month, as Lake County News has reported.


Natural geothermal activity is not uncommon in Lake County and residents of the Burns Valley neighborhood in the city of Clearlake have seen the signs of bubbling gas releases in puddles and smelled the rotten egg odor associated with sulfur gases for years, according to a Thursday report from Lake County Public Health.


Occasionally, those gases accumulate in enclosed spaces, causing health and safety concerns. However, Public Health reported that while the smell of sulfur can be a tip-off that geothermal gas vents are in the area, the odor does not correlate with the level of danger.


In fact, the human nose can detect hydrogen sulfide gas at levels even lower than what is measurable with detection equipment. Other geothermal gases may not produce any odor, according to the report.


While local agencies have responded to occasional geothermal gas concerns in Lake County for decades, they stepped up the frequency of air quality testing in the Burns Valley neighborhood starting two years ago in order to better understand the patterns and significance of the geothermal gas releases.


Over the years, Konocti Unified School District also monitored the air quality at Burns Valley Elementary School and twice arranged for indoor air quality studies by an outside party. Health officials said neither study detected measurable levels of concern in classrooms.


A continuous outdoor air monitoring device is operating at Burns Valley Elementary school under the supervision of the Lake County Air Quality Management District. The Konocti Unified School District plans to do further indoor monitoring.


The report said that ongoing evaluation of the geothermal gas releases in the neighborhood continues to be a subject of interest to numerous agencies, including Lake County Environmental Health and Public Health, Lake County Air Quality Management District, Konocti Unified School District, Lake County Fire Protection District and the city of Clearlake.


Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

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Jesse Chavez of Lakeport, Calif., was arrested by detectives for drug use at the Lake County Fair on Friday, September 2, 2011. Lake County Jail photo.

 



LAKEPORT, Calif. – A Lakeport man was arrested last week for smoking marijuana at the Lake County Fair with a minor.


Jesse Matthew Chavez, 24, was arrested for felony selling/furnishing marijuana, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and felony parole violation on the night of Friday, Sept. 2, according to Michelle Gonzalez of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.


Matthews, who is on parole, was sharing a marijuana joint with a minor when apprehended by Lake County Sheriff’s Narcotic Task Force detectives, Gonzalez said.


A subsequent search of Chavez turned up a green glass smoking pipe, with burnt marijuana residue inside, two lighters, and a plastic bag with a green leafy substance identified as marijuana, in his pockets. Gonzalez said Chavez did not have a medical marijuana recommendation.


He was arrested and transported to the Hill Road Correctional Facility. He remained in custody on Thursday due to a no-bail hold on the parole violation, according to jail records.


Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

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From left, Joshua Leo Johnson, 35, of Santa Rosa, Calif., surrendered himself at the Lake County Jail in Lakeport, Calif., on Sunday, September 4, 2011. He was being sought in connection with an assault on rival motorcycle gang members on June 4, 2011, in Lakeport. Still at large (right) is 41-year-old David Daniel Dabbs of Santa Rosa, Calif. Photos courtesy of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

 



LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A Sonoma County man being sought in connection with an alleged June 4 assault on two rival motorcycle gang members has turned himself in to authorities, but another man who allegedly was involved is still being sought.


Joshua Leo Johnson, 35, of Santa Rosa surrendered at the Lake County Jail at 7 p.m. Sunday, according to a report from Michelle Gonzalez of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.


Johnson, who the sheriff's office said is the vice president of the Sonoma County chapter of the Hells Angels, is being held on $500,000 bail for participating in a criminal street gang, and remains in custody pending a bail hearing.


Gonzalez said sheriff's detectives placed a “1275” hold on Johnson, which requires him to account for the origin of his bail.


Johnson is the third person to be arrested in the case. Nicolas Felipe Carrillo, 32, of Geyserville and 33-year-old Timothy Robert Bianchi of Petaluma, also alleged to be Hells Angels members, were arrested last month in Sonoma County following the service of search warrants, as Lake County News has reported.


Carrillo and Bianchi also are being held in the Lake County Jail with bail set at $500,000 each, with similar 1275 holds, according to jail records.


Still at large in the case is another alleged Hells Angels member, 41-year-old David Daniel Dabbs of Santa Rosa, who also is being sought on a no-bail warrant out of San Diego for alleged kidnapping and torture, Gonzalez said.


Dabbs should be considered armed and extremely dangerous, and officials have warned that members of the public should not attempt to approach or apprehend him.


The felony arrest warrants for the men were secured after a two-month investigation following a June 4 incident at Konocti Vista Casino in which the four allegedly beat 39-year-old Michael Burns – a validated Vagos motorcycle gang member – and 48-year-old Kristopher Perkin, Gonzalez said.


The entire incident was recorded on the casino’s video surveillance system, and the suspects were identified through the assistance of the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, Santa Rosa Police Department Gang Task Force and the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department Gang Task Force, according to Gonzalez.


On Aug. 25 SWAT teams from the FBI, Santa Rosa Police Department and the Petaluma Police Department assisted Lake County Sheriff’s Office detectives in serving four arrest warrants and search warrants on members of the Sonoma County Hells Angels in Santa Rosa and Petaluma, which led to the arrests of Carrillo and Bianchi, Gonzalez said.


Bianchi was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, battery, fighting in a public place and a gang enhancement, while Gonzalez said Carrillo was charged with battery, fighting in a public place and a gang enhancement.


Anyone with information on the whereabouts of David Dabbs is encouraged to call local law enforcement or the Lake County Sheriff’s Office's Investigations Division at 707-262-4200.


Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

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