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Lt. Rusty Noe of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office said the fight involving the male subject – who was not identified – occurred on Monday at 8:30 a.m.
The enraged male subject walked up to a Mendocino County Sheriff's sergeant, who was parked in the 700 block of S. State Street in Ukiah, and attacked the sergeant with his hands, Noe said.
Noe said the man struck the sergeant in the face and head numerous times, but the sergeant was, at some point, able to deploy his Taser, causing the suspect to fall to the ground.
The suspect continued to fight and was able to resume his attack on the sergeant when a sergeant from the Ukiah Police Department arrived to assist, Noe said.
The fight between the suspect and the two sergeants continued and then the Ukiah officer used his Taser to subdue the suspect, according to Noe.
Noe said both officers were able to handcuff the suspect and were waiting for additional assistance when the suspect quit breathing.
Fire department personnel responded and the suspect was transported to the Ukiah Valley Medical Center where life saving efforts were continued. The efforts were not successful and the suspect was pronounced dead, said Noe.
Detectives from the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office, the Ukiah Police and the Mendocino County District Attorney's Office responded and conducted a combined investigation into the death. Noe said the District Attorney's Office is the primary agency in the investigation.
The identity of the suspect is pending the notification of the next of kin, Noe said. Both officers have been placed on administrative leave and are not identified at this time pending the investigation.
Visitors with a valid California Campfire Permit will once again be able to have fires outside of designated campgrounds, including wilderness areas, officials reported.
The fire restrictions were put in place July 31 due to increased fire danger and hot, dry weather.
Despite the change in weather, fire season is not officially over. Visitors are asked to be careful when using campfires, charcoal fires and gas stoves in the National Forest.
When you have a campfire, please do the following:
Clear all flammable material away from the fire for a minimum of 5 feet in all directions to prevent escape of the fire.
Have a shovel available at the campfire site for preparing and extinguishing campfires.
Have a responsible person in attendance at all times.
Extinguish campfire with water, drowning the fire, stirring the coals and ash, and feeling for heat or warm spots; continue the process until the coals and ash are cold.
Campfire permits are available free of charge from any Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management or Cal Fire offices, including the Mendocino National Forest.
For more information, please contact the Mendocino National Forest at 530-934-3316.
Alberto Alejandro Montes, 24, is alleged to have shot to death his brother Rafael Montes, 26, during an argument last Saturday night at Alberto Montes' Pomo Drive home at the Elem Indian Colony, according to Capt. James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Alberto Montes was arrested Saturday night, as Lake County News has reported. He is being held in the Lake County Jail on a murder charge with bail set at $500,000.
According to Bauman's report, the Northshore Fire Protection District and Cal Fire responded to the area of Sulphur Bank Drive and Pomo Drive on a report of a vegetation fire.
About 30 minutes after fire personnel arrived at the scene of the approximately half-acre grass fire located off of Pomo Drive, the sheriff's dispatch began receiving calls reporting a man had been shot by his brother during a fight about the fire at a home on Pomo Drive, Bauman said.
When sheriff's deputies arrived at the Pomo Drive home where the shooting was reported, Alberto Montes immediately came out of the home with his hands in the air and was detained without incident, Bauman said.
Inside the home, Bauman said deputies found the mens' sisters, Rebecca and Nora Montes, and their mother, Brenda Geary. Two of the women were tending to Rafael Montes, who was on the kitchen floor with a gunshot wound to the chest.
Northshore Fire Battalion Chief Pat Brown said that a Northshore Fire advanced life support engine was pulled from the fire and responded to the shooting on a medical call.
Firefighters and deputies attempted to treat Rafael Montes, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, Bauman said.
Deputies recovered the weapon they believe Alberto Montes used – a .22-caliber rifle – Bauman said.
Bauman said that, according to witness statements given to investigators, Rafael Montes, his two sisters and mother had arrived at Alberto Montes' home, at which time a trash fire outside was burning. About 20 minutes later, it had gotten out of control.
Alberto Montes, his sisters and mother attempted to put the fire out, and at one point he allegedly went into the house and began arguing with Rafael Montes because he reportedly didn't believe his brother was offering any help in the situation, according to Bauman.
The argument escalated to the point where Alberto Montes allegedly went to his room, got the .22 rifle and returned to confront his brother, Bauman said.
Rafael Montes, who reportedly had been drinking, taunted his brother to use the weapon and Alberto Montes is alleged to have fired one shot, striking him in the chest, Bauman said.
Bauman said an autopsy on Rafael Montes is scheduled to be performed on Wednesday morning at the Napa County Coroner’s Office.
The grass fire believed to be the source of the argument was contained after after about an hour, with fire units clearing the scene shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday, Bauman said.
Northshore Fire Chief Jim Robbins said Tuesday that the Lake County Arson Task Force was investigating the fire.
Arson investigators had turned over to the sheriff's office the information they had. Robbins said they didn't know who lit the fire in a small pile of trash next to the house.
“Our investigation will continue a little bit on it,” he said.
Alberto Montes is tentatively scheduled to be in court for arraignment on Wednesday, according to District Attorney Jon Hopkins.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
The Wiggins bills that he signed were:
SB 2, which authorizes a vote of the Pierce's Disease and Glassy-winged Sharpshooter Board on whether the industry assessment should be continued needs to be passed in 2008. PD and the Glassy-winged Sharpshooter continue to be a problem for California winegrape growers. Industry funds are a key component, along with state and federal funds to pay for research and containment. This bill is sponsored by the Family Winemakers of California, the California Association of Winegrape Growers), and the Wine Institute.
SB 215, which requires local agency formation commissions to consider "sustainable community strategies" before making boundary decisions. Local agency formation commissions (LAFCOs) control the boundaries of cities and special districts, operating under the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Act and are considered by the courts to be the "watchdog" over these boundary changes. One of the purposes of LAFCOs is to "discouraging urban sprawl." To guide their boundary decisions, LAFCOs must adopt "spheres of influence" for cities and districts, designating their future service areas and boundaries. LAFCOs’ boundary decisions must be consistent with these spheres of influence. SB 215 is supported bu the California Association of LAFCOs, Mendocino LAFCO, Planning & Conservation League, Sonoma LAFCO, and Trust for Public Land.
SB 260, which increases the cap on the fee assessed on each gallon of motor oil manufactured in California from two cents per gallon to five cents to cover the costs of administering the existing California Department of Food and Agriculture, Division of Measurement Standards, Petroleum Products Program. The motor oil fee has not been increased in 29 years (1979). The current rate is not sufficient to cover the costs of the current program. SB 260 is sponsored by the California Agricultural Commissioners and Sealers Association.
SB 620, which requires a compulsory survey during the time of re-licensure in order to monitor the Osteopathic Doctors' (D.O.s) workforce. In 2001, AB 1586 (Negrete McLeod) required the California Medical Board to administer a compulsory medical doctor (M.D.) physician survey with re-licensure. The survey includes information regarding: weekly hours in patient care, practice zip code, training status, self-designated specialties, and Board certification. The survey has provided a total count of physicians by specialty (i.e. primary care or specialist) statewide, and by county. SB 620 would require a similar compulsive survey for the D.O. Board in order to provide more information on all primary care physicians practicing in California in order to better address recruitment and retention of physicians, and to identify services needed in specific regions. SB 620 is sponsored by the Osteopathic Physicians & Surgeons of California and supported by the California Medical Association.
SB 635, which allows Sonoma County to increase a number of fees for the purpose of funding domestic violence prevention programs. SB 635 will also extend Solano Countys Family Justice Program until 2011. The purpose of raising the fees for marriage licenses, certified copies of marriage certificates, fetal death records, and death records issued by the county clerk, is to fund oversight and coordination of domestic violence prevention, intervention and prosecution efforts. Currently, similar pilot programs exist in Alameda and Solano but are subject to sunset in 2010. The program would also sunset for Sonoma County in 2015.
The Wiggins bills that he vetoed were:
SB 158, which would have required health insurance plans that currently cover cervical cancer screening, to also provide coverage for the genital human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for girls ages 11 - 26. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection. HPV is also the only known cause for cervical cancer.
SB 272, which would have updated academic and career counseling statutes and trains career and vocational education counselors to advise students of all their postsecondary options (including career technical education, multiple pathways, or college education). The California education counseling statutes have not been updated in over two decades. By updating the education counseling statutes and specifying the roles of career counselors, SB 272 would enhance existing counseling programs in order to better address the academic and career needs of students. Furthermore, SB 272 would encourage school counselors to obtain training opportunities to learn about innovative concepts such as multiple pathways and Career Technical Education (CTE).
Visit Wiggins' Web site at http://dist02.casen.govoffice.com/ .
CLEARLAKE OAKS – A Clearlake Oaks man was arrested late Saturday night for murder.
Alberto Alejandro Montes, 24, was taken into custody just before midnight by the Lake County Sheriff's Office, according to booking records.
He's charged with one count of murder, with bail set at $500,000, plus an additional felony charge of bringing a weapon into the Lake County Jail.
Earlier Saturday evening, sheriff's deputies, Clearlake Police and Northshore Fire paramedics responded to an incident at the Elem Indian Colony in Clearlake Oaks in which a male subject was reported to have been shot in the chest.
Northshore Fire has arrived at a location on Sulphur Bank Drive at the colony at about 6 p.m. to fight a three-acre wildland fire, according to Battalion Chief Pat Brown.
Brown said Northshore's personnel were busy with firefighting operations and didn't witness the incident.
However, Brown said an advanced life support engine was pulled from the fire and responded to the medical call for the shooting at the colony.
Brown referred questions about the shooting to the Lake County Sheriff's Office, which did not respond on Sunday to requests for more information about the arrest or the shooting.
The victim in the shooting, which occurred shortly before 7 p.m., died. By that time a suspect already had been taken into custody.
Montes, whose profession is listed as a cook, was booked into the jail at 12:20 a.m. Sunday, according to jail records.
A tentative arraignment date for Montes has been set for Tuesday.
California Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell released the statewide results last month as part of the 2008-09 Accountability Progress Report.
The API is the state's accountability system, while the federal government requires the Adequate Yearly Progress and Program Improvement. O'Connell's office reported that both the API and AYP are based upon statewide assessment results from the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program and from the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE).
Students go through the API testing in the spring.
“Our accountability report confirms that most California schools are continuing to make solid gains in academic achievement,” O'Connell said. “For the seventh year in a row schools at every level have made real progress toward the statewide API target of 800, and almost half of our elementary schools have met or exceeded this goal.”
The API is a numeric index that ranges from a low of 200 to a high of 1000 with a statewide target of 800.
The testing tracks subgroups including racial/ethnic subgroups, socioeconomically disadvantaged students, English learners and students with disabilities, which must meet growth standards for a school to meet its API growth target.
O'Connell reported that the API results also show “a slight narrowing” of the achievement gap between Hispanic or Latino and African American students and their white or Asian peers.
According to the report, 42 percent of all California schools are now at or above the overall statewide target API of 800, up six percentage points from the year before. This includes 48 percent of elementary schools, 36 percent of middle schools and 21 percent of high schools.
Statewide, all student subgroups demonstrated between 11- and 15-point improvement, O'Connell reported. African American, Hispanic or Latino, and socioeconomically disadvantaged students increased their API this year by 15 points, while the API of white students increased by 14 percentage points and the statewide increase for all students was 14 points.
Overall, Lake County's districts showed improvements. The school with the single highest API score growth was Konocti Unified School District's Blue Heron Opportunity School, which rose by 127 points to reach 582 points. The district as a whole grew by four points.
Middletown Unified School District made impressive gains for the year in its API testing. The district's overall growth was 34 points, with Middletown High School improving by 61 and Lake County International Charter School gaining 100 points.
The majority of the district's schools have API scores of 800 or above, and Cobb Mountain Elementary has the highest API score in the county – 881.
Superintendent Korby Olson noted that the API scores of Middletown High School, Middletown Middle School and Cobb Elementary School not only make them the highest performing schools in Lake County, but place them among the top performing schools in Lake, Mendocino, Napa and Sonoma counties.
Olson said all of the district's schools made continued growth on the API thanks to the consistent efforts of the staff and administration.
He said the teachers in Middletown have had a focus on the state standards for more than 10 years,with the focus in the last several years centering on instructional strategies to deliver the standards.
In Lakeport, where scores improved districtwide by 26 points, Superintendent Erin Hagberg said staff use achievement data to drive their instruction methods in order to meet the performance requirements.
Hagberg said teachers spend time in collaboration meetings at grade levels in order to share best practices and make sure they're on the same page, while looking at achievement data and adjusting their approach when necessary.
“I think the results of that are seen in our great scores,” Hagberg said.
Hagberg said the district is continuing to focus on closing the achievement gap for its subgroups – economically disadvantaged students and English language learners, groups which she said are of concern at districts around the county.
She credited those subgroups' improvement to the hard work of both staff and students.
“I'm extremely proud of them,” Hagberg said.
The scores for the counties districts and API testing schools follow. The most recent year's API scores are listed, followed in parentheses by the school's 2008-09 growth number.
Kelseyville Unified School District
Overall growth: -4
Kelseyville Elementary, 755 (-24); Riviera Elementary, 813 (1); Mountain Vista Middle School, 735 (7); Kelseyville High School, 688 (-13).
Konocti Unified School District
Overall growth: 4
Burns Valley Elementary, 711 (-1); East Lake Elementary, 717 (-7); Lower Lake Elementary, 729 (-22); Pomo Elementary, 718 (0); Oak Hill Middle School, 660 (-2); Lower Lake High, 665 (38); Richard H. Lewis Alternative, 706 (-37); Blue Heron, 582 (127); Carle Continuation High School, 678 (-17).
Lake County Office of Education
Overall growth: 18
Lakeport Unified School District
Overall growth: 26
Lakeport Elementary, 783 (32): Terrace Middle School, 801 (30); Clear Lake High School, 757 (10); Lakeport Alternative (Home School), 717 (23).
Lucerne Elementary School District
Overall growth: 7
Lucerne Elementary, 729 (5).
Middletown Unified School District
Overall growth: 34
Cobb Mountain Elementary, 881 (30); Coyote Valley Elementary, 813 (25); Minnie Cannon Elementary, 728 (2); Middletown Middle School, 810 (13); Middletown High School, 780 (61); Lake County International Charter School, 839 (100).
Upper Lake Union Elementary School District
Overall growth: -5
Upper Lake Elementary, 699 (1); Upper Lake Middle School, 666 (-12).
Upper Lake Union High School District
Overall growth: 3
Upper Lake High School, 701 (17); Clover Valley Continuation High School, 551 (No valid API base for 2008).
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
