Police arrest two, recover stolen vehicle following pursuit

091813alvarezdawsonmugs

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.

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.

Written by: Lake County News reports

Council to receive senior rent control initiative report; police chief POST certificate presentation planned

LAKEPORT, Calif. – This week the Lakeport City Council will see Lakeport's top cop receive one of the state's highest professional law enforcement certifications, with the council also set to discuss a report on options regarding a ballot initiative to place the city's senior mobile home parks under rent control.

The council meeting, which also is a joint meeting of the Lakeport Redevelopment Successor Agency and the City of Lakeport Municipal Sewer District, will begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.

During public presentations, Karen Lozito, senior law enforcement consultant with the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), will present the POST Executive Certificate to Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen.

The POST Executive Certificate, according to the organization's Web site, is awarded “to currently employed full-time peace officers of a POST-participating agency who possess an Advanced Certificate, have earned a minimum of sixty semester units at an accredited college, served for a period of two years as the department head and who have completed the Executive Development Course.”

Rasmussen became Lakeport's 24th police chief in June 2011.

In council business, interim City Attorney David Ruderman will present a report that the council had directed last month be prepared with regard to the senior mobile home rent control initiative that received enough signatures to go on the November 2014 ballot.

The initiative, if passed, would define senior parks as those where at least 80 percent of the homes have at least one person age 65 or older. In addition, it would roll back rents to those in place on Jan. 1, 2012, and require that rent increases be tied to rises in Social Security benefits.

A signature gathering effort for a similar initiative in the county jurisdiction currently is under way.

With the report now complete, the council can elect to place the initiative on the ballot or, potentially, could take action to block putting it before the city's residents, according to the written report submitted by Ruderman and Matthew T. Summers, assistant interim city attorney.

At the Aug. 20 council meeting park owners and their supporters indicated they may take legal action to block the initiative, which they argue is unconstitutional, a concern noted in the report from Ruderman and Summers.

“We conclude that the initiative is likely to be litigated if adopted and that a court will likely invalidate the initiative because it: (1) constitutes a regulatory taking; and (2) is preempted by state law. The City’s mobile home park owners have expressed an interest in litigating if the initiative is adopted,” the attorneys wrote.

Ruderman and Summers suggested the council has four options: adopt the initiative as an ordinance; place it on the next regularly-scheduled general election ballot in November 2014; seek declaratory and injunctive relief in court “on the basis that the initiative is plainly illegal,” under legal theory established in the 2008 court case, Widders v. Furchtenicht; or refuse to place the initiative on the ballot and defend the city’s refusal if the proponent brings a lawsuit seeking to force the city to enact the initiative or place it on the ballot.

“The Council must take one of these actions within 10 days of receipt of this report,” the attorneys reported. “Although we conclude the initiative suffers from several legal defects and is likely to be struck down if challenged, it is the City Council’s decision on how to proceed.”

Also on Tuesday, Finance Director Dan Buffalo will take to the council a resolution authorizing the execution and delivery of a loan agreement to refinance outstanding side fund obligations of the city to the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, and direct the filing of a judicial validation action.

In other news, Planning Services Manager Andrew Britton will take to the council an application from the mobile catering business Hey … Hot Dog!, which is seeking a time limit waiver in order to remain at one location beyond the recently established two-hour time limit.

On the consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted on one vote – are ordinances; the warrant register for Aug. 21 and Sept. 6; minutes of the Sept. 3 meeting; the August building permit reports; adoption of a revised conflict of interest policy for the city; approval of revisions to the agreement for services with City Manager Margaret Silveira, which city staff said contained clerical errors; and approval of the redevelopment successor agency recognized obligation payment schedule.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

091713 Lakeport City Council agenda packet

Written by: Elizabeth Larson

Police recover stolen vehicle, arrest Arizona man wanted for armed robbery

LAKEPORT, Calif. – An Arizona man found in a stolen van has been taken into custody on a number of charges, including theft, drug possession and Florida warrants for armed robbery.

Jason Shane White, 42, of Phoenix was arrested late Monday night, according to Lt. Jason Ferguson of the Lakeport Police Department.

Ferguson said that at about 10:55 p.m. Monday Lakeport Police Officer Joe Eastham was on patrol when he observed a blue Dodge van suspiciously parked in the parking lot of a business in the 500 block of S. Main Street.

Officer Eastham conducted a check of the van and located White lying in the rear area of the van, Ferguson said.

When Eastham conducted a license plate check he discovered the vehicle was reported stolen out of Phoenix. Ferguson said Eastham detained White and continued with his investigation.

During his investigation, Eastham located an Altoid Mint canister which contained 30 individual one-quarter-inch square perforated papers printed with psychedelic designs which he believed were laced with LSD. Also located in the van was approximately 10 grams of marijuana, Ferguson said.

During his initial contact with White, Eastham was provided with the name Jason Melvin Jackson and after further investigation, it was determined that White was providing a false name, according to Ferguson.

After determining White’s true identity, Eastham conducted a warrants check and discovered White had two outstanding warrants for his arrest for armed robbery out of Panama City, Fla., Ferguson said.

Ferguson said the warrants were confirmed and White was arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of a controlled substance, providing false information to a peace officer and possession of less than an ounce of marijuana.

White was transported to the Hill Road Jail where it was discovered that he was in possession of several hypodermic syringes. Ferguson said White was additionally charged with possession of syringes and bringing contraband into a jail facility.

White was booked at the jail on a no bail hold, Ferguson said.

For further information contact the Lakeport Police Department at 707-263-5491.

Written by: Lake County News reports

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