LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Three months after he disappeared without a trace, a Rohnert Park man last seen in Clearlake remains the focus of efforts by law enforcement and his family to find him.

Tuesday marked three months since 34-year-old Fernando Ruben-Miñón was last seen in Rohnert Park by his mother, Diane Gamber-Miñón.

In the time since then, there has been no activity on his credit cards or cell phone, and no solid leads as to his whereabouts, according to his mother and law enforcement officials in Lake and Sonoma counties.

“We still have an active missing persons investigation,” said Sgt. Jeff Justice of the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety Investigations Unit.

Gamber-Miñón said her son is diabetic and has Asperger’s, a syndrome which is considered to be on the higher-functioning end of the autism spectrum.

On Feb. 9, Ruben-Miñón said he was going to a friend’s house in Santa Rosa to watch a movie, and borrowed his mother’s silver 2016 Kia Soul to go, authorities said.

Gamber-Miñón said her son hadn’t seemed depressed when he left. When he didn’t come home, she said she texted him the following day.

The original report from law enforcement said Ruben-Miñón sent his mother a text saying he would be home on Feb. 14. She would not hear from him again.

Justice said Ruben-Miñón was last seen on Feb. 12 in Clearlake, where he stayed with acquaintances.

Those individuals told investigators that they last saw Ruben-Miñón driving away from their home, and Ruben-Miñón hadn’t indicated where he was going, Justice said.

So far, there have been no other sightings of Ruben-Miñón. “From everything that we’ve found to this point, the last place that he was seen was in Clearlake,” Justice said.

Justice said Ruben-Miñón’s mother reported him missing on Feb. 16 when he failed to return home as he had said he would.

In the months since, the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety has been working with the Clearlake Police Department and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office on leads, Justice said.

Justice said the agencies have received reports from people who thought they saw Ruben-Miñón in local businesses. However, when following up with surveillance video, investigators concluded it wasn’t him.

Besides there being no verified sightings of Ruben-Miñón, Justice said there hasn’t been any electronic trail, as Ruben-Miñón’s cell phone appears to have been shut off since Feb. 12. The last call from the phone was made to a Clearlake pizza restaurant on that day.

Gamber-Miñón also said there has been no activity on his bank account or credit cards since he was last seen.

The most significant finding in the case came on April 1, when the Kia Rio Ruben-Miñón had been driving was found near Highway 53 and Ogulin Canyon in Clearlake. Justice said the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the Clearlake Police Department were requested to assist on the case.

Found in the unlocked car were Ruben-Miñón’s wallet, which still had $23 in it, plus another $20 under the seat, his house key, diabetes kit, pants and shoes, Gamber-Miñón said. She added that he usually kept another pair of shoes and pants in the car in case he went hiking.

Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said the vehicle’s brake pads were rusted, leading investigators to believe that the vehicle had been there for longer than just a few days.

The same day as the car was found, a search of the surrounding area was launched by the Lake County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue team, as Lake County News has reported.

Brooks said cadaver dogs were brought in to help in the search, and the dogs got a scent hit near a pond.

The pond subsequently was completed drained, but nothing was found, Brooks said.

Brooks said the sheriff’s office is acting in an assisting role to Rohnert Park officials in the Ruben-Miñón disappearance.

While they continue to work the case, the sheriff’s office also has had no new leads or information as to what happened to Ruben-Miñón, Brooks said.

Gamber-Miñón said the family has bombarded the area with fliers seeking information.

Likewise, Justice said his agency has sent out press releases and numerous fliers around Lake, Sonoma and Mendocino counties and other parts of the region in hopes of getting leads, but nothing solid has been reported.

“We don’t have any further information at this point as to where he currently is,” said Justice.

Justice said Ruben-Miñón is in the missing person’s system and his department also is working with the California Department of Justice’s Missing and Unidentified Persons Unit, which notifies agencies of any possible matches with unknown live and deceased individuals. There have been no matches, Justice said.

Authorities and Ruben-Miñón’s family are making a renewed appeal to the public in an effort to locate him.

Ruben-Miñón is described as being 5 feet 10 inches tall and 170 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair.

He’s known to frequent coffee shops and is very social.

If you have seen Fernando Ruben-Miñón or have information as to his location, please contact the Lake County Sheriff's Office Dispatch at 707-263-2690 or the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety at 707-584-2630 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

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.

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KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The California Highway Patrol will offer a free “Start Smart” traffic safety class for soon to-be-licensed, newly licensed, and teenage drivers and their parents or guardians on Wednesday, May 17.

The class will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Clear Lake Area CHP office, located at 5700 Live Oak Drive in Kelseyville.

The CHP said a teenager is killed in a traffic collision every four hours nationwide. That equates to more than 1,870 teenagers killed each year. Another 184,000 teenagers are injured in traffic collisions.

These deaths and injuries can be substantially reduced or prevented by eliminating high-risk driving behaviors through education, and the CHP said its “Start Smart” program can help prevent these tragedies.

The Start Smart program focuses on providing comprehensive traffic safety education classes for teenagers and their parents.

Start Smart employs innovative techniques to capture the attention of teenagers and parents, providing a lasting experience.

The curriculum includes information on collision statistics, teen driver and passenger behaviors, graduated driver’s license laws, cultural changes in today’s society and the need for stronger parental involvement in a teenager’s driving experience.

Space is limited for this class. For more information or reservations, call Officer Kory Reynolds at the CHP office, 707-279-0103.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A Clearlake man who led law enforcement on a lengthy high-speed vehicle chase from Calistoga to Clearlake late Sunday night was apprehended by a police K9 after the man abandoned his vehicle and was found hiding in a trailer.

Mario Tito Mirabella, 26, was taken into custody by “Bear,” a Clearlake Police K9, according to Clearlake Police Sgt. Tim Hobbs.

Hobbs said that Sunday night just before 10:30 p.m. a Calistoga Police officer attempted to pull a Chevy Malibu over in the city of Calistoga.

The driver, identified as Mirabella, failed to yield to the officer and fled in the vehicle northbound on Highway 29, Hobb said.

Once the pursuit moved into Lake County, officers with the California Highway Patrol and a deputy with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office joined the vehicle pursuit to assist, according to Hobbs.

Hobbs said the vehicle pursuit continued northbound on Highway 29, reaching speeds in excess of 110 miles per hour.

The pursuit continued into the city of Clearlake, traveling on numerous city streets in the area of the commonly referred to as the Village, Hobbs said.

Clearlake Police Sgt. Travis Lenz, who Hobbs said had responded to the area to assist, had parked his patrol vehicle off the north roadway edge of Lakeview Way.

As Mirabella turned onto Lakeview Way, he drove eastbound in the direction of Sgt. Lenz, Hobbs said. As Mirabella came closer, Hobbs said he intentionally swerved his vehicle at Lenz, nearly hitting him head-on.

Just before he hit Lenz, Mirabella swerved back into his lane of traffic and continued eastbound, Hobbs said.

Hobbs said that, a short time later, the pursuing officers from the outside agencies lost sight of Mirabella on Golf Avenue where it intersects with Palmer Avenue.

The Clearlake Police Department began checking the area where the vehicle was headed, Hobbs said.

Hobbs said Officer Jared Nixon located the vehicle near the 3400 block Peony Street, unoccupied and blocking the roadway.

Clearlake Police K9 Officer Travis Parson arrived at the vehicle and conducted a scent track of Mirabella using his canine partner, Bear. Hobbs said Bear led officers from Peony Street to Oregon Street and finally onto Toyon Street, at times going through vacant residential lots that had thick brush and trees.

After an approximately 1,100-foot canine track, officers reached three travel trailers which were concealed in the brush, Hobbs said. Officers made contact with one of the trailer owners, who said a subject who he did not know had run into his trailer five minutes prior to officers’ arrival.

After obtaining consent from the owner to enter the trailer, Officer Parson gave two separate canine announcements at the door of the trailer, telling Mirabella to exit the trailer or the police canine would be sent in and he would be bitten, Hobbs said.

Hobbs said Mirabella did not exit the trailer as he was told to do by Officer Parson, so Bear was deployed. The dog located Mirabella partially concealed under a blanket in the corner of the trailer.

After Bear apprehended Mirabella by his arm, Clearlake Police officers made entry and placed Mirabella into handcuffs after a brief struggle, according to Hobbs.

Mirabella was transported to Adventist Health Hospital Clear Lake to be treated for injuries he sustained as a result of the canine bite, Hobbs said.

After being medically cleared, Mirabella was transported to the Lake County Jail and booked on charges of assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer and resisting arrest. Hobbs said charges related to the vehicle pursuit will be filed by Calistoga Police Department through the Napa County District Attorney’s Office.

Hobbs said this was not Mirabella’s first vehicle pursuit in the city of Clearlake.

In July of 2015, Mirabella fled from Clearlake Police officers in a reported stolen vehicle for 27 miles prior to crashing into a tree and being arrested, Hobbs said.

This week in history celebrates mothers the world over and takes a quick look into the unique history of Mother’s Day.

May 9, 1914

Sometimes it goes without saying too often, so let me be clear: Mothers are amazing. More than that, they have long been recognized as an integral – perhaps even the most integral – part of a healthy society.

So fundamental are mothers to our species that some of the earliest civilizations around the globe worshiped them as goddesses. Or, rather, they worshiped an idealized image of a mother.

Characteristics of fertility, protection, love and care were embodied in these early deities. Small figurines made of clay, stone and metal found throughout the world show different cultures’ surprisingly similar idea of a mother goddess. Invariably these early idols show a figure of wide hips and large breasts, an exaggerated representation of fertility.

Once we developed writing systems, we gave names to these goddesses. Ancient Mesopotamia, the very cradle of Western Civilization, had no fewer than three different motherly goddesses: Nintur, Ninmah and Belet-ili.

The ancient Egyptians had Mut and Isis, both goddesses playing the part of “divine mother” in different periods.

The ancient Greeks had Rhea in their pantheon and the Romans had Rhea too, as well as Cybele.

In Hinduism the figure of Durga, from whose forehead the goddess Kali sprang, serves this role of fertility and motherly care.

Before you scoff and think mother goddesses only existed in ancient (or “exotic”) religions, remember that even Christianity has a mother figure in its belief system: the Virgin Mary.

Each of these societies celebrated their goddesses during festivals and other designated days of worship.

The Roman festival celebrating the goddess Cybele started on the ides of March (March 15), and included masquerades, picnics, copious drinking and countless other frivolities. Celebrants of this goddess were quite rowdy and the festival lasted until the end of the month. Talk about a crazy Mother’s Day!

Although it might be said that the deep roots of mother goddess devotion paved the way for our own devotion to our mothers, Mother’s Day as we know it actually had nothing to do with them. In fact, it had nothing to do with mothers at all.

The Mother’s Day that we are all familiar with has its roots in 16th century England when English parishioners took off from work the fourth Sunday of lent to attend their “mother,” or local church for a special service.

This Sunday marked the midway point in lent and was a time to take stock of the season and, increasingly, to spend time with family. These celebrants were said to be going “a-mothering.” This phraseology eventually inspired people to call this Sunday, Mothering Sunday.

Somewhere along the way, this purely Christian devotional day got tangled up with our love of mothers and family more generally.

Some have looked back and assumed that Mothering Sunday was always originally intended to celebrate mothers, but chances are it simply grew into that. After all, a return to one’s hometown for any sort of celebration inevitably means a visit to one’s mother (or at least it should!).

By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Mothering Sunday was only practiced in England and parts of Ireland and, spottily, in Europe. At home in America, no such holiday was observed.

This all changed in 1872 when Julia Ward Howe, an activist and writer of the famous “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” suggested that the nation celebrate Mother’s Day on June 2.

Originally intended to be a celebration of peace and disarmament rather than motherhood (or anything related to the original Mothering Sunday), Howe’s fiery call to (peaceful) arms went unnoticed.

The torch was picked up decades later by Anna Jarvis, a nurse during the American Civil War and by the early 20th century an advocate for public health.

When her mother died in 1905, Anna began advocating for the nation to celebrate all mothers. In 1908, she led the first ever celebration of Mother’s Day when she held a memorial to her own mother at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia.

Within a few years most states in the nation were observing some sort of Mother’s Day. Finally, on this day in 1914 President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation declaring that the second Sunday in May be America’s Mother’s Day.

Within a depressingly short period of time, Mother’s Day became extensively commercialized, with cards and other mementos available for purchase and gifting to one’s mother.

Anna Jarvis was supposedly deeply grieved by this materialistic hijacking of what she intended to be an introspective day of thanks to the important role mothers play in all of our lives.

Inspired by Anna’s work in America, advocates in England began pushing to rejuvenate their Mothering Sunday celebration. It took American soldiers stationed in England during WWII to really invigorate the British into seeing the merits of the holiday.

By the middle of the century, what was once a Christian day of celebrating the season of lent had been neatly transformed into a day to honor mothers.

From ancient idols and weeks-long festivals to Christian celebrations of lent, the way to our own modern-day Mother’s Day certainly took a circuitous route.

In the end, however you choose to celebrate your mother, remember that they were once revered as goddesses. Think about that before you choose a gift for her. After all, I’m sure you can do better than a cheap bouquet of flowers and a Hallmark card!

Antone Pierucci is the former curator of the Lake County Museum in Lake County, Calif., and a freelance writer whose work has been featured in such magazines as Archaeology and Wild West as well as regional California newspapers.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Preparations are now under way for the city of Lakeport’s popular annual Memorial Day weekend parade.

The parade will take place on Saturday, May 27.

The 2017 theme is “Honor Our Veterans.”

It will begin promptly at 11 a.m. and travel from the Lake County Fairgrounds at 401 Martin St. to Main Street, then progressing north on Main to 11th Street, returning to the fairgrounds.

Bert Hutt will be this year’s announcer.

There will be cash prizes awarded for best of division; judges’ favorite, theme and grand sweepstakes. Ribbons will be awarded to first, second and third place winners.

The annual parade is presented once again this year by the Lake County Chamber of Commerce.

Entry forms are available on the chamber website at www.lakecochamber.com , at its office at 875 Lakeport Blvd. at Vista Point or by calling the office at 707-263-5092.

There is no entry fee except a $10 fee for equestrians as this is a sanctioned California State Horsemen’s Association parade.

Please contact the Lake County Chamber office with any questions at 707-263-5092.

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – A Clearlake Oaks man was seriously injured on Saturday after he rode a dirt bike into traffic and was hit by a vehicle.

Howard Reed Jr., 25, was flown to an out-of-county hospital for treatment after the crash, which occurred at 10:05 a.m. Saturday, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Kory Reynolds.

Reynolds said Reed was riding a 1994 Kawasaki dirt bike without current tags on Highway 20 just east of Lake Street in Clearlake Oaks and then pulled off the highway and onto the shoulder. At the same time, Janet Donner, 77, of Santa Rosa was driving a GMC Terrain eastbound.

“She saw the motorcycle pull onto the shoulder and then it just went right in front of her,” Reynolds said.

Reynolds said Reed suffered compound fractures to his left tibia and fibula, and pain to his chest, neck and back. He was not wearing a helmet.

Reed was flown by REACH air ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital for treatment, Reynolds said.

Neither Donner nor her 74-year-old passenger were injured, according to Reynolds.

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.