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Clearlake Police arrest man for allegedly setting Wisedas Resort fire
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Police said they have arrested a suspect believed to be responsible for setting a closed lakeside resort on fire on Sunday.
Clearlake resident Richard Alarcon Teruel, 34, was taken into custody on Sunday in connection with the fire at Wisedas Resort, located at 14375 Lakeshore Drive, according to Sgt. Tim Hobbs of the Clearlake Police Department.
Just after 1 p.m. Sunday Sgt. Hobbs was driving by Wisedas Resort while responding to an unrelated call when he reported observing smoke coming from the second story apartments on the rear side of the main building.
While waiting for personnel from Lake County Fire Protection District to respond, Hobbs said he attempted to look inside the apartment that have been used by transients for shelter in the recent past to see if anyone was inside but was not able to see very far in due to the amount of smoke.
He said fire personnel arrived a short time later and began working to keep the fire from spreading to other buildings.
While personnel from Lake County Fire Protection District, Northshore Fire, South Lake County Fire and Cal Fire worked to contain the fire, Clearlake Police personnel were on traffic and crowd control, Hobbs said.
Several blocks of Lakeshore Drive and Palmer Avenue were closed due to the location of the fire and the need to run fire hoses to additional fire hydrants that were several blocks away, he said.
Hobbs said there were large crowds gathered to watch the fire at the south and north ends of the area around the fire that was closed off.
At approximately 5:10 p.m. a witness contacted California Department of Fish and Wildlife Officer Doug Willson who was obtaining runoff water samples from the fire several blocks away on Lakeshore Drive, Hobbs said.
The witness provided information to Officer Willson about a subject who had walked by the witness’ location shortly after the fire, allegedly providing the witness with details on how he started the fire. Hobbs said the witness was able to provide a detailed description of the subject.
At approximately 5:40 p.m. Fish and Wildlife Officer Willson was contacted by a citizen who reported seeing a subject that was acting strange near Lakeshore Drive and Howard Avenue, Hobbs said. The citizen pointed the subject out and Officer Willson noticed the person matched the description provided by the witness he had already spoken too.
Hobbs said Officer Willson contacted the subject who was identified as Teruel.
At this time Officer Willson contacted Hobbs who responded to his location. During a pat search of Teruel's person he was found to be in possession of an expandable baton concealed inside his jacket and Hobbs said he arrested him for possession of a deadly weapon.
Det. Travis Lenz responded to take over the investigation into the fire. Hobbs said Lenz contacted and interviewed the witness who had provided a statement about Teruel admitting to starting the fire.
Hobbs said Lenz then drove the witness to Teruel's location and the witness was able to positively identify him as the person who had admitted to starting the fire.
Lenz then interviewed Teruel, who provided several conflicting statements, Hobbs said.
During further interviews at the police department Hobbs said Teruel admitted to starting the fire.
Hobbs said that in addition to possession of a deadly weapon, Teruel was charged with arson and booked into the Lake County Jail.
Jail records show that Teruel's bail was set at $100,000. He is due to appear in court on Wednesday.
Meantime, firefighters remain on scene at Wisedas Resort, where fire officials allowed the decades old building to collapse because it was a hazard.
Radio reports indicated Monday morning that resources were expected to remain on scene another three days to monitor the site.
Anyone with information regarding this fire or any other arson in the city of Clearlake can contact Det. Lenz for 707-994-8251. Callers may remain anonymous.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Board to hold hearing on ordinance covering marijuana grows in mobile home parks; discuss legal services for sheriff
LAKEPORT, Calif. – This week the Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on a proposed ordinance governing medical marijuana grows in mobile home parks and prohibiting them on apartment properties, and also revisit extending an agreement for special legal services for the sheriff.
The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 19, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St. in Lakeport. The meeting will be broadcast live on TV8.
The board is scheduled to hold the hearing on the proposed ordinance beginning at 10:15 a.m.
Community Development Director Rick Coel received the Lake County Planning Commission's initial approval of the proposed last year.
Based on the planning commissioners' recommendation, the ordinance would allow medical marijuana grows in specifically approved garden areas within mobile home parks or on lease lots larger than 4,500 square feet, according to Coel's report.
The ordinance he's presenting to the board contains his original proposal to prohibit grows on properties where there are apartments or other multifamily dwelling units larger than duplexes.
It also would limit the amount of marijuana processing that can be cultivated on the premises to be in compliance with the amount of marijuana that can be grown under any existing county ordinance.
In an untimed item, the board will reconsider a proposed first amendment to the agreement between the county of Lake and the Jones & Mayer law firm of Fullerton for special legal services for Sheriff Frank Rivero.
The matter, which the board originally had discussed Feb. 5, was held over to allow the board to find out if District Attorney Don Anderson has made a determination on an investigation into allegations that Rivero, while working as a deputy sheriff in February 2008, lied to investigators about his actions during a nonfatal shooting involving a man holding a can of pepper spray.
If Anderson concludes Rivero lied, Rivero could be placed on a “Brady list” of officers with credibility issues. As a requirement of a U.S. Supreme Court case, the 1963 Brady v. Maryland, Anderson's office would then have to disclose Rivero's credibility issues to all defendants in criminal cases in which he is involved in his law enforcement capacity.
The county's agreement with Jones and Mayer had a total amount of $6,500, which County Counsel Anita Grant reported had been surpassed by approximately $173.64.
In other business, at 10 a.m. Special Districts will offer the board an update on the Southeast System lift station and force main administration project in Clearlake and consider a proposed resolution authorizing Special Districts Administrator Mark Dellinger to sign a notice of completion.
At 11 a.m. the board will receive an update on the South Main Street and Soda Bay Road Corridor Improvement Project and discuss a request for staff direction regarding amending the agreement with Quincy Engineering to include final design and right-of way services.
Also on Tuesday agenda, at 1:30 p.m. the board will consider a proposed allocation of an additional $165,000 – for a total amount of $350,000 – toward the abatement of nuisance aquatic weeds on Clear Lake.
During the board's discussion last week of the midyear budget review, Supervisor Anthony Farrington had wanted an additional allocation for lake projects and was the lone dissenter in the budget review's approval because it did not include those additional funds.
The full agenda follows. Some items may appear out of order because A-15, consideration of proposed agreement between the county of Lake and Aramark Correctional Services LLC for food services at the Lake County Jail and Juvenile Hall facilities, was removed from this week's agenda.
TIMED ITEMS
9 a.m. A-1 to A-4: Approval of consent agenda, which includes items that are expected to be routine and noncontroversial, and will be acted upon by the board at one time without discussion; presentation of animals available for adoption at Lake County Animal Care and Control; consideration of items not appearing on the posted agenda, and contract change orders for current construction projects.
9:05 a.m.: Citizen’s input. Any person may speak for three minutes about any subject of concern, provided that it is within the jurisdiction of the Board of Supervisors and is not already on the agenda. Prior to this time, speakers must fill out a slip giving name, address and subject (available in the clerk of the board’s office, first floor, courthouse).
9:10 a.m., A-5: Presentation of the following proclamations: (a) proclamation commending John and Pat Norcio for their years of community service; (b) proclamation commending Phil Blair for his volunteer efforts to paint the Lakeport Fire Department; and (c) proclamation designating the week of Feb. 17-23, 2013, as National Engineers’ Week.
9:15 a.m., A-6: Presentation of Lake County Office of Education Annual Report Education.
9:30 a.m., A-7: Discussion/consideration regarding the level of response required of enforcement chiefs the law enforcement officers to support mental health and medical association (LCLECA) referrals.
10 a.m., A-8: (a) Presentation of Southeast System Lift Station and Force Main Administration Project update; and (b) consideration of proposed resolution authorizing the Special Districts administrator to sign a notice of completion.
10:15 a.m., A-9: Public hearing, consideration of proposed ordinance amending Chapter 21 of the Ordinance Code of the County of Lake pertaining to the limitation of outdoor medical marijuana cultivation within mobilehome parks, the prohibition of cultivation within multifamily dwelling properties, and limits on medical marijuana processing.
11 a.m., A-10: (a) Presentation of South Main Street and Soda Bay Road Corridor Improvement Project Milestone Status Report; and (b) consideration of request for staff direction regarding amending the agreement with Quincy Engineering to include final design and right-of way services.
1:30 p.m., A-11: Consideration of FY 2012-13 appropriation of an additional $165,000 (for a total amount of $350,000) toward the abatement of nuisance aquatic weeds on Clear Lake.
NONTIMED ITEMS
A-12: Supervisors’ weekly calendar, travel and reports.
A-13: Consideration of options to fill remainder of unexpired term of treasurer-tax collector and appointment of interim treasurer-tax collector.
A-14: Continued from Feb. 5 – consideration of proposed first amendment to agreement between the county of Lake and Jones & Mayer for special legal services for Sheriff Frank Rivero.
CLOSED SESSION
A-16: 1.Conference with labor negotiator: (a) county negotiators: A. Grant, L. Guintivano, M. Perry, and A. Flora; and (b) employee organizations: Deputy District Attorney's Association, Lake County Deputy Sheriff's Association, Lake County Correctional Officers Association, Lake County Employees Association, Lake County Safety Employees Association.
A-16: 2. Public employee performance evaluation: Registrar of Voters Diane Fridley.
A-16: 3. Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code Sec. 54956.9(a): Jensen and Larson v. Lake County Sheriff’s Office, et al.
CONSENT AGENDA
C-1: Approve minutes of the Board of Supervisors meeting held on Feb. 12, 2013.
C-2: Adopt the following proclamations: (a) proclamation commending John and Pat Norcio for their years of community service; (b) proclamation commending Phil Blair for his volunteer efforts to paint the Lakeport Fire Department; and (c) Proclamation designating the week of Feb. 17-23, 2013, as National Engineers’ Week.
C-3: Approve first amendment to the agreement between the county of Lake and Women’s Recovery Services for FY 2012-13 provision of residential treatment services for Lake County resident women experiencing alcohol or drug-related problems, for an increase of $15,000, and authorize the chair to sign.
C-4: Adopt resolution authorizing the Lake County Public Services Department to submit application(s) to California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CALRECYCLE) for all CalRecycle grants for which the county of Lake is eligible.
C-5: Approve first amendment to agreement between the county of Lake and California Exterminators Alliance for vegetation control services, for an increase of $14,500, and authorize the chair to sign.
C-6: Approve amendment two to agreement between the county of Lake and Quincy Engineering Inc., for engineering services for four bridge replacement projects and two bridge rehabilitation projects in Lake County (Anderson Creek Bridge, Cobb; Manning Creek Bridge at Mathews Road, Lakeport; Manning Creek Bridge at Ackley Road, Lakeport; Highland Creek Bridge, Lakeport; Robinson Creek Bridge, Upper Lake and Harbin Creek Bridge, Cobb), an increase of $164,700, and authorize the chair to sign.
C-7: (a) Waive the formal bidding process and make a determination that competitive bidding is not appropriate due to acquisition of equipment from a sole source vendor; and (b) approve purchase of C-IV tech refresh upgrades and hardware support from the county of San Bernardino and authorize the Social Services director/assistant purchasing agent to issue a purchase order to the county of San Bernardino, in the amount of $9,151, for C-IV tech refresh upgrades and hardware support for existing equipment.
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021913 Board of Supervisors - Marijuana Cultivation in Mobilehome Parks by LakeCoNews
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Police recover stolen vehicle following sheriff's pursuit
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Early Saturday Clearlake Police officers recovered a second vehicle stolen the previous day from a Clearlake resident.
Sgt. Tim Hobbs said the damaged 2002 Cadillac El Dorado was located in the area of Armijo Avenue after midnight.
It had been reported stolen early Friday morning from the home of its owner, along with a Dodge Dakota pickup, police said.
That pickup and some tools were recovered following a high speed chase with a police officer in which the vehicle at one point rammed the patrol vehicle while pulled over, as Lake County News has reported.
Late Friday night Sheriff's Deputy Walter White had attempted an enforcement stop on the Cadillac in the area of Highway 53 and Old Highway 53, and the driver refused to stop, instead leading White on a pursuit, according to police.
White lost the vehicle in the area of Crawford Avenue off of Old Highway 53, Hobbs said.
At about 12:15 a.m. Saturday Clearlake Police Officer Bradlee Middletown responded to the 6100 block of Armijo Avenue, where Officer Michael Carpenter reported finding the abandoned vehicle.
Hobbs said the vehicle had a flat tire and moderate body damage, and wasn't drivable. He said the owner had it towed from the scene.
Police did not have additional details on the deputy's pursuit.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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Clearlake Police Department receives ABC grant for minor decoy program
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake Police Department recently applied for and received a $5,000 grant from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
The goal of this grant is to conduct compliance checks using both minor decoy and shoulder tap operations to reduce the availability of alcohol to minors, Clearlake Police reported.
Statistics have shown that young people under the age of 21 have a higher rate of drunken driving fatalities than the general adult population.
The minor decoy operation involves minors who work under the direct supervision of officers attempting to purchase alcohol from on sale and off sale establishments.
Minor decoy operations have been conducted by local law enforcement throughout the state since the 1980s.
When the program first began, the violation rate of retail establishments selling to minors was as high as 40 to 50 percent. When conducted on a routine basis, the rate has dropped in some cities as low as 10 percent or even below.
In 1994, the California Supreme Court ruled unanimously that use of underage decoys is a valid tool of law enforcement to ensure that licensees are complying with the law.
In addition to the minor decoy operation, officers will also conduct decoy shoulder tap operations. A decoy shoulder tap operation targets adults who purchase alcohol for people less than 21 years of age.
Under the program, a minor under the direct supervision of a peace officer will stand outside a liquor or convenience store and ask patrons to buy them alcohol.
The minor indicates in some way he or she is underage and cannot purchase the alcohol. If the adults agree to purchase alcohol for the minor, officers then arrest and cite them for furnishing alcohol to the minor.
The penalty for furnishing alcohol to a minor is a minimum $1,000 fine and 24 hours of community service.
Sometime during the grant period, the Clearlake Police Department also will host a LEAD Training for licensees and their employees.
The LEAD Training will be performed by an agent from the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
The LEAD Program provides the licensee and applicant with practical information on serving alcoholic beverages safely, responsibly, and legally, and preventing illicit drug activity at the licensed establishment.
This project is part of the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control’s Minor Decoy/Shoulder Tap Grant Project, funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports