KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – More than 150 people gathered in Kelseyville on Thursday night to hear from local officials about public safety issues in the town following the death last month of a young man mortally wounded during a robbery.
Supervisor Rob Brown organized and led the town hall, held at Kelseyville High School.
He called the gathering in response to community concerns after 33-year-old Forrest Seagrave’s death. He was shot during a robbery at Mt. Konocti Gas and Mart on the night of Friday, Jan. 18, dying a short time later.
In the weeks since, the town has been plagued by a series of burglaries to businesses and homes, according to reports from community members.
With concerns heightened, Brown wanted to give town residents a chance to find out what is being done in the investigation and to ask questions about general public safety issues.
“Given the circumstances, we as a community need all the help we can get in this very important time,” said Brown.
The meeting featured a panel of local officials, including Lt. Greg Baarts, commander of the California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office; Capt. Chris Macedo of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office; Lake County Community Development Director Rick Coel; Agent John McNunn of State Parole; District Attorney Don Anderson; and Probation Chief Rob Howe. Not on the panel but present were Undersheriff Pat Turturici and Sheriff Frank Rivero.
Brown said there are many issues going on in Kelseyville, Lake County and the world at large. “we can take care of our little piece of the world here.”
He first asked Macedo to give a brief update on the status of the Seagrave murder investigation.
The sheriff's office, said Macedo, “has been working nonstop” to bring the suspect to justice. He said they’re working with CHP, Probation, the District Attorney’s Office, State Parole and other agencies on the case.
“We are turning over every stone, knocking on every door,” as well as making car stops and serving search warrants, said Macedo.
He said the men and women of Lake County law enforcement “take this personally and they are working doggedly night and day.”
Macedo credited Brown for being instrumental in raising the $10,000 being offered as a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Seagrave’s murderer. He also thanked the Board of Supervisors for ratifying the reward funds collection at its meeting last Tuesday.
He encouraged community members to call the sheriff’s office at 707-263-2690 if they have any information about the murder. No lead is too small.
Macedo said he wanted to dispel one persistent rumor making its way around the community, that sheriff’s officials have someone in custody for the murder.
“That is not true,” he said.
They have done probation and parole searches and, as a result, there are people in jail, but not for Seagrave’s murder, Macedo said.
As soon as an arrest is made, Macedo guaranteed the community will be informed about it.
However, he said he was limited in what else he could tell them at that point. “We do need to balance the public’s knowledge with the safety and integrity of this investigation.”
Baarts told the group that the shooting was right in the CHP’s backyard. “Our office is right over there,” he said, gesturing toward Live Oak and Highway 20, where the Clear Lake Area office is located. “We're part of this community.”
Brown said he had been talking with Baarts about installing cameras at the Live Oak intersection to help monitor the area. The technology available has capabilities including allowing authorities to identify stolen vehicles based on license plates.
Having such cameras in place would have been helpful in the Seagrave case, he added. That’s because law enforcement has been searching for a pickup in connection with the crime.
That, in addition to initiating new Neighborhood Watch groups, were among the suggestions Brown offered the community in the effort to take back the town from the recent rash of crimes.
“This is not the Kelseyville we grew up in,” Brown said.
“It's not going to be like that again,” he said, adding, “That's just the reality.”
Brown also suggested that benefit zones could be set up in the Kelseyville area to help fund dedicated deputy positions.
A key concern for local officials is the impact of AB 109, the legislation for correctional realignment, which is sending prisoners who normally would have been in state prison to county jails.
“It’s been a tremendous burden on us,” Brown said.
The suspect shot and killed by a local CHP officer last year following a struggle had been released early from the Orange County Jail due to realignment, according to Brown.
State Parole Agent John McNunn also raised concerns about realignment and its impact on communities.
One suggestion he made: “I would recommend you get a gun and get some training.”
McNunn also encouraged residents to participate in the community. “We can’t do it all.”
He said there currently are 181 parolees in the county. McNunn said citizens were sold a bill of goods with AB 109, which was meant to save money but, “Unfortunately, it affects the community.”
District Attorney Don Anderson also worried about correctional realignment’s impacts, among them, violent, serious felons being let out of custody. “It is a reality.”
Of the CHP shooting, he said the officer only got the upper hand due to a good Samaritan stopping to help. “Without that, the situation probably would have been different.”
Regarding the Seagrave case, Anderson said his office has been involved in the investigation since the night of the murder.
When the suspect is caught, “We will prosecute him to the fullest extent we possibly can,” Anderson said.
He said one thing that has come out of Seagrave’s murder is that it has brought the community together.
During a question and answer session, Gary Olson asked for an update on gangs in Kelseyville.
Deputy Gary Frace, a member of the multiagency gang task force, said Kelseyville appears to be the hub of a couple of sets of gangs.
He said people don’t want to admit Lake County has a gang problem, but it does. While it’s not the same as what is seen in Los Angeles or Sacramento, “They’re still here nevertheless,” said Frace.
He pointed to the influence of marijuana both on gangs and general crime. He said marijuana is believed to be the root cause of a recent triple homicide in Sonoma County.
Nancy Rhoades said she wanted to see Neighborhood Watch reinstated as soon as possible. Undersheriff Pat Turturici said the sheriff’s office has reinstated it, and recently started a group in Scotts Valley. He encouraged community members to contact the sheriff’s office for information on how to get started.
Macedo also urged people to be aware of their surroundings, and if held up to surrender money and other possessions if they’re demanded.
Brown said he appreciated – and was impressed by – the community turnout, and wants to have another meeting in the future, at which time he hopes they will be talking about the murderer’s arrest.
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