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Police investigate motorcycle thefts at Lakeport business
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Police Department is investigating the theft of several motorcycles from a city business.
Lt. Jason Ferguson said the agency responded just before 10 a.m. Tuesday to a report of thefts at Hillside Honda, located on S. Main Street.
During the investigation police learned that one Yamaha TTR50ED and two Honda CRF50FDs, valued at $5,323, were stolen from an enclosed locked yard on the property within the past week, Ferguson said.
Employees were unable to provide a specific date when the thefts occurred but reported they discovered the thefts while conducting inventory Tuesday morning.
The investigation is on going, Ferguson said.
Anyone with information should contact Officer Gary Basor at 707-263-5491.
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Police investigate confrontation at Clearlake store
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Clearlake Police officers are investigating a Saturday confrontation between two people in a city store.
Two people got into an argument at the Dollar Tree on Olympic Drive in the Burns Valley Mall, which was reported to police at approximately 5:16 p.m., according to Sgt. Martin Snyder.
“One of the people made a criminal threat of shooting somebody,” said Snyder.
Other customers in the store took that threat to mean that the subject actually had a gun, although Snyder said no gun actually was brandished or seen, based on the investigation so far.
A number of people ran to the back of the store, where they called police, Snyder said.
Witnesses reported to Lake County News that a number of police responded to the shopping center in response to the incident.
By the time police arrived, Snyder said both of the individuals involved in the confrontation had left the scene.
Snyder said the case currently is under investigation.
Anyone with information on the incident can call the Clearlake Police Department at 707-994-8251.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
UPDATE: Sheriff’s officials seek information on pickup seen in Kelseyville area at time of fatal shooting
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Sheriff’s officials said Thursday that they are looking for information about a pickup seen in the vicinity of last week’s robbery and fatal shooting that claimed the life of a Kelseyville man.
Lt. Steve Brooks said detectives have developed information regarding a dark-colored extended cab Dodge Dakota pickup truck seen in the area of Mt. Konocti Gas and Mart late on the night of Friday, Jan. 18, at around the time of a robbery during which 33-year-old Forrest Seagrave was mortally wounded.
Brooks said the pickup has a body style matching those from the years 1997 to 2004. He emphasized that it was not a four door model.
He said detectives are seeking the community’s assistance in identifying and locating the person or persons associated with the vehicle as a possible witness, or witnesses, to the crime.
Shortly before 10:45 p.m. Jan. 18 a masked male suspect went into Mt. Konocti Gas and Mart on Main Street to rob the store, and while inside shot Seagrave, one of the store’s employees.
Seagrave, a young man whose friendly outlook had endeared him to community members, died at Sutter Lakeside Hospital a short time later.
The suspect was wearing some type of mask on his face, along with a black hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans and gloves. He was described as being approximately 5 feet 9 inches to 5 feet 11 inches tall.
After shooting Seagrave and taking a small amount of money, the suspect fled the area on foot, going across a nearby open field which K-Corps helped search last weekend.
A $10,000 reward for information leading to the suspect’s arrest and conviction is being offered.
Sheriff’s detectives are receiving new leads in the case every day, and are following up on each and every one of them, said Brooks.
“No stone is being left unturned,” Brooks said Thursday afternoon.
Reposted below are a store surveillance video showing the suspect walking along the Douglas Road side of the store before circling back to go inside shortly before the robbery and shooting, along with a picture taken from inside the store of the suspect.
The sheriff’s office had previously released both the video and picture in an effort to generate leads.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the Lake County Sheriff’s Office at 707-263-2690.
John Jensen contributed to this story.
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Supervisors support beginning lease negotiations on Clearlake Oaks sheriff’s substation locations
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors has approved beginning lease negotiations on two locations in Clearlake Oaks in order to open a sheriff’s substation in that community.
The Tuesday vote unanimously supported the recommendation from the County Space Committee to negotiate for a lease at a location on Shady Lane that the sheriff has advocated for purchasing as well as the Big Oak Shopping Center.
Deputy Administrative Officer Alan Flora presented the board with the committee’s recommendations.
The sheriff’s office currently has a substation in the Clearlake courthouse on South Center Drive, but the state Administrative Office of the Courts has indicated a desire to take over the entire building.
Flora said the county still needs to move forward on getting out of the building, but they’re not currently sure of the state’s deadline for moving out.
He said the committee still felt that a county-owned property on Acorn Street was a viable substation location. Late last year the board had directed that the sheriff’s office use that building, which the sheriff’s office rejected, claiming it was too small.
Board Chair Jeff Smith said the Big Oak Shopping Center has line of sight to Mt. Konocti, where county communications towers are located. In order to have optimal communications capacity, both the Shady Lane and Acorn Street locations would require upgrades.
Supervisor Rob Brown said events have happened nationally and locally – referring, respectively, to the deadly Connecticut shooting and the murder of Kelseyville man during a gas station robbery – that have changed priorities.
In addition to the possibility of the county property on Acorn Street in Clearlake Oaks, Brown suggested that the sheriff’s office needed to keep a location in Lower Lake, where another county owned building was available.
When the sheriff’s office gets calls in the Kelseyville area, often they’re responding from Lower Lake, said Brown.
Kelseyville is the county’s largest population center, he said, and the largest school district is Konocti Unified in Lower Lake, and he felt staying close to both areas was important.
“That's significant exposure to move away from,” he said.
Smith suggested that they should look at having offices for deputies in all of the fire departments, pointing out the fire station in the Clear Lake Riviera would be ideal. He said Lake County Fire Chief Willie Sapeta has said he is willing to make space in his stations in the Clearlake and Lower Lake areas.
Supervisors Jim Comstock and Anthony Farrington both indicated support for having a Clearlake Oaks substation. Farrington said he was open to looking at the numbers on Shady Lane, but he wanted to stick with looking at Acorn Street or the Big Oak Shopping Center.
“On behalf of the sheriff’s office, we’re open to anything,” said Capt. Chris Macedo, who along with Undersheriff Pat Turturici was present for the discussion.
Macedo said they only had so many patrol deputies allotted and didn’t have enough staff to have them both in Lower Lake and in Clearlake Oaks. He said he wanted to work with the board to increase staffing levels.
Macedo said he wanted to take a look at all of the buildings, noting the Lower Lake bank building which the county owns has been a viable option. In Clearlake Oaks, Shady Lane, the Big Oak Shopping Center and the Acorn Street location were preferable in that order.
“I totally agree, we need to do something,” said Turturici.
The board appointed a negotiation team on the leases that includes Flora, Comstock, Supervisor Denise Rushing, a County Counsel’s Office representative and Macedo. The team will operate under the oversight of the County Space Committee.
Also on Tuesday, the board approved increasing the appropriation of the sheriff’s undercover fund from $5,000 to $25,000. The funds are used in operations such as narcotics investigations.
Farrington was concerned about increasing the allocation, noting that it’s tax dollars with little transparency.
Macedo said the $5,000 limit was “somewhat archaic” and set some time ago. He acknowledged that information about the money’s use was sensitive.
Brown said $5,000 could no longer accomplish much in such investigations.
Farrington asked about using asset forfeiture funds for such uses. Macedo said sometimes they can, sometimes they can’t.
“I’m struggling with this,” said Farrington, adding that he had issues with Sheriff Frank Rivero’s actions regarding medical marijuana dispensaries. He did not explain further what he meant, only that he had received information of concern over the last week.
Brown said that after speaking with deputies and others in the agency, he was convinced of the propriety of the request, which the board approved.
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