How to resolve AdBlock issue? Middletown man enters not guilty plea in arson, carjacking and kidnapping case
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — A Middletown man arrested last month on a host of charges including arson, assault, carjacking and kidnapping was in court on Thursday to enter a plea in the case.
William Ralph Harbour IV, 37, who was arrested in Napa County on Aug. 21, is being prosecuted there.
He appeared in Napa County Superior Court before Judge Scott Young on Thursday morning to enter his not guilty plea in the case.
He’s charged with kidnapping for carjacking, which upon conviction could carry a life sentence; kidnapping; carjacking with a special allegation of causing great bodily injury to the woman whose vehicle he took; evading an officer against traffic; evading an officer with willful disregard; two counts of assault on a peace officer for assaulting two California State Parks officers; attempted unlawful driving or taking of a vehicle; unlawful driving or taking of a vehicle; carjacking; elder or dependent adult abuse of his father, William Harbour III; grand theft of personal property, specifically, $1,000 from William Harbour III; arson of property of another for setting fire to his father’s Mercedes; and recklessly causing a fire of a structure or forest near the intersection of Highway 175 and McKinley Drive.
On Aug. 21, authorities said Harbour was involved in a fight with family members, leading to him running over his father and setting fire to his father’s car.
Later, he is believed to have set the McKinley fire near Middletown, then carjacked a woman, taking her car with her 7-year-old daughter inside of it, before he led authorities — including California Highway Patrol and State Parks officers — on a pursuit into Napa County, where he was finally arrested that afternoon.
This week, state officials issued a report in which they explained how the initial encounter between State Parks officers and Harbour near Robert Louis Stevenson State Park on Highway 29 came about.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife said State Parks officers were taking part in a multiagency cannabis enforcement operation in Napa County as part of the Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce on Aug. 21.
The State Parks officers executed a search warrant and dismantled a water diversion that originated from within the Robert Louis Stevenson State Park.
While they were involved in that operation, Harbour attempted to steal a State Parks patrol vehicle before later carjacking the motorist, taking her vehicle with the child still inside. Authorities said he dropped off the child a short distance away.
“State Parks officers initiated a pursuit and safely recovered the child before arresting the suspect,” the report said.
"This was more than a simple enforcement action — it was a moment of heroism, a moment where State Park Rangers and lifeguards demonstrated their prowess as fully sworn peace officers,” said State Parks Law Enforcement and Emergency Services Division Chief Alex Luscutoff. “The officers’ swift response and coordinated pursuit resulted in a mother being reunited with her daughter and a very dangerous individual being safely taken into custody.”
During his Thursday court appearance, Harbour’s preliminary hearing was set for Oct. 17.
Harbour remains in custody in the Napa County Jail on a no bail hold.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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Valley Fire remembrance events planned Saturday Middletown
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. — A series of community events to remember the Valley Fire and celebrate resilience will take place in Middletown on Saturday afternoon, following Friday’s commemoration in Cobb.
The Middletown gathering will be held in Middletown Square Park, beginning with a ceremony at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Cal Fire Division Chief Mike Wink will host the ceremony.
Designated representatives from the offices of Congressman Mike Thompson and State Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry also may attend.
Speakers will also include former District 1 supervisors Jim Comstock and Moke Simon; Sheriff Luke Bingham; Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg; Callayomi County Water District Director Pat Giaccimini; current District 1 Supervisor Helen Owen, who will present a plaque dedication to the Middletown Area Town Hall; and Lake County Poet Laureate Brenda Yeager, who will offer a poetry tribute.
An open mic session will follow, inviting community members to participate and share personal stories.
Attendees are also encouraged to bring a photo, drawing, flower or note to add to the community Memorial Wall, described by organizers as a space that “honors those we lost and celebrates our shared resilience,” the event poster said. “All ages welcome."
From 6:30 to 10 p.m., the Middletown Art Center will host an art and expression session featuring poetry, music, dance and visual arts.
At 7:30 p.m., a free screening of “The Wild Robot” will be shown under the stars at the park.
Email staff reporter Lingzi Chen at
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Main Street in Kelseyville to feature flags in honor of Mexican Independence Day
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. — Sept. 16th will look a little brighter in Kelseyville this year.
In honor of Mexican Independence Day, the Kelseyville Business Association, or KBA, will proudly line Main Street with forty beautiful Mexican flags.
The flags, purchased by the KBA, will be a lasting tradition in future years as a tribute to the many community members of Mexican heritage who help make Kelseyville such a vibrant place to live.
Generous donations from local residents funded the new flagpoles, underscoring the community spirit that Kelseyville is known for.
While this year’s Día de la Independencia festival was canceled to prioritize the safety and well-being of residents, the KBA wanted to ensure the day was still honored in a meaningful way.
“We’re excited to bring this new tradition to Main Street,” said Helen Finch, president of the Kelseyville Business Association. “It’s a simple but powerful way to show our support for the many residents who celebrate this important day. We hope everyone takes a moment to stroll downtown, enjoy the display, and join us in honoring Mexican Independence Day.”
Founded in 1967, the Kelseyville Business Association is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to supporting the prosperity and growth of Kelseyville and its surrounding communities.
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Deadline to take Lake County Climate Vulnerability Analysis survey is Sept. 18
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Community members are invited to take the Lake County Climate Vulnerability Analysis survey.
The deadline to complete the survey is Thursday, Sept. 18.
The survey responses will help local officials complete the climate adaptation plan, the community's roadmap for preparing for and responding to climate challenges.
The comprehensive climate vulnerability analysis found:
• Wildfire and smoke pose the greatest climate risks countywide.
• Most vulnerable populations include outdoor workers, households in poverty, tribal community members, and people with chronic illnesses/disabilities.
• Most at-risk community assets include energy infrastructure, homes, transportation systems and agriculture.
Take the survey now: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KLG7CC2.
This five to 10 minute survey asks for your thoughts on our findings, ideas for building resilience, and barriers to implementing climate solutions.
County officials said the lived experience of residents and local knowledge are essential to ensuring the climate adaptation plan reflects community needs.
For more information, visit www.LakeCounty2050.org.
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Supervisors proclaim 10th anniversary of Valley Fire, approve plaque to recognize Middletown Rancheria
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — With the 10th anniversary of the Valley Fire approaching, the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday presented a proclamation honoring lost lives and the community’s resilience in the aftermath, and approved the purchase of a bronze plaque recognizing Middletown Rancheria’s contributions during disasters.
The Valley Fire, ignited on Sept. 12, 2015, near Cobb Mountain, burned 76,067 acres, destroyed 1,955 structures, severely injured four firefighters and took five lives. At the time, the Valley Fire was the third most destructive wildfire in modern California history.
The proclamation, read aloud by Supervisor Jessica Pyska, remembers the residents who died and firefighters who were injured, recognizes the strength of Lake County and its partners — from first responders, volunteers, tribal nations, nonprofits to government agencies locally and statewide — and acknowledges the lessons learned from the fire that continue to shape preparedness and response in times of emergency.
“I think about all the changes that have happened in our Office of Emergency Services, our partnership with Cal OES, the fact that we have Watch Duty now, we have Genesis, we have zones, we have people prepared, we have training,” Pyska spoke of the improvement in response over the years.
“We have so many things that have happened that have brought us to this point where we're not, hopefully, going to lose lives anymore,” she added. “We’ve all been transformed,”
Supervisor Helen Owen, who — like Pyska — lost her home to the fire, spoke of the tremendous support received locally, statewide and nationally.
“Many individuals, businesses, organizations stepped up,” Owen said.
After naming the Middletown Rancheria and Twin Pine casino, Hardester’s markets in the Middletown Cobb and Hidden Valley area, the Middletown Lions Club and the City of Calistoga, among others, Owen said it was an “impossibility” to list everyone involved in the response as the county has not kept track of the data.
“If we’re going to thank one, we need to thank everybody,” Owen said. “It was phenomenal … It wasn't just in California, certainly it wasn't just in Lake County. It was throughout the nation where people were moved and helped us out, and I need to say thank you to them as well.”
“When this event happened, we were all such babies in disaster response,” said Social Service Deputy Director Kelly Page. “We quickly just leaned on compassion and flexibility, and that’s really what we used to get through the next several weeks.”
“This was the first fire for us at Cal OES of this size,” said Sean Smith of Cal OES, who led the debris removal operation for the Rocky, Jerusalem and the Valley fires — three consecutive, destructive blazes in Lake County in the same year.
“We were here learning while we were doing it, and the support from Lake County, from both your elected officials, your appointed officials, and everybody here was phenomenal,” Smith said, recalling the involvement of then-District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown.
Smith added: “To see you guys this resilient 10 years later is phenomenal. I've gone on to 33 fires since then. This one sticks with me.”
Throughout the meeting, gratitude and recognition were given to the Middletown Rancheria and Twin Pine for sheltering evacuees.
The Middletown Rancheria, Pyska said, has “opened their doors so many times without hesitation, to shelter people, to feed people with no expectation of ever being reimbursed or paid because we care about each other.”
“Middletown Rancheria doesn't need to do anything for acclamation. We just do it because it's the right thing to do,” said Middletown Rancheria Chairman Moke Simon, who also served as District 1 supervisor prior to Owen.
He added, “I think that's the best that I've ever seen this community come together. Politics divides it, disasters unite it and we'll just keep moving forward in that manner.”
Discussion and disagreement on plaque recognition
Following the proclamation, the board also discussed recognizing the Middletown Rancheria’s contributions with a bronze plaque, costing $2,100.
Pyska, who proposed the idea, said it’s a gift “from our government to their government to really recognize what a vital partner they are.”
However, Owen expressed concerns about “singling out” one entity. She said she had already purchased a plaque to “honor and remember the entire Middletown community” that contributed during the Valley Fire, including the Middletown Rancheria.
“I am really concerned that only one entity is being recognized for helping during the 2015 Valley Fire,” she said. “And I feel it's important that if we recognize only one, that others will feel insignificant.”
Owen recalled when she had yet to take office, Pyska once told her over lunch that “as a supervisor, we stay in our own lanes.”
“I am the District 1 supervisor; You are the District 5 supervisor,” Owen continued, implying that she felt Pyska was striding over the lane. “And I feel that there's been drama brought forward with this.”
Owen disclosed at the meeting that originally Pyska proposed buying four plaques and Owen offered to “split.” Later, Pyska called to offer splitting one of the four to Owen.
At that time, “You yourself were going to buy one for the tribe,” Owen said to Pyska. “Now you want the county to purchase this?”
“If we start recognizing people, we're going to have to start keeping track, and you have to also be prepared by singling people out, that we are going to open up a can of worms, and you're going to be hurting other people's feelings for not getting that same recognition,” Owen said. “So I cannot support this … and I think that this is drama that was unnecessary.”
Despite Owen’s emphatic opposition, all other supervisors and speakers during public comment supported the dedicated plaque to the tribe.
Pyska maintained that this plaque is “government to government” and requires the entire board’s approval to pay for and to give.
“This is not for just the Valley Fire,” Pyska said. “This is a decade of showing up time and time again and into the future, and that's why I want this board and this County of Lake to recognize the tribes and all that they do for our whole county.”
Sabatier said that Middletown Rancheria is a local government and partner agency, not a business or nonprofit, comparable to the cities of Clearlake and Lakeport.
“When we have partnerships, I think we need to celebrate partnerships,” he said, adding that regardless of whether the plaque is paid by supervisors’ discretionary funds, it comes from the tax dollars from the community.
Supervisor Eddie Crandell supports the plaque too and felt that “singling out” the discussion casts “a negative cloud on the situation rather than celebrating it.”
The board voted 4-1 to approve the plaque to Middletown Rancheria, with Owen voting against.
Three plaques have been ordered, confirmed by Chief Deputy County Administrative Officer Matthew Rothstein in an email. One plaque will be dedicated to Middletown Rancheria, while the other two will honor those who lost their lives, to be placed in Cobb and Middletown, with a total cost of $7,300.
The plaques will be presented at the Valley Fire commemoration event, on Friday, Sept. 12, at Mandala Springs Wellness Retreat Center in Cobb.
Email staff reporter Lingzi Chen at
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