How to resolve AdBlock issue? Police investigate shooting of alleged intruder at Clearlake home
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake Police Department is investigating a Wednesday afternoon incident in which a man who allegedly forced his way into a home was shot by one of the residents.
Sgt. Rodd Joseph said officers responded to the report of the shooting in the 4600 block of W. 40th Street shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday.
The man who called police, identified as Christopher Charles, said he had just shot an intruder in his home, Joseph said.
When officers arrived at the residence, Charles was found on scene and was cooperative with investigators. Joseph said Charles lives in the residence with his elderly mother.
The alleged intruder, whose name is being withheld due to medical reasons, already had fled the scene on foot by the time police arrived, Joseph said.
Within a few minutes, officers located the male suspect in the 14600 block of Uhl Avenue. Joseph said the man had a gunshot wound to his upper torso that was not life-threatening.
During interviews with police, the alleged intruder made inconsistent statements, Joseph said. Investigators also learned that the man and Charles are familiar with each other and have had prior contact.
Joseph said the male suspect was transported by ambulance to St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake for medical treatment, and he additionally was placed on a mental health evaluation.
Investigators believe that suspect forced his way into Charles' residence and that Charles shot the alleged intruder in self-defense, Joseph said.
The firearm used in the incident was seized by investigators, and Joseph said Charles was released on scene, pending the outcome of the investigation. The suspect in the case has not yet been charged.
Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact the Clearlake Police Department at 707-994-8251; Det. Travis Lenz can be reached at Extension 315 and Det. Ryan Peterson can be reached at Extension 320. Callers may remain anonymous.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Clearlake Police Department invites seniors to register for 'YANA' program
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Seniors needing help finding resources or who would benefit from a regular contact to check on their well-being are invited to register for a program offered by the Clearlake Police Department.
The “You Are Not Alone” program – also known as “YANA” – is operated by the Clearlake Police Department Volunteers in Police Services (VIPS).
The program provides regular phone calls to seniors who live alone, who have limited family or community contacts, or seniors who just want someone to check in on them on a regular basis.
Seniors also can call the YANA program for help finding specific services and resources.
YANA promotes peace of mind and a sense of security for elderly residents. It’s a great resource for seniors who enjoy independent living, but have no friends or family nearby to check on them regularly.
If an emergency occurs during a phone call, the VIP/YANA volunteer will arrange for a police officer and/or medical assistance to be sent to the residence right away.
Additionally, if the volunteer is unable to reach the senior citizen after multiple attempts, they may make a request for a police officer to conduct a welfare check on the individual.
Seniors can register for the program by calling 707-994-8201, Extension 322. Seniors should leave a message with their name and call back number and a volunteer will contact them.
Services can also be requested on the Clearlake Police Department Web site at http://clearlake.ca.us/302/YANA-Gold-You-Are-Not-Alone .
Anyone interested in joining the YANA program as a volunteer also can leave a message at the number listed above.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Police seek leads on gas thefts; officers discover pickup with siphoning system
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Police Department is searching for information on unreported gasoline thefts after the discovery this week of a vehicle that appeared to be rigged specifically for such crimes, and which also contained tools commonly used for burglary.
Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen said that this past Thursday at 1:45 a.m., Lakeport Police officers observed a suspicious white 1995 Chevrolet Cheyenne three-quarter ton shop/utility bed pickup truck with a black lumber rack parked in the area of Lakeshore Boulevard and Giselman Street.
He said the officers continued to patrol and conduct surveillance in the area throughout the morning in an effort to detect possible criminal activity, with an officer entering the truck at 5 a.m. after noticing an operating propane heater was burning a hole in the seat.
At that time, the officer noticed numerous items that he recognized to be commonly possessed by persons who commit burglary and gasoline theft, including flashlights, gloves, pry bar, utility knife, police band scanner, locking and nonlocking gasoline caps, and a suction hose and reel, according to Rasmussen.
Due to the suspected evidence of a crime in the vehicle, officers decided to tow and store the vehicle pending completion of an affidavit for search warrant. Rasmussen said the officers also believed the vehicle may be associated with recent burglaries.
During the towing inventory of the vehicle contents additional suspected burglary tools were observed, Rasmussen said, including bolt cutters and a gasoline siphon system.
Additional officers and detectives responded and a search warrant affidavit was completed and authorized by a superior court judge, he said.
At approximately 1:45 p.m. Thursday, Lakeport Police officers and detectives served the search warrant on the vehicle, documenting and seizing items of evidence including a lock pick, punch, bolt cutters, pry bar, metal cutting tools, vehicle gasoline caps, gloves and a fuel siphon system, Rasmussen said.
He said the fuel siphon system was an elaborate 12 volt pump set up, hard wired to the vehicle DC power, concealed in a utility compartment and plumed to the vehicle fuel tank with a long siphon hose.
The system also had a third connection believed to be set up to offload fuel from the tank or divert it to a separate fuel container. Rasmussen said it appeared that the siphon system was built for the sole purpose of stealing fuel from vehicles and that it had the capability of siphoning many gallons of fuel in a matter of minutes.
The investigation is ongoing and officers are seeking to determine if there are unreported gasoline thefts or other burglaries in the Lakeport area, he said.
Based on the numerous vehicle gasoline caps recovered, Rasmussen said there may be persons who had caps and fuel stolen but did not report it to law enforcement.
Additionally, he said police are aware that sometimes gasoline theft victims do not file crime reports with law enforcement.
The last known gasoline theft report filed with the Lakeport Police Department was on Jan. 1, where a victim had their vehicle fuel tank completely emptied of approximately 10 gallons of fuel, Rasmussen said.
Rasmussen asked that anyone who may have information related to recent vehicle fuel cap and gasoline thefts or other recent burglaries, or people who saw the truck in the area where these the crimes may have been committed, contact police to assist them with this investigation.
The Lakeport Police Department can be reached at 707-263-5491.
Any pictures or identifying information – such as license plate numbers or suspect descriptions – also may be directly sent to Chief Rasmussen at
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
UPDATE: Capitola Police officers arrest man wanted for Lakeport burglaries
This story has been updated with additional details about Stokes' arrest.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – An Upper Lake man sought since last week for his alleged involvement in a series of Lakeport burglaries has been arrested in Santa Cruz County.
Jeffery William Stokes, 25, was arrested on Friday in Capitola, according to Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen.
Rasmussen said Capitola Police notified his agency at 11:30 a.m. Friday that they had a lead on Stokes' whereabouts and they wanted to confirm the Lake County arrest warrant that had been issued for him.
“They got a call from a relative that reported he showed up at their house, and they advised him to leave and they called the police,” said Rasmussen.
He said Capitola Police also had received a tip that Stokes was at a shopping mall.
Capitola Police officers then went looking for Stokes and located him, at which point he gave them false names. However, Rasmussen said police were able to positively identify Stokes.
Rasmussen said his agency received word at 2 p.m. that Stokes had been arrested and booked into the Santa Cruz County Jail.
The Lakeport Police Department had put out another call to the community on Thursday seeking leads as to Stokes' whereabouts.
Rasmussen said they had received numerous leads as to where he may have been but hadn't been successful in finding him.
An arrest warrant was issued for Stokes this week, with the Lake County District Attorney's Office charging him with 19 separate counts for the downtown break-ins, Rasmussen said.
He's facing eight counts of felony burglary, five counts of felony possession of stolen property, four counts of misdemeanor theft, and one count each of misdemeanor possession of burglary tools and vandalism, according to the Lakeport Police Department.
Stokes' alleged accomplice in the burglaries, 46-year-old Kimberly Jo Harvey of Nice, was arrested on Jan. 9 at the Anchorage Inn in Lakeport after police found her – along with items of stolen property and burglary tools – in a motel room registered to Stokes, as Lake County News has reported.
Harvey, who has an extensive criminal history with multiple convictions for crimes including theft, forgery and burglary, remains in the Lake County Jail, with bail set at $200,000, according to jail records.
Arrangements for Stokes to be transported back to Lake County are pending the status of any local charges in Santa Cruz County, Rasmussen said.
Stokes is being held on the $200,000 Lake County warrant of arrest, with Rasmussen adding that he also was charged with providing false information to Capitola Police.
Rasmussen thanked the numerous members of the public who provided information about where Stokes may have been hiding out.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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Male subject accused of peeping, annoying girl sought by police
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Police Department is investigating a case in which a man attempted to take pictures or video of a girl in a changing room at Kmart last weekend.
The incident occurred on the afternoon of Sunday, Jan. 12, according to Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen.
He said officers were dispatched to Kmart to investigate the report of an adult male subject taking video or photos of a 15-year-old female while she was trying on clothing in the girls' changing room.
The victim reported that she saw the cellular phone camera pointed down at her from over the top of the changing room door and also saw the suspect’s boots from under the door, Rasmussen said.
Police worked with Kmart loss prevention agents to obtain video of the suspect while he was inside the store, according to Rasmussen.
The suspect is described by police as a white male adult or possibly a Hispanic male with a light complexion.
He was wearing a black-hooded jacket with a gray lining in the hood and white or gray lettering across the chest, blue denim carpenter pants and a black beanie cap that may have a short ball cap type bill, Rasmussen said.
Rasmussen said the suspect appeared to have a dark-colored beard, was approximately 5 feet 7 to 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighed 190 to 200 pounds, and walked with slightly out-turned toes.
Based on the suspect's movements in the video and information obtained during the investigation, Rasmussen said police believe the suspect entered the store for the specific purpose of targeting the dressing room.
Police are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the suspect. Anyone with information is asked to contact Lakeport Police at 707-263-5491.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
