A view from the top of Mt. Konocti. Photo by Wayne Diggs.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – How many of us have sat and looked at the majestic Mt. Konocti and wondered just what the view would be like if you could only get to the top?

Well, until just a few months ago, this was most likely not going to happen. Now it can.

Mt. Konocti is a dormant volcano thought to have last erupted perhaps 10,000 years ago. There is archaeological evidence of the Pomo and Wappo Indian occupation of the Clear Lake area over 11,000 years ago. Although they never inhabited Mt. Konocti, they were – as we are – awed by its beauty.

The park was acquired in 2009 by the county of Lake. The county-owned portion of the park is more than 1,500 acres, with nearly 800 adjoining acres owned by the Bureau of Land Management.

So, let’s get started. Pick up the county brochure as there are some interesting facts here as well as a good map of the hike. These are available at the county parks office and sometimes at the gate. Information about the park also can be found here: http://www.konoctitrails.com/trails-information/mt-konocti-regional-park.

First off, at least initially, the county has placed several restrictions on the use of the park. Basically you can only bring your kids and your lunch. No dogs, motorized vehicles, bikes or horses.

Start out in downtown Kelseyville and take Konocti Road at the south end of town. You will drive up about four miles and come to the main gate, another mile or so to the main parking lot.

The road will be dusty or perhaps a bit muddy now that the rains have started, but it is a good solid surface gravel road, suitable for just about anything with four wheels.

Once you leave the parking lot, follow the road up to another gate and pedestrian turn-stile. This stretch is going to fool you though. It seems so easy at first. Let's not quibble about it, this isn’t an easy hike, but not really too difficult either. You will gain 1,650 feet in elevation, and it is truly a six mile round trip, to the top of Wright Peak and the fire tower.

Very quickly you start up hill. As you skirt off the fire road to avoid private property, it gets really steep for about one-quarter mile. This is the test, make this and you can do the rest.

I am going to describe this in terms of time, not miles as most of us have no idea of how long a mile is when you are walking it. I am well into my 60ss and not a professional hiker. It took me two hours and 15 minutes total, about one and three-quarters hours of actual hiking to reach the top.

The Cal Fire tower on top of Mt. Konocti. Photo by Wayne Diggs.

So, the first hour is a mostly a steady uphill climb with glimpses of lake views towards the north and west; some very nice views of Lakeport and Kelseyville.

You will come to the first fork in the road; going left takes you to Buckingham Peak (elevation 3,952 feet) which is a five-mile round trip, better left for another day. Continue for another 15 minutes into a stand of towering canyon oaks, some believed to be more than 500 years old. You are now at 3,500 feet in elevation, well on your way to the top at 4,299 feet in elevation.

As you pass through the deep forest, just past the second walnut orchard you will come to a road off to your right. This is a lesser used road which will take you to Mary Downen’s cabin built in 1903. She lived here and tended her walnut orchard, by herself, signaling her daughter in Lakeport with a mirror every day at 2 p.m. that all was well.

I spent about 20 minutes looking at the cabin and surrounding area; it was a nice placed to take a break. I saw several deer and evidence of other wild life in the little orchard. From here it took me half an hour of steady hiking, up some 10 percent to 12 percent grades and I was at the top.

Continuing on back to the main road, you really start to gain elevation from here to the top. About 15 minutes from the top you will see a road off to the left which will take you to Howard Peak at 4,286 feet elevation, about a half-mile diversion. Again, I left this for another day.

Soon, you have arrived at the top and will be greeted by the fire tower, which in my case I had looked at through my telescope many times and wondered just what it would look like close up. It is a bit taller and larger than I expected, and kind of shaky looking. But, it was built 1964 and has withstood the test of time.

I was a bit disappointed that the county had not cleared the brush blocking your view toward the north. Unless you hit it on a day when the docent is on duty, you can not climb the tower for the best 360-degree unobstructed views. However, looking to the south I was able to clearly see the top of Mount St. Helena at 4,330 feet elevation, just a few feet higher than my location. Looking a bit east I could see the Sutter Buttes and to the west the Mayacamas and the steam from the Geysers.

It took me a total of two hours 15 minutes to reach the top of Wright Peak and the tower, which included a 20- to 30-minute break at Mary’s cabin. This is a 1,650 foot gain in elevation from the parking lot.

If you are younger or a more experienced hiker you could make it in less time, but I think that anyone in reasonable shape who does some hiking can do this trip. Back to the car took one hour and 30 minutes and it was all downhill. There are three porta-potties along the way, but no source for water.

This is a hike that is best done on a cool day, when the top of the mountain is clear of fog or mist. It is well worth the effort if only to be able to say, “I hiked to the top.”

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One of the oaks in the ancient oak grove that visitors will be able to visit while hiking through Mt. Konocti County Park. Photo by Elizabeth Larson.

This rustic roasted carrot soup is flavored with smoked paprika, which can be found in the spice aisle of most supermarkets. Photo by Esther Oertel.

The moment the summer heat subsides, my thoughts turn to soup. The big stockpot comes off the shelf and onto the stove at the first hint of cool weather. Fall’s shorter days and winter’s dampness lead me to seek such therapeutic liquid succor.

Soup transcends time, culture, and location, with nearly every civilization having a form of it. Evidence for the existence of soup extends as far back as 6000 B.C. The invention of early waterproof containers, most likely in the form of clay vessels or pouches made of animal skins, made it possible to heat water, spawning primitive soups.

A rich stock, made from simmering meat, bones, or vegetables in water, is the secret to a good soup. Fish stock should only be boiled 30 to 45 minutes, but most other stocks take much longer to make, from three to eight hours, depending on the base.

Mirepoix, a combination of onions, carrots, and celery, contributes flavor to stock, along with various herbs and other aromatics.

Fund blanc, or white stock, is made with raw bones, most commonly chicken, and fund brun, or brown stock, is made using bones that have been roasted to add flavor and color.

Vegetable stock may be made using all manner of vegetables. Cooking water from vegetables made throughout the week may be saved in the fridge and used as the stock base.

If you’re not interested in making your own stock, don’t despair, as quality premade stocks are available at most supermarkets.

Soups are traditionally divided into two categories, clear and thick. Clear soups include broth (known as bouillon in French) and consommé, a complex soup that has gone through a clarifying process. Consommé tends to gel somewhat when cool.

Thick soups are classified based on the thickener, such as starch, cream, eggs, grains or butter. Types of thick soups include purees, bisques, and cream soups.

It was the sale of soup for medicinal purposes by street vendors in Paris that led to today’s restaurant industry. A highly concentrated, warm liquid was sold as an antidote to physical exhaustion. A Parisian entrepreneur opened a shop in 1765 to sell the restorative liquid, which prompted the use of the word “restaurant,” meaning “something restoring,” to describe the business.

The weekend sun shines in fair skies at the moment, but it’s just a matter of time before consistent soup weather is here. In anticipation of the months of happy soup-making ahead of us, below are a few of my favorite soup recipes that have developed over the years.

A Spanish proverb says, “Of soup and love, the first is best.” While I disagree that food trumps love, a good bowl of soup can certainly inspire it.

Be warmed and comforted, sip with pleasure, and most of all, enjoy.

Smokey roasted carrot soup

2 pounds carrots (about 5-1/2 cups raw, which becomes 4 cups roasted)

2 large shallots

Tablespoon olive or grape seed oil

Teaspoon kosher or sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1-1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 quart vegetable or chicken stock

About ½ of a 15-ounce can of white beans

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Peel and cut carrots into uniform pieces, about 1 inch in length.

Roughly chop the shallots

In a two-quart bowl, toss carrots in the oil until all are glossy.

Add salt, pepper, and smoked paprika, tossing to combine evenly.

Turn carrots onto a baking sheet and mix in shallots.

Roast mixture in oven until tender and somewhat browned, about 25 minutes or more. (Stir halfway through for even cooking.)

Heat stock on stove in a four-quart saucepan; add carrot mixture.

Simmer for 10 minutes or so, and then add beans.

Remove from heat and puree with an immersion blender (recommended), a food processor, or a blender.

If desired, add more beans until desired thickness is achieved.

Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.

Ladle into bowls and garnish as desired with fresh herbs such as parsley or dill.

Makes about 8 servings.

French onion soup

10 onions (any combination of types)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups white wine

1 quart vegetable or beef stock

1 – ¼ cups apple cider

Bouquet garni (thyme sprigs, bay leaf, and parsley tied with kitchen string)

Kosher salt

Ground black pepper

Splash of Cognac or brandy (optional)

1 cup Fontina or Gruyere cheese, grated

Croutons (recipe follows)

Finely slice onions into half moon shapes.

Heat olive oil in a large wide-bottomed pot.

Add a layer of onions to pot and sprinkle with a little salt. Repeat until all onions and salt are in the pot.

Allow onions to sweat down for 15 to 20 minutes before stirring. After that, stir occasionally until onions are dark mahogany in color and reduced to approximately two cups. This will take about 45 minutes to an hour.

Add enough wine to cover the onions and turn heat to high, reducing the wine to a syrupy consistency.

Add broth, apple cider, bouquet garni, and brandy, if using. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

Ladle soup into bowls. Top each with a crouton, and then top with grated cheese.

Place bowls on a baking sheet and broil in oven until cheese is golden and bubbly, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Makes six to eight servings.

Croutons

French bread baguette, thinly sliced

Olive oil

Garlic cloves, peeled, optional

Heat oven to 450 degrees F.

Brush bread slices with olive oil (or toss with oil in a bowl until pieces are coated) and toast in oven until golden brown.

If desired, rub with a garlic clove after toasting.

Cream of artichoke heart soup

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 leeks, white part only, washed well and chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small potato, peeled and chopped

1 (8-ounce) package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed

2 cups chicken stock

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ - ½ cup heavy cream

Heat olive oil in a heavy, large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and the potatoes and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the artichokes, stock, salt, and pepper and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

Using a handhold immersion blender, or in a blender or food processor in batches, puree the soup. Add the cream to taste and blend again to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed, and heat to serving temperature.

Makes about six servings.

Spicy Mexican bean soup with chili-garlic crostini

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 purple onion, diced

½ red pepper, diced *

½ green pepper, diced *

3 – 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 quart vegetable stock (homemade or otherwise)

2 – 15 ounce cans black beans **

1 – 15 ounce can light kidney beans **

1 – 15 ounce can corn kernels

1 - 6 ounce can tomato paste

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

½ cup roughly-chopped cilantro (plus more for garnish, if desired)

Salt to taste, if desired

Toasted pumpkin seeds or diced avocado for garnish, if desired

*Use any combination of colored bell peppers; the more colors, the merrier!

**Any combination of similar beans may be used, even 3 cans of one type. (If one type is used, black beans are recommended.)

Sauté onion and peppers in olive oil in large soup pot over medium-high heat until just tender.

Add garlic and sauté about a minute more.

Add vegetable broth, beans and corn. Once the broth comes to a boil, reduce heat to low to simmer.

Mix in tomato paste; add vinegar, cumin and pepper flakes.

Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed.

Allow to simmer for at least 10 and up to 30 minutes until flavors blend and soup has thickened.

Add cilantro and simmer a few minutes more.

Ladle into bowls and add desired garnishes.

Serve with chili-garlic crostini. (Recipe follows.)

Chili-garlic crostini

About 1 cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic

1 – 2 teaspoons dried chili flakes

1 French bread baguette, sliced

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Press garlic cloves with flat of knife so they are crushed.

Warm olive oil on stove; add garlic and pepper flakes and cook a minute or so more (not long).

Remove oil from heat and allow it to rest for a bit. The longer it sits, the stronger the flavor.

Strain oil into a squeeze bottle or bowl and drizzle or brush oil on each baguette slice.

Arrange slices on a baking sheet and bake in oven until golden brown. Watch carefully; it takes only a few minutes.

Mushroom bisque with sherry

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

¼ cup all-purpose flour

¾ cup minced shallots or onions

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme

¼ teaspoon freshly-grated nutmeg

1 – ½ pounds fresh mixed mushrooms, cleaned and sliced ¼ inch thick

6 cups chicken or vegetable stock (or 4 cups, plus 2 cups water)

2 – ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

¾ cup dry sherry (not “cooking sherry”)

1/3 cup cream

For garnish:

½ cup finely chopped toasted walnuts (procedure follows)

Melt butter in a large stock pot over medium-low heat. When melted, stir in flour and cook for a minute or so.

Add onions and sauté, stirring, for one or two minutes, then stir in garlic, thyme, and nutmeg and cook until fragrant, about one minute.

Add sliced mushrooms, stir to blend, and increase heat to medium. Add stock, sherry, and salt.

Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered, until the mushrooms are tender, about 15 minutes.

When mushrooms are tender, puree soup using a hand-held immersion blender, a food processor, or a standing blender. (If using either of the latter two, puree the soup in batches. If using a standing blender, be sure to hold the lid tight with a towel to keep contents inside.)

If desired, soup may be strained through a medium-mesh strainer, using a ladle to help push it through. (This is an optional step.)

Once soup is pureed (and strained, if taking that step), add cream and stir to blend. If needed, gently heat soup to desired temperature.

Serve with a sprinkling of toasted walnuts.

Makes six generous or eight small servings

Note: When using a blender to puree hot soups, remove liquid from the heat and allow it to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender and fill it no more than halfway. Release one corner of the lid, which prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.

Original recipes are by Esther Oertel.

Esther Oertel, the “Veggie Girl,” is a culinary coach and educator and is passionate about local produce. Oertel teaches culinary classes at Chic Le Chef in Hidden Valley Lake, Calif., and The Kitchen Gallery in Lakeport, Calif., and gives private cooking lessons. She welcomes your questions and comments; e-mail her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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From Sunday, Oct. 9, through Saturday, Oct. 15, Cal Fire is teaming with the National Fire Prevention Association for Fire Prevention Week to educate Californians on the simple steps they can take to help protect their family from fires.

“Too many lives are lost in home fires in California,” said Cal Fire Director Chief Ken Pimlott. “Everyone should take steps to help prevent home fires and ensure their family is protected.”

On average, seven people die in residential structure fires every day nationwide, Cal Fire reported.

So far in 2011, Cal Fire and fire departments across the state have responded to over 3,500 residential structure fires, which have resulted in 191 injuries, 32 deaths and $184 million in property loss.

Cal Fire is taking this opportunity during Fire Prevention Week to remind all Californians of the importance of having working smoke alarms, the advantages of practicing family fire escape drills twice a year, and the benefits of installing home fire sprinklers.

Below are some important fire prevention tips:

SMOKE ALARMS:

• Test smoke alarms once a month.

• Replace batteries in all smoke alarms twice a year.

• Replace smoke alarms every 10 years.

EXIT DRILLS:

• Develop a fire escape plan.

• Practice family fire drills at least twice a year.

HOME FIRE SPRINKLERS:

• Provides your family extra time to safely escape.

• Helps to contain a fire to the room it started in.

• Will often extinguish the fire before the fire department arrives.

For more fire safety tips, visit the CAL FIRE website at www.fire.ca.gov.

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Brown's office reported on Friday that he signed AB 376, by Assemblyman Paul Fong (D-Cupertino), which bans the possession and sale of shark fins in California, effective January 2012.

“The practice of cutting the fins off of living sharks and dumping them back in the ocean is not only cruel, but it harms the health of our oceans,” said Gov. Brown. “Researchers estimate that some shark populations have declined by more than 90 percent, portending grave threats to our environment and commercial fishing. In the interest of future generations, I have signed this bill.”

By banning the possession and sale of shark fins, California joins Hawaii, Washington, Oregon and Guam in an effort to reduce demand and protect shark populations.

Shark finning is illegal in the United States, but current federal laws banning the practice do not address the issue of the shark fin trade, so shark fins are imported to the U.S. from countries with few or even no shark protections in place, according to an Oceana report.

The practice of “finning” for culinary purposes has led to substantial declines in shark populations worldwide, according to groups like Defenders of Wildlife and Oceana.

Kim Delfino, Defenders of Wildlife's California Program Director, said in a Friday statement that 73 million sharks are killed annually just for their fins.

Oceana called shark finning a “cruel and wasteful practice” in which the shark's fins are sliced off while at sea and the remainder of the animal is thrown back into the water to die. Without fins, sharks bleed to death, drown or are eaten by other species, the group reported.

In recent decades some shark populations have declined by as much as 99 percent, according to Oceana. That, in turn, destabilizes the ocean's food web and results in other species' decline.

While many countries have already banned the practice, it continues unabated in unregulated international waters, the Governor's Office reported.

Defenders of Wildlife, one of the groups supporting the bill, said its members sent 47,000 messages in support of the shark fin ban to California's lawmakers.

Susan Murray, Oceana's senior Pacific director, called Friday “a landmark day for shark conservation around the globe.”

She said the actions taken by West Coast legislatures and governors “sends a strong message that the entire US West Coast will no longer play a role in the global practice of shark finning that is pushing many shark species to the brink of extinction.”

In addition to AB 376, Gov. Brown on Friday also signed a companion bill by Assemblyman Fong, AB 853, which allows existing stocks of on-hand shark fins to be sold until July 1, 2013.

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Aron Fulwood III, 56, of Glenhaven, Calif., was arrested on Thursday, October 6, 2011, for possession of a controlled substance for sales and driving on a suspended license. Lake County Jail photo.

GLENHAVEN, Calif. – A probation search by the Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force on a Glenhaven man has resulted in his arrest and the seizure of approximately one-quarter ounce of methamphetamine.

Aron Fulwood III, 56, was arrested for possession of a controlled substance for sales and driving on a suspended license, according to a Friday report from Capt. James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

At 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6, narcotics detectives prepared to conduct a probation search at the home of Fulwood, who Bauman said was on formal felony probation for a prior narcotics conviction.

As detectives approached the home, Fulwood was seen driving away from the area in a white Toyota sedan, Bauman said.

He said detectives performed an enforcement stop on the vehicle and then directed Fulwood back to his home to complete the probation search.

During that search, detectives located approximately one-quarter ounce of methamphetamine concealed in Fulwood’s bed, Bauman said. Several “meth” pipes and a digital scale were also found concealed in the area of the same bed.

Bauman said Fulwood was arrested without incident and transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility where he was booked.

Fulwood's bail was set at $10,000. Jail records indicated that he later posted bail and was released.

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

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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – On Thursday four more witnesses took the stand in the preliminary hearing of three local men accused of a June shooting that killed a small boy and left several of his family and friends injured.

The preliminary hearing for Kevin Ray Stone, 29, of Clearlake, and Paul William Braden, 21, and Orlando Joseph Lopez, 23, marked its fifth day on Thursday, as District Attorney Don Anderson continued to work on building a murder case against the three.

The men are charged with the June 18 killing of 4-year-old Skyler Rapp in an attack that also seriously injured his mother, Desiree Kirby, and wounded Kirby's boyfriend, Ross Sparks and his brother, Andrew Sparks; and friends Ian Griffith and Joseph Armijo.

Charges against Stone, Braden and Lopez include murder, mayhem, numerous counts of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon, and many special allegations for the shooting, which police have said was the worst in city history.

Called first to the stand Thursday was Janet Leonor, who lives on 16th Avenue with her granddaughters, Ashli Athas and Alana Conatser, and Athas' boyfriend Leonardo Lopez – Orlando Lopez's younger brother – and their young son.

Leonor said she knew Orlando Lopez, had seen Braden at her home but didn't know him, and didn't know Stone.

On June 18, Leonor said she was at home all day, as was Athas. She recalled several of her granddaughter's friends were over, playing “beer pong” in the backyard. Orlando Lopez and Braden arrived at around 6 p.m. and were gone by 10 p.m.

At some point between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., Leonor saw Lopez and Braden and some others in her garage at a work bench, but couldn't see what they were doing because they were behind a car.

“I don't know exactly what they were doing,” she said. “I saw them in there and I told them to get out. They had no business in my garage.”

After the men left the garage, Leonor closed it up, and said no one else went in, as the only way to open the door was from within her home.

The next day Leonor – who kept her garage tidy – noticed a hacksaw and a regular saw lying on the work bench and hung them back up. She also discovered bolt that had been cut on the work bench. A few days later she turned the saws and bolt over to Clearlake Police Det. Tom Clements.

Later that night, at around 10 p.m., she said she heard a vehicle pull up and Braden – who she described as “tall and bald” at that time – left.

Leonor said she doesn't want alcohol brought to her home, but the young people brought it anyway. She didn't see anybody drinking but said there were empty beer cans everywhere.

She estimated as many as a dozen people were over at her home that day, but she couldn't name all of them. “They come over frequently but I just don't put my nose in their business,” she said.

After 10 p.m., everyone else was gone, and Athas and Leonardo Lopez had gone to bed, but Leonor said she could see the light on under their door. “I did not watch him but I knew he was in the house,” she said of her granddaughter's boyfriend.

The couple never get up before 1 p.m., and they were still in bed the next morning – Sunday, June 19 – when Leonor left for church.

Following Leonor to the stand was the 18-year-old Athas, who has been living with Leonardo Lopez at her grandmother's house for about two years. They have a 1-year-old son.

Athas said she first met Braden last year and had seen him only about half a dozen times since then. She knew of Kevin Stone but hadn't met him; however, she said she recognized him as the driver of a vehicle that pulled up to her house late on June 18.

Her testimony conflicted with her grandmother's in several ways, including the time she believed Braden and Orlando Lopez separately arrived at her home – between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. She said she thought Lopez walked there, and that Braden was dropped off by his father.

Athas said she and her friends weren't drinking or playing beer pong that day, that the beer cans her grandmother reported were from a different day.

She recalled Braden in a cell phone conversation in which he threatened to fight someone. He left the home around 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. with Orlando Lopez and came back about 45 minutes later.

When Braden returned, Athas said he was carrying a black shotgun wrapped in a green-colored plaid jacket.

“I didn't know it was a gun at first,” she said.

She said Braden sat on her patio, pumping and opening the shotgun. He then allegedly asked, “'Hey, can I go saw this off?'” He was referring to the shotgun handle.

Athas said Leonardo Lopez told Braden he could, and then he went with Braden and another man – an alleged member of a local gang, the Avenue Boys – into the garage. She later saw one of the men throw the sawed off handle into a recycling bin. Braden allegedly put duct tape around the remaining handle.

According to Athas, Braden then loaded the shotgun with bright green shells. Braden said “he didn't bring the gun to Clearlake for nothing. He wanted to use it,” Athas said.

He then is alleged to stated several times, “I'm bored, let's go shoot somebody,” Athas said.

But she added, “We weren't really paying attention. It was getting old.”

When Stone pulled up later that night, Athas said he didn't get out of the vehicle. After Stone's arrival, Athas said she saw neither Orlando Lopez nor Braden the rest of the night.

The next day her father called to ask, “Why did I heard your boyfriend's name over the scanner?” Her father told her that he'd heard Leonardo Lopez was involved in the fatal shooting.

Later, while Leonardo Lopez was at the Clearlake Police station speaking to police, Athas said Braden called Lopez's cell phone, which he had left at home.

Athas, who said her family is friends with the family of Skyler Rapp, said of her conversation with Braden, “It was kinda like my family that he shot at, and he said, 'I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry.'”

She added, “I was upset and I told him, and I hung up on him.”

Athas would speak to Clearlake Police Sgt. Tim Celli on June 20, telling him that Braden wasn't at the house and stating she couldn't see the driver of the vehicle that picked him up.

However, that story changed by June 21, when she spoke with Celli again and admitted that she had lied due to fear of retaliation, an issue Doug Rhoades, Stephen Carter and Komnith Moth – the defense attorneys for Braden, Lopez and Stone, respectively – would pursue closely in their separate cross-examinations of Athas.

Athas said she was afraid because she had heard that Braden's family was in the Aryan Brotherhood and that his father was a Hells Angel member.

Leonardo Lopez also had received a phone call from a female friend of Skyler Rapp's family, who said that the family had indicated they would go after Lopez's sister, Whitney, and her unborn child, as well as Athas and her son, and the rest of the Lopez family.

But Athas said she was motivated to overcome her fear and tell Celli the truth because of the slain little boy who “didn't deserve it.” She also eas upset “that Paul was almost getting away with it.”

Carter asked Athas about her knowledge of the “Avenue Boys,” a local gang of young men who live in the city's Avenues area. She said she used to go to school with them, and one of her friends dates an Avenue Boy. “They just used to dress up in red,” she said.

Anderson made frequent objections that Hedstrom sustained as Carter attempted to ask Athas more questions about the group, including members she knew. During questioning she denied Leonardo Lopez was a member of the group, and she also maintained he was not involved in a fight on June 9 in which Sparks' cousin Josh Gamble was assaulted.

A borrowed vehicle, and views of the scene

During the afternoon session, Crystal Painchaud – cousin of Leighann Painchaud, Stone's girlfriend – testified to loaning her 1989 Nissan Axxess to Leighann Painchaud and Stone on the night of the shooting, estimating to police that the couple came by to pick up the keys around 10:30 p.m.

They were supposed to return the vehicle later that night, but instead Leighann Painchaud arrived at about 11 p.m. to deliver a key ring with all of Crystal Painchaud's keys except the vehicle key. Leighann Painchaud claimed to have left it parked at her cousin's apartment in her parking spot, but it wasn't there, and she stopped answering her cell phone.

Crystal Painchaud said she found out on Facebook at about 11:30 p.m. that night that a shooting had taken place. She said she then called police to report her missing vehicle.

She and a friend later went driving around town trying to find it. They came up to a police roadblock on Lakeshore near the police station, so they went down a back road and found the vehicle crashed at the intersection of Lupoyoma and Koloko.

Painchaud said she got into the car and found an unexpended shotgun shell sitting on the passenger seat. She picked it up to show her friend, who said to put it down. She called police to tell them she had found the vehicle; they told her to go home and wait for them.

The day's last witness was Clearlake Police Det. Tim Alvarado, one of the case's investigators who arrived at the shooting scene early on the morning of Sunday, June 19.

By the time Alvarado arrived, Skyler Rapp and the rest of the shooting victims had been transported, Alvarado said.

He said as he walked around the scene, he observed several green expended shotgun shells on the ground near a fence separating Sparks' and Kirby's home from a neighbor's, along with holes inside the apartment building, blood stains on the ground and a cell phone.

He said they found evidence of two kinds of ammunition, smaller diameter pellets like bird shot and larger double ought buckshot.

Sgt. Tim Celli called Alvarado to alert him to a possible suspect vehicle – which turned out to be Painchaud's Axxess that Stone is alleged to have crashed at the intersection of Lupoyoma and Koloko.

Alvarado recounted an interview with a neighbor of Sparks' and Kirby's who witnessed the first blasts of gunfire and saw Skyler Rapp fall to the ground, where she reported he lay shaking.

The woman claimed she saw both Orlando Lopez and Paul Braden with shotguns at the fence, but during testimony Alvarado said the woman failed to pick the two men out of photo lineups.

Alvarado attended Skyler Rapp's autopsy in Sacramento on June 22. The pathologist said the child suffered several entry wounds, most of them “through and though.”

According to Alvarado, the pathologist ruled the child's cause of death as multiple gunshot wounds.

The shotgun blasts struck “essentially every major organ in the child's body,” perforating the boy's heart, both lungs, hitting his spinal cord and damaging his liver, Alvarado said.

Testimony will resume Friday morning.

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 .

Richard Alan Headrick of Clearlake, Calif., was sentenced to 16 years in prison on Tuesday, October 4, 2011, for a case involving the molestation of a young girl over a seven-year period. Lake County Jail photo.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – At his sentencing earlier this week, a Clearlake man received a 16-year prison sentence for molesting a young girl over a seven-year period.

On Tuesday, Oct. 4, Richard Alan Headrick, 55, was sentenced by Judge Stephen Hedstrom to the maximum term of 16 years in state prison for one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child, according to the Lake County District Attorney's Office.

Headrick had pleaded guilty to the charge on Sept. 7, the District Attorney's Office reported.

Because the charge is classified as a violent felony, Headrick will have to serve 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole. The District Attorney's Office said Headrick will be required to register as a sex offender, and will be subject to parole supervision for 20 years.

The investigation, by Clearlake Police Department Det. Tim Alvarado and Sgt. Tom Clements, disclosed that Headrick lived in a home which belonged to a relative of the minor victim, where she regularly stayed after school.

Headrick began sexually abusing the victim when she was 5 years old. The molestation continued for approximately seven years and ended only when the victim became old enough to stay at her own home after school, according to the investigation.

The victim did not disclose the abuse for approximately two years, which the District Attorney's Office said is common in such situations.

In late May, the girl told her mother that Headrick had molested her, and her mother immediately contacted the Clearlake Police Department. Shortly afterwards Headrick, who had been made aware of the investigation by family members, voluntarily came to the Clearlake Police Department and made a full confession to Sgt. Clements, officials reported.

In selecting the maximum term, Judge Hedstrom found that this case was aggravated by several circumstances, including the fact that the abuse continued regularly for seven years and included substantial sexual conduct; that the victim was particularly vulnerable because of her age at the time the molestation began; and that there had been significant emotional injury to the victim and her family.

Headrick was represented by Jacob Zamora. The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Ed Borg. District Attorney Investigator Denise Hinchcliff also participated in the investigation.

The victim and her family are receiving services through the Lake County District Attorney’s Victim-Witness division.

The District Attorney’s Office commended the courage of the victim in this case. By coming forward and disclosing the abuse she suffered, she made it possible for Headrick to be prosecuted and punished to the fullest extent of the law, officials said.

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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The lead investigator in a fatal June 18 shooting took the stand on Wednesday as the preliminary for the three suspects in the case moved into its fourth day.

Kevin Ray Stone, 29, of Clearlake, and Paul William Braden, 21, and Orlando Joseph Lopez, 23, returned to Judge Stephen Hedstrom's Clearlake courtroom on Wednesday for the proceedings, during which District Attorney Don Anderson called Clearlake Police Det. Tom Clements to the stand.

Stone, Braden and Lopez are facing charges of murder, mayhem, numerous counts of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon, and many special allegations for the June 18 shooting at a Lakeshore Drive apartment that killed 4-year-old Skyler Rapp; wounded his mother, Desiree Kirby; her boyfriend, Ross Sparks and his brother, Andrew Sparks; and friends Ian Griffith and Joseph Armijo.

Clements' testimony focused primarily on his interviews with Stone, Braden and Lopez, as well as evidence relating to the weapons allegedly used in the fatal shooting.

In previous testimony, Kirby, the Sparks brothers, their cousin Josh Gamble and Griffith – whose testimony finished Wednesday morning before Clements was called – all said they heard different kinds of gunfire, with Gamble stating he saw someone shooting a handgun.

While police received information that a handgun and a shotgun with the butt sawed off were used in the shooting, Clements said neither weapon was located.

The only evidence of that altered shotgun was what appeared to be a bolt sawed from a shotgun handle and a hacksaw with metal shavings in its teeth, which Clements said were recovered from the home of a Clearlake woman whose granddaughter dates Lopez's younger brother Leonardo.

Police did find a shotgun in the apartment of Stone's girlfriend, and a .22 rifle left under a motorhome in a yard along a route the men allegedly used to leave the scene of the shooting, Clements said.

Two types of ammunition – lead double ought buckshot and smaller steel duck shot – were used in the incident. Three spent shotgun shells were found at the scene and one unexpended shell was discovered in a van Stone allegedly crashed while fleeing, Clements said.

Clements said he first contacted Braden in the early morning hours of June 20, when he considered Braden a “person of interest” and not yet a suspect.

Clearlake Police had been in Middletown following up on leads on another suspect when a policy dispatcher received an anonymous tip that Braden was bragging about doing the shooting, according to Clements.

Clements said Braden was taken into custody on a parole hold and interviewed at the Clearlake Police Department, where he stated that on June 18 he had been at the 16^th Avenue home of Leonardo Lopez's girlfriend and her grandmother.

Braden claimed he was picked up by his father that night at about 10 p.m., returning to his father's Clearlake Oaks home. Clements said Braden denied knowing Stone, and said he wasn't involved in any shooting.

While Braden insisted his father had given him a ride home on the night of June 18, his father, Richard Braden, said in a Sept. 21 interview that while he received a text from his son at about 10:56 p.m. that night, he didn't pick him up because he had taken medications and couldn't drive, Clements said.

Clements said he and fellow Clearlake Police Det. Tim Alvarado went to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office early on the morning of July 1 to interview Stone, who had been arrested in Sonoma County.

Prior to beginning the interview, Clements said he advised Stone of his Miranda rights, and Stone said there were certain things he didn't want to talk to them about without an attorney present.

Stone's attorney, Komnith Moth, objected to Clements' testimony, arguing to the court that Stone had effectively asserted his right to have an attorney present during the interrogation.

Braden's attorney, Doug Rhoades, and Lopez's attorney, Stephen Carter, joined the objection, raising separate issues about the admissibility of the statements and how they would affect their clients.

The hearing, which had only at that point been convened for a little over an hour, recessed for an hour and 15 minutes while Hedstrom and the attorneys went to study the issues further.

After the research recess, Hedstrom said it wasn't clear whether Stone's Miranda rights had been violated. He said he wanted to hear the testimony, ultimately ruling that he would allow it and deal with the motion of its admissibility later, once he knew its content and context.

The hours before the shooting

Clements explained that Stone told him that on June 18 he got a call from Lopez and Braden asked for a ride to go pick up some drugs. When Stone picked them up at the 16th Avenue residence, he said both were wearing black.

Stone and girlfriend Leighann Painchaud picked the men up in a red van owned by a relative of Painchaud. They drove back to Painchaud's apartment on Old Highway 53, where Stone and Painchaud went inside while Braden and Lopez remained in vehicle, Clements said.

Clearlake Police officers later served a search warrant on Painchaud's apartment, where a Browning semiautomatic shotgun was found stashed in between mattresses in a bedroom, Clements said.

When Clements asked Stone about that shotgun and if he had taken it out of the apartment, Stone allegedly said he didn't, that it was inoperable and then made a spontaneous statement that if he took a gun out of the apartment it would have been a .22.

According to the account Stone gave Clements, Stone left the apartment, where Painchaud stayed, and went back to the van driving to a home near the police department.

Clements said at that point in the interview Stone said he didn't want to talk about that part without an attorney. Stone then allegedly made another spontaneous statement: “If I was there Paul Braden was doing the shooting. I would stand up all day and point at him.”

After the shooting, Stone had driven from the scene, crashing at a nearby intersection. Stone told Clements that if he crashed the van, “It was because of all the crazy s**t that happened.”

Clements said he interviewed Lopez twice, once on June 20 and the second time on June 28. Lopez was under arrest both times; he had been arrested and later released, only to be rearrested and charged in the case.

According to Clements, Lopez gave more than one account of what occurred June 18.

Lopez told Clements he and Braden were at the home on 16^th Avenue when they called Stone asking for a ride. Stone and Painchaud came by, picked them up, and they drove back to Painchaud's apartment.

Stone left the two men in the vehicle and went into the apartment with Painchaud, only to emerge alone about five minutes later with what appeared to be a shotgun in his jacket, according to Lopez's statement to Clements.

With Lopez in the front passenger seat and Braden in the back seat, Stone – who Lopez said was drunk – was “driving crazy” on the way to the home of Ross Sparks, Lopez told Clements.

Stone parked the van by a house not far from the Clearlake Police Department, and Stone and Braden then allegedly got out of the van – one of them had a weapon, Lopez couldn't specify who – and headed off toward a home, according to Clements.

Lopez told Clements he remained in the vehicle and heard three to four shots before Stone and Braden came running back to the van, which Stone crashed a few blocks from the scene after taking off.

Lopez's other account of the events had him getting out of the van and going with Braden and Stone into the backyard of Curtis Eeds – Sparks' and Kirby's neighbor – with Braden allegedly armed with a shotgun with a sawed off handle.

Lopez told Clements that both Stone and Braden had shotguns, and alleged that Braden ran up to the fence that separated the properties and shot through an opening where boards were missing – where shooting victims have testified to seeing muzzle blasts – and also had shot over the fence.

“After the shots were fired they all ran back to the van,” Clements said.

Stone drove east on Lupoyoma Street, crashing the van into a tree and rock at the intersection with Koloko Street. After the crash, Lopez said he ran to the home of James Jordan – known as “Goofy,” who had been seen drinking beer and hanging out in Sparks' yard shortly before the shooting – and told Clements he hadn't seen Stone or Braden since that night.

In still another story, Lopez offered three versions of how a black pump shotgun was dropped off at the 16^th Avenue home – by someone in a van, by a woman in a light green van and by an older man in a pickup said to be Braden's uncle, who he and Stone walked down 18^th Avenue to meet.

Lopez told Braden sawed the butt off the shotgun and wrapped the pistol grip in duct tape before calling Stone for a ride, ending up at Eeds' home, with Braden shooting through the fence.

On the way from Painchaud's apartment to the shooting site, Lopez told Clements that Braden talked about wanting to shoot somebody and wanting to shoot up Ross Sparks' home. Lopez also said Braden had an argument with Sparks on Lopez's cell phone.

After the shooting, the three men escaped in the van, which Stone crashed, with Lopez telling Clements that he ran down Koloko Street to Woodland Drive, followed by Stone and Braden, until they ended up in Clearlake Park.

Lopez told Clements that Braden's mother drove from Clearlake Oaks to pick them up, but Braden's mother said she had picked them up a night earlier.

Clements said the .22 rifle police recovered in early July was found by a child underneath a motorhome at the corner of Koloko and Woodland, five blocks from Sparks' home. Clements said it was found on a route consistent with Lopez's story of the men running from the scene.

Testimony will resume at 8:15 a.m. Thursday.

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 .

SACRAMENTO – Illegal tobacco sales to minors have fallen to their lowest level on record in California, according to a report from the California Department of Public Health.

The 2011 Youth Tobacco Purchase Survey found that tobacco sales to minors at retail outlets occurred at a rate of 5.6 percent – the lowest rate in the survey’s 16-year history.

“It is important to protect our youth from using tobacco which is deadly and addictive,” said California Department of Public Health Dr. Ron Chapman. “We are proud that fewer retailers are selling cigarettes to minors, but we have more work to do to guarantee that all kids in California grow up tobacco-free.”

When the state first started monitoring illegal sales of tobacco in 1995, teens participating in the survey were able to buy tobacco products during 37 percent of tobacco purchase attempts.

It has steadily gone down in recent years from 8.6 percent in 2009 to 7.7 percent in 2010 and 5.6 percent this year.

Although the illegal sales rate to minors was lower than previous years, there are still store types with high illegal sales rates.

Stores that are considered non-traditional tobacco retailers, including donut shops, discount stores, deli/meat markets, gift stores and produce markets, have a higher illegal sale rate (9.8 percent average).

Non-traditional stores with the highest rates are deli/meat markets (11.6 percent) and discount/gift stores (8.3 percent). This is about twice as high as traditional tobacco retailers, which include liquor stores, convenience stores with and without gas, supermarkets, drug stores/pharmacy, gas stations and tobacco shops, which average 4.8 percent.

Traditional retailers with the lowest illegal sales rates included liquor stores (1.3 percent), convenience stores with and without gas (5.3 and 4.9 percent) and tobacco shops (6.5 percent).

The state’s adult smoking prevalence rate is 11.9 percent, second lowest in the nation. Since 1989, California’s tobacco control efforts have saved 1 million lives and an estimated $86 billion in health care and other costs to society.

This annual survey of illegal sales of cigarettes to minors is conducted to gauge the rate of illegal tobacco sales across California and to comply with the Stop Tobacco Access to Kids Enforcement (STAKE) Act (B & P Code 22950-22963).

All U.S. states and territories are required to assess their rate of illegal sales of tobacco to youth pursuant to the Federal Synar Amendment. California retailers caught selling tobacco products to minors are subject to fines ranging from $200 to $6,000.

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The abalone season remains open in the rest of the Northern California coastal counties – Marin, Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte – according to the California Department of Fish and Game.

On Oct. 4, the Office of Administrative Law approved the emergency regulations for an abalone closure on the Sonoma County coast. The regulations became effective upon filing with the Secretary of State at 2:42 p.m. Wednesday.

On Sept. 15, the California Fish and Game Commission voted to close the fishery. This action was taken in the wake of confirmed reports of dead red abalone and other invertebrates on beaches and inside coves along the coast in these areas.

Data continue to be collected that shows an abalone die-off along the Sonoma coast beginning Aug. 27.

According to Department of Fish and Game biologists, these abalone deaths coincided with a local red tide bloom and calm ocean conditions.

Although the exact reasons for the abalone deaths are not known, invertebrate die-offs have occurred in the past along the Northern California coast due to lack of oxygen and/or poisoning when similar weather and bloom conditions existed but not at the magnitude of this event.

Reports of dead abalone and a variety of other invertebrates have come from Bodega Bay, Russian Gulch, Fort Ross, Timber Cove and Salt Point State Park in Sonoma County and as far north as Anchor Bay in Mendocino County.

Other Department of Fish and Game biologists and game wardens have been collecting abalone, mussels and water samples since the problem started and are continuing to document reports from the public

The public is encouraged to report the location, date, and number of dead or dying abalone to Ian Taniguchi at 562-342-7182 or by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Divers are encouraged to avoid diving in the affected areas and cannot take abalone. Take is defined in Section 86 of the Fish and Game Code as “hunt, pursue, catch, capture, or kill, or attempt to hunt, pursue, catch, capture, or kill.”

Abalone fishermen are advised to contact a physician immediately if they become sick, and to report symptoms to the local county health department (www.sonomacounty.org/health/about/publichealth.asp).

The latest red tide updates from the California Department of Public Health are also posted online at www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/Pages/DDWEM.aspx.

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