How to resolve AdBlock issue? Willits man arrested after leading police on chase in stolen vehicle
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Police arrested a Willits man early Sunday morning following a chase that involved a stolen vehicle that the suspect rammed into a patrol car.
Diego Alexander Spaggiari, 23, was arrested after the chase, which lasted more than two and a half miles, according to Clearlake Police Sgt. Rodd Joseph.
On Sunday just before 2 a.m. Sgt. Travis Lenz was on uniformed patrol and traveling east on Lakeshore Drive when he observed a suspicious vehicle driving fast in the parking lot of the Lamplighter Motel, located at 14165 Lakeshore Drive, Joseph said.
Joseph said that as the suspicious vehicle attempted to exit the parking lot onto Lakeshore Drive, the vehicle abruptly stopped.
When the vehicle, a 2006 white Honda Ridgeline, pulled out onto Lakeshore Drive, Lenz noticed it had a brake light out and decided to stop the vehicle for the equipment violation, Joseph said.
When Lenz activated his overhead emergency lights, the Honda failed to yield and instead accelerated. Joseph said the vehicle's driver began running stop signs and driving into opposing lanes of traffic in an attempt to get away from the pursuing officer. Due to the hour of night, the roads were mostly void of pedestrian and vehicular traffic.
During the vehicle pursuit, the Honda reached speeds of excess of 55 miles per hour on Lakeshore Drive, which has a posted speed limit of 30 miles per hour, Joseph said.
He said the Honda also drove through numerous stop signs and two red traffic lights, finally making it up into the Avenues area of town.
On 40th Avenue, the Honda attempted to pass a slower vehicle which it clipped. Joseph said the single occupant of the clipped vehicle was not injured however their vehicle did suffer some damage.
After that collision, the Honda continued fleeing from police, crashing into an embankment while trying to make a turn on 40th Avenue at Boyles Avenue, Joseph said.
Joseph said Lenz positioned his patrol car adjacent to the driver’s door to try and keep the driver contained within the car.
However, the driver was able to free the Honda from the embankment and then intentionally rammed into the front of Lenz’s patrol car several times, causing damage, before getting away and heading back on 40th Avenue, Joseph said.
A second patrol car responding to assist Lenz was almost struck head-on as the Honda drove straight at the other patrol car. Joseph said the officer had to take defensive maneuvers to avoid being struck himself.
The Honda then crashed into a parked vehicle on 40th Avenue near Irving Avenue. A third Clearlake Police Officer arrived in the area and the Honda again began moving but in the direction of the third officer, Joseph said.
Lenz, fearing the Honda was going to ram into the third officer, and believing he had no other option, intentionally rammed the driver’s side of the Honda to disable it, at which time the driver – identified as Spaggiari – was taken into custody, according to Joseph.
Joseph said it later was discovered that the Honda was a reported stolen car out of Willits and had been stolen only about four hours earlier.
He said the total length of the vehicle pursuit was 2.6 miles and the entire incident lasted just under four minutes.
During questioning, Spaggiari stated he ran as he is “out on bail for two cases.” He believed he had a warrant for his arrest for “GTA” – or grand theft auto. He also believed the car was stolen but denied that he was the one who had stolen it, Joseph said.
Joseph said Spaggiari also told police that he could have killed the officer who he almost struck with the stolen car.
Spaggiari ultimately was charged with two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon upon a peace officer, a felony count of evading, a felony count of evading by driving the wrong way against traffic, a felony count of vehicle theft and a felony count of resisting an officer with violence, Joseph said.
He was booked into the Lake County Jail, with bail set at $50,000. He remained in custody on Monday night, with arraignment tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, according to jail records.
Joseph said Spaggiari was arrested by the Ukiah Police Department on Nov. 21 for driving or theft of a vehicle, booked into the Mendocino County Jail, then released later that same evening after posting bail of $15,000. He did not have any active warrants for his arrest during this incident.
Vehicle pursuits are inherently dangerous for the motoring public as well as for the officers involved in the pursuit and the person being pursued, Joseph said.
However, he said vehicle pursuits are sometimes a necessary tool that's needed to apprehend dangerous criminals.
“The Clearlake Police Department, in conjunction with state laws and department policies and procedures as it pertains specifically to vehicle pursuits, constantly evaluates and weighs the need for suspect apprehension with the safety of the public during all vehicle pursuits,” he said in his report.
He said that, if during any vehicle pursuit, any officer feels that the risk to the public outweighs the need for the apprehension of the suspect, they are required to terminate the pursuit. “This is a requirement of state law and the policies and procedures of the Clearlake Police Department. Though this does not take out all the dangers associated with vehicle pursuits, it does help to minimize the risk to the public, officers and pursued person.”
Anyone with information on this incident may contact Sgt. Travis Lenz at 707-994-8251, Extension 311.
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Police arrest suspect in computer theft from children's clothing store on warrants
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A Clearlake woman who police said was responsible for stealing a computer from a children's clothing store has been taken into custody on several warrants.
Nicole Aylene White, 32, was arrested late Sunday night, according to Clearlake Police Sgt. Rodd Joseph.
Joseph said that on Dec. 7 Clearlake Police officers responded to a report of a theft of a laptop computer from Kingdom Kids, located at 14455 Lakeshore Drive.
During the investigation officers discovered, after reviewing surveillance video, that the theft had actually occurred the previous day and had been committed by a customer of the business, Joseph said.
Joseph said the surveillance video showed a white female adult stealing the store’s computer from the counter and concealing it under her jacket as she left the store. She even took the time to unplug the computer from the charging cord before concealing it and exiting the store.
Several Clearlake Police officers reviewed the video and were able to positively identify the suspect as White, Joseph said.
Clearlake Police officers had been actively searching for White since they identified her as the suspect. Joseph said she also had five misdemeanor warrants for her arrest for various charges including theft, forgery, driving on a suspended license and possession of stolen property. Two of the warrants of arrest were no bail. The remaining three other warrants had a bail total of $25,000.00.
On Sunday, Officer Travis Parson obtained information that White was hiding out in a residence located in the 15800 block of 32nd Avenue, where she was reported to be trying to avoid police contact, Joseph said.
Just before 11 p.m. Sunday, several Clearlake Police officers went to the residence where White was found hiding inside. Joseph said she was taken into custody on the five warrants.
During questioning about the Dec. 7 computer theft, White claimed she had taken it on “accident” and provided Officer Parson the location where she had hidden the stolen computer, Joseph said.
Joseph said White had stashed the stolen computer inside a boat parked in a driveway of a residence in the Avenues area of town. Parson located the boat and recovered the stolen computer, and also found an additional computer in this boat which also may be stolen. He seized both computers as evidence.
Because the original theft is considered a “stale misdemeanor,” officers were not able to arrest and charge White with the computer theft at this time,
The case will be referred to the Lake County District Attorney’s Office for charges on White relating to the theft and possession of the stolen computer. White was later booked into the Lake County Jail on the five existing warrants.
The recovered computer will be returned to the business, Joseph said.
White was booked into the Lake County Jail on the warrants, and remained in custody on Tuesday with bail set at $10,000. She's tentatively set for a Wednesday court date.
Loren and Lynn Freeman, the owners of Kingdom Kids, told Lake County News that while the computer was valued at $863, the information on it is priceless.
“All of our business documents, forms, photos, and sales records were on the computer,” they said in an email message. “Having to recreate that information was going to be such a burden that we had thoughts of closing our store. It is extremely difficult to start a business in Clearlake and setbacks like this can be overwhelming.”
The Freemans said they are grateful to the Clearlake Police Department for its hard work and dedication to this case, as well as to the community for the support and information that led to White's arrest.
“We thank the Clearlake Police Department, our community, and our Lord for the blessings we have experienced this week,” they said.
Anyone with information on this incident may contact Officer Travis Parson at 707-994-8251, Extension 507.
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Lakeport Police Department to dedicate new headquarters Dec. 14
LAKEPORT, Calif. – After more than a year and a half of preparation, the Lakeport Police Department will hold a dedication of its new headquarters building on Wednesday, Dec. 14.
The ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. at the building, located at 2025 S. Main St.
Police Chief Brad Rasmussen and his staff invite the community to come and participate in the event and see the new building.
The Lakeport Police Department will be joined by members of the Lakeport City Council and city administration for the new building's official opening to the public.
The ceremony will include the installation of a plaque with the department title, dedication date, the police badge, the city seal, and names the council members, city manager and police chief, Rasmussen said.
In addition, Rasmussen said that acting Sgt. Joe Eastham, who is the department's sketch artist, has carved a 3-foot-tall wood Lakeport Police badge, with the year the police department started, 1888, as the badge number.
Rasmussen said a representative from Congressman Mike Thompson's office will be on hand to present to the department a United States flag that previously flew over the United States Capitol Building, which will be flown at the new headquarters building.
The city of Lakeport completed its purchase of the building in March 2015 for $875,000, as Lake County News has reported.
The building, located next to Kmart, formerly housed the Social Security Administration.
Built in 2002 it is about 4,400 square feet, which is about 1,400 square feet larger than the police department's current location at 916 N. Forbes St., where the department has been based since 1999.
The department has outgrown the N. Forbes Street location, which is older, smaller and has security issues, officials said.
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Clearlake Police: 31 arrests made during special enforcement
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake Police Department reported that a special enforcement it conducted with a number of other local law enforcement agencies on Friday netted 31 arrests in an eight-hour period.
“Over the last few weeks, there have been several incidents that have caused Clearlake residents concern about their safety and security,” said Lt. Tim Celli, the agency's acting chief. “There seemed to have been an uptick in property crime as well as violent crime that has been reported through press releases and Nixle in recent weeks.”
In response to those events, Celli said the Clearlake Police Department planned and conducted special enforcement throughout the city on Friday.
He said the department reached out to several law enforcement agencies to request resources to assist for this special enforcement.
“The goal of this multiagency enforcement activity was to reduce crimes through saturation enforcement. The focus of this event was increased traffic enforcement, warrant services, gang member contacts, and parole and probation searches,” he said.
Celli said the special enforcement was very successful.
He said 21 law enforcement officers participated in the special enforcement sweep, including 14 Clearlake Police officers, two Lakeport Police officers, one Lake County Sheriff’s deputy, two Lake County Probation officers and two California Fish and Wildlife officers. The California Highway Patrol also assisted with increased traffic enforcement.
As a result of the special enforcement, 31 arrests were made during the eight-hour event for felony and misdemeanor crimes, Celli said. Some individuals were booked in the Lake County Jail while others were released from the Clearlake Police Department after booking.
In addition to the arrests made, numerous traffic enforcement stops were conducted and several citations were issued, he said.
Additionally, Celli said officers developed information related to ongoing investigations including a recently reported crime in which two vehicles were observed by citizens chasing and shooting at each other. That incident resulted in a school lockdown last week.
At least one individual involved in that incident was arrested in this sweep for possession of a loaded handgun, he said.
The list of arrested subjects included 24-year-old Steven Johnny Farnan of Clearlake, who Celli said was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail for being a felon in possession of a firearm, felon in possession of ammunition, possession of a loaded firearm in a vehicle, possession of a concealed firearm and possession of a high capacity magazine.
“Our intention of this special enforcement was to put persons who commit crime in our community on notice that behavior that threatens our community’s safety and security will not be tolerated,” Celli said. “Although some of the arrests noted below may seem to be for lower level crime it is my strong opinion that unaddressed behavior is condoned behavior and we will not condone criminal behavior.”
He noted that many of the crimes offenders were charged with were felonies prior to the implementation of Proposition 47 and many of these offenders would not have been released prior to the implementation of AB 109.
“Law enforcement is working together to provide the highest level of safety and security to our citizens and this was a good example,” he said.
Celli said Friday's special enforcement event was made possible in part through shared grant funding by Lakeport Police Department and the Clearlake Police Department. The funding was previously awarded from the Board of State Community Corrections related to the release of prisoners through AB109.
Those arrested during the special enforcement include the following:
• Stephanie Kenyon, 27, was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail for possession of drug paraphernalia, being under the influence of a controlled substance and bringing contraband into a jail.
• Billy Neldon, 29, was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail for possession of drug paraphernalia and violation of probation.
• Curtis Dodge, 45, was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail for possession of drug paraphernalia, felony possession of a controlled substance and failing to register as a sex offender.
• Dorna Keith, 42, was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail for possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance.
• Adrien Miranda, 27, was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail for being in a red-tagged residence and violation of probation.
• Jona Elsa, 26, was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail for a felony warrant.
• Brooke Thomas, 32, was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail for resisting arrest.
• Robert Scott, 33, was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail for violation of parole.
• Kevin Edwards, 51, was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail for possession of drug paraphernalia and bringing contraband into a jail.
• Eric Klein, 40, was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail for possession of heroin and violation of probation.
• Nick Griffen, 50, was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail for outstanding warrant and violation of probation.
• Ronald Whitmire, 47, was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail for possession of methamphetamine for sales and transportation of methamphetamine.
• Johnny Perez, 29, was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail for possession of methamphetamine and violation of probation.
• Steven Farnan, 24, was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail for being a felon in possession of a firearm, felon in possession of ammunition, possession of a loaded firearm in a vehicle, possession of a concealed firearm and possession of a high capacity magazine.
• Manuel Camara, 29, was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail for possession of methamphetamine and an outstanding warrant.
• Rocco Morgan, 39, was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail for being under the influence of a controlled substance and violation of probation.
• Frank Marks, 18, was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail for violation of probation.
• George Newberry, 37, was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail for possession of drug paraphernalia, being under the influence of a controlled substance and violation of probation.
• Arnold Ash, 63, was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail for possession of drug paraphernalia and being in a red-tagged residence.
• Jose Lovato, 22, was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail for being in a red-tagged residence.
• David Gomez, 51, was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail for possession of a dangerous weapon, possession of controlled substance, possession of a narcotic controlled substance and violation of probation.
• Jon Truax, 46, was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail for two arrest warrants.
• Jesse Page, 65, was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail for two arrest warrants.
• Russell Jackson, 60, was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail for an arrest warrant.
• Amber Saldana, 38, was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia. Saldana was released on a citation.
• Angelina Brown, 37, was arrested for being under the influence of a controlled substance. Brown was released on a citation.
• Kelly Harris, 30, was arrested for being under the influence of a controlled substance. Harris was released on a citation.
• Bradley Smith, age 30 was arrested for being under the influence of a controlled substance. Smith was released on a citation.
• Lloyd Lewis, 25, was arrested for possession of a controlled substance. Lewis was released on a citation.
• Craig Cosby, 63, was arrested for an arrest warrant. Cosby was released on a citation.
• Bruce Brown, 44, was arrested for an arrest warrant. Brown was released on a citation.
“The Clearlake Police Department thanks all of the law enforcement officers and their agencies who participated with us to make this a successful event,” Celli said. “It is our hope that this event will lead to a reduction in criminal activity in our community and our residents will enjoy a safe, happy, joyful holiday season.”
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Police make grand theft arrests; suspect attempts escape through apartment attic
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Two local men were arrested this week for defrauding a local credit union of thousands of dollars, with one of the men attempting to escape from police by crawling through the attic of his apartment building.
Arrested in the case were 20-year-old Steven Jeffrey Harrington of Upper Lake and Christopher Scott Herring, 24, of Kelseyville, according to Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen.
Rasmussen said the investigation began on Wednesday afternoon, after police received a report of a female subject at Mendo Lake Credit Union attempting to cash checks totaling $8,500. The woman did not get the money.
He said a similar case involving about $10,000 in fraudulent checks being passed had just occurred, and police believed that the two incidents were part of a scam.
Police determined that the woman was going to meet a second person who would take delivery of the cash. They monitored the situation, tracked her to a city gas station and a male subject showed up, expecting to get the $8,500 that the woman had attempted to get at the bank, he said.
Rasmussen said police contacted the individual, identified as Harrington, and started questioning him, developed information that he was involved in fraud and took him into custody.
Harrington was arrested and booked at the Lake County Jail on felony grand theft, with bail set at $15,000, according to jail records.
Due to the concern by police that Harrington would attempt to post bail using the $8,500 found in his possession, Rasmussen said they contacted the District Attorney's Office and completed a declaration, which was signed by a judge, for a source of bail motion to prevent him from posting bail until the court could determine the source of the bail money.
In conjunction with that action, the District Attorney's Office requested a bail enhancement to $150,000, which was granted, Rasmussen said.
During the investigation, Rasmussen said they found that there were additional checks written on a closed account that had already been run through the credit union before Dec. 7, bringing the total loss to the credit union of nearly $14,000.
Investigators also determined that, in addition to Harrington, another man – 24-year-old Christopher Scott Herring of Kelseyville, who also goes under the alias of Christopher Garcia – was involved, Rasmussen said.
Rasmussen said the two men had hired a woman to cash the checks, adding that police believe she was unaware of the fraud.
Rasmussen said his investigators received intelligence that Herring was living at the Meadow Point Apartments on Gaddy Lane in Kelseyville.
He said they also discovered during a background of Herring – who they believe originally is from Clearlake – that he was a wanted parole absconder out of the state of South Dakota, where he had served prison time for forgery and upon release left the state. South Dakota has issued a full extradition arrest warrant for him as a result.
Police additionally developed information that Herring might have two handguns, Rasmussen said.
Due to the fact that Herring is a wanted felon, a large amount of cash was missing, he was believed to have guns and previously had threatened a witness in the local fraud case, Rasmussen said they decided to take three Lakeport Police staff and met with a few sheriff's sergeants and a deputy at the apartment complex on Thursday afternoon. There, they planned to interview Herring as part of a warrant service and search of the apartment.
Just before 3:45 p.m. Thursday, officers arrived at Herring's apartment, knocked on the door and demanded entry to perform a parole search, but got no response, Rasmussen said.
After determining the door was locked, Rasmussen said his officers forced entry, cleared the first rooms of the apartment and then could hear noises in a back room, which they believed was his bedroom and might be where he had the firearms.
Rasmussen said they continued to give orders for Herring to come out but he did not. Shortly after 4 p.m., the officers gained entry to the bedroom and finished clearing the apartment, finding Herring was gone.
When they looked inside the closet, they found that Herring had punched a hole through the drywall. At that point, they believed Herring had climbed up into the attic, Rasmussen said.
Due to concerns that he could access other units – other apartment complex residents reported hearing him overhead – or get out through the complex's ventilation system, Rasmussen said his officers briefly evacuated the entire 12-unit complex, having tenants who were at home move across the parking lot for safety.
Just before 4:35 p.m., Central Dispatch advised Rasmussen that Herring had called in on the 911 line on his cell phone. He asked that police move out of his apartment so he could come out and surrender, stating that he didn't have any weapons.
Rasmussen said he had the call transferred to his cell phone, and he began directly communicating with Herring, advising him police would not leave his apartment but that if he followed instructions and came out with his hands up, he would be peacefully and safely taken into custody.
“He advised me he would,” said Rasmussen.
Rasmussen handed his cell phone over to Lt. Jason Ferguson, who kept Herring on the line. They instructed him to put his phone in his pocket and to come out with his hands visible.
Herring emerged from the apartment complex's attic through his closet, and did as he was ordered, Rasmussen said.
“I ordered him to the ground and we took him into custody,” said Rasmussen.
During a further search of the premises, officers found two BB or pellet pistols that looked like real firearms, and also recovered numerous items of evidence related to the investigation, Rasmussen said.
What hasn't been found yet is the nearly $14,000 in cash that Herring is being charged with taking through fraud, according to Rasmussen.
Rasmussen said the investigation is ongoing with an extensive amount of followup necessary. Reports on the case aren't expected to be ready to submit to the District Attorney's Office until Monday morning.
Herring was booked on Thursday into the Lake County Jail on a misdemeanor charge of obstructing or resisting a peace officer, and felonies of making terrorist threats, attempting to dissuade a witness, forgery, grand theft and a fugitive from justice warrant, which has resulted in him being held without bail, according to jail records.
Rasmussen said he's not yet discussed with the District Attorney's Office whether they will let Herring be extradited to South Dakota or proceed with a case against him here, after which he would be returned to South Dakota.
As for the unusual nature of the case so far, Rasmussen noted, “We can't make this stuff up.”
Correction: A previous version of the story had indicated that the woman cashing the checks on Wednesday had succeeded in getting $8,500. However, she did not get that additional money, police said.
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