How to resolve AdBlock issue? July 23 Living History Day event features retired Sheriff Benevedes
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Retired Lake County Sheriff Ray Benevedes will be the featured speaker at the Ely Stage Stop and Country Museum's next Living History Day on Saturday, July 23.
On the fourth Saturday of each month local historians come to the Ely Stage Stop to visit with guests and answer questions regarding different aspects of Lake County history. As these visits are recorded, the stories of Lake County's history are being preserved for future generations.
On July 23 the docents and volunteers of the Ely Stage Stop and Country Museum will welcome Benevedes, who served two four-year terms from 1983 to 1991.
His early truck driving career found him on the road to Lake County in 1955. Stories of his path to becoming the Lake County sheriff will be shared. History and celebrities of the time will be remembered.
He will contrast practices in place during his terms with those in place in today’s “high-tech” world.
The presentation will begin at noon.
Admission is free with donations accepted.
The Lake County Historical Society’s Ely Stage Stop & Country Museum is located at 9921 State Highway 281 (Soda Bay Road) in Kelseyville, near Clear Lake Riviera, just north of Highway 29-Kit's Corner.
Current hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.
Visit www.elystagestop.org or www.lakecountyhistory.org , check out the stage stop on Facebook at www.facebook.com/elystagestop or call the museum at 707-533-9990.
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- Written by: Linda Drake
Grand jury honors young artists; court presents certificates to outgoing grand jurors
LAKEPORT, Calif. – With its new report now completed and released to the community, the 2015-16 Lake County Grand Jury held a Wednesday morning ceremony to honor young people who contributed their artistic talents to this year's document, while the jurors themselves also were honored by the superior court for their work.
Last week, the grand jury released its 102-page report, which can be seen below.
This latest report explores a number of topics, including the county's Office of Emergency Services and its role in county disaster preparedness; pension plan reviews; the county tax collector's check processing efficiency; a study of the duties and compensation of the Board of Supervisors; the District Attorney's Office Victim-Witness Division; alcohol and drug services available in Lake County; and employee accountability and record keeping.
It also looked at inconsistencies in Lakeport's general plan and zoning services; neighbor objections to expansion plans at Lake County Vector Control; fire safety; law enforcement K9 units; the Mendocino County juvenile facility, which is now under contract to provide services to Lake County juveniles; and nuisance abatement and code enforcement in and around Lake County after the 2015 wildland fires.
The Grand Jury report is distributed to all county departments, the governments of the cities of Clearlake and Lakeport, local libraries and to the state's archives, according to Foreman Jim Baur.
This year, grand jurors took a unique approach to creating the report.
Baur said they decided to hold an art contest, with the goal of featuring the artwork in the final report.
They went out to the community at large and local schools to seek entries from young people ages 6 to 18.
That effort culminated in the Wednesday morning ceremony to honor both the young artists and the outgoing grand jurors in Presiding Lake County Superior Court Judge Andrew Blum's Department 3 courtroom,
Besides donating hundreds of hours of service, Blum explained how the grand jury had wanted to recognize some of the community's young people, so they got together to create the prizes for artistic achievement.
He added that the jurors paid for the contest and prizes for the students out of their own pockets.
Baur said Wednesday that they received more than 30 entries – more than anticipated – and ended up selecting 10, all of which are featured throughout the report, including its front and back covers.
Blum handed out the awards to the following young artists. Their names, ages, schools, contest placement and the page of the report where their artwork is featured is as follows:
– Landy Wade, age 7, Riviera Elementary School, third place (back cover);
– Wyatt Chadwell, 9, Lakeport Elementary School, third place (page 11);
– Madison Witt, 13, Mountain Vista Middle School, third place (page 27);
– Ashton Legg, 16, Carlé High School, third place (page 93);
– Madison Fletcher, 16, Konocti Education Center, third place (ad hoc committee cover page, before page 1);
– Julia Lyon, 16, Clear Lake High School, third place (page 47);
– Ciara Snow, 17, Clear Lake High School, third place (page 63);
– Tasia Jardstrom, 17, Clear Lake High School, third place (page 83);
– Indira Duncan, 13 Upper Lake Middle School, second place (page 37);
– Megan Peterson, 16, Kelseyville High School, first place (front cover).
The young artists also got copies of the reports featuring their artwork.
Blum then presented certificates of appreciation to the 2015-16 grand jurors: Richard Bishop, Kelseyville; Rosemary Dontje, Kelseyville, the recording secretary who will be the foreman for the 2016-17 Grand Jury; Grace Gault, Lucerne; Maggie and Bill Magoolaghan, Kelseyville; Nanette Marschall, Lakeport; Venn Marschall, Lakeport; Bill Helldorfer, Lakeport, foreperson pro-tem; Richard Lewis, Lower Lake; Jan Pankratz, Lakeport, administrative secretary; Xian Yeagan, Upper Lake; Dennis Van Meter, Nice, sergeant-at-arms; and Jim Baur of Kelseyville, the outgoing grand jury foreman.
“They make $15 a day as grand jurors. Basically, that's volunteering,” said Blum as he handed a certificate of appreciation to Gault.
He also noted that jurors spend 15, 20, 30 or even more hours a week to complete their work.
Dontje presented Baur with a gift on behalf of the grand jury, explaining that when he first came on the grand jury two years ago, “He had never been on a grand jury, he didn't know what it was, but he still volunteered to be foreman.”
“And I learned a lot,” he added.
After the ceremony, Blum invited some of the youngsters to come up and have their picture taken with him. Wyatt Chadwell was invited up to the bench.
“Have a seat,” Blum said, allowing the boy to sit in his chair for a picture.
“Here, bang the gavel,” Blum said, handing the boy the gavel, which he took and knocked on the desk.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
2015-2016 Final Lake County Grand Jury Report by LakeCoNews on Scribd
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Fundraiser planned to benefit retired sheriff's office K9s
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Later this month a special fundraiser event is planned to help cover the medical costs of the retired K9s that served the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
On Tuesday, July 19, from noon to 3 p.m., the sheriff's office will host the benefit luncheon in front of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, located at 1220 Martin St., Lakeport.
Lunch will include a hot dog, chips and a drink for $5.
Since 1995, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office has purchased 12 service dogs to help detect and fight crime, according to Lt. Steve Brooks.
Brooks said three of the dogs are still in service and working on the street side-by-side with their handlers.
All of the sheriff's K9s were trained in either handler protection, narcotics detection or both, and are accustomed to working in excess of 40 hours per week and nearly 200 hours every month, according to Brooks.
Once a determination is made to retire a K9 from service, due to its age or for medical reasons, it is sold to the handler that has worked with and cared for it over the many years that they have been partnered together, Brooks said.
The Board of Supervisors recently approved selling the K9s to a handler for $1 each.
The responsibility of caring for it once it is retired solely falls on the handler, with Brooks explaining that the costs include food and all medical/veterinarian visits.
If you wish to make a donation to the Retired Medical Canine Fund, please send it to P.O. Box 489, Lakeport, CA 95453 or deliver it to Gloria at the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, 1220 Martin St., Lakeport.
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Police avoid shooting man who picked up gun during search warrant service
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – On Wednesday Clearlake Police officers safely took a man into custody after he picked up a handgun during a police search of his residence that ultimately turned up marijuana, firearms and cash.
Clearlake resident Jose Luis Hernandez Rosales, 30, was taken into custody for numerous charges related to marijuana possession and cultivation, as well as controlled substances, possessing stolen property, having a large capacity firearm magazine and committing a felony while armed with a firearm, according to county booking records.
At 12:50 p.m. Wednesday Clearlake Police Officers Travis Parson and Leo Flores responded to a residence located in the 14800 block of Palmer Avenue after being dispatched to the residence for a report of a subject being seen with a firearm. It was reported that a male subject was arguing in front of the residence with another male, allegedly about marijuana, according to a Clearlake Police report.
When the officers arrived, they contacted one subject identified as Hernandez Rosales. While the officers were talking with him they asked him if he had any firearms. He admitted to having one shotgun in the residence, police reported.
The report said the officers asked Hernandez Rosales if they could come inside his residence to make sure everything was OK and he consented.
The officers asked Hernandez Rosales if he had any marijuana at the residence and he claimed that code enforcement had already issued an abatement notice so they removed all the marijuana he had, police said.
The officers then asked if they could look around to make sure there was no one else inside. At that point police said Hernandez Rosales admitted that he had some growing marijuana inside the residence in another room.
The report said the officers questioned Hernandez Rosales about the marijuana and he stated he had a medical recommendation that allowed him to grow.
They also questioned him further about the marijuana inside the residence and asked to see his recommendation. Hernandez Rosales told them he kept his recommendation in a nearby drawer, police said.
Police reported that Hernandez Rosales was completely cooperative and according to the officers never gave any indication to them that he was a threat to them.
Before the officer could stop Hernandez Rosales from opening the nearby drawer, he opened it and reached inside seemingly to obtain his marijuana recommendation, according to police.
As as officer was standing by watching him, the officer saw a handgun in the drawer. He then immediately saw Hernandez Rosales pick up another handgun in the drawer, police said.
The agency reported that the officer immediately drew his firearm and ordered Hernandez Rosales to drop the gun. Hernandez Rosales complied with the order, and officers detained him in handcuffs for their safety and his.
Hernandez Rosales told the officers that he was sorry and he thought the recommendation was in the drawer and then saw the gun, and that he didn’t realize what he had done, police said.
Due to the officers seeing both firearms in plain view and the fact that Hernandez Rosales picked it up in their presence, they conducted further investigation into the firearms, discovering that the firearm Hernandez Rosales picked up was stolen and the other firearm in the drawer had its serial number ground off, according to the report.
Police said Rosales was arrested for possession of stolen property and possession of a firearm with a removed serial number. Based on the observations Officer Flores authored a search warrant for the residence and remaining property. The search warrant was later authorized by a Lake County Superior Court judge.
The service of the search warrant resulted in the seizure of four firearms, including the two handguns previously mentioned and two shotguns; 311 marijuana plants in various stages of growth; approximately 20 pounds of processed marijuana, police said.
There also evidence to support that Hernandez Rosales was involved in marijuana sales and items associated with the manufacture of concentrated cannabis, according to the report.
Police said they also seized $5,258 in U.S currency that is now pending judicial asset forfeiture.
Hernandez Rosales made admissions to police that he was unemployed and made his living from selling marijuana.
In addition he admitted to police to manufacturing concentrated cannabis using a butane honey oil apparatus, but claimed he was not good at the process.
Police said that statement was very concerning due to the dangers associated with butane honey oil extraction, a process used to manufacture concentrated cannabis while using butane and heat to extract oil from marijuana.
Hernandez Rosales also admitted that he had previously been deported from the United States and he was not a supposed to be in the country, police said.
Hernandez Rosales was booked into the Lake County Jail, with his bail set at $100,000. He remained in custody on Thursday night, according to jail records.
The Clearlake Police Department report said the agency was very thankful that the situation resulted in no one being hurt.
The report credited the officers with an “outstanding” response to Hernandez Rosales picking up the handgun. “ They used commendable restraint and safely defused a very potentially dangerous situation.”
Police said they also were happy to be able to stop Hernandez Rosales’ further attempts to use the butane honey oil process, “which put neighbors at risk,” the agency said.
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Lakeport Police seek information on July 4 stabbing
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Police Department is seeking information about a stabbing that occurred in Library Park during the Independence Day celebration.
Lt. Jason Ferguson said the agency is continuing to investigate the incident, which occurred at about 8:30 p.m. Monday.
Ferguson said the stabbing involved several subjects and occurred near the park's playground.
During the incident, an adult male sustained several injuries but refused medical treatment, Ferguson said.
Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen told Lake County News in a Monday night interview that the 42-year-old victim had wounds to the head, neck and back, but that they were not serious.
That night police arrested 21-year-old Lakeport resident Dominic Ezekiel Tovar for the stabbing. Tovar has remained in custody since that time, according to jail records.
Ferguson said the police department is seeking information from anyone who may have been at Library
Park near the playground area and witnessed the incident or anyone who has information
regarding the events that occurred.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Det. Dale Stoebe at 707-263-5491.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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