How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
Lakeport Police Department reports on incident that led to Thursday hazmat spill
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Police Department issued a report on a hazmat spill that necessitated the closure of a portion of 11th Street late Thursday morning.
The incident occurred shortly before noon, as Lake County News has reported.
Lt. Jason Ferguson said that at approximately 11:46 a.m. Lakeport Police officers and Lakeport Fire Department personnel responded to the area of 11th and Pool streets on a report of a trailer, carrying chemicals, leaking and spilling onto the street.
Officers arrived and immediately closed 11th Street from North Street to Pool Street to divert traffic as fire personnel attended to the hazmat spill, Ferguson said.
He said officers contacted 60-year-old James Govern of Lower Lake and learned that he was driving his Ford Ranger westbound on 11th Street when the trailer – which was carrying chlorine and muriatic acid containers – began to fishtail due to the trailer becoming disconnected from the truck.
The trailer struck a telephone pole and flipped onto its side, spilling approximately one half gallon each of chlorine and muriatic acid onto 11th Street, Ferguson reported.
Prior to emergency responders arriving on scene, Govern moved the trailer off of 11th Street and onto Pool Street, Ferguson said.
Due to safety concerns, Ferguson said residents and employees of neighboring businesses in the area where alerted and advised to stay indoors while the investigation continued.
Lakeport Fire, Lake County Environmental Health and Lakeport Public Works remained on scene
cleaning up the spill for nearly two hours, Ferguson said.
He said the cleanup was safely completed at 1:35 p.m. and 11th Street was reopened.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation, Ferguson said.
- Details
- Written by: Lake County News reports
Police arrest intoxicated juvenile for trespassing, prowling
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Police arrested an intoxicated juvenile who they said was found trespassing and prowling after attempting to enter an occupied residence.
The male juvenile, whose name was not released because of his age, was arrested Wednesday night, according to Lt. Jason Ferguson of the Lakeport Police Department.
Ferguson said that at approximately 9 p.m. Wednesday Lakeport Police officers responded to the area of the 1400 block of N. Forbes Street on a report of juvenile attempting to enter an occupied home.
When officers arrived and located the juvenile in the yard of the residence, they found him to be under
the influence of alcohol, Ferguson said.
During the investigation officers learned that the juvenile had attempted to enter the residence believing that it was his home, according to Ferguson.
The juvenile was arrested and transported to Lake County Juvenile Hall where he was booked, Ferguson said.
- Details
- Written by: Lake County News reports
Ferguson sworn in as Lakeport Police’s new lieutenant
LAKEPORT, Calif. – A 16-year veteran of the Lakeport Police Department took the oath of office as the agency’s new lieutenant on Tuesday night.
Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen administered the oath to his new second in command, Jason Ferguson, 42, during the Lakeport City Council meeting.
Rasmussen, who was sworn in as chief in June 2011, was the department’s last lieutenant. The council last month had finally given Rasmussen the go ahead to move forward with hiring the lieutenant’s position.
Councilman Tom Engstrom, who retired as the city’s police chief in 2005, noted after Ferguson took the oath, “I did one good thing when I was chief and that was hire you.”
Engstrom told Lake County News following the meeting that Ferguson had been a correctional officer when he joined the Lakeport Police Department.
“I had really good luck stealing correctional officers,” said Engstrom, who explained that the department put Ferguson through the police academy.
In addition to Rasmussen and Ferguson, Lakeport Police’s staff includes two sergeants, five full-time officers, two part-time officers, one part-time investigator, one full-time records director and one part-time records assistant, according to the 2012-13 budget.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Police offer update on Saturday accidental shooting; victim in critical condition
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A Clearlake Oaks man remained in critical condition on Monday after accidentally shooting himself in the head on Saturday evening.
Jake Crosby, 21, was injured in the incident, according to Sgt. Martin Snyder of the Clearlake Police Department.
Snyder reported that just after 7 p.m. Saturday officers responded to the Ridgelake Apartments at 3804 Old Highway 53 No. 6 for a report of a gunshot wound victim.
On their arrival, they found a white male adult, who later was identified as Crosby, with a gunshot wound to the head, Snyder said in a Monday report.
Crosby was transported from the scene by emergency medical staff and eventually to Santa Rosa Medical Center for treatment, Snyder said.
Through the investigation, apartment renter Christopher Meyer of Clearlake, along with several other juvenile witnesses, were contacted and advised they were witnesses of the shooting, according to Snyder.
After interviewing the witnesses and processing of the scene for evidence, police determined Crosby had accidentally shot himself in the head while displaying the firearms to witnesses, Snyder said.
As of Monday morning, Snyder said Crosby was reported by medical staff at Santa Rosa Memorial to be alive and in critical condition.
- Details
- Written by: Lake County News reports