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VIDEO: Deputies, Clearlake Police apprehend suspect in Northern California bank robberies
CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – An Antioch man suspected of a series of bank robberies in Northern California was arrested Sunday morning in Clearlake Oaks, with authorities releasing video of a high speed pursuit with the man and his subsequent arrest.
Wesley Allen Krohn, 31, was arrested in the case, according to Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
At 8 a.m. Sunday the Lake County Sheriff’s Office received information from the Clearlake Police Department that Krohn was at a residence in Glenhaven, Brooks said.
Brooks said Krohn was reported to have made statements that he would “shoot it out” if he was ever contacted by law enforcement.
Sheriff's deputies and Clearlake Police Department officers responded to the area and staged at a location within close proximity of the Glenhaven residence, Brooks said.
Krohn was observed leaving the area of the address and heading eastbound on Highway 20. Brooks said a sheriff’s deputy pulled in behind the suspect vehicle and confirmed it was registered to Krohn.
The suspect vehicle turned into the parking lot of a business and then left the business heading westbound on Highway 20 at a high rate of speed, Brooks said.
Deputies and Clearlake Police officers attempted to overtake Krohn's vehicle, which Brooks said was traveling at approximately 80 miles per hour.
As they approached Highway 20 and Foothill, Brooks said a deputy noticed that Krohn was several hundred yards ahead, was still accelerating and starting to pull away from the two pursuing law enforcement vehicles.
A deputy, who had taken a position at Lakeview Drive and Highway 20, deployed his spike strip as the suspect vehicle approached his location. Brooks said the spike strip was successful in deflating the tires on Krohn’s vehicle.
The pursuit continued for a short distance until Krohn brought the vehicle to a stop in the middle of Highway 20 near Pingree Road, Brooks said.
Krohn exited the vehicle and started running southbound toward the shore of Clear Lake. Brooks said a deputy exited his vehicle and ordered Krohn to get down on the ground with his hands extended to his side.
The deputy noticed Krohn reach for a semiautomatic pistol from the area of his waistband and throw it to the ground. Brooks said Krohn then was taken into custody without further incident.
Clearlake Police officers later took custody of Krohn and transported him to their department office for further investigation, Brooks said.
Krohn later was transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility, where he was booked on a federal no-bail warrant and numerous local charges, according to Brooks.
Sheriff Brian Martin thanked his deputies and dispatchers as well as the officers from Clearlake Police Department who worked together to ensure Krohn – who authorities called a “dangerous criminal” – was taken into custody.
Video of the pursuit and Krohn's capture can be seen above.
Appellate court upholds supervisors' decision not to rehire sheriff's sergeant
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – An appellate court has upheld the Board of Supervisors' October 2011 decision not to rehire a sheriff's sergeant who an independent hearing officer suggested should be reinstated.
Last week the First Appellate District Court of Appeal handed down the ruling in the case of James Beland, who filed suit against the county in order to get his job back.
When contacted by Lake County News about the case, Beland declined to comment. His attorney, Scott Lewis of Santa Rosa, did not respond to messages requesting a statement on the outcome and any possible next steps.
Then-Sheriff Rod Mitchell fired Beland in December 2008 for a list of reasons including insubordination, willful disobedience, dishonesty, criticism of orders and “failure of good behavior” causing discredit to the department, according to case documents.
The sheriff's office conducted eight internal affairs investigations of Beland from April 2007 to June 2008, with the first two relating to an incident in which it was alleged that Beland struck a subordinate on the head.
One of the key issues under review was his conflicting statements to investigating officers and in court testimony about having wanted to administer a breathalyzer test to then-Chief Deputy Russell Perdock, who was driving a speedboat that collided with a sailboat in April 2006 on Clear Lake, resulting in one fatality.
Beland said he was ordered by more senior personnel at the scene not to give the test, but instead to take Perdock to St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake for a blood draw.
After Beland's firing there was an administrative hearing process leading to a hearing officer's suggestion that he be rehired. The hearing officer concluded that the county hadn't established by a preponderance of evidence that Beland was dismissed for cause and disagreed that he was insubordinate.
The hearing officer also said she couldn't conclude that Beland was being intentionally misleading about his boat crash case statements, instead suggesting that it was “a matter of over-reliance on memory weakened by the passage of time.”
Additionally, the hearing officer concluded that Beland was entitled to be “reinstated to his former position without loss of seniority or other contract benefits, and made whole for any and all loss of earnings occasioned by his dismissal.”
As the result of a closed session discussion, the Board of Supervisors accepted the hearing officer's factual findings but disagreed with her conclusions about whether Beland had been insubordinate, willfully disobedient or dishonest, and rejected the recommendation that he be rehired, case documents explained.
The vote to deny Beland's appeal was 4-1, with Supervisor Anthony Farrington the lone dissenter, according to board voting records.
Beland subsequently sued, arguing that the board exceeded its power under a memorandum of understanding with the deputies' union to reject the hearing officer's decision, and also alleged that the closed session discussion violated his rights under the Brown Act and voided his termination.
The appellate court, however, found the memorandum of understanding authorized the board to reject the recommendation for rehire, and that the board did not violate the Brown Act.
A month after the board made its decision, Beland responded with a $3.7 million tort claim that later was rejected. He followed up by filing a civil case against the county in 2012 to seek monetary damages.
Because Beland's wrongful termination lawsuit remains active, County Counsel Anita Grant told Lake County News that there was little she could say in response to the appellate court ruling.
Grant said that, as of Friday, the county had received no indication from Beland or his attorney about what actions may be taken next in that suit.
The county successfully sought a stay of Beland's civil complaint pending the outcome of the writ of administrative mandamus he was seeking from the appellate court, based on the case files. A stipulation and order for that stay was filed in March 2014.
Court records showed that on Jan. 12 a case management conference was held in the case, with the minutes of that hearing indicating the superior court was still awaiting the outcome of the appellate court, which filed its decision Jan. 19.
The next case management conference in the case is set for April 19 in Lake County Superior Court.
The appellate court's decision said that the county of Lake “shall recover its costs on appeal.”
“It's not a huge amount,” said Grant, who didn't have an estimated number handy, saying it was likely still being calculated and would mostly cover case filing costs only.
“Costs don't ever include attorney's fees unless it's specifically ordered and it wasn't in this case,” she said.
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Kelseyville woman arrested for head-on DUI crash; police seeking witnesses
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lakeport Police officers arrested a Kelseyville woman for drunk driving on Friday night following a head-on drunk driving crash that injured two people, one seriously.
Athina Marlene Cook, 31, was arrested for felony drunk driving causing injury, reckless driving on a highway, driving while on drunk driving court probation, reckless driving causing a specified injury, reckless driving with injury and for being in violation of probation, according to Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen.
At approximately 10:30 p.m. Friday Lakeport Police officers were dispatched to the 1000 block of Lakeport Boulevard to investigate the report of a head-on vehicle collision. While en route to the scene officers were further advised that one of the involved drivers may be intoxicated, Rasmussen said.
Upon arrival, officers determined that two vehicles – a blue 2012 Scion IQ driven by Cook and a red 1999 Honda CRV – had collided head-on in the eastbound lane of Lakeport Boulevard, Rasmussen said.
The driver of the Honda was identified as a 19-year-old Lakeport female who is approximately 9 months pregnant. Rasmussen said at the time of the collision it was not known if she suffered any serious injuries.
He said a 21-year-old Lakeport man who was riding as a passenger in the Honda suffered serious injuries including possible broken bones.
Both victims were transported to Sutter Lakeside Hospital for treatment. No further information on their condition was available Saturday afternoon, Rasmussen said.
Rasmussen said that during the investigation, officers gathered information to indicate that, at the time of the collision, Cook's vehicle was traveling west in the eastbound lane of Lakeport Boulevard at up to 60 miles per hour.
Emergency medical units from the Lakeport Fire Protection District evaluated Cook at the scene and determined that she did not have any injuries requiring her to be transported to a hospital, Rasmussen said.
He said officers evaluated Cook, determined that she was intoxicated and placed her under arrest. During the investigation officers determined that Cook was currently on probation for a prior drunk driving conviction.
Officers transported Cook to Sutter Lakeside Hospital where she submitted to a blood alcohol test and also was medically cleared for booking. Rasmussen said on Saturday afternoon that her blood alcohol results were not yet available.
Police then transported Cook to the Lake County Correctional Facility where she was booked, Rasmussen said.
Cook, whose booking sheet lists her occupation as a nurse, is being held without bail.
Rasmussen said Lakeport Police officers last arrested Cook for drunk driving at 2 a.m. Oct. 7, 2012, after she came close to hitting an officer and three citizens on Armstrong Street while driving with a blood alcohol level of more than twice the legal limit.
In that case, the officer was only able to order the citizens out of the way and get out of the way himself within seconds of being hit, Rasmussen said.
Cook's vehicle was impounded for evidence and is pending further examination, Rasmussen said.
He said the investigation remains ongoing, and if anyone witnessed this collision or has information regarding Cook’s intoxicated and dangerous driving prior to the collision, police ask that you contact Officer Dustin Roderick at 707-263-5491, Extension 17, or by email at
“We ask that all drivers keep our streets safe and not drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs,” said Rasmussen. “Call a friend, family member or a taxi, it is not worth risking other people’s lives.”
He asked that community members call 911 to report all suspected drunk drivers on streets and highways.
“Lakeport Police patrol officers will continue to aggressively search for those choosing to drive impaired and endangering our streets,” Rasmussen said.
Clearlake Police Department honors officers, retiring K9s
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – At Thursday's Clearlake City Council meeting, the Clearlake Police Department introduced a new officer, honored another for outstanding work and bid farewell to two retiring police K9s.
Acting Chief Tim Celli made the presentations, and starting off by introducing Jared Nixon, the agency's newest officer.
Nixon, 26, had been with the city for 10 weeks and currently is in the field officer training program. He's a military veteran, having served five years as a hospital corpsman, and he attended Santa Rosa Junior College.
Celli also introduced Officer Joseph Myers, presenting him with a certificate of commendation for his work to investigate an armed robbery at Bank of the West in July.
Myers' efforts contributed to the arrest in October of suspect Samuel Campbell, who the Federal Bureau of Investigation took into custody in Flint, Mich.
Celli said Myers investigated the armed robbery and worked every available lead, reaching out to the FBI for its assistance.
Latent fingerprints taken at the bank were sent to the California Department of Justice lab, which identified them as belonging to Campbell, a former New York resident who had been staying in Clearlake, according to Celli.
In November the Clearlake Police Department received a letter from Bank of the West commending Myers for his work, and describing his efforts to keep the bank informed throughout the investigation.
“Had it not been for your dedication to the city and this investigation, it's possible an arrest would not have been made,” Celli said before shaking Myers' hand.
Celli then introduced the retiring K9 teams, Sgt. Travis Lenz and Dex, and Det. Elvis Cook and Max. Both dogs are Belgian Malinois.
Lenz and Cook themselves aren't retiring but going on to other assignments, but their four-legged partners will be hanging up their badges. Celli said the department has plans to acquire new police K9s.
Lenz started with the department in 2009, and Dex – trained in apprehension and narcotics detection – arrived in 2010. They were paired in 2014, Celli said.
Cook joined the Clearlake Police Department in 2011, coming from the Lake County Sheriff's Office, where he had experience as a K9 handler. In 2012 he was paired with Max, who Celli said had been donated by another law enforcement agency.
“Sgt. Lenz and Det. Cook are specifically trained to assist patrol officers and other law enforcement personnel in their work, searching for lost people, looking for crime scene evidence and protecting the public,” Celli said.
Celli said k9 handlers must be flexible in thinking and able to make decisions on the fly, and work long and strenuous hours.
“As a police K9 officer you have to learn to think differently, not as a police officer with a dog, but as a dog handler,” Celli said.
He said the teams have been extremely successful, with both both Lenz and Cook having excellent work records. They've succeeded in getting numerous suspect surrenders and narcotics detections.
Also important are their public demonstrations, as Celli said it's vital to the success of a good K9 program to get public support.
Celli presented plaques to the teams. He explained that Cook has been promoted to detective and Lenz has been promoted to sergeant, and also is taking over the duties of the K9 supervisor.
Both men purchased the dogs, who will stay with them for the rest of their lives, Celli said.
Mayor Russ Perdock called for a break so the officers and their families could take pictures, and both dogs got hugs from the officers' children.
The Clearlake Police K9 Program can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CPDK9/?fref=ts .
Email Elizabeth Larson at
