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Deputies arrest juveniles, adult for Halloween night fight
Three juveniles were arrested along with 18-year-old Patrick Jerel Johnson of Kelseyville, according to a Wednesdsay report from Capt. James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
On Monday, Oct. 31, at approximately 11 p.m., sheriff’s deputies and officers from the California Highway Patrol responded to a report of more than five male subjects assaulting a man in front of a home on Konocti Road in Kelseyville, Bauman said.
He said that as law enforcement started to reach the scene, a large group of juveniles reportedly ran in all directions through neighboring yards and over fences in an attempt to flee.
When the responding units arrived in the area, two male teenagers immediately were detained after being caught running through a yard on Konocti Road, Bauman said. As deputies continued to search the area, another teenaged male was detained in front of a home on Oak Ridge Drive and another two were found hiding beneath a parked car on the same street.
Deputies identified one of two apparent assault victims as 30-year-old Thomas Randall Thornburgh. Bauman said Thornburgh had sustained several facial injuries and had obviously been in an altercation.
Thornbaugh told deputies he had been visiting at a friend’s home on Konocti Road when he heard several people outside of the home shouting obscenities and fighting. When he went outside and told a group of teenagers to get off of his friend’s property, they threatened to assault Thornbaugh, according to Bauman.
The teens reportedly then started fighting amongst themselves and when Thornburgh tried to break up the fight, he was knocked to the ground from behind, Bauman said.
Thornburgh got up, but was then tackled to the ground again where he was kicked and punched by as many as five people at one time. Bauman said Thornburgh struggled with several subjects on the ground until they started hearing sirens approaching, which caused his assailants to disperse and flee into the neighborhood.
A second victim, later identified as 21-year-old Samantha Pfannmuller, reportedly also was struck by one of the teenagers as she too tried to break up the fight, Bauman said.
For several hours, deputies canvassed the neighborhood for additional witnesses and conducted further investigation to determine a motive for the apparently random altercation, Bauman reported.
Bauman said preliminary information only revealed that the group of teenagers deputies had detained, who were all primarily from Kelseyville, had allegedly encountered and were being verbally challenged by a group of teens from Lower Lake on Konocti Road.
When Thornburgh heard the commotion outside, he went out to tell them to leave and the group turned on him, Bauman said.
Three of the four juveniles initially detained by deputies were transported to the Lake County Juvenile Hall. Bauman said one was booked for misdemeanor battery. One was booked for misdemeanor battery and making criminal threats. The third was booked for battery with great bodily injury and making criminal threats. The fourth juvenile was cleared of any criminal allegations and released.
The fifth man, Johnson, was transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked for misdemeanor battery and making criminal threats, Bauman said.
Bauman said Thornburgh declined any medical treatment for his injuries. Pfannmuller was transported to Sutter Lakeside Hospital where she was treated and released.
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