How to resolve AdBlock issue? Sacramento man suffers major injuries in Thursday crash with local sheriff’s deputy
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A Sacramento man suffered major injuries on Thursday when his car was hit head-on by a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy who lost control of his patrol vehicle.
The California Highway Patrol said 28-year-old Marc Loberg and Deputy Richard Kreutzer were injured in the crash, which occurred at approximately 10:32 a.m. east of Lucerne.
The CHP said Kreutzer was driving his patrol vehicle – a Ford Crown Victoria – westbound west of Bruner Drive at approximately 30 miles per hour while on routine patrol.
Kreutzer was following a tractor trailer that ended up pulling over to let westbound traffic pass, the CHP said.
After the big rig pulled over, Kreutzer began to pass it to the left, and as he turned his patrol vehicle to the right – toward his original lane position – he lost control of his vehicle, according to the CHP report.
Kreutzer turned his vehicle back to the left in an attempt to regain control of the patrol vehicle. However, the CHP said the deputy's vehicle continued traveling out of control and crossed the double yellow lines.
The CHP said Kreutzer collided head-on with Loberg, who was driving a 2002 Honda Accord eastbound at 55 miles per hour.
Kreutzer's and Loberg's vehicles came to rest in the lanes of the highway, which was closed for approximately 55 minutes, the CHP said.
Loberg suffered major injuries, including a broken left arm, and complaints of pain to his hip, chest and ankle, the CHP said. Kreutzer had a minor injury in the form of a laceration to his forehead.
Northshore Fire Protection District personnel originally had requested two air ambulances come to the scene to transport the men. However, it later was decided to transport them by ground ambulance to Sutter Lakeside Hospital, according to radio reports.
The CHP said both Loberg and Kreutzer were wearing their seat belts.
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Clearlake Police Department plans Sept. 19 'tip-a-cop' fundraiser
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Main Street Bar & Grill will host a “tip-a-cop” fundraiser event to benefit the Clearlake Police Department this Friday.
The event will take place starting at 10 a.m. at the restaurant, located at 14084 Lakeshore Drive in Clearlake.
The proceeds will go to the Clearlake Police Department to help fund body cameras for the officers, according to Sgt. Rodd Joseph.
Joseph said body cameras are becoming an essential tool in today’s law enforcement. The body cameras will help assure quality service, will help document evidence of crime, will help in the reduction of officer complaints and will help build and maintain public trust.
Sam Polo, the owner of Main Street Bar & Grill, along with another unnamed community member already have donated nearly $13,000 to the police department for the purchase of the body cameras and to cover the cost of maintaining the video pursuant to state law for a period of one year, Joseph said.
Joseph said this week's tip-a-cop event should raise enough money to be able to fully outfit the entire patrol staff with body cameras and help pay the maintenance costs.
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Corvette raffle raises nearly $10,000 for police body cameras
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Linda Rouland of Chester held the winning ticket drawn on Sept. 11 in a charity raffle of a 1978 silver anniversary edition Chevrolet Corvette Stingray.
Sam Polo, who donated the classic car, presented Clearlake Police Chief Craig Clausen with the proceeds of the raffle, putting Clearlake officers $9,800 closer to being outfitted with body cameras.
A total of 100 tickets were made available in the raffle, priced at $100 apiece.
Bob Kiel, of the Lakeshore Lions Club, which assisted with ticket sales, said people from all over – including from Oregon – bought tickets.
“We should have sold 150 tickets,” Kiel said.
Polo, who owns Main Street Bar & Grill, is a longtime community contributor, especially to law enforcement, hosting Tip-A-Cop events and other fundraisers.
He said he bought the car from a retired highway patrol officer and decided he wanted to use it in a fundraiser.
“(Body cameras) really work best for the police officer and the public,” Polo told Lake County News. “It makes people think twice about what they are doing. It helps prevent liability suites against city and it increases the safety of the officer.”
Polo threw in a surprise second place prize at the time of the drawing, which took place before the Clearlake City Council on Sept. 11.
That additional prize – a vacation in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico – went to Frank Willis of Clearlake.
Winning tickets were drawn by Mayor Denise Loustalot with the assistance of Lakeshore Lions Club members.
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Jury convicts man of several charges for ramming, injuring police officer with SUV
LAKEPORT, Calif. – A man who last year rammed a vehicle into a Clearlake Police officer is facing a lengthy prison term after a jury convicted him on five of the six counts against him in a trial that concluded last week.
The jury handed down the verdict in the case of Daniel Alan York, 54, of Clearlake on Thursday, according to Senior Deputy District Attorney Art Grothe.
Grothe said the jury convicted York of five felonies: assault on a peace officer, resisting arrest, hit and run causing injury, vandalism and auto theft with a prior conviction, plus the jury found true special allegations of great bodily injury on all of those five counts.
The jury deadlocked on the first and most serious count, attempted murder. Grothe said he later dismissed that charge.
York's defense attorney, Barry Melton, declined comment, saying it would be inappropriate considering the fact that York is not to be sentenced until Oct. 20.
On the morning of Sept. 22, 2013, York rammed an SUV into Clearlake Police Officer Tom Riley, who had pulled York over at Redbud Park. York at the time had an outstanding arrest warrant.
York put the stolen SUV he was driving into reverse and slammed into Riley, who was pinned up against a Ford pickup.
Riley had to be flown to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital for treatment of serious injuries, which included broken ribs, a fractured spine, and head and neck lacerations, according to the police report on the incident.
York fled the scene and police later found the abandoned SUV. About four hours after the incident, officers located York at a West 40th Avenue residence, where a police K9 was used to take him into custody after he attempted to evade police.
The jury began deliberations on the morning of Friday, Sept. 5, and due to court scheduling didn't return to continue deliberations until this past Thursday, Grothe said.
At about 11 a.m. Thursday, the jurors sent out word that they had verdicts on five of the six counts, Grothe said. After it was determined they had deadlocked on the attempted murder charge, Grothe dismissed that count.
After the jury gave its verdict, it was reported in the court that York made an obscene hand gesture toward the jurors, Grothe said.
York has a lengthy criminal record over the last three decades, with convictions on charges related to drugs, weapons, vehicle theft and other charges in Lake, Nevada and Sonoma counties, according to court records.
Grothe said Judge Andrew Blum found that York had three prior serious or violent felonies and seven prior prison terms.
The case was extraordinarily well investigated, said Grothe. “I really had a lot to work with on evidence.”
That included thorough crime scene diagrams provided by the California Highway Patrol and the extensive work by Clearlake Police and District Attorney's Office investigators, Grothe said.
He said the investigators even went to the Taylor Observatory to find an expert to talk about the phase of the moon and where it would have been on the horizon, which had bearing on the case due to the incident occurring at around 4:30 a.m. that day.
Altogether, the investigators did “a hell of a job,” Grothe said.
Melton also did “a very businesslike job” on the case, according to Grothe.
Grothe said York will return to court on Oct. 20 at 1:30 p.m. for sentencing before Judge Blum.
While Grothe did not offer an exact estimate of how long York faces in prison, he said it will be lengthy due to the seriousness of the charges and York's past convictions.
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Off-duty sheriff's deputy arrested on suspicion of DUI
LAKEPORT, Calif. – A off-duty Lake County Sheriff's deputy was arrested late Wednesday on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
Jay Vanoven, 31, of Lakeport was taken into custody at approximately 11:57 p.m. Wednesday by Lakeport Police Officer Angie Bell, according to his booking sheet.
Vanoven was booked into the Lake County Jail shortly after 8 a.m. Thursday on one count of misdemeanor driving under the influence of alcohol, with bail set at $5,000. Jail records indicated he later posted the required percentage of bail and was released.
Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office said he could not comment on the incident, and referred all questions about it to the Lakeport Police Department.
Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen said the investigative report on Vanoven's arrest is not yet completed, but he was able to share preliminary information about the incident that led to the arrest with Lake County News.
At 11:20 p.m. Wednesday Bell and fellow Lakeport Police Office Mike Sobieraj were dispatched to a call for service on Palm Drive at 15th Street, according to the department's dispatch records.
Rasmussen said a resident called police to advise that a vehicle had pulled up into the area with its headlights on. A short time later, the reporting party noticed that the driver was slumped over the driving wheel, with the vehicle still running.
Officers arrived and woke up the driver, who was identified as Vanoven, and determined he was intoxicated, Rasmussen said.
Rasmussen said the officers subsequently began a DUI investigation. They concluded Vanoven's blood alcohol level was 0.23, nearly three times the legal limit.
With the final report still not completed, Rasmussen did not have details about Vanoven's statements to officers or where he had been that night.
While Vanoven is a Lakeport resident, the area where his vehicle was found was not his neighborhood, and Rasmussen said he did not know why Vanoven was in that part of the city.
Rasmussen said his agency's report on the arrest will be submitted to the District Attorney's Office for review.
He called the situation involving a fellow law enforcement officer “unfortunate,” but added, “We still have to do our job and treat it like any other situation.”
Vanoven has served as a deputy for several years, and in that capacity has worked alongside Lakeport Police officers.
Earlier this year, he shot a burglary suspect, James Ellis Smith of Santa Rosa, after Smith allegedly rammed his vehicle into Lakeport Police Officer Joe Eastham's patrol vehicle.
District Attorney Don Anderson later ruled Vanoven's shooting of Smith was justified.
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