How to resolve AdBlock issue? Clearlake Police Department serves new round of search warrants, seizes marijuana and makes arrests
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Over the last week and a half the Clearlake Police Department has served search warrants leading to the arrests of several individuals for illegal commercial marijuana cultivation, with hundreds of plants seized and three residences red-tagged for building code violations.
Det. Ryan Peterson said the operations took place beginning on Aug. 24, and continued earlier this week.
On Aug. 24 officers executed search warrants in the 3400 block of Sixth Street and the 16000 block of 31st Avenue in Clearlake, Peterson said.
During the execution of the search warrant at the 16000 block of 31st Avenue, approximately 487 growing marijuana plants were located along with dried processed marijuana and indicia noting the sale of marijuana. Peterson said no one was located at the residence during the execution of the search warrant.
The residence on the property was determined to be in violation of numerous building code violations and was subsequently red-tagged by the Clearlake Building Department, Peterson said.
While officers were serving the search warrant at the 3400 block of Sixth Street, they located and arrested 36-year-old Liliana Guadarrama, according to Peterson.
Peterson said that during the search officers located 80 large growing marijuana plants throughout the property, with the plants weighing a total of 1,360 pounds. Additionally, officers located a previously reported stolen handgun inside the residence where Guadarrama was located.
That residence also was red-tagged due to numerous building code violations, Peterson said.
Guadarrama was booked into the Lake County Jail for the felony violations of cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana for sale, being armed in the commission of a crime and possession of a stolen handgun, according to Peterson.
On Wednesday, officers served another search warrant in the 3400 block of Fifth Street, where Peterson said they located and arrested 38-year-old Miguel Mendoza-Balderrama.
A search of the property revealed 81 large growing marijuana plants which weighed approximately 1,140 pounds, Peterson said.
He said the entire property was covered with the growing marijuana, with Mendoza-Balderrama living in a small tent.
The property had a water hose and electrical power line coming from a connected residence where an elderly female, who is not being identified, was living. The elderly female was determined to have no connection to the illegal cultivation of marijuana, Peterson said.
Peterson said Mendoza-Balderrama was booked into the Lake County Jail for the felony violations of cultivation of marijuana and possession of marijuana for sale.
On Thursday, officers executed a search warrant in the 4300 block of Wilder Avenue, where Peterson said they arrested 19-year-old Yessica Contreras.
He said Contreras was located inside a bedroom of the residence where approximately 21 pounds of processed marijuana was discovered in a closet. The processed marijuana was packaged for sale in one pound increments.
During a further search of the residence, 48 large growing marijuana plants were found, with a total weight of approximately 660 pounds, Peterson said.
Peterson said evidence of other involved suspects was located and further investigation into those suspects is continuing.
The residence on that property also was red-tagged, Peterson said.
Contreras was determined to be approximately six months pregnant and due to her medical state was released with pending charges for the felony cultivation of marijuana and sale of marijuana, Peterson said.
Additionally, the property was discovered to be associated with numerous other properties involved in commercial marijuana growing operations within the city. Peterson said the owner of the properties is being reviewed for possible criminal charges as well.
The Clearlake Police Department reported that it will continue to actively investigate commercial marijuana growing operations in the City of Clearlake. Anyone with information in regard to the illegal cultivation of marijuana is encouraged to contact the Clearlake Police Department at 707-994-8251. Callers may remain anonymous.
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Clearlake Police Department reports on arrests during Clayton fire evacuation
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake Police Department reported that during the Clayton fire nearly two dozen people were arrested for various charges in the evacuated portion of the city.
During the time the Clearlake Avenues were on a mandatory evacuation order for the Clayton fire, the Clearlake Police Department drastically increased its staffing to patrol the evacuated area, according to Sgt. Tim Hobbs.
From the time the evacuations started on Aug. 14 until they were lifted on Aug. 16, the Clearlake Police Department had from 10 to 15 law enforcement officers specifically patrolling the evacuated area of Clearlake, Hobbs said.
The officers participating in the saturation patrols were from the following agencies: Clearlake Police Department, Lakeport Police Department, Lake County District Attorney’s Office, California State Parks, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Benicia Police Department, Vacaville Police Department, Fairfield Police Department and the Solano County Sheriff’s Department, according to Hobbs.
During the two days of mandatory evacuation in Clearlake, Hobbs said the following 22 people were located and arrested in the evacuated area:
– Mark Matheson, 58, was arrested for driving with a suspended driver’s license and displaying false registration tabs.
– Jordan Nagel, 22, was arrested for an arrest warrant.
– Shawn Hammond, 47, was arrested for an arrest warrant.
– Sarah Simpson, 23, was arrested for an arrest warrant and possession of a narcotic controlled substance.
– Michael Row, 31, was arrested for being in a closed disaster area and resisting arrest after he fled from officers on foot.
– Sarah Ashely, 24, was arrested for being in a closed disaster area and resisting arrest after she fled from officers on foot.
– Gregg Dumper, 51, was arrested for being in a closed disaster area and resisting arrest after he fled from officers on foot during a traffic stop.
– David Ramirez, 54, was arrested for an arrest warrant.
– Joshua Smith, 33, was arrested for being in a closed disaster area, possession of burglary tool s and violation of parole. Smith is on active state parole for burglary.
– David Favors, 43, was arrested for being in a closed disaster area.
– Michelle Wicor, 57, was arrested for being in a closed disaster area.
– Calvin Cotter, 27, was arrested for being in a closed disaster area.
– James Gauthier, 52, was arrested for being in a closed disaster area.
– Jamie Athas, 46, was arrested for being in a closed disaster area.
– Lathina Decosta, 23, was arrested for being in a closed disaster area and possession of a controlled substance.
– Jeremiah Wertz, 31, was arrested for being in a closed disaster area, possession of a controlled substance for sales, felon in possession of tear gas, carrying a concealed knife and driving with a suspended driver’s license.
– Robert Wilcox, 46, was arrested for being in a closed disaster area, evading in a motor vehicle, resisting arrest and driving with a suspended driver’s license.
– Jessica Fowler, 28, was arrested for being in a closed disaster area and resisting arrest after she fled from a vehicle during a traffic stop.
– Chris Montoya, 50, was arrested for being in a closed disaster area and violation of probation.
– Jonathan August, 25, was arrested for being in a closed disaster area.
– Bradley Thorstenson, 26, was arrested for being in a closed disaster area, and violation of probation. Thorstenson is on active felony probation for burglary.
– Juan Sanchez, 24, was arrested for being in a closed disaster area and resisting arrest after he fled from officer on foot.
Since the time the evacuation was lifted on Aug. 16, the Clearlake Police Department has yet to receive any burglary reports in the evacuated area, Hobbs said.
Hobbs said the Clearlake Police Department thanked all the law enforcement agencies that helped during the Clayton fire evacuation in Clearlake.
“With their help we were able to provide a highly visible law enforcement presence in the evacuated area,” Hobbs said.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
VIDEO: Lakeport Police trainee officers graduate from academy
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Police Department celebrated on Friday the graduation from the police academy of its two officer trainees.
Dale Hoskins and Andrew Welter graduated from the Santa Rosa Junior College Police Academy in Windsor in a Friday morning ceremony and took their oath of office from Chief Brad Rasmussen.
Late last year, in an attempt to solve his department's short staffing and retain officers, Rasmussen introduced a new officer trainee program.
In December, the city of Lakeport began a recruitment seeking local residents interested in joining the police department who hadn't attended the police academy.
The city would pay for their academy education and have a job waiting for them when they graduated, with the goal being that the new officers would commit to staying on and working in the community long-term.
The response to the recruitment was strong, said Rasmussen, with the city receiving dozens of applications and numerous promising candidates.
The two standouts were Hoskins and Welter.
Hoskins previously held posts at the county of Lake, including working as a juvenile probation officer and for Lake County Animal Care and Control.
Welter had been a part-time paid call firefighter for South Lake County Fire Protection District, and also had worked for the Hidden Valley Lake Association's security division and the Santa Rosa Junior College Police Department in one of its police training intern programs.
Rasmussen hired the two young men, who he introduced to the Lakeport City Council in March. They started with the police department on March 28, going through an orientation ahead of starting the academy on April 2.
Traveling to the graduation on Friday were several Lakeport Police officers, headed by Rasmussen and Lt. Jason Ferguson, along with Lakeport Mayor Marc Spillman.
“It was tough but exciting,” Hoskins said of his academy experience after the graduation.
On Friday, Rasmussen swore both of the new officers in, with Hoskins' wife Danielle and Welter's girlfriend, Mikala Angelic, pinning their brand new badges onto their uniforms.
“I want you to remember that these badges don't belong to you, they don't belong to me, they don't belong to the department or the city. They belong to the people that we serve,” said Rasmussen, adding that the badges are on loan to the two new officers to be worn to them as long as they uphold the Constitution and code of ethics.
After the ceremony, Welter added another celebratory moment to the day when he proposed to Angelic. She accepted.
Welter has a twin brother who also graduated from the academy on Friday, and who is reportedly being considered for a deputy position with the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
The video above is a shortened presentation of highlights; the video below is the full graduation ceremony.
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Advisory: Lakeport police seek information on home intruder
Lakeport, Calif -- Friday morning at about 12:30 AM, Lakeport Police Officers were dispatched to the 300 block of Seventeenth Street in the city of Lakeport to investigate the report of a residential burglary where a 43 year old female victim woke up to find a male subject on her bed kneeling over her.
The victim yelled at the male to get out of her house and he began telling her not to scream.
The victim continued to scream as loud as she could and the male subject fled the residence.
Police officers arrived and canvassed the scene but did not locate the suspect. Further investigation revealed that the suspect entered the residence by going through a window.
A Detective was called out to process the scene for evidence and recovered items that may assist in identifying the suspect. Additionally the department sketch artist, Acting Sergeant Joe Eastham, was called out to work with the victim and put together a sketch of the suspect based on the victim's description.
The sketch is attached but only includes facial detail based on information the victim was able to provide. The subject is described as being approximately 18 years old, with a slender to average build, tall and having shaggy dirty blonde hair.
We are asking that anyone with information on this case please contact us by calling 707-263-5491 and asking to talk with an officer, by sending us a private message on Facebook on our page @LakeportPolice or by sending us an anonymous message through Nixle on your cellular telephone by texting the words TIP LAKEPORT followed by your message to 888777.
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Sheriff declares emergency due to Clayton fire; evacuations begin in Avenues, Highway 53 closed
LOWER LAKE, Calif. – The Clayton fire began making a run on Sunday afternoon, jumping roads and containment lines, necessitating more evacuations and leading to a local emergency declaration.
Just before 2:30 p.m. the Lake County Sheriff's Office reported that, due to the extensive fire activity in the Lower Lake area, Sheriff Brian Martin – who also serves as the county's emergency services director of Lake County – declared a local public emergency due to the disastrous conditions.
Highway 53 was closed to all incoming traffic shortly before 3 p.m. The only traffic allowed on Highway 53 is for those who are evacuating.
Shortly afterward, authorities ordered evacuations in the city of Clearlake in the area commonly known as the Chapman Tract in the Avenues area, from east of Highway 53/Dam Road to Davis Avenue. Residents were ordered to leave the area immediately due to the fire's approach.
At 3:30 p.m., the Clearlake Police Department ordered all residents along Dam Road all the way through the Avenues to evacuate immediately.
Earlier in the afternoon, the sheriff's office had issued another mandatory evacuation order for the Copsey Creek subdivision, Bonham Road and Quarterhorse Road.
Radio reports indicated that the fire, estimated to be about 1,400 acres and burning since Saturday evening, had jumped Morgan Valley Road and containment lines, with firefighters working to protect structures in that area as the fire continued to outflank them.
Additional air resources were ordered to respond to the area to help protect the community of Clearlake.
Fire engines also were being directed into downtown Lower Lake to protect resources there.
At around 3 p.m. ambulances from around the county were being requested to respond to St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake to assist with moving more than a dozen patients as the hospital prepared to evacuate, according to radio reports.
The sheriff's office said evacuation centers are open at the Highlands Senior Center, 3245 Bowers Ave. in Clearlake, and at Twin Pine Casino & Hotel, 22223 Highway 29 in Middletown.
The situation is developing very rapidly. Updates will be posted as they become available.
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