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CLEARLAKE OAKS – As Highway 20 winds out of Lake County, it takes drivers past Walker Ridge Road and mile post marker 44.19, an area that is getting extra attention from officials due to a high number of collisions, including a fatal one last year.
In the past two years six crashes have occurred at the spot, just east of Walker Ridge Road and across the highway from the Abbott and Turkey Run mercury mines, roughly 15 miles east of Clearlake Oaks.
The most recent crash – which occurred on March 16 – sent two women to area hospitals following an extensive rescue effort, as Lake County News has reported.
Northshore Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Pat Brown told Lake County News that there have been six crashes at that site over the last two years. Area firefighters have done a total of four such low-angle rope rescues in the area, where a steep embankment comes off the road. That was the case on March 16.
Phil Frisbie, a spokesman for Caltrans, confirmed that there have been six collisions at the spot, including the March 16 crash.
All of the collisions, Frisbie said, occurred when the road was wet or icy.
He added that speed appears to have been the primary cause of all of the crashes previous to the March 16 incident. The CHP has offered no preliminary finding on that crash's cause yet.
Frisbie said the speed limit in the area is 55 miles per hour, but there is an advisory sign which cautions a slower speed. It's easy to go above the posted speed unless one is breaking or downshifting, he noted.
“Last year we performed an initial investigation of the area,” he said.
As a result, last November Caltrans installed enhanced signage for eastbound travelers and changed the speed advisory sign, reducing the suggested speed from 40 miles per hour down to 35 miles per hour and making the sign larger, Frisbie said. In addition, they added a right arrow to try to get people's attention.
The six collisions is “above what we would expect for that area,” he said.
“That's why it came up on our radar this last year when we started the investigation,” said Frisbie.
A fatal collision took place in the area on Memorial Day 2008, as Lake County News reported last year.
Debra Curtis of Suisun City was driving eastbound mid-afternoon when she lost control of her vehicle during a short rain shower, according to the initial CHP report.
Curtis' Ford Escape spun out and hit a Lexus RX300 driven by Delores Zeni of Santa Rosa. Zeni's passenger, 72-year-old Judith Tilt of Sebastopol, died at the scene.
Both Delores Zeni and Robert Zeni of Santa Rosa were flown to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with major injuries. Curtis, also suffering major injuries, was flown to Enloe Hospital in Chico.
CHP eventually ruled that the collision's cause was unsafe speed for conditions, said CHP Commander Mark Loveless.
Curtis is now facing prosecution for the crash, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff.
He said Curtis, 50, was charged with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence. The maximum time she could receive upon conviction is a year in the county jail.
Hinchcliff said he couldn't discuss any previous record Curtis might have, and said such issues are only taken into consideration at the time of sentencing, not when a charging decision is being made.
Neither Hinchcliff nor Loveless had a determination about Curtis' alleged speed at the time of the crash.
Curtis' case is set to be in court April 6 for disposition or setting, said Hinchcliff.
The law firm Carter and Carter of Lower Lake is defending Curtis.
Partner Angela Carter believes that it's the roadway that's the issue – not Curtis' driving.
“We're aware of the problems with the roadway and we believe that once we can prove what's going on with the roadway that it will vindicate our client,” she said.
Frisbie said Caltrans' investigation into the area is continuing.
Loveless said CHP is providing the May 2008 crash report to Caltrans for its investigation.
“We're going to be testing the pavement to see if there is anything we need to do or anything that we can do to enhance the performance of that pavement,” Frisbie said.
They'll also look at other sign improvements, he said.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
Team DUI will host the candlelight vigil at 6:30 p.m. at the gazebo in Clearlake's Austin Park, 14077 Lakeshore Drive. The community is invited to attend.
The award-winning group formed a few years ago. It includes local officials and citizens who work together to fight underage drinking and drinking and driving. They've presented programs to more than 1,500 local students.
Speakers at the hour-long vigil will include Lake County Sheriff's Capt. Russell Perdock, Chris Tyner, Konocti Unified School District Superintendent Bill MacDougall and Wendy Jensen.
Plans also include a moment of silence and offering luminaria – small paper lanterns – to remember those who have died in DUI crashes, said Larry Fanning, a Team DUI member and pastor of Clearlake's First Baptist Church. Fanning will serve as the vigil's master of ceremonies.
The genesis of the event, said Fanning, came in January at the Judge's Breakfast, hosted by Judge Richard Freeborn at the Main Street Cafe in Clearlake.
Fanning said local law enforcement officials were discussing the 20th anniversary of a crash that claimed the life of three Lower Lake High School students and top athletes – Joseph Dizon, 18; Joshua Burke,18; and Frank Doyle, 19.
The collision occurred on Jan. 14, 1989.
A chaplain with Clearlake Police for 15 years, Fanning said he's used to seeing law enforcement hide their emotions. But as the men spoke about this case, he could see the emotion. Fanning said the story also brought MacDougall, who was in attendance, to tears.
“Twenty years later and there's all this emotion,” said Fanning. “This needs to be used for something positive.”
Fanning started looking into the case, and found that everyone familiar with the incident had a story. “It was a very powerful event for the high school students of the day.”
The car the three young men were riding in hit a tree a few hundred feet away from a party. The driver of the car survived and went to prison, Fanning said. “It's a very tragic story,” he said. “It was just horrific.”
Team DUI decided to hold an event later in the year, during April, which is a month that focuses on DUI prevention, Fanning explained.
He said some of the speakers at the Thursday vigil will discuss the 1989 crash.
Fanning spends at least one night a week riding with Clearlake Police officers.
He said he's been at crash scenes and watched drunk drivers trying to get out of their cars and walk away. He's also accompanied police to parties where young people were drinking. It's an unusual situation for Fanning, who doesn't drink.
Fanning said part of the emphasis of the Thursday vigil is to commit the community to facing the issue of drunk driving.
“It's not going to go away,” he said.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
CLEARLAKE – A parolee who allegedly cut off a GPS tracking bracelet and fled the county earlier this month has been arrested.
Stoney Martin Prior, 31, was arrested Saturday in Humboldt County, Nev., according to officials.
Prior, a high-risk sex offender, had gone missing March 12 after he allegedly took off the bracelet in Lower Lake. Last week officials reported that they believed he was in the area of the Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation in northern Nevada, as Lake County News has reported.
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokesman Gordon Hinkle said Prior was paroled on March 10.
Hinkle said Prior had been committed to state prison in January of 2005 for assault with the intent to commit a specific sexual offense. As a result Prior was placed on the state's Megan's Law Web site, which tracks convicted sex offenders.
Prior had reported to the Ukiah parole unit at noon on March 12 to be fitted with the GPS bracelet, said Hinkle. The investigation revealed that at about 5:30 p.m. the same day, Prior allegedly removed the device. The device's removal was noticed by a parole officer the next morning.
A officer drove to Lower Lake, Prior's last known location, and attempted to find him by showing his picture at several local businesses, said Hinkle.
An attempt also was made to make telephone contact with Prior's grandparents, who had transported him from San Quentin State Prison to the Ukiah parole unit, but Hinkle said that also was unsuccessful.
Officials used GPS data to determine that 30 minutes before Prior allegedly removed the bracelet he entered a local gas station, said Hinkle. His parole officer contacted the gas station manager to request permission to see the surveillance tapes, which showed Prior getting into a minivan driven by his grandparents.
On the tape, the parole agent was able to get the vehicle's license plate, which was traced to an address in Winnemucca, Nev., said Hinkle. Information on other members of Prior's family also was collected during the investigation.
The Humboldt County, Nev. Sheriff's Office, which finally arrested Prior, got involved when parole officials contacted the agency for help in contacting Prior's grandparents, Hinkle said.
Last week, officials had reported that the van Prior left California in was reportedly found on the Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation, home to the Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
Services for the Jacobson family of St. Helena will be held at 4 p.m. Saturday, April 4, at Pacific Union College Church in Angwin.
The Jacobsons were with two other families traveling to Montana for a vacation when their small plane crashed near a Butte, Mont. cemetery on March 22. In all, 14 people died.
“We are heartbroken and empty at the sudden loss of our beloved Erin, Amy, Taylor, Ava, and Jude, as well as family and friends in the Pullen and Ching families,” said John, Judy, Paul, Brenna and Winston Jacobson in a written statement. They also sent out their condolences to the relatives of the other plane crash victims.
The family added, “The outpouring of prayers and support from family, friends, colleagues, patients, and community has sustained us during this ordeal; we offer our grateful thanks. As we go forward, we will treasure the priceless memories and celebrate the unique goodness of each of our dear, beloved lost ones.”
Messages of condolences can be sent to the Jacobson family in care of St. Helena Hospital, 10 Woodland Road, St. Helena, CA 94574.
Tesoro Flowers in St. Helena is handling floral orders for the family and memorial service. Those who wish to send flowers to the family’s home or to the church, may call 707-963-3316.
The Jacobson family requests that tribute donations be made to the following organizations:
The Erin Jacobson Vision Legacy Fund, St. Helena Hospital Foundation, 10 Woodland Road, St. Helena, CA 94574, telephone 707-963-6208;
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Greater San Francisco Bay Area Chapter, 1390 Market St., Suite 1200, San Francisco, CA 94102, telephone 415-625-1100, online donations may be made at www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/;
The Smile Train, 41 Madison Ave., 28th Floor, New York, NY 10010, telephone 800-932-9541, online donations may be made at www.smiletrain.org/.
LAKEPORT – An unoccupied 60-foot mobile home near Lakeport burned to its steel frame early Sunday evening.
Kelseyville and Lakeport Fire Protection districts responded to a reported residential structure fire at an address just northeast of Konocti Vista Casino on Mission Rancheria Road near Soda Bay Road at 7:30 p.m. Sunday.
The fire had reduced the home to its floor within 15 minutes.
A Lakeport Fire Protection District staffer said they had been at the same location last October.
Emergency personnel were able in October to extinguish the blaze before the structure had time to burn to the ground.
No electrical or propane gas services appeared to be connected to the structure. Officials at the scene would not offer any conclusion regarding the fire's source.
Debris from the 2008 fire was still visible. A melted toaster, damaged washing machine and several children’s toys littered the area.
As of 8:15 p.m. no apparent injuries to civilians or emergency personnel were reported according to Lakeport personnel.
E-mail Harold LaBonte at
LAKEPORT – Mike Thompson hosted his big annual ravioli feed Saturday and gave residents an update on the latest in Congress and the issues on his plate.
The event took place Saturday evening at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Lakeport.
At the fairgrounds entrance a small group of protesters gathered at 4 p.m. to welcome those who came to the event, which ran from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
James Henderson, Dave Rinker, and David and Nancy Morgan, all of Lakeport, and Lucerne resident Donna Christopher held signs with slogans like “Ron Paul for Liberty”; they also had a pitchfork and Christopher's own homemade “TARP fork” to demonstrate their displeasure with the government in general and, in some cases, Thompson in particular.
“It's like our politicians don't want to hear us,” said Rinker, who added that he wanted the Federal Reserve audited because he said it's the source of 95 percent of the country's problems.
He said his problems were with government at large.
“Mine's with Thompson,” said Christopher.
Relating to the TARP bailout last fall, Christopher said, “First he voted no and then he voted for it.”
She said a better solution would have been to buy the troubled institutions outright, which would have benefited taxpayers more. Anything that's so big it can't be allowed to fail is too big, she said, referring to companies like AIG.
Henderson added that the government shouldn't reward people for being dishonest.
Inside, about 500 people came to participate in the annual event, where Thompson thanked community members for all of their support. “You make doing my job so much easier.”
He said right now – in the face of some of the toughest challenges the country has ever seen – he needed voters' friendship and support more than ever.
Thompson said he believed the country will come out of its current struggles bigger and better than ever. “It's just going to take a while to do it.”
He gave a brief rundown of issues, from unemployment to the health care to the economy, and pointed to what he said are promising signs, among them better results on Wall Street.
Regarding President Barack Obama's proposed budget, Thompson said, “This is the first honest budget we've had,” a statement which received applause.
Health care, education and renewable energy are three big issues Thompson hears about a lot from constituents.
On the topic of green energy, Thompson gave Lake County kudos for showing the way with its recently launched 2.2-megawatt solar project. That solar project powers the movement of wastewater to The Geysers where it is injected into the steamfields, which in turn replenishes the supply of steam needed to produce geothermal power.
“Thanks for showing us the way to do that,” he said.
Thompson also had some new numbers relating to what the county can expect to see from federal stimulus money.
He said that local education is slated to receive about $4 million, plus more than $1 million for transportation.
The stimulus will help create or save 8,000 jobs throughout the First Congressional District, he said.
To make the recovery work, he said, the country needs to go in “all shoulders to the wheel.”
Thompson also gave a report on his March 25 telephone town hall.
In his 19 years in elected office, Thompson said he's conducted many town halls, and usually gets between 40 and 50 peoples. The telephone town hall – which isn't meant to replace the traditional ones – had an estimated 9,156 who participated. Those numbers were for people who remained on the line for at least 20 minutes.
He also received 200 voice mail messages afterward, most of them offering good, constructive comments and questions.
Asked after the event about his reaction to the protesters outside, Thompson said he understands their concerns and frustrations, but he stood by his choices relating to the TARP bailout.
“You can't just let everything fall off the edge,” which is what would have happened had Congress done nothing, he said.
“If we hadn't passed the stimulus it would have been terrible,” said Thompson.
The stimulus, he added, won't turn everything around. Instead, it will help stabilize the economy.
What gets lost in the numbers discussion, he said, is the toll on people struggling in the current economic climate.
He said he didn't hear from the protesters when President Bush was giving tax cuts to the rich and not including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in the federal budget.
Local clubs that assisted with the event included Rotary Interact and 4-H.
Thompson collected e-waste again this year, and nine refurbished computers were donated to local nonprofits through the efforts of Steve Wyatt, owner and chief executive officer of Computer Recycling Co., who collects the older electronics throughout the seven counties in Thompson's district.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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