How to resolve AdBlock issue? Police arrest two for drug charges, child cruelty
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Two people were arrested late last week on drug charges and suspicion of child cruelty.
Dawn Michelle Kocher, 33, of Clearlake and 34-year-old James Kellen Tully, who recently moved to the city, were arrested last Friday, according to Det. Nick Bennett of the Clearlake Police Department.
Just before 6:30 p.m. Friday the Clearlake Police Department received a report of a young child stating he could not wake his mother and she was bleeding, Bennett said.
Officers Travis Lenz, Abigail Hernandez and Joseph Myers responded to Ridgelake apartments, located at 3810 Old Highway 53, and made contact with Kocher and Tully, Bennett said.
Bennett said officers determined there was no injured person at the address. However during the welfare investigation into a possible injured female, methamphetamine as well as drug paraphernalia was observed in plain view.
Clearlake Police detectives were notified and a search warrant was written and subsequently signed by a Lake County Superior Court judge, Bennett said.
Subsequent to a search of the apartment under the search warrant, Bennett said officers discovered several ounces of additional methamphetamine and concentrated cannabis in addition to items which indicated the occupants of the apartment possessed the methamphetamine and concentrated cannabis for sales.
Bennett said both Kocher and Tully were arrested and booked into Lake County Jail on drug-related charges including possession of narcotics for sale and child cruelty.
Tully's bail was set at $75,000, while Kocher's bail was $25,000. Jail records indicated Tully remained in custody on Tuesday, while Kocher had posted the required portion of her bail and was released.
An infant in the residence was released to a responsible relative and Child Protective Services was notified, Bennett said.
Anyone with any information on this incident is encouraged to contact Officer Travis Lenz at the Clearlake Police Department, 707-994-8251, Extension 511.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Clearlake Police chief receives POST Executive Certificate
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Clearlake Police Chief Craig Clausen was recognized Thursday for an achievement accomplished by less than 1 percent of the state's law enforcement community.
Robert Stresak, executive director for the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, or POST, presented Clausen with the organization's Executive Certificate for satisfactory completion of requirements for the award described in Title II, Division 2 of the California Code of Regulations.
Stresak said he wanted to express the great significance of the award and his pleasure for the opportunity to present it to Clausen before the Clearlake City Council and the community Clausen serves.
According to Stresak, POST has presented only 1,500 executive certificates in the past 50 years.
He commended Clausen for his tenacity and dedication in earning the certificate while “juggling” the responsibilities of his employment and his family.
Stresak said Clausen was one of the few to receive the certificate.
“For every 1,000 law enforcement applicants, 100 get accepted to the academy while 90 graduate and 80 complete field training requirements. Only 1 percent join the state's police officer community; even fewer become executive officers,” he said.
Clausen was surprised and speechless at the presentation.
City Manager Joan Phillipe later took time in her report to recognize Clausen's achievement.
“I want everybody to know what a big deal this is,” she said. “I have worked with a lot of police chiefs but not one who has achieved that certificate.”
Stresak said POST serves more than 615 law enforcement agencies and 79,000 police officers throughout the state.
POST maintains 40 academies, offering 4,000 training courses from basic to executive training.
“What just took place right there, is well-deserved. Thank you for serving our community,” Mayor Denise Loustalot said.
Last September, another local law enforcement leader, Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen, also received the POST Executive Certificate, as Lake County News has reported.
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Police arrest man who challenged concertgoers to fight, assaulted officer
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Police took a Lakeport man into custody on Friday evening after he challenged people in the park to fight, fought with an officer and had to be brought under control through the use of a Taser.
Terry Lee Sargent, 35, was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of being drunk in public and a felony charge of resisting or obstructing an officer.
Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen said that at 6:50 p.m. Friday his officers began receiving calls and were flagged down by citizens reporting an intoxicated male subject contacting people and challenging them to fight in the area of Library Park during the Friday evening concert.
At one point the man was kicking the front doors of the Lake County Courthouse, Rasmussen said.
Rasmussen said officers remained in the area of Library Park, Museum Park and the Lake County Courthouse looking for the subject.
At 7:30 p.m. a citizen report led an officer to the subject's location on the steps of the museum. Rasmussen said the man was identified as Sargent.
The officer contacted Sargent, who fled on foot. Rasmussen said the officer gave chase and tackled Sargent in Museum Park near N. Main and Third streets.
Sargent became violent, kicking the officer and punching him in the side of the head. Rasmussen said the officer deployed his Taser and used it to subdue Sargent as a second officer was arriving at the scene to assist.
Both officers then took Sargent into custody and he was transported to the Lake County Correctional Facility for booking, Rasmussen said.
Jail records showed that Sargent's bail was set at $15,000. He remained in custody early Sunday.
Rasmussen said Sargent has prior recent arrests, is well known to Lakeport Police and is considered to be hostile toward law enforcement.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Clearlake Police arrest man for illegal marijuana grow, firearms possession
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – On Wednesday police arrested a convicted felon found to be in possession of firearms and who additionally was illegally growing marijuana.
Ruben Ceja Gonzalez, 36, of Clearlake was arrested, according to Sgt. Rodd Joseph of the Clearlake Police Department.
At 3 p.m. Wednesday Clearlake Police Officers Elvis Cook, Abigail Hernandez and Trevor Franklin responded to a residence located in the 3300 block of Fifth Street in Clearlake Park to conduct a medical marijuana compliance check, Joseph said. The compliance check was in response to an anonymous call regarding a possible illegal marijuana grow at that location.
When the officers arrived they contacted Gonzalez, a convicted felon out of the state of Nevada. Joseph said Gonzalez was argumentative and confrontational with officers from the initial contact.
Officers learned that Gonzalez lived at the residence, and Joseph said the officers could see several marijuana plants on the property.
Gonzalez claimed he did not have a medical marijuana recommendation for his marijuana grow. Based on the observations of the officers on scene as well as Gonzalez’s own admission of not having a medical marijuana recommendation, officers placed Gonzalez under arrest for felony marijuana cultivation, Joseph said.
Joseph said officers then applied for a search warrant to search Gonzalez’s yard and residence. A search warrant was granted and officers recovered approximately 37 large marijuana plants from Gonzalez’s yard, additional processed marijuana inside the residence, drug paraphernalia, a Winchester 12 gauge shotgun, shotgun ammunition and an AK22 .22 caliber rifle. Items also were located establishing Gonzalez lives at the residence.
Gonzalez additionally was arrested for felonies including being a convicted felon in possession of firearms, being a violent convicted felon in possession of firearms, a convicted felon in possession of ammunition, and being armed with a firearm in the commission of a felony, Joseph said.
Gonzalez was later booked into the Lake County Jail. Additional weapons and narcotic violations on Gonzalez are likely, Joseph reported.
Gonzalez's bail was set at $15,000, according to his booking sheet. Jail records indicated he posted bail and was released.
Since May of this year, the Clearlake Police Department has responded to approximately 100 requests from citizens for medical marijuana compliance checks in the city of Clearlake, Joseph said.
In all of those cases, the individuals have had medical recommendations from medical doctors for the patient’s own use of medical marijuana. However, Joseph said almost all of them have been found to be in violation of the city ordinance that limits the number of plants allowed or where the marijuana can be grown.
The marijuana grows found to be in violation of city ordinance have been referred to Clearlake Code Enforcement, who has jurisdiction on medical marijuana grows in violation of city ordinance, Joseph said.
The city ordinance governing medical marijuana grows can be found on the city’s Web page at http://clearlake.ca.us/152/Codes-Ordinances .
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Lakeport Police ask for help in identifying girl found at bus stop
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Police Department is seeking the community's assistance in identifying a girl found early Saturday at a bus stop in the city's downtown area.
The girl was located at approximately 12:30 a.m. at the bus stop at Main and Third streets, according to police.
Police said the girl appears to be 12 or 13 years old, and was picked up with a backpack and scooter.
She is not providing accurate information regarding her name and family information, and she may have some developmental disabilities, police said.
Anyone with information about the girl is asked to call the Lakeport Police Department at 707-263-5491, Extension 32.
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