Clearlake Police K9 helps catch Vallejo man wanted on felony warrant

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A Vallejo man wanted on a felony warrant was taken into custody on Monday with the help of a Clearlake Police K9.

“Dex” assisted in apprehending Brandon Conwell, 25, according to a report from Sgt. Tim Hobbs.

Hobbs said that just before noon on Monday Clearlake Police officers responded to a residence in the 15000 block of Pineview Drive to serve an outstanding felony arrest warrant on Conwell.

Clearlake Police had received information Conwell was at the residence on Pineview Drive and possibly had a firearm, Hobbs said.

When officers arrived, Conwell was standing in the driveway of the residence and fled into the back yard. Hobbs said Conwell then climbed over several fences while running through neighboring yards as officers were chasing after him.

Officers lost sight of Conwell in the backyard of a residence several house west of where he had run from, Hobbs said.

Hobbs said there was on open rear sliding glass door at the residence. Officers surrounded the house and contacted the sole occupant on her front porch. She stated she was alone in the house and gave permission for officers to check inside. The resident then secured her two dogs.

Officer Michael Carpenter gave numerous announcements that he was going to deploy Dex, his K9 partner, into the house if Conwell did not come out. Hobbs said Conwell refused to come out and Dex was sent into the home.

A short time later “Dex” apprehended Conwell hiding under a bed in one of the bedrooms. Hobbs said Conwell was arrested for the warrant and resisting arrest.

Conwell was briefly treated by medical personnel from the Lake County Fire Protection District at the scene prior to being transported to St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake for treatment, according to Hobbs.

After being medically cleared for incarceration, Conwell was transported to the Lake County Jail, Hobbs said.

Police make arrests in three burglary cases, recover thousands of dollars in stolen property

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A Clearlake Police Department investigation has resulted in several arrests and the recovery of thousands of dollars' worth of stolen property in connection to three burglary cases in the city.

The agency reported Wednesday that its officers arrested Clearlake residents Shelly Leann Brown, 30; Robert Eugene Bradley, 32; Charles Edward Young, 46; Ronald Lee Whitmire, 44; and Crystal Cruise, 28, on various charges during the course of the investigation.

On Monday at 2 a.m. Clearlake Police officers responded to a residential alarm call in the 14400 block of Ridge Road. The report said officers arrived at the residence and discovered an opened door. Officers searched the home for suspects and none were located.

Officers learned the homeowner lived out of the area and was not able to respond. The report said officers were able to partially resecure the residence before clearing the call. It was not known if the residence had actually been burglarized at that time.

At about 4 a.m. that same day, officers responded back to the same address for another alarm call. Clearlake Police reported that when its officers arrived they discovered the door they had found open during the earlier call was once again open.

Officers reentered the home and again found no one inside, police said. This time officers noticed two off-road motorcycles were missing from the garage area which had been in the garage during the earlier alarm call.

Officers Trevor Franklin and Michael Ray found apparent tire tracks and drag marks leading from the residence to a nearby residence on Jago Avenue, police said.

Officer Franklin looked over a tall wooden fence at the Jago Avenue residence and observed two off-road motorcycles in the backyard. The report said Franklin recognized these two motorcycles as being the ones he had seen in the garage at the time of the earlier alarm call.

Additionally, officers located shoe print impressions leading from the victim residence to the Jago Avenue home where the two stolen motorcycles were then located, police said.

Officers made contact at the home and met with the three occupants, identified as Brown, Bradley and Young, with Young being a resident of the Jago Avenue home. Police said all three suspects denied knowing anything about the residential burglary or how the motorcycles ended up in the backyard.

Officers matched shoe prints from Bradley and Brown’s shoes to shoe print impressions left by the suspects during the burglary and vehicle theft. Both Brown and Bradley were arrested and charged with felony violations of residential burglary and vehicle theft, according to the report.

Bradley is on formal felony probation with the Lake County Probation Department and is a documented Norteno gang member. Brown also is on formal probation with the Lake County Probation Department, police said.

During the investigation officers were able to contact a family member of the owner of the victim residence. Police said the family member responded to the scene and took possession of the two stolen motorcycles. It was learned that additional items had also been stolen from the home which were not located or found at the Jago Avenue residence.

Bradley and Brown were taken to the Clearlake Police Department. At that time, Young was not arrested and the case investigation continued, police said.

During the course of the investigation, which continued into the morning hours when dayshift police officers were then on duty, officers gather evidence linking Young to the crime, according to the report.

At about 8:30 a.m., the agency said officers returned to the Jago Avenue residence and took Young into custody for possession of stolen property.

Officers also developed additional information identifying Whitmire of Clearlake as possibly being involved in the residential burglary. Police said Whitmire is a convicted felon on Post Release Community Supervision probation with the Lake County Probation Department.

Police said that at about 9 a.m. officers went to Whitmire’s residence, located in the 14700 block of Palmer Avenue, to conduct a probation search. At the residence, officers found Whitmire and located approximately 2 grams of suspected methamphetamine in his pants pocket. Whitmire’s girlfriend, Crystal Cruise, also was located at the residence.

During an extensive search of the residence and surrounding property, several additional stolen items were located in and around Whitmire’s home from the earlier residential burglary on Ridge Road, police said.

Officers found five stolen automotive batteries at Whitmire’s residence which had been reported stolen from a rear locked fenced storage yard at Napa Auto Parts on Lakeshore Drive on Oct. 9, police said. In addition, investigating officers located a large tool box full of tools which had been stolen from a locked vehicle at Lakeside Appliance on Lakeshore Drive on Oct. 12.

Officers discovered evidence of methamphetamine sales in Whitmire’s residence, an illegally possessed rifle with the serial numbers removed, an illegally possessed set of brass knuckles, an illegally possessed can of pepper spray, approximately 6 pounds of processed marijuana and several pounds of unprocessed marijuana combined with evidence of marijuana sales and drug paraphernalia, police said.

As a result of the lengthy investigation, which continued into the late afternoon hours, three open burglary and theft cases were closed with arrests made and several thousand dollars worth of stolen property recovered, police said.

Whitmire ultimately was charged with multiple felony counts including burglary, vehicle theft (two counts), possession of stolen property (three counts), possession of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance for sale, conspiracy, felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a brass knuckles, felon in possession of tear gas, possession of a firearm with the serial numbers removed and possession of marijuana for sale, according to police.

He was later booked into the Lake County Jail, where he remained on Wednesday on a no-bail hold, according to jail records.

Additional charges against Whitmire include one count of burglary, and two misdemeanor counts of theft and vandalism, which police said have been referred to the Lake County District Attorney’s Office.

Cruise was only charged with a misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia as officers have not yet been able to establish her involvement in the earlier burglary, police said. She was later cited and released. Additional charges could be warranted on Cruise as the investigation continues.

Brown and Bradley were each charged with felony violations of burglary, vehicle theft (two counts) and conspiracy with additional charges also possible. They were both later booked into the Lake County Jail, where they remained on Wednesday; Brown was being held on a no-bail felony hold, with Bradley's bail set at $50,000.

Young was charged with a felony count of possession of stolen property and was also later booked into the Lake County Jail. Jail records showed he was still in custody on Wednesday, with bail set at $15,000.

Young also could face additional charges for his involvement in the residential burglary, police said.

The Clearlake Police Department asked anyone with information on any of these crimes to contact Officer Trevor Franklin at 707-994-8251. Callers should press No. 1 when prompted then extension No. 514 to reach Franklin.

While providing your name is not required, it can be a great assistance to officers in complex investigations such as this, police said.

Clearlake Police Department to host ABC training for businesses

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake Police Department will hold a free seminar presented by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control on Wednesday, Nov. 13.

The Licensee Education on Alcohol and Drugs – or LEAD – will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.

This seminar is being made possible through a grant received from the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control in July and is open to all alcoholic beverage licensees and their employees.

The Clearlake Police Department intends to use the grant funds to educate, train, and gain compliance with ABC licensed businesses and citizens of Clearlake regarding alcohol related laws and regulations.

The LEAD seminar will educate owners and employees of restaurants, bars, liquor and grocery stores on:

• What is acceptable I.D.; the best way to check I.D.; how to refuse service; signs and prevention of illicit drug activity, and more;
• Facts about criminal, civil and ABC liability;
• California alcohol laws;
• Provide helpful handouts.

If any licensee would like to attend, they may contact Records/Communications Supervisor Nicole Newton at 707-994-8251, Extension 316, to make reservations. Letters also will be mailed to all alcoholic beverage licensees in the city of Clearlake.

On the day of the training, please bring a copy of your ABC license and plan to arrive a few minutes early to sign in, as the program will begin promptly at 11 a.m.