LCSO Alert: Fire debris disposal

Lake County, Calif -- The Lake County Sheriff's Office reports that fire debris must be determined safe or will not be permitted at the landfill and that free testing, cleanup and disposal of fire debris is available.  

Individuals affected by the fire can sign up at the Local Assistance Center (LAC) located at the Senior Center, 21256 Washington Street, Middletown; or call the Lake County Environmental Health Department in Lakeport. 707-263-1164.

Individuals are not being prohibited from hiring contractors and cleaning their own lots but the ash must be tested before it can be disposed of, and when the job is done there should be an official certification that the lot is clean of toxics. 

Eastlake Landfill in Lake County is not authorized to receive fire debris unless it has been lab tested to demonstrate it is free of asbestos and it also should not contain hazardous chemicals like you find around the home and in garages and sheds.   

In addition our land fill does not have the physical capacity to receive all the debris from the Valley, Rocky and Jerusalem fires.   That debris must be shipped out of the County at considerable expense.  

Federal and State site assessment teams are now coming into the County to locate and remove hazardous materials from the burn locations.  

Each site will be tested for toxic residuals and asbestos content.   The lab testing, removal and disposal is at no cost to the property owner.   

Each site will be left clean, with erosion protection for the winter and ready to build again.

Sheriff's office locates more people reported missing during Valley fire; search for two men continues

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Authorities are continuing their efforts to locate residents of the Valley fire area that have been reported missing.

Sheriff Brian Martin said Tuesday that a total of 15 people have been reported missing to the Lake County Sheriff's Office since the fire began Sept. 12.

Since then, authorities have slowly worked through the list, he said.

Three of the 15 who were reported missing were confirmed to have died during the fire.

Lt. Steve Brooks said they include Leonard Neft of Anderson Springs and Bruce Burns of Hidden Valley Lake. Brooks said they have not officially confirmed the identity of a third victim, a 72-year-old woman whose body was found in her home in Anderson Springs.

Martin said eight people had still not been located as of early Tuesday morning.

However, during the course of the morning, Martin said his staff located six individuals who he said were safe, and had been staying either at shelters or with friends and family.

They included Jarad Hotchkiss, 72, of Cobb; Martha Hotchkiss, 66, of Cobb; Lincoln Schumann, 48, of Hidden Valley Lake; Joyana Brookmeyer, 80, of Hidden Valley Lake; Ivan Wright, 83, of Loch Lomond; and Gehlen Palmer, 68, of Middletown, Martin said.

Still missing are Robert Taylor Fletcher, 66, of Cobb, and Robert Litchman, 61, of Lower Lake, Martin said.

Brooks said that on Sept. 16 a deputy sheriff was asked to conduct a welfare check on Fletcher, who was last heard from by a family member on Sept. 10.

The deputy responded to the residence and was unable to locate Fletcher, and reported that the residence was gone and appeared to have burned, Brooks said.

Brooks said sheriff’s detectives responded to the residence and conducted a search with two human remains detection dogs and their handlers, which were provided by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. The search provided negative results, as they were unable to locate any remains.

Then, on Sept. 17, a deputy sheriff took a missing person's report for Litchman, who a friend reported missing after having not heard from Litchman since the fire broke out, Brooks said.

Brooks said Litchman's friend told authorities that he did not believe Litchman had left his residence due to not having transportation.

The friend also said Litchman had refused to leave when told to do so by law enforcement. During the evacuation he was seen standing in the driveway waving vehicles by as others were evacuating, Brooks said.

Detectives who responded to Litchman's address also found his home had burned. In that case, as in Fletcher's, human remains detection dogs were used to search the home site, but did not locate any remains.

Brooks said the sheriff's office is continuing the search for the men, and additional searches by dogs and an anthropologist have been scheduled.

Anyone who has seen or knows the whereabouts of either Fletcher or Litchman is asked to contact the Lake County Sheriff’s Office at 707-263-2690.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

Police arrest Willits man for Regency Inn armed robbery

LAKEPORT, Calif. – A Willits man whose criminal record includes a murder conviction was arrested Saturday night for the armed robbery of a Lakeport motel.

Sidney Lewis Freeman, 25, was arrested late Saturday night, according to Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen.

Rasmussen said Lake County Central Dispatch received a 911 call at 5:30 p.m. Saturday reporting an armed robbery of the Regency Inn motel office. 

The responsible subject was described as a Hispanic male adult, approximately 25 to 30 years old, wearing dark clothing with a bandanna covering his face and neck, Rasmussen said.

He said Lakeport Police officers and Lake County Sheriff's deputies immediately responded to the scene, with the first unit arriving within 30 seconds. 

Investigating officers were advised that two female juveniles and an adult female who were working at the office check in desk were robbed at knifepoint by the subject, who took cash from the register, Rasmussen said.

Rasmussen said the victims advised that the subject fled on foot toward the old Natural High School in the 800 block of N. Main Street.

Officers and deputies conducted a search of the surrounding area but did not locate the subject, and issued a “be on the lookout” for the suspect to Lake County law enforcement, Rasmussen said.

Lakeport Police Officers continued to investigate the case and at 8 p.m., while acting on leads, positively identified the man who robbed the motel as Freeman, according to Rasmussen.

He said officers also learned that he had a prior conviction for murder with a 19-year-to-life prison sentence that later was commuted. Freeman also has prior arrests for failing to appear, marijuana sales, battery, giving false information to a peace officer and probation violation. 

With the assistance of sheriff's deputies, Lakeport Police officers checked addresses outside of the city of Lakeport where Freeman had known associates but did not locate him. Rasmussen said officers also checked an address in the city of Lakeport where Freeman may have a connection but again did not locate him.

Rasmussen said his officers continued their investigation and at approximately 11 p.m. Saturday they determined that Freeman may be currently harbored by his girlfriend in a motel room at the Anchorage Inn, located just down the street from the Regency Inn.

Lakeport Police officers went to the Anchorage Inn and located both Freeman and his girlfriend, who was identified as Felicia Brooke Amparo, 25, of Lakeport, according to Rasmussen.

Rasmussen said Freeman was arrested for the felony crime of armed robbery. Amparo was arrested for harboring a fugitive from justice and active Lake County Superior Court warrants charging drunk driving, driving on a suspended license, battery and theft. 

Officers also have positively identified Freeman as the suspect in the Sept. 8 misdemeanor case of entering Campos Casuals in Lakeport with the intent to commit theft and larceny of more than $581 in merchandise, Rasmussen said.

Prior to Proposition 47 enacted in November 2014, this crime would have been a felony, said Rasmussen, who added that the Sept. 8 case also will be sent to the Lake County District Attorney's Office for review. 

Rasmussen thanked all of the officers and deputies involved in the case for their diligence and commitment to follow all leads to ensure that a dangerous suspect was taken off the street.