How to resolve AdBlock issue? Sheriff's office reports on Cobb Mountain woman's rescue; offers tips for staying safe in the outdoors
BOGGS MOUNTAIN, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday issued a report about the successful search for a Cobb Mountain woman who got lost while hiking earlier this month.
The 72-year-old was found alive and well after late on the night of Nov. 16 several hours after she had gotten lost while hiking with her dog in the Boggs Mountain State Forest, as Lake County News has reported.
Lt. Steve Brooks said some 35 searchers responded to look for the woman, who had gone to the forest to hike the Hoberg’s Loop Trail at 5 p.m. Family members called 911 after unsuccessfully searching for her.
She was found by an ATV Quad search team on a forest road at 11:15 p.m., according to Brooks' report.
Brooks said the woman told rescuers that darkness had overtaken her and she had become disoriented. She started walking and ended up on one of the dirt roads. She decided to sit down.
One of the searchers said, “That was the best thing she could have done. It made it easy to find her.”
A sheriff’s deputy was on scene at approximately 7:30 p.m., only a few minutes after the 911 call. Brooks said it was determined that additional searchers were needed.
Eight Lake County Search and Rescue members and 20 Kelseyville High School K-CORPS students subsequently responded. Brooks said they began searching the trails and forest roads on foot and in all-terrain vehicles.
The helicopter crew at the Cal Fire Fire Boggs Mountain Helitack base and fire crews from Middletown and Kelsey Creek Cal Fire stations also assisted with foot and off-highway vehicle searches.
Jim Adams, incoming Lake County Search and Rescue Association president, said everyone was elated that the woman was found in good health.
“We were concerned that she had fallen down a hillside and was seriously injured, maybe nonresponsive, or the dog had run off chasing an animal, and she got lost or injured chasing after it,” he said.
Adams added, “The training and concerted aggressive search effort really paid off in finding her in such a short amount of time especially in the dark.”
Search and Rescue members want the public to safely enjoy our recreational areas. They encourage county residents and guests to beware of their surroundings.
There are some simple things that will help people be safe. Those include telling others where you are going and when you expect to be back; dress for the weather, terrain and conditions; and have a signaling device as simple as a whistle (three sharp blows signals distress).
Above all, if lost or disoriented, stay put, be as visible as possible. Resist the urge to be “un-lost.”
In California and most Western States, the sheriff’s office is responsible for missing persons, and search and rescue efforts, especially in unincorporated areas.
Sheriff’s offices have trained paraprofessional search and rescue volunteers. They meet national standards in search methods and rescue techniques. Their services are free.
K-CORPS is a Kelseyville High School program that benefits the community. Select juniors and seniors take classes in emergency first aid, man-tracking, map reading and orienteering, radio communications, technical rope rescue and other related subjects.
For more information on K-CORPS contact their instructor and program coordinator, Mrs. Joanie Holt, at the high school, 707-279-4923.
Lake County Search and Rescue is comprised of county residents who volunteer to search for the lost, missing and injured under the authority of the sheriff’s office.
Members train to national and professional standards. They are organized in groups such as ground, off-highway vehicle and equine search teams.
They learn and develop skills in man-tracking, wilderness first aid, technical rope rescue, and evidence and clue identification to name a few.
In addition, they employ planning, investigating and conducting search capabilities for the various terrains, conditions and weather found in Lake County.
For more information on Lake County Search and Rescue contact the Lake County Sheriff’s Office or visit the Search and Rescue Facebook page at www.facebook.com/LakeCoSAR .
Everyone is welcome to attend the Lake County Search and Rescue Association monthly meetings, which are held at 7 p.m. on the second Wednesday at the AWP Building, 4913 Helbush Drive, Lakeport.
There is no association meeting in December.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Clearlake Police Department investigates indecent exposure incidents
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake Police Department is currently investigating at least two separate indecent exposure incidents in the city and is asking for the public's help in gathering more information about the cases.
Sgt. Rodd Joseph said the incidents occurred this month at Redbud Park and at Austin Park.
Witnesses reported seeing a male subject masturbating while seated in his parked vehicle, in plain view of others, according to Joseph.
The suspect is described as a white male adult in his early to mid 40s, between 280 to 320 pounds, and between about 6 feet, 3 inches to 6 feet, 7 inches tall in height, Joseph said.
The man has short brown and grayish-colored hair and was in a newer white Toyota four-door sedan, according to Joseph.
Joseph said the police department has a “person of interest” in these two incidents. The cases, however, are still under investigation.
Anyone with information about these crimes or who may have witnessed the incidents is urged to contact the Clearlake Police Department at 707-994-8251.
The investigating officer is Officer Travis Parson; he can be reached at extension No. 507.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
STATE: Gov. Brown selects Kruger for California Supreme Court
Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday announced Leondra R. Kruger as his choice for associate justice of the California Supreme Court.
Kruger, 38, of Washington, D.C., has served as a deputy assistant attorney general at the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Legal Counsel since 2013.
She served as an assistant to the solicitor general and as acting principal deputy solicitor general in the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Solicitor General from 2007 to 2013.
While serving in that office, she argued 12 cases on behalf of the federal government before the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Leondra Kruger is a distinguished lawyer and uncommon student of the law,” said Gov. Brown. “She has won the respect of eminent jurists, scholars and practitioners alike.”
“I am deeply honored by Gov. Brown's nomination,” said Kruger. “I look forward to returning home to California and, if confirmed, serving the people of California on our state's highest court.”
Kruger was a visiting assistant professor at the University of Chicago Law School in 2007 and an associate at Wilmer, Cutler, Pickering, Hale and Dorr LLP from 2004 to 2006.
She served as a law clerk to the Honorable John Paul Stevens on the U.S. Supreme Court from 2003 to 2004 and to the Honorable David S. Tatel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit from 2002 to 2003. Kruger was an associate at Jenner and Block LLP from 2001 to 2002.
“I am delighted to congratulate Leondra Kruger on her nomination to the California Supreme Court,” said U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. “Leondra is an extraordinarily talented attorney who has been a leader within the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel and Office of the Solicitor General. Her remarkable judgment, tireless work ethic, and dedication to the highest ideals of public service have marked her as one of the foremost leaders of her profession. I am certain that she will be an excellent and thoughtful Supreme Court Justice who will serve the people of California with distinction for many years. I will miss working with Leondra, but I am proud to join my colleagues in wishing her all the best as she begins a new chapter in her already extraordinary career.”
Solicitors general under both President Barack Obama and President George W. Bush also lauded the announcement of Kruger's selection.
“Leondra Kruger is a brilliant, deeply principled and eloquent lawyer who has served the Department of Justice and the country with great distinction in the Solicitor General’s Office and more recently in the Office of Legal Counsel,” said U.S. Solicitor General Don Verrilli. “Her character, temperament and wise judgment make her ideally suited to serve as a jurist on the California Supreme Court. I am certain she will make great contributions to the law in the years to come.”
“Leondra Kruger is perhaps the most outstanding lawyer in America right now under the age of 40. She is known for meticulous preparation before her arguments in the United States Supreme Court, her absolute dedication to candor and her unwavering commitment to fairness,” said former Acting U.S. Solicitor General Neal Katyal. “She served the United States Justice Department with marked distinction, and will make a historic, fabulous, Justice on the California Supreme Court. California, and the nation, could do no better than Leondra Kruger.”
“Leondra is an outstanding lawyer and was an even better colleague at the Office of Solicitor General. She combines an understated and easygoing manner with a keen legal mind and unquestioned integrity,” said former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement.
Kruger earned a Juris Doctor degree from Yale Law School, where she was editor-in-chief of the Yale Law Journal, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University, where she graduated magna cum laude and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
Kruger was born and raised in the Los Angeles area. She is a member of the State Bar of California.
“Leondra is an exemplary, outstanding graduate of the Yale Law School,” said Yale Law School Dean and Sol and Lillian Goldman Professor of Law Robert Post. “She has a proven track record of exceptional public service and achievement. I am confident that she shall become a superb Justice, a magnificent fiduciary for the laws and welfare of the people of California.”
Kruger will succeed Associate Justice Joyce L. Kennard, who retired from the court earlier this year. The compensation for this position is $225,342.
The governor's nomination must be submitted to the State Bar's Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation and confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments.
The Commission on Judicial Appointments consists of Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, Attorney General Kamala D. Harris and senior presiding justice of the state Court of Appeal Joan Dempsey Klein.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Lake County Time Capsule: The old Lake County Courthouse
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The building that formerly served as Lake County's courthouse sits at 255 N Main St. in Lakeport, just across the street from the building that today serves that function.
Now the Historic Courthouse Museum, the former courthouse building is California Historical Landmark No. 897.
The historical marker plaque reads, “This brick courthouse, constructed by A. P. Pettit in 1870-71, was one of the few buildings in the vicinity to survive the 1906 earthquake with only minor damage. It served Lake County as a seat of government from 1871 until 1968. Precedent-setting trials on water rights were held here, along with the 'White Cap' murder trial in 1890.”
The county’s first courthouse, at Lakeport burned in 1867, six years after the county of Lake was formed by an act of the Legislature.
Then, all of the records of Lake County were destroyed, with the exception of one of the treasurer’s books, as he had taken it home with him.
The cause of the devastating fire was believed to have been an act of arson. The reasons for this suspicion stem from the debate over the selection of a county seat, but no one could prove this.
Voters had a sizable decision to make with regard to the town that named the county seat. The vote was between Lakeport and Lower Lake.
In 1869 Lower Lake was voted in as county seat, but the election was contested on the grounds that “fraud was practiced at Lower Lake.”
Through an act of the Legislature another vote was held, with the results as follows: Lakeport, 479 and Lower Lake, 404 votes.
With that decision settled, a courthouse and jail could be constructed, so in 1871 the brick structure was begun.
The Board of Supervisors was to issue bonds for the construction of the court house “in the amount of $20,000 in denominations of $250 each, to bear interest at the rate of twelve per cent per annum.”
The plans specified that the building should “be sixty-six feet long and forty-four feet wide, two stories high, be built of brick, and have a tin roof. It fronts the lake (east) and is located in center of a handsome plaza comprising a whole block.”
The contract went to A.P. Pettit for $17,000.
Today, as a museum, the building houses stunning and unique historical artifacts of many kinds.
Visit the museum to view breathtaking examples of exquisite Pomo Indian basketry, stone tools, collections of beautiful Lake County diamonds and even a mammoth molar which was found on Cobb Mountain.
At the museum you can step back in time as you study the professional dioramas and displays.
Visit the museum to learn more about Lake County’s colorful history.
Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is an educator, potter, writer and author of “Anderson Marsh State Historic Park: A Walking History, Prehistory, Flora, and Fauna Tour of a California State Park” and “Native Americans of Lake County.” She also writes for NASA and JPL as one of their “Solar System Ambassadors.” She was selected “Lake County Teacher of the Year, 1998-99” by the Lake County Office of Education, and chosen as one of 10 state finalists the same year by the California Department of Education.
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STATE: Governor appoints two justices to the First District Court of Appeal
SACRAMENTO – Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday announced the appointment of Marla J. Miller to Division Two and Jon B. Streeter to Division Four of the First District Court of Appeal.
The First District Court of Appeal serves the residents of 12 Northern California counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Solano and Sonoma.
Each year, the district's 20 justices review more than 2,000 criminal, civil and juvenile appeals, and more than 1,300 original proceedings.
Miller, 59, of San Francisco, has served as a judge at the San Francisco County Superior Court since 2005.
She was a partner at Morrison and Foerster LLP from 1997 to 2005 and served as chief assistant district attorney at the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office in 1996.
Miller was a director at Howard, Rice, Nemerovski, Canady, Falk and Rabkin from 1992 to 1996, where she was an associate from 1981 to 1987.
She served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of California from 1987 to 1992.
Miller earned her juris doctor degree from Harvard Law School and a bachelor of arts degree from Harvard University.
Miller, a Democrat, fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Paul R. Haerle.
Streeter, 58, of Berkeley, has been a partner at Keker and Van Nest LLP since 1997. He was a partner at Orrick, Herrington and Sutcliffe LLP from 1989 to 1996, where he was an associate from 1981 to 1988.
Streeter was a law clerk for the Honorable Harry T. Edwards at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit from 1982 to 1983.
He earned a juris doctor degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and a bachelor of arts degree from Stanford University.
Streeter, a Democrat, fills the vacancy created by the elevation of Justice James M. Humes to presiding justice, Division One of the First District Court of Appeal.
Both positions require confirmation by the Commission on Judicial Appointments, which consists of Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, Attorney General Kamala D. Harris and Senior Presiding Justice J. Anthony Kline.
The compensation for each of these positions is $211,260.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
