How to resolve AdBlock issue? Police seek witnesses to Saturday crash involving vehicle, pedestrian
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake Police Department is working to locate people who witnessed a Saturday morning incident in which a pedestrian was hit by a vehicle.
Clearlake resident Brian Fitzke, 33, was seriously injured after being hit by a minivan driven by 80-year-old Kelseyville resident Maureen Lostetter, according to Sgt. Tim Hobbs.
Hobbs said that at approximately 11:15 a.m. Saturday Clearlake Police officers responded to Lakeshore Drive in front of the Magic Wok Chinese restaurant for a reported vehicle versus pedestrian collision.
When officers arrived, medical personnel from the Lake County Fire Protection District were beginning to treat Fitzke, Hobbs said.
Based on information gathered during the investigation, Hobbs said Lostetter was driving her 1993 Ford Aerostar west on Lakeshore Drive.
Eastbound traffic was stopped for a pedestrian who was walking south across the road and was at that point in the eastbound lane, Hobbs said.
Hobbs said Fitzke was walking behind the other pedestrian. As Fitzke was about halfway across the westbound lane, Lostetter attempted to stop while swerving to the center of the road. She was unable to stop or avoid Fitzke and the front of her vehicle struck him.
Fitzke sustained major injuries as a result of the collision. Lostetter was uninjured and her vehicle sustained moderate damage, according to Hobbs.
Hobbs said Fitzke was transported by Lake County Fire Protection District personnel to a landing zone at Redbud Park. From there Fitzke was taken by a REACH air ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.
Lakeshore Drive was closed for approximately 45 minutes, Hobbs said.
Fitzke sustained numerous rib fractures, a nose and hip fracture, and two compound fractures to one of his legs, Hobbs said. On Saturday evening Fitzke was reported to be in stable condition.
Anyone who witnessed the collision is asked to contact Officer Andrew Adams at 707-994-8251, Extension 501.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
UPDATE: Deputy sheriff shot by wife dies; investigation continues
LAKEPORT, Calif. – A retired police commander and part-time sheriff's deputy whose wife allegedly shot him early Friday morning has died.
Robert Piveronas, 66, died early Saturday, according to District Attorney Don Anderson, whose agency is leading the investigation into the shooting.
Piveronas was shot at around 7 a.m. Friday at his Reeves Lane home in Lakeport, as Lake County News has reported.
District Attorney's Office investigators arrested his 63-year-old wife, Paula Ann Piveronas, about two hours later for attempted murder, assault with a firearm and inflicting corporal injury on a spouse.
Reports from the scene indicated Paula Piveronas had shot three times, hitting her husband once in the chest and once in the stomach.
Anderson said Paula Piveronas used a handgun to shoot her husband.
“There's no question that she's the shooter,” Anderson said.
Robert Piveronas was flown by air ambulance from Lampson Field to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital on Friday morning, Anderson said.
Sometime overnight, before Robert Piveronas died, his wife posted the required 10-percent portion of her $700,000 bail and was released from the Lake County Jail, according to Anderson.
Anderson, whose office is taking the lead on the case pursuant to the county's critical incident protocol, said he was not yet issuing an arrest warrant charging Paula Piveronas with murder.
He said his staff has more work to do on the investigation before they actually charge her with anything.
“There's a lot to this case,” Anderson said.
Lab and autopsy results, and more interviews with people who knew the couple are parts of the investigation that are yet to be completed, according to Anderson.
So far, Anderson and his investigators aren't sure of what precipitated the shooting.
Piveronas, a retired commander from the Hillsborough Police Department, had for the last several years worked as a seasonal boat patrol deputy with the Lake County Sheriff's Office, and also served as a bailiff in the courts.
Known to his friends as “Piv,” he also was a pilot and past president of the Lake County Airmens Association, according to association member Damon Trimble.
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Tires slashed on Lakeport Police Department vehicles; police seek leads
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Police Department is asking for the community's assistance in identifying who is responsible for slashing tires on two police patrol vehicles on Thursday night.
Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen said the two vehicles each had one tire slashed at different times between 9:30 p.m. and 11:45 p.m. Thursday.
The tires were damaged while the vehicles were parked in the area of Second and N. Main streets, while officers were on foot in the downtown area conducting bar checks, Rasmussen said.
Both tires were destroyed and had to be replaced. Rasmussen said the current damage is estimated to be between $350 and $400.
Officers currently are investigating the case in an effort to identify the responsible individual or individuals, Rasmussen said.
“It is disappointing that there are persons willing to destroy public safety property, costing the public unnecessary expense and placing us in a situation where an on duty patrol unit may not be able to respond quickly to an emergency situation,” Rasmussen said.
Rasmussen asked that anyone with information on the case contact Lakeport Police through dispatch at 707-263-5491, Extension 32.
Anyone with information who wishes to remain anonymous may leave a message on the patrol line at 707-263-5491, Extension 17, or the investigations line at 707-263-5491, Extension 12.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Deputy sheriff shot, wife arrested
LAKEPORT, Calif. – A part-time sheriff's deputy was shot early Friday morning, with authorities later arresting his wife on charges including attempted murder.
Robert Piveronas, 66, was shot in the early morning assault and flown by air ambulance to an out-of-county trauma center.
An update on his condition wasn't immediately available early Friday afternoon.
District Attorney's Office investigators arrested his wife, Paula Ann Piveronas, 63, within a few hours of the shooting for attempted murder, assault with a firearm and inflicting corporal injury on a spouse, based on jail records.
She is being held on $700,000 bail, according to her booking sheeting.
Lakeport Fire Protection District personnel were dispatched to the couple's home at 2750 Reeves Lane outside of Lakeport at approximately 7:11 a.m. Friday for a medical aid, according to radio reports.
Initial reports indicated three shots were fired, with Robert Piveronas hit once in the chest and once in the stomach.
Paramedics transported him to Lampson Field to meet the REACH air ambulance that flew him out of county, based on radio reports.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff confirmed Paula Piveronas' arrest, and said three investigators with his office remained at the scene on Friday afternoon to determine what led to the shooting.
At that point, Hinchcliff said he still didn't have details on the circumstances surrounding the shooting; with the investigation still ongoing, he hadn't yet had the chance to be briefed by his staff.
Hinchcliff said the District Attorney's Office was involved pursuant to the county's critical incident protocol.
“We normally investigate things involving officers from other agencies,” which is meant to avoid conflicts with agencies investigating cases involving their own personnel, Hinchcliff said.
Robert Piveronas has worked as a 900-hour sheriff's deputy, including duties with the boat patrol and some work as a bailiff, according to county records.
Sheriff's officials did not respond to a request for information on the case.
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Clearlake Police officers rescue man from lake
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The quick actions of two Clearlake Police officers saved a man whose boat capsized in Clear Lake Sunday night.
Clearlake resident Ronald Bell, 55, was pulled safety from the lake, according to a report from Sgt. Dominic Ramirez of the Clearlake Police Department.
Ramirez said that just after 7 p.m. Sunday Clearlake Police officers Elvis Cook and Travis Parson were on patrol when they were dispatched to the 12400 block of Lakeshore Drive to assist the Lake County Sheriff’s Office regarding a subject yelling for help who was possibly in Clear Lake.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office boat patrol also was being dispatched to the area and was responding from Lakeport, Ramirez said.
When Cook and Parson arrived in the area they heard a male subject who was approximately 150 yards from the shoreline yelling for help. Ramirez said the man, later identified as Bell, was yelling to officers that he was tired, cold and cramping, and stated he was going to drown.
Cook and Parson commandeered a small aluminum boat from a nearby resident, according to Ramirez. The officers began rowing the boat out to Bell, who they found and pulled into the boat.
Bell told the officers that he was out fishing in a small aluminum boat when it tipped over, dumping him in the water, Ramirez said.
Ramirez said Cook and Parson rowed Bell to the shoreline, where Lake County Fire Protection District paramedics provided medical aid.
Late Monday, Bell was reported to be in stable condition and was being treated for precautionary reasons, Ramirez said.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
