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Clearlake Oaks man arrested for kidnap, rape
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Authorities have arrested a local man on a host of felony charges after he abducted and raped a female victim earlier this week.
Clifford Merle Cutrell, 54, also known as “Cliff Hanger,” reported to be a transient last known to be living in Clearlake Oaks, was taken into custody by the Clearlake Police Department at 10 p.m. Tuesday night, according to Lake County Jail records.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Rich Watson told Lake County News that Cutrell is facing charges for two separate cases, the one committed on Tuesday, Aug. 12, involving kidnap and rape, as well as a felony assault case that took place on April 10. Both cases were filed Thursday.
Watson said Cutrell was arraigned that same day for both cases, with the Public Defender’s Office appointed to represent him.
Cutrell will return to court on Tuesday in both cases, at which point his defense attorney is expected to make an initial appearance and Cutrell will enter pleas, according to Watson.
Cutrell’s bail is set at $1 million for the rape case and $125,000 for the assault case, Watson said.
Court records show that Cutrell has a criminal background that includes numerous convictions and arrests extending back nearly 20 years in Lake County and even further in Sonoma and Tuolumne counties.
Cutrell is a registered sex offender who has previously served prison time, with a risk assessment score by the state of 21, placing him in the “high” category for risk of reoffending.
Two violent cases
The court filings from this week show that Cutrell is charged with two felonies for a case that occurred on April 10 and 11, during which time he is accused of committing assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury and false imprisonment on a victim identified as “J.T.”
In that case, he’s also facing an allegation of having a prior serious or violent felony conviction for an assault with intent to commit sex crimes in Sonoma County on Aug. 25, 1999.
Then, on Tuesday, authorities said Cutrell kidnapped a victim with the intent to rape her.
So far, authorities have not given specific details about the case, the severity of which is outlined in the numerous charges.
Altogether, for this week’s case he’s charged with nine felonies: kidnapping with the intent to commit rape; assault with intent to commit rape; sodomy for force, violence or fear; oral copulation by force; rape; sexual penetration by force; sexual battery while the victim is unlawfully restrained; burglary of an inhabited dwelling house and trailer coach with intent to commit a felony; and criminal threats.
Convictions on the sodomy, oral copulation, rape, sexual penetration by force and sexual battery while restrained would all require additional sex offender registration, according to the filing.
The filing includes a special allegation that Cutrell is ineligible for probation or suspension of sentence.
Both the April and August cases include allegations for six previous felonies. In addition to the 1999 Sonoma County case they include five convictions in Lake County for two separate cases: for a conviction for sexual battery, false imprisonment and failure to register as a sex offender, all committed on Jan. 8, 2010; and disobeying a police officer and possession of an illegal weapon from March 10, 2020.
The August case also refers to a February 1995 felony conviction in Tuolumne County for battery causing serious bodily injury.
The District Attorney’s Office also has charged Cutrell in both cases with a special allegation of circumstances in aggravation, including violence; a particularly vulnerable victim; threats against witnesses; the crime’s commission included planning, sophistication, and professionalism; he took advantage of a position of trust or confidence to commit the offense; he engaged in violent conduct, which indicates a serious danger to society; his prior convictions are numerous or of increasing seriousness; he served a prior prison term; and his prior performance on probation, mandatory supervision, post-release community supervision or parole was unsatisfactory.
Despite Cutrell’s long and violent criminal history, he so far has only been convicted of one “strike” under California’s three strikes law, Watson said.
The filing for this case includes several charges — kidnap; assault with intent to commit rape, sodomy or oral copulation; sodomy; rape; sexual penetration by force; burglary with intent to commit a felony; and criminal threats — that could count as strikes upon conviction, based on the penal code.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the law does not allow multiple strikes from the same case. In fact, multiple strikes can result from one case if the defendant is convicted of multiple serious or violent felonies. What is not allowed, based on a 2014 California Supreme Court ruling in People v. Vargas, is that multiple convictions arising from a single criminal act may not be considered as separate strikes under the three strikes law.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
Clearlake Police seek missing juvenile
UPDATE: Clearlake Police reported Saturday that she has been located.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. — The Clearlake Police Department is asking for the community’s help in locating a missing teenager.
Police are seeking Latoya Pacheco, 15.
Latoya left her foster residence in Clearlake around 9:30 p.m. Friday, police said.
She is described as a Native American female with longer black hair, standing 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing 140 pounds.
Police said she was last seen wearing a black hoodie and black sweatpants, and she left with a black backpack.
If you have any knowledge of Latoya's whereabouts please contact Clearlake Police Department at 707-994-8251, Extension 1.
State legislators announce plans for special election on redistricting measure
On Friday, Democrats in the California State Legislature announced new legislation to call a special election in November, which they said is meant to empower voters to protect the state’s economy and democracy, and fight back against “reckless attacks by Trump and Republicans.”
The legislation includes a state constitutional amendment to set a special election on Nov. 4. It also makes public, for all voters to see and review, new proposed Congressional maps for California.
Voters will have the final say on the maps when they cast their ballots.
The proposed maps are now publicly available on the Senate and Assembly Elections Committee websites.
Californians also can provide input on the map via a public portal on the same website, which already has received more than 3,000 public comments since its launch on Wednesday.
“Republican redistricting efforts in Texas and other states are dividing communities, undermining voter freedom — and their maps are drawn in secret without letting the people decide,” the legislators said in their announcement.
In California, lawmakers in the Assembly and Senate pushed for key provisions in the legislation to ensure fidelity to independent commissions, protections for the Voting Rights Act, and preservation of California cities and communities:
• California will keep the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission. The Legislature’s plan makes sure the commission maintains its full scope of work and authority after the 2030 Census and beyond, redrawing California’s Congressional, state legislative and Board of Equalization lines every 10 years.
• California only acts if Republicans try to rig the vote. The legislation includes a trigger to ensure that maps will take effect only if other states effectuate partisan gerrymanders. Several Republican-controlled states, most notably Texas, are considering gerrymanders aimed to benefit their party. Unlike California, none are submitting those plans for voter approval.
• Every state in the country should have independent redistricting. The bills include provisions to express California’s policy to support nonpartisan, independent redistricting nationwide and would call on Congress to initiate a federal constitutional amendment to require nonpartisan, independent redistricting nationwide.
• Protecting communities of color and historically marginalized voters. The new map makes no changes to historic Black districts in Oakland and the Los Angeles area, and retains and expands Voting Rights Act districts that empower Latino voters to elect their candidates of choices.
• Keeping cities and communities together. The proposed Congressional map keeps more cities whole within a single district than the most recent map enacted by the commission.
“This is about more than drawing lines on a map, it’s about drawing a line in the sand to stop Texas and Trump from rigging the election,” said Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire. “This is about protecting the people of the Golden State, our Democracy, and making sure voters have a say. Access to health care matters. Reproductive rights and Planned Parenthood matters. Making life more affordable matters. So does keeping tariffs from killing California jobs. These are the stakes, this is what we will be voting on this week in the Legislature, and what the people of California will vote on in November.”
“Trump sparked this national crisis when he called Texas to rig the election,” said Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas. “California is fighting back. Democrats are empowering voters to protect working families and our democracy — with the most transparent process in the nation. Voters will see the maps and have the final say. The stakes couldn’t be higher, but I’m confident we’ll defeat this assault on our democracy and end Trump’s attacks on California.”
Overview of the legislation
The Legislature will consider three bills in order to call and facilitate the special election:
• A constitutional amendment which authorizes the replacement of the existing Congressional map.
• A statute which contains the new proposed Congressional map for voter approval.
• A statute to call the special election, appropriate funding for election administration, and make conforming changes to election calendars.
State leaders said Trump and Republicans continue to harm California’s families, workers and businesses in a number of ways:
• Trump’s tariffs are making family essentials and basic household items more expensive.
• Trump’s budget slashes billions of dollars in funding for social services, threatening access to health care and food for millions of Californians.
• Trump’s immigration raids are damaging California’s economy as they terrorize our communities.
• Trump is arbitrarily and capriciously cutting off grant funding for California’s research universities, along with K-12 funds, punishing California students and stalling resources for afterschool programs and teacher training.
• Trump and the federal government are playing politics with California’s requests for relief following the devastating January fires in Los Angeles.
Timeline of anticipated legislative action
• Monday, Aug. 18: Legislation into print in Assembly and Senate.
• Tuesday, Aug. 19: Assembly and Senate Elections Committees hear legislation.
• Wednesday, Aug. 20: Assembly Appropriations Committees hears legislation.
• Thursday, Aug. 21: Anticipated floor votes in both Assembly and Senate.
Estate Planning: The latest regarding Medi-Cal’s asset test
During 2025, persons who apply for Medi-Cal do so without any asset test and may become eligible without disclosing assets.
But, when they file their periodic Medi-Cal renewal application their assets will be required to be disclosed and will then be considered for renewal.
During 2025, persons who transfer assets to reduce the total value of their non-exempt assets in anticipation of 2026, are not expected to be subject to the once all too familiar “look back” period that recommences in 2026.
Thus, transferring assets in 2025 is unlikely to result in any future “transfer penalties” which otherwise would delay a Medi-Cal applicant’s eligibility in 2026 onwards.
Commencing 2026, transfers of non exempt assets above the asset exemption value will again result in a transfer penalty measured in terms of months of skilled nursing long term care Medi-Cal ineligibility.
The ineligibility period is determined by dividing the amount transferred that is in excess of the Medi-Cal person’s $130,000 asset exemption amount by the “Average Private Pay Rate,” or APPR, in effect at the time of the transfer, presently $13,365 in 2025.
For example, if the total value of a person’s countable nonexempt assets is $150,000 and that person transfers $20,000 to a relative in order to qualify for Medi-Cal, then the ineligibility transfer period would be $20,000 divided by the 2026 APR. It is reduced down to the nearest whole number.
The typical Medi-Cal eligibility strategy is, first, to convert non exempt assets (e.g., cash and investments) into exempt assets by purchasing, improving, or paying-down such assets.
Second, if a person’s countable, non exempt assets still exceed the applicable threshold then the next approach is to transfer such assets in a manner that does not result in an ineligibility period.
A Medi-Cal eligible person is still subject to Medi-Cal’s special “Income” rules and its “Share of Cost” rules. That is, a person on Medi-Cal may still have a “Share of Cost” to pay for any type of Medi-Cal. Income includes all forms of income, including Social Security and other retirement incomes.
Lastly, when a Medi-Cal participant dies there is still the possibility of Medi-Cal asserting a Medi-Cal estate recovery claim.
However, since Jan. 1, 2017, Medi-Cal estate recovery is limited to estates that are in probate, and even then only if the deceased Medi-Cal recipient was not survived by a spouse. Nowadays, Medi-Cal estate recovery claims are infrequent.
The foregoing is not legal advice. Consult a qualified elder law attorney for guidance.
Dennis A. Fordham, Attorney, is a State Bar-Certified Specialist in estate planning, probate and trust law. His office is at 870 S. Main St., Lakeport, Calif. He can be reached at
