How to resolve AdBlock issue? Clearlake police seek armed robbery suspect
Clearlake, Calif. -- Clearlake police are seeking a suspect described as a white male adult approximately 30 to 35 years of age who robbed the Verizon Wireless store in Clearlake.
Store employees reported that the store, located at 4456 Manzanita, was robbed Tuesday at approximately 4:48 p.m..
The suspect, wearing an orange ski mask, brandished what has been identified as black semi-automatic pistol during the robbery. He demanded money from an employee and after taking an undisclosed amount of cash, fled the business on foot.
Clearlake Officers responded to the business and discovered the suspect had fled out of the business north towards an undeveloped area which consisted of dense trees and brush.
Officers got a description of the suspect and began a search of the area tracking for the suspects path of travel with police canine partner “Dex”.
After an extensive search of the area the suspect was not located.
Witnesses on scene described the suspect as a white male adult approximately 30 to 35 years of age wearing a heavy black jacket, dark colored pants, and dark colored shoes..
The suspect concealed his face with an orange ski mask and a baseball style hat.
If anyone has any information regarding this incident they are encouraged to contact Officer Elvis Cook at 707-994-8251
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
Police arrest suspect in Sunday assault on officer; officer in stable condition
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A wanted parolee has been taken into custody after he allegedly used his vehicle early Sunday morning to assault and seriously injure a Clearlake Police officer.
Daniel York, 53, was arrested several hours after he allegedly injured the officer, whose name police did not release on Sunday afternoon due to privacy reasons.
Clearlake Police Sgt. Tim Hobbs said that at approximately 4:30 a.m. Sunday two Clearlake Police officers were on patrol together in a marked police vehicle when they attempted to make a traffic stop on a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe on Lakeshore Drive near Redbud Park for a minor traffic violation.
The vehicle, driven by York, pulled into the park and stopped near several parked vehicles, Hobbs said.
A passenger identified as Katherine Jackson, 32, exited the vehicle and began running away, which prompted the officer that was in the passenger seat of the patrol vehicle to begin chasing after Jackson on foot, Hobbs said.
York then allegedly put the vehicle in reverse, accelerated and struck the officer, pinning him in between the Tahoe and a parked Ford F-250 that was in the parking lot for a fishing tournament, according to Hobbs.
Hobbs said the F-250 was struck by the Tahoe with enough force that it moved several feet and collided into another parked pickup truck.
The Tahoe then fled the scene at a high rate of speed. Jackson, who had stopped running a short distance away, was detained by the injured officer’s partner, Hobbs said.
The officer who was stuck by the vehicle suffered serious injuries. Hobbs said the officer who was driving the patrol car stayed with the injured officer to render medical aid after quickly detaining Jackson.
Medical personnel from Lake County Fire Protection responded to the scene and prepared the officer for transport by air ambulance. A short time later the officer was flown from Redbud Park by REACH 6 to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, Hobbs said.
Hobbs said the injured officer currently is in stable condition after sustaining numerous fractured ribs, a fractured spine, and major head and neck lacerations.
The Tahoe later found and secured by a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy who had responded to that location after it was reported a vehicle had crashed into a tree at the intersection of Lasky and West 40th avenues. Hobbs said the deputy secured the scene until Clearlake Police personnel who were off duty were able to respond and secure the vehicle, pending the issuance of a search warrant.
During the investigation information was developed that York was on active parole and had an outstanding parole warrant for his arrest. Hobbs said it was learned York was possibly at a residence in the 4700 block of West 40th Avenue.
At approximately 8:45 a.m., Clearlake Police officers – including police K9s Dex and Harley – arrived at the location. Hobbs said York immediately tried to flee out the back of the residence and quickly went back inside after K9 Harley was deployed and began running toward him.
Once inside the residence York attempted to hide in the residence's second story loft. Hobbs said the other officers at the front of the residence made entry and gave York commands to come out of the loft.
Hobbs said York refused to come out and K9 Dex was deployed into the loft. Dex quickly located York and apprehended him biting him on the left arm. York was then placed under arrest.
York was identified in an infield lineup as the driver of the Tahoe that struck the officer by the partner of the injured officer and one other witness, Hobbs said.
York was then transported to St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake by Lake County Fire Protection District personnel. As of the time of Hobbs' report Sunday afternoon, York was still being treated for injuries he sustained from K9 Dex.
A joint investigation by the Clearlake Police Department with the assistance of the Lake County District Attorney’s Office and the California Highway Patrol currently is being conducted, Hobbs said.
York currently is being held on a no-bail parole warrant and charges stemming from this investigation are pending, Hobbs said.
Hobbs asked that anyone with information about the incident contact Det. Ryan Peterson at 707-994-8251, Extension 320.
He said the Clearlake Police Department offered its thanks to the Lake County District Attorney’s
Office, the California Highway Patrol and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance with the case.
The Clearlake Police Department also offered special thanks to the Lake County Fire Protection District for that agency's quick response and actions to insure the injured officer was treated in a professional and timely manner, according to Hobbs.
“Our thoughts and prayer are with the officer and his family,” Hobbs said.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Men sue sheriff over 2011 arrests; suit alleges civil rights violations
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Four men arrested by the county's sheriff in 2011 on marijuana charges have filed a lawsuit alleging civil rights violations in a case the District Attorney's Office ultimately refused to prosecute.
Ukiah attorney Richard Knox filed the lawsuit on Friday on behalf of Lake County residents Bo Sheffer and Jesus Mendoza, David Garcia-Shope of Napa County, and Eduardo Corona of Mendocino County.
The suit names Sheriff Frank Rivero and the Lake County Sheriff's Office, along with 20 as-yet unidentified individuals, or “does.”
The sheriff's office did not respond on Friday for a request for comment.
County Counsel Anita Grant said on Friday she had not yet seen the lawsuit.
The four men allege Rivero violated their constitutional rights, arresting them without sufficient evidence, conducting searches without warrants, falsely imprisoning them, subjecting them to illegal in-field lineups and questioning them without giving them the right to counsel.
The suit seeks compensatory general and special damages; punitive damages “in an amount sufficient to make an example of the individual defendant and to deter future misconduct”; reasonable attorney's fees; and “any other relief that the court may deem just and proper.”
The four plaintiffs had filed a tort claim with the county in April 2012 seeking damages in excess of $10,000. The case filed Friday said they have never received a written rejection of that 2012 claim; such claims usually are handled within 45 days.
Grant said claims for monetary damages like this latest case will go through the county's third-party liability insurance administrator, the George Hills Co., which she said will assign outside counsel.
Rivero personally arrested Sheffer, Mendoza, Garcia-Shope and Corona on Nov. 15, 2011, for what amounted to the alleged sale of $3 worth of marijuana, according to case documents.
District Attorney Don Anderson ordered the four released from jail and refused to prosecute the case because he said the evidence was weak, as Lake County News has reported.
The suit alleges that at 7 a.m. Nov. 15, 2011, Rivero received a phone call from a personal friend whose 16-year-old son was in possession of three marijuana joints. The teen originally said Mendoza had sold the marijuana to him.
Rivero contacted Mendoza and Corona at their Hidden Valley Lake home, arrested them, placed them in the back of his patrol car where he continued to question them, then transported them to Middletown High School, case documents state.
Contacted by Rivero at the school, the teen who had allegedly purchased the marijuana and originally identified Mendoza as having sold it to him, admitted to lying, saying Mendoza hadn't sold it to him and that the person who had was named “Bo.”
The teen also is alleged to have told Rivero that Mendoza, Corona and Garcia-Shope were not involved in the sales transaction.
The suit alleges that the teen identified Mendoza and Corona, seated in the back of the vehicle, as part of an illegal field lineup.
“Despite the fact that the witness admitted he had lied to Sheriff Rivero about the facts of the incident, and despite there being no probable cause to arrest, Sheriff Rivero again placed Mendoza and Corona under arrest, and continued to imprison them in the cage and locked patrol vehicle,” the suit stated.
Rivero then went to the Sheffer residence in Middletown, where he conducted a traffic stop on Juliana Sheffer, demanding she return to her residence where he told her he wanted to talk to her son, Bo.
Rivero is reported to have told Juliana Sheffer that if she did not give him permission to search the residence he would obtain a search warrant.
The suit alleges the Rivero knew he did not have probable cause to secure a search warrant, that his true intention was to enter the residence to arrest Bo Sheffer, and that he lied and coerced Juliana Sheffer into giving him permission to enter the residence in order to conduct a search and make the arrest.
Rivero is alleged to arrested Bo Sheffer, handcuffed him and placed him in the rear of another officer’s patrol vehicle, and then conducted a search of Bo Sheffer's room without a search warrant and without Bo Sheffer's consent, in violation of his constitutional rights.
The sheriff demanded Garcia-Shope exit Sheffer’s residence and then placed him under arrest as well, placing him in the back of another patrol car.
Rivero then transported the four to Middletown High School, where he had the teen who purchased the marijuana identify them as part of another unauthorized infield lineup, according to the case narrative.
All four were later transported to the Lake County Jail where they were booked. Rivero then returned to the Sheffer home and impounded a 1999 Audi that had been in the possession of Garcia-Shope.
The case has eight causes of action – false arrest/imprisonment, violation of constitutional rights, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress, assault and battery, conversion, invasion of privacy and violation of plaintiffs' civil rights.
Rivero is accused of acting maliciously and oppressively and being guilty of “despicable conduct.”
It's not clear who would pay have to pay for the punitive damages in the event that the case moves forward and the plaintiffs are successful.
Grant said the county is not legally required to indemnify – or protect – a county employee from punitive damages, adding that ultimately that would be a question for the Board of Supervisors.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Police arrest two, recover stolen vehicle following pursuit
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A Clearlake Police officer's attempt to conduct a traffic stop on Wednesday led to a pursuit, two arrests and the recovery of a stolen vehicle.
Sergio Alvarado, 26, of Los Angeles, and 22-year-old Chelsea Lynn Dawson of Clearlake were arrested following the pursuit, according to a Thursday report from Clearlake Police Sgt. Rodd Joseph.
Joseph said that Officer Michael Carpenter was conducting traffic enforcement near the intersection of Old Highway 53 and Davis Avenue just after 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday when he observed a white Cadillac Seville with an Oregon license plate run the stop sign at that intersection.
Carpenter attempted to stop the vehicle for the traffic infraction, but when he activated his emergency lights, the Cadillac fled, according to Joseph.
Joseph said Carpenter pursued the Cadillac for approximately one mile at speeds of approximately 40 miles per hour through residential neighborhoods before the Cadillac eventually stopped near the intersections of Olympic and Garfield drives.
A high risk traffic stop was conducted on the Cadillac and Olympic Drive was closed to traffic for approximately 30 minutes during the event, Joseph said.
While officers were conducting the high risk traffic stop, the Cadillac was determined to be a reported stolen vehicle out of the city of San Francisco, according to Joseph.
Alvarado, the driver, was arrested and charged with evading police and possession of stolen property. Joseph said Alvarado claimed to be a Sureño gang member from Los Angeles. Dawson was found to have a felony narcotics warrant out of Los Angeles and also was arrested.
During a search of the vehicle, Carpenter’s K9 “Dex” indicated on several areas of the stolen Cadillac. Joseph said that during the following physical search, several pounds of marijuana were located in several areas of the vehicle along with a small amount of concentrated cannabis. The marijuana was determined to be illegally possessed and believed to be possessed for later sales.
Additionally, a significant quantity of Clonazepam, a prescription medication, was found in the trunk and several hundred round of various types of live ammunition – .30 caliber, .38 special and 7.72 millimeter – also found scattered throughout the vehicle, Joseph said.
Alvarado was determined to be a convicted felon and has served time in a California State Prison, according to Joseph.
Joseph said Alvarado additionally was charged with possession of ammunition by a prohibited person, possession of marijuana for sale, transportation of marijuana and possession of concentrated cannabis.
The stolen Cadillac was impounded to be returned to the lawful owner, Joseph said.
Joseph said both Alvarado and Dawson were immediately transported to the Lake County Jail for booking.
Once at the jail, Lake County correctional officers determined that Alvarado had approximately 100 dosage units of Xanax, another prescription medication, hidden inside his rectum. Joseph said the pills were recovered and later booked into evidence.
An additional charge on Alvarado for bringing controlled substances into a jail facility is being referred to the Lake County District Attorney’s Office, Joseph said.
Dawson's bail was set at $30,000, with Alvarado's at $15,000. Jail records indicated both remained in custody on Thursday.
Anyone with information on this incident is urged to contact Officer Michael Carpenter at 707-994-8251. Callers should press No. 1 when prompted and then the extension No. 542. Callers may remain anonymous.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Police urge community to be on lookout for counterfeit bills
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Clearlake Police Department is urging merchants and the community at large to be on guard in response to a recent increase in counterfeit bills being passed to local businesses.
In a Monday report Sgt. Nick Bennett said that recently there have been numerous instances of counterfeit currencies being passed to local business within the city of Clearlake.
These bills have been in the form of $100, $20 and $10 denominations, Bennett explained.
Some are poorly made, but Bennett said many are very sophisticated and difficult to detect.
Bennett said the department is reminding both merchants and citizens to be cautious when taking currency from another person.
While a person might not realize the currency that is being passed is counterfeit, the one taking the counterfeit bill will ultimately be out the money when he or she passes it on and it is discovered to be counterfeit, according to Bennett.
The Clearlake Police Department has obtained pamphlets to help in identifying counterfeit bills and distributed them to businesses throughout the city, Bennett said.
Should a citizen come in contact with currency suspected of being counterfeit, that bill should be taken to a bank or a local retailer for verification, said Bennett.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
