LAKEPORT, Calif. – Authorities have filed criminal charges against a former resident of a Lakeport apartment complex for the fire in August that killed another resident and injured several others.

Tracey Renee Morales, 62, is facing felony charges of involuntary manslaughter and recklessly causing a fire, according to Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen.

Rasmussen said the charges stem from the investigation’s conclusion that Morales was smoking while using an oxygen tank, which led to the fire on the evening of Sunday, Aug. 21, at the Lakeview Senior Housing complex, located at 525 Bevins St.

Deborah Dianne Dowdy, 53, died in the fire and four other residents also were injured, including a woman who had to be flown out-of-county for burns and three treated locally for smoke inhalation, as Lake County News has reported.

When fire and police arrived at the scene of the fire on Aug. 21, they began evacuating the residents out of the two-story, 36-unit complex.

Witnesses told police that they had seen Dowdy outside, but firefighters would later find her body in an elevator during a sweep of the building. Rasmussen said they still don’t know why she had gone back inside the complex.

The rest of the residents of the complex, managed by Rural Communities Housing Development Corp. of Ukiah, were displaced for months while the extensive damage from the fire was repaired, with city officials working to help find them temporary housing. Rasmussen said they were finally able to return home last last year.

Rasmussen said Lakeport Police and Lakeport Fire investigators, assisted by investigators from Northshore Fire, Lake County Fire and Cal Fire, conducted a cause and origin and criminal investigation of the circumstances of the fire and Dowdy’s death. 

He said they concluded that the fire started due to Morales’ negligence.

In March, the Lakeport Police Department presented the final investigation reports to the Lake County District Attorney’s Office which confirmed that it filed felony charges of involuntary manslaughter and recklessly causing a fire against Morales.

On Thursday, a Lake County Superior Court judge issued an arrest warrant for Morales on the charges, Rasmussen said.

On the same day, at the request of the Lakeport Police Department, the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office located Morales in that county and issued her a notice to appear in Lake County Superior Court to answer to the charges, according to Rasmussen.

Rasmussen said Morales was not booked into jail at that time due to a medical issue.   

Morales is required to appear on the case in Lake County Superior Court on June 20, Rasmussen said.

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.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Caltrans commemorated the passing of three more of its employees on Thursday during its 27th annual Workers Memorial at the State Capitol.

This brings the total to 187 Caltrans employees who lost their lives on the job since 1921.

Dignitaries, Caltrans employees, and family and friends paid special tribute to Jorge Lopez, Randy Whisenhunt and Annette Brooks, who all lost their lives since last year’s memorial.

Lopez was an electrician who was struck and killed at the age of 57, on Sept. 1, 2016, by an errant big rig that crossed onto the shoulder of State Route 14 near Palmdale.

Whisenhunt was an electrician from the Escondido Yard, who passed away on Oct. 9, 2016, at the age of 58, as a result of injuries suffered on the job.

Lopez and Whisenhunt are each survived by a wife and three children.

Brooks, a structural steel painter supervisor, was shot and killed at the age of 61 at a Caltrans facility in Rio Dell on April 24.

“We honor and recognize the tremendous loss that their loved ones and friends have suffered,” said Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty. “The greatest honor we can give is to keep their memories alive to help prevent future tragedies.”

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, highway construction and maintenance work is one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States.

In 2013, there were 5,887 work zone collisions on California roadways resulting in 51 fatalities and 2,757 injuries, compared to 6,525 work zone collisions resulting in 43 fatalities and 3,243 injuries in 2014.

Nationally drivers and passengers account for 85 percent of the people who are killed in highway work zones. These numbers don’t include the close calls highway workers experience every day.

“Every day, thousands of highway workers put their lives in danger just by going to work and serving the public,” added Dougherty. “Work zones can change from minute to minute, and being alert can be the difference between life and death for both workers and motorists.”

Statistics provided by Caltrans showed that from 1972 to the present, errant drivers accounted for 50 worker deaths, the most of any single cause.

Brooks’ death earlier this month brings the total of Caltrans workers shot and killed on the job since 1993 to six, based on the agency’s data.

No specific records for types of incidents were available for the years 1921 to 1971.

Caltrans said motorists can dramatically improve safety in work zones by slowing down and reducing distractions like texting and talking on the phone, and complying with the “Move Over law,” which requires motorists to move over if it is safe to do so, or slow down when approaching vehicles displaying flashing amber warning lights.

Caltrans has partnered with the California Transportation Foundation to develop funds to benefit the families of Caltrans workers killed on the job.

The Fallen Workers Assistance and Memorial Fund helps with the initial needs a surviving family faces, and the children of fallen workers may apply for a Caltrans Fallen Workers Memorial Scholarship.

For more information or to make donations, visit www.transportationfoundation.org .

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Upper Lake High School’s robotics team put in a golden performance in San Jose this past weekend, bringing home the school’s second state championship in mobile robotics technology in five years.

The winning team of juniors Jovany Martinez and Jacob Kalawaia won gold for their performance in the competition, said Upper Lake High robotics teacher Gary Madison.

“We’re super proud of them this year,” Madison said.

Upper Lake’s second team of Andrew Brackett and JT Claunch finished fifth in the competition.

Madison said all of the students worked very hard to prepare for the competition.

The competition is organized by SkillsUSA, which serves middle school, high school and college or postsecondary students who are preparing for careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations, including health occupations.

There are 18,000 SkillsUSA chapters and 52 state and territorial associations. SkillsUSA’s current membership – including students and alumni – is estimated by the organization to total more than 394,000 people.

Madison said Upper Lake High has its own SkillsUSA chapter, with all 18 of his students competing in the finals for the North Coast Region, also known as SkillsUSA Region 1, which extends from the Oregon border to San Jose.

Three two-person teams from Upper Lake High qualified for the state competition, held from Thursday through Sunday in San Jose. However, Madison said he could only afford to send the top two teams.

Madison said this is Martinez’s second year at state competition and Kalawaia’s first.

Upper Lake was neck-and-neck through much of the robotics competition with Downey High School, said Madison.

However, in the end, Madison said Kalawaia and Martinez came out on top thanks to their excellent work on the overall project – putting a robot through a complex course – and the fact that their engineering notebook was so good.

Upper Lake High’s win over Downey High is all the more impressive when considering that Downey is a Southern California high school with enrollment estimated at more than 4,100 students, compared to Upper Lake, which is reported to have just under 300 students.

Madison, who has been the high school’s computer teacher since 1993 – when there were just two ancient Apple 2E computers with big floppy disks tucked into a room down a hallway – now has a classroom filled with computers and flat panel screens, and another room with equipment for the robotics class and the school’s print shop.

On a given day, his students can be found doing creative work that ranges from designing video games to building models with a 3-D printer.

Under Madison’s leadership, the robotics program is now in its seventh year.

One of the students’ current projects is building an underwater robotic submarine that will feature two cameras. The sub has a PVC pipe structure and is roughly the size of a small dog house.

Madison’s students already are looking at next year’s competition, using YouTube videos posted about some of the challenges they will face.

One of his teams also won the state competition in 2012, with those student traveling to Kansas City to compete in the national competition, he said.

Madison said they didn’t place in that event in 2012, but he’s hopeful that Kalawaia and Martinez will do so this time.

While he had the state competition worked into his budget, the trip to Louisville, Ky., June 19 to 24 for the national competition isn’t, so they’re seeking sponsors and donations, as the trip is expected to exceed $5,000.

Anyone who wishes to donate to the robotic team’s trip to the national competition can contact Upper Lake High School at 707-275-2338 or send checks for the trip to the school at 675 Clover Valley Road, Upper Lake, CA 95485.

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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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Two Clearlake residents were arrested on Saturday after being found in possession of a concealed weapon, with one of the individuals also found to have cocaine that appeared to have been packaged for sales.

Arrested in the case were 43-year-old Danyeala Elisabeth Marquez and William Dannell Shaw, 33, according to Sgt. Travis Lenz of the Clearlake Police Department.

Just after 1:40 a.m. on Saturday Clearlake Police Officers responded to B&B Light House Bar, located in the 5800 block of Old Highway 53, to look for a subject with outstanding arrest warrants who was possibly at the bar, said Sgt. Lenz.

Once on scene, officers approached the north entrance to the bar, which faces the patio and parking lot. Lenz said he responded to the east entrance, which leads toward Old Highway 53, in the event the wanted subject attempted to flee from arriving officers.

From Lenz’s position at the rear door he was able to see into the bar through the windows. Two subjects, later identified as Shaw and Marquez, ran from the north side of the bar to the middle near the bar counter top. Lenz said it appeared they were aware of officer’s arrival and had run into the bar to collude in criminal activity.

Lenz said he watched Shaw lift his shirt, exposing a black pistol which he had concealed in the front waistline of his pants.

Shaw removed the pistol from his waistline and handed it to Marquez. Marquez then concealed the pistol in the waistline of her pants, covering it with her sweatshirt to conceal it, according to Lenz.

After viewing the firearm transfer, Lenz said he made entry into the bar and took hold of Marquez, detaining her in handcuffs.

During this time, Shaw fled out of the north entrance to the patio, where he was met by Officer Leonardo Flores, who detained him in handcuffs, Lenz said.

After removing the firearm from Marquez’ person, it was discovered the magazine contained 10 live 40 caliber cartridges, according to Lenz.

He said both subjects were placed under arrest at that time.

During a search incident to arrest, Shaw was found to be in possession of numerous plastic tie off bags containing cocaine, which were packaged in a manner commonly used in the sale of narcotics, Lenz said.

Shaw is a convicted felon and so is prohibited from possessing the firearm or the ammunition, according to Lenz.

Lenz said Shaw later was booked into the Lake County Jail on charges of carrying a concealed firearm on his person in a public place, possession of an unregistered firearm, felon in possession of a firearm, felon in possession of ammunition, possession of a controlled substance while in possession of a firearm, conspiracy to commit a crime, and possession of narcotics for sales.

Marquez was later booked into the Lake County Jail on charges of carrying a concealed firearm on her person in a public place, possession of an unregistered firearm, and conspiracy to commit a crime, Lenz said.

Lenz said the wanted person originally sought was not located at the bar and it was determined she left just prior to the officers' arrival.

Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to contact Sgt. Lenz at 707-994-8251, Extension 311.

A bill to expand the reach of broadband services across rural California took a key step forward this week.

AB 1665, joint-authored by several bipartisan members of the Assembly including Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters), Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella) and Brian Dahle (R-Bieber), passed out of the Assembly Communications and Conveyance Committee this week with a 12-0 vote.

This bill memorializes the successful negotiation of a $330 million package to expand broadband access and digital literacy to communities deprived of a reliable Internet connection.

Past efforts to increase funding to close the connectivity gap between the “haves” and the “have-nots,” known as the “Digital Divide,” were intensely opposed by the largest telecommunications companies.

AB 1665 is the product of bipartisan legislative leadership. After a three-year stalemate, this bill represents a cooperative effort between legislators and representatives from the telecommunications industry to invest in broadband access and rural development.

“People don’t start businesses in areas where they can’t even send an email,” said Aguiar-Curry, whose district includes Lake County. “When I was the mayor of Winters, I watched families get their first email address. I saw farmworkers finally have a platform to talk to their kids’ teachers despite their work hours. I know first-hand how Internet access can transform a community. AB 1665 will transform communities across California.”

The California Advanced Services Fund, or CASF, is a state program aimed at closing the Digital Divide.

The CASF does not depend upon general fund dollars, but instead is funded by a small surcharge on in-state phone bills spread out over a five-year period.

The current goal of this program is to incentivize the expansion of broadband infrastructure to 98% of California households.

However, Aguiar-Curry and her partners successfully negotiated to expand this goal to 98 percent of households in every geographic region of the state, assuring that rural California would be served as well, instead of the target being satisfied in urban areas alone.

Testifying in support of AB 1665, Assemblymember Dahle said, “Using this regional approach to provide internet to historically unserved and underserved communities, we will be able to help our schools, students, and small businesses, and effectively connect rural constituencies to the rest of the world. This bill will provide services to rural areas of the state that have long been forgotten, or seen as too difficult and remote to provide service.”

Yet, the Digital Divide is not a problem unique to rural Northern California. “Thirty percent of Californian households do not have access to high speed internet or a computer,” said Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella). “Low income urban and rural communities like those of my district are most affected by this deficit. Providing internet connectivity will open up educational, health and economic opportunities to ensure we do not leave behind our most vulnerable.”

AB 1665 passed with a unanimous vote of 12- 0 in the Assembly Communications and Conveyance Committee, where Democrat Chair Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles) requested to be added as a coauthor on the bill after voting in favor of the measure. AB 1665 will be heard next in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

“I want to thank Chairman Santiago for helping to convene an extensive stakeholder process which ultimately led to our successful effort,” said Aguiar-Curry. “This is 2017. In today’s global economy, having Internet access is not an option; it is a necessity. When we invest in broadband expansion and digital literacy, we are investing in education, access to health care, and economic development.”

Aguiar-Curry represents the Fourth Assembly District, which includes all of Lake and Napa counties, parts of Colusa County, all of Yolo County except West Sacramento, Dixon in Solano County and Rohnert Park in Sonoma County.