NORTH COAST, Calif. – A manhunt involving law enforcement agencies from around the region ended Tuesday evening with the arrest of a Lakeport man, one of two suspects taken into custody for a bank robbery and the shooting of an armored vehicle guard in Windsor earlier in the day.

Late Tuesday the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said Ivan Morales, 23, was apprehended in the Calistoga area.

Also arrested in the case was Antelope resident Serge Gutsu, 24, officials said.

Authorities said that Gutsu and Morales – both armed and wearing masks – robbed Windsor's Chase Bank shortly before 2 p.m. Tuesday, shooting an armored vehicle company guard and then fleeing in a dark-colored SUV.

Later, in Napa County, a Calistoga Police officer spotted the vehicle and a pursuit ensued during which shots were fired at the officer, Sgt. Cecile Focha of the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office reported.

The officer rammed the vehicle Gutsu and Morales were traveling in, officials said. The crash – which ended the pursuit – resulted in Gutsu suffering some injuries.

Officials said Gutsu was the first taken into custody and transported to a hospital before he was arrested and then released to be transported to Sonoma County.

Morales fled the crash scene on foot, which led to a massive manhunt involving multiple agencies in the area of Highway 128 and Petrified Forest Road, according to reports from Napa and Sonoma County law enforcement officials.

Focha said a Sonoma County Sheriff's deputy later found Morales hiding in a brushy culvert in the vicinity of the crash. He was not injured, immediately surrendered and was arrested without incident before being transported to Sonoma County.

Both Gutsu and Morales were transported to the Sonoma County Jail, according to law enforcement officials.

Focha said authorities are not discussing the men's relationship or their roles in the robbery at this time.

She said the guard from the armored car company has not been released from the hospital. Focha added that the agency is not divulging any details about his medical condition, as doing so would violate his rights as a patient.

The Napa County Sheriff’s Office is assuming the investigation of the scene in Calistoga, with assistance from Federal Bureau of Investigations, Focha said, while the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office Violent Crimes Investigation Unit has the responsibility for the armed robbery in Windsor.

The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office said the information and support given to law enforcement by Napa and Sonoma County residents – from tips to bottles of water – was “instrumental in bringing these highly dangerous situations to a successful conclusion.”

Authorities are continuing to ask for additional information on the case. Call the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office Investigations Tip Line at 707-565- 2185 or submit information on the Silent Witness form on our Web site, http://www.sonomasheriff.org/silent-witness/ . Those with information can remain anonymous if they wish.

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.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – The Napa County Sheriff's Office said a second man wanted in connection to a Tuesday afternoon bank robbery and shooting in Sonoma County has been taken into custody.

Two men were reported to have robbed the Chase Bank in Windsor shortly before 2 p.m. Tuesday, shooting an armored car guard in the process and then fleeing the scene, as Lake County News has reported.

A Calistoga Police officer later spotted a vehicle matching the description of the dark-colored SUV witnesses saw leaving the scene, which resulted in one of the men being taken into custody.

Authorities had ordered community members to shelter in place while the manhunt for the second individual took place in the area of Highway 128 and Petrified Forest Road.

Shortly before 7:45 p.m., the Napa County Sheriff's Office said the second man was taken into place and lifted the shelter in place order.

Anyone with information pertaining to this case is asked to call the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office Investigations Tip Line at 707-565- 2185 or submit information on the Silent Witness form on our Web site, http://www.sonomasheriff.org/silent-witness/ . Witnesses can remain anonymous.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Firefighters contained a Tuesday wildland fire in the city of Lakeport that temporarily closed a portion of Highway 29 and burned a car in a small homeless camp.

The fire was first dispatched at around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday on Martin Street at Smith Street, across from the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Lakeport Fire units arriving at scene reported about a half an acre of grass burning with a nearby structure threatened, according to radio reports.

In addition to Lakeport Fire units, assistance came from Kelseyville Fire, Northshore Fire and Cal Fire, and the city of Lakeport, which provided a water tender from its nearby corporation yard, according to Lakeport Fire Chief Doug Hutchison.

The fast-moving fire headed toward the highway, with one spot jumping over it, resulting in blocked traffic. Law enforcement temporarily diverted traffic off the highway and through the city, based on witness reports.

Hutchison said the fire burned a total of two and a half acres, with one large spot on the west side of the highway.

He said pine trees on the east side of the highway had torched up, sending the fire over the roadway.

He said they had “shaky” containment around the fire within 45 minutes of dispatch, with firefighters containing it about a half hour later. Cal Fire's inmate crews helped make quick work of the fire, he said.

Hutchison said the fire burned primarily in the middle of an old walnut orchard. It damaged a structure that he said appeared to be old farmworker housing and destroyed a nearby pump house.

There also was a small homeless camp near the pine trees that burned, Hutchison said.

Two homeless adults were staying there, and their car – which had all of their belongings inside of it – burned up. Hutchison said they were not physically hurt and were referred to Red Cross for assistance.

Lakeport Fire and Cal Fire kept some units on scene for some time after the fire was fully contained as part of mop up operations, Hutchison said.

A witness told Lake County News that he saw heavy equipment working in the area shortly before the fire occurred.

However, Hutchison said he could not confirm a cause yet.

“The cause is still under investigation, officially,” he said, adding that investigators have some leads.

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.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – Authorities have taken one suspect into custody and are searching for the second individual wanted in connection to a bank robbery and the shooting of an armored car guard that took place early Tuesday afternoon in Windsor.

Sgt. Cecile Focha of the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office said that at 1:50 p.m. Tuesday a 911 call came into the agency's dispatch center reporting that the Chase Bank in the town of Windsor had been robbed by masked gunmen. 

Another person called and said the guard from the armored car company had been shot, and a dark-colored SUV was seen speeding away, Focha said.

Deputies arrived within two minutes. They found one adult male, an armored car employee, who had suffered a gunshot wound, according to Focha's report.

Focha said the deputies quickly learned that a car came toward the armored truck when it stopped at the bank. Two men got out of it, confronted the guards and started shooting, and then fled with an undetermined amount of money. They then got into another car and made their getaway. 

“We immediately contacted neighboring law enforcement agencies to ‘Be On The Lookout’ for the car containing the armed and dangerous suspects. We issued an alert to the residents of Windsor to avoid the area of the Lakewood Shopping Center and locked-down the businesses,” Focha said in the report.

As people learned of the crime, the sheriff's office received many tips from people in the area, Focha said. Detectives from the agency's Violent Crimes, CSI, Narcotics, Property Crimes and other investigations units responded and began interviewing witnesses and processing evidence. 

Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation also came to the scene, as is protocol in bank robberies, Focha said.

Meanwhile, Focha said an observant officer from the Calistoga Police Department saw a car that matched the description containing the men who robbed the bank.

After a pursuit one of the men was in custody and another remained at large early Tuesday evening. Focha's report, issued shortly before 7 p.m., said at that point that a manhunt was under way in the Calistoga area for the outstanding armed and dangerous individual. 

“We cannot comment on the details regarding an activity in Napa County. We do have members of our SWAT team and other resources dedicated to that scene to assist their agencies,” Focha said.

Separately, the Napa County Sheriff's Office reported that it was involved in the manhunt in the area of Highway 128 and Petrified Forest Road near Calistoga.

Napa officials said they were looking for a Hispanic male adult who is 5 feet, 11 inches tall, with long dark hair and wearing a black shirt.  Any witnesses with information about his whereabouts were asked to call the Napa County Sheriff's Investigations Unit at 707-253-4591.

Focha said the case is open and continuing to unfold, adding that detectives are hard at work piecing together the evidence at the scene and interviewing countless witnesses. 

No photos of the two men are available, Focha said, adding that it was reported that the men were armed with long guns. Whether not this meant a shotgun or rifle is not known as of yet. 

Focha said authorities are not releasing information about the caliber or type of weapon at this time.

The armored car guard was conscious when he was rushed to the hospital. There is no information about his current medical status, Focha said.

She said the agency appreciates the public’s patience and understanding as serious crimes and scenes of this magnitude take considerable personnel many hours to complete. “We cannot release details that might interfere with the investigation of the case.”

Anyone with information pertaining to this case is asked to call the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office Investigations Tip Line at 707-565- 2185 or submit information on the Silent Witness form on our Web site, http://www.sonomasheriff.org/silent-witness/ . Those with information can remain anonymous if they wish, Focha said.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A new bill signed by the governor will help communities across California – including Lake County – address the needs of the homeless by providing funds for housing and other services.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law the “No Place Like Home Initiative” on July 1.

It's being hailed as a landmark bipartisan legislative initiative that will provide housing and services for homeless Californians.

State Sen. Mike McGuire, whose district includes Lake County, was part of the State Senate team who brought forward and drafted the initiative.

McGuire said the bill will provide communities – big and small – resources for desperately needed permanent supportive housing, and mental health and drug and alcohol treatment services.

McGuire praised the governor for signing the legislation, noting that homelessness is a growing crisis across California, in cities and rural areas alike, with communities lacking the funding to implement the necessary programs.

“This investment is the largest in a generation and it will give communities up and down the North Coast the ability to create and fund local housing programs that meet their unique needs,” he said.

The initiative re-purposes bond money from Proposition 63, the Mental Health Services Act, and will leverage billions of additional dollars from other local, state and federal agencies according to the initiative's Web site, http://focus.senate.ca.gov/homelessness .

No Place Like Home will offer a $2 billion bond to construct permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless persons with mental illness.

In addition, $45 million – already included in the recently enacted state budget – will provide supportive housing in the shorter-term as well as rent subsidies while permanent housing is constructed or rehabilitated.

Another $22 million, also included in the new 2016-17 state budget, will provide specific support for two special housing programs targeting families: The “Bringing Families Home” pilot project, a county matching grant program to reduce homelessness among families that are part of the child welfare system, and the CalWORKs Housing Support Program, which provides housing and support services for CalWORKs families in danger of homelessness.  

The legislative package also will provide for additional work to stop people from becoming homeless in the first place, with $75 million in the new budget to go toward that homelessness prevention effort.

Another $45 million in the budget to be used for a one-time investment to incentivize local governments to boost outreach efforts and advocacy to get more eligible poor people enrolled in the SSI/SSP program.

The legislation's Web site notes that the federal government covers 72 percent of the total costs of the SSI/SSP program, so state and local benefits are multiplied significantly for each newly eligible recipient.

McGuire said the No Place Like Home Initiative has been among his top priorities this year.

Earlier this year, McGuire hosted a first-of-its-kind homeless services roundtable with leaders from throughout the North Bay and North Coast as well as representatives from the state to discuss their unique challenges, ideas and programs to tackle homelessness.

He told Lake County News that communities across the state will be able to apply for assistance from the initiative.

Rural areas like Lake, that over the last several decades have had to compete with larger metropolitan areas for funding, won't under this initiative, McGuire said.

“From the beginning we have been advocating that rural counties have their separate pot of funds,” he said.

The initiative will be one of the first bonds to have separate funds for rural areas, and separate funds for suburban and large communities, he explained.

“Lake County will be able to apply for these funds with like-sized counties and they will not have to go against large counties – San Bernardino, San Francisco, Santa Clara or Los Angeles,” McGuire said.

That's critical because, he added, “We're seeing a growing number of individuals who are homeless and small counties don't have the resources to be able to invest, whether it's in services or housing.”

In Lake County in recent years the homeless problem has become more visible, and appears to be growing.

The situation led to the Lake Ministerial Association hosting a warming shelter at the Lakeport Seventh-day Adventist Church from January through the start of April, as Lake County News has reported.

McGuire said there is “a lot of freedom” for communities in how they choose to pursue the funds, but one critical part is that the county will have to develop a homeless service plan as a basis for applying.

“That's the really important part of this,” he said, adding that Lake County already has been doing a lot of legwork on such needs, which will mean state funding can be implemented more quickly.

The California Department of Housing and Community Development will run the program on behalf of the state. McGuire noted that the agency “is very involved in Lake County already because of the Valley fire recovery and rebuilding efforts.”

McGuire said he will host a workshop/town hall in the fall in Ukiah that will focus on the No Place Like Home initiative. All the specifics related to the application processes in the various funds will be explained.

All community members, elected officials, nonprofit and local government leaders from throughout the district will be invited to participate, McGuire 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.