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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
Police arrest three at red-tagged Clearlake home
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – On Saturday the Clearlake Police Department arrested three people on various charges after finding them in a red-tagged residence in the city.
Arrested were Clearlake resident Marcus James Kirk, 41; Ashley Inet King, 27; and 32-year-old Justin Lee Beebe, the agency said.
At 10:30 a.m. Saturday Officer Michael Perreault responded to a report of several subjects inside a red-tagged residence located in the 14500 block of Uhl Avenue.
In the city of Clearlake, structures are only red-tagged by Clearlake Code Enforcement when they are not safe for habitation, according to the police report.
Being on the property of a red-tagged structure can be a violation of the Uniform Housing Code depending on the purpose for being on the property and the time and day of the week, police reported.
When Officer Perreault arrived he located numerous persons inside the residence. One subject – identified as Kirk – was seen walking out of a rear empty bathroom.
Perreault located a loaded firearm in the bathroom Kirk had just exited. Kirk was found to be a convicted felon and placed under arrest for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
King also was located at the residence. Police said she was found to be in possession of two pieces of identification from two other Clearlake residents who reported being prior victims of theft, with these specific pieces of identification reported stolen.
King was arrested and charged with possession of stolen property, police said.
In front of the residence was parked a newer white Subaru SUV that police said was displaying paper dealer plates as if the vehicle had recently been purchased.
Beebe, who also was inside the home with the others, claimed that he was borrowing the vehicle from a friend and was in possession of the vehicle keys, police said.
Upon checking the vehicle identification number, Perreault found that the Subaru was a stolen vehicle out of Sparks, Nev. The vehicle had been stolen from the owner’s driveway back in November 2015.
Beebe was charged with possession of stolen property, police said.
The remaining persons at the residence were allowed to leave without charges, according to police.
Beebe, King and Kirk all were later booked into the Lake County Jail, with their bail set at $15,000; $5,000; and $15,000, respectively, according to jail records.
Beebe and Kirk remained in custody early Saturday, with King having been released after posting the required portion of bail.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact Officer Perreault at 707-994-8251, Extension 519.
Police investigate armed robbery, arrest person of interest for firearm charges
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A Clearlake man has been taken into custody on firearm-related charges and also has been named a person of interest in a Saturday morning armed robbery.
The Clearlake Police Department said it has arrested 20-year-old Isaiah Matthew Dominguez.
In the early morning hours on Saturday the Clearlake Police Department received a report of a robbery with the use of a firearm in the 3500 block of Moose Trail in Clearlake, the agency reported.
Police said the victim did not suffer any serious injuries.
During that investigation, the department said leads were followed up on which led officers to a residence also in the 3500 block of Moose Trail.
Officers subsequently conducted a probation search of the residence, finding a loaded firearm in the process, the agency said.
Police said Dominguez was arrested for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, and a felony probation violation, and booked into the Lake County Jail.
Dominguez also is a person of interest in the robbery case, which the Clearlake Police Department said is still under investigation.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact Officer Jesse Scott. He can be reached at 707-994-8251, Extension 544.
Police arrest Lower Lake man who held woman at gunpoint
LAKEPORT, Calif. – A Lower Lake man is in custody after police say he held a woman at gunpoint early Thursday and threatened to kill her and himself.
Police arrested 37-year-old Charles Light Perkins early Thursday, according to a report from Lakeport Police Sgt. Gary Basor.
At 1 a.m. Thursday Lakeport Police officers were dispatched to 1247 Hartley Road and 13th Street in response to a 911 call from a female reporting a domestic disturbance, Basor said.
Upon their arrival Basor said the officers met with the female who told them that Perkins, who had been drinking, became violent, punching holes in walls.
Perkins grabbed a handgun from the woman's dresser and threatened to kill her and then himself, according to Basor.
Basor said the woman was able to get away and go to a neighbor’s residence to call 911. Perkins took the females’ cell phone and handgun, and then left in the female’s vehicle.
Lakeport Police officers – with the assistance of the cell phone company – were able to track the cell phone to an address in Baylis Cove in Lower Lake, Basor said.
Basor said deputies from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded to the address, located Perkins and took him into custody.
Lakeport Police officers also responded to the location and took custody of Perkins, arresting him on five felony charges: robbery, assault with a firearm, criminal threats, grand theft and vehicle theft.
Perkins was booked into the Lake County Jail with a bail of $150,000, Basor said.
Basor said the woman's vehicle was located a short distance away from where Perkins resided. Lakeport Officers impounded the vehicle for evidence and later collected evidence from it.
A search warrant also was obtained to search Perkins’ residence in Baylis Cove for evidence, Basor said.
Basor said Perkins is reported to be a military veteran possibly suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.
Perkins remained in custody on Saturday, according to booking records.
