LAKEPORT, Calif. – As work to fully contain the Valley fire winds down authorities are continuing their efforts to investigate crimes that occurred in areas evacuated due to the fire.

District Attorney Don Anderson is personally handling the felony cases that have arisen so far in connection to the Valley fire, with one of his deputy district attorneys, Danny Flesch, taking on the related misdemeanors.

While Anderson said no criminal cases involving looting emerged from the Rocky and Jerusalem fires, several such cases have come from the Valley fire, during which there were numerous reports of burglaries of evacuated homes.

So far, Anderson has been to court on cases involving Jeremiah Patrick McGinnis, 25, of Cobb; Dyami Gene Connell, 23, of Brisbane; Michael James Jimenez, 28, of Brisbane; and 23-year-old David Michael Cesari of San Francisco.

Connell, Jimenez and Cesari were arrested on Sept. 17 near Hidden Valley Lake, as Lake County News has reported.

Cesari was found with a loaded .40-caliber pistol and magazine hidden in his clothing, with the vehicle the men were in also containing a full face concealing mask, three pairs of gloves, tools, duct tape, zip ties, numerous key rings with keys, acetone, lighter, headlamps, flashlights, binoculars, empty plastic bags, empty garbage bags, backpack and large knives, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Anderson said the men appeared in court on Sept. 22, and are set for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 2.

He said has charged all three with conspiracy.

Additionally, Anderson said Cesari is charged with having a concealed firearm in his possession, having a concealed firearm in a vehicle, having a loaded firearm in a vehicle, possession of burglary tools and unauthorized entry in a disaster area, while Connell and Jimenez are both charged with possession burglary tools and unauthorized entry in a disaster area.

McGinnis, who appeared in court on Sept. 29, was arrested in Loch Lomond after being found in a vehicle stolen from Lower Lake, the sheriff's office said.

He admitted to having painted the stolen Jeep Grand Cherokee in an attempt to make it look like a law enforcement vehicle, authorities said.

The sheriff's office said a deputy found in the Jeep a box of live ammunition, a flat screen television, a DVD player, an air rifle, an air pistol and a drill, all of which were believed to have been stolen, along with a box of spray paint, a crate filled with aerosol can solvents and a box of matches.

Anderson said McGinnis has two alleged victims. He's charged McGinnis with burglary to a house and burglary to a shed for one victim, and burglary to a detached garage and theft of the vehicle for the second victim.

McGinnis also faces charges for being a felon in possession of ammunition, felony vandalism, unauthorized entry into a disaster area and possession of burglary tools. Anderson said McGinnis is due to be back in court Oct. 6.

Anderson said he has asked the sheriff's office to do additional investigative work on the case of 26-year-old Royce Sterling Moore of Lakeport, arrested early on the morning of Sept. 15 after he was found trying to access Cobb from the Kelseyville area.

Deputies found Moore with gloves, a black bandanna, a BB gun and a backpack that contained pliers, channel locks and a cordless drill with a grinder wheel attachment, along with a methamphetamine smoking pipe, the sheriff's office reported.

So far, the case against Moore looks like it may be a misdemeanor, Anderson said.

Another case that Anderson said may be handled as a misdemeanor is that of Whispering Pines resident Steven Fredrick Worley, 36, who was arrested on Sept. 14 in Cobb after he led a deputy on a short vehicle pursuit.

The sheriff's office said the deputy found in Worley's vehicle six cellular telephones, a portable Wi-Fi hotspot device, an Apple iPod, a wallet which contained identification belonging to someone other than Worley, a safe and an envelope which contained 13 shaped obsidian points.

Anderson said he is waiting to find out what the sheriff's office found in the safe as, depending on the value, that would determine whether Worley was charged with a misdemeanor or felony.

Regarding reports of other forms of crime related to the Valley fire, Anderson said he also has heard about possible price gouging cases, but so far – after local law enforcement has looked into them – none have ended up being submitted to his office.

He said if any such cases are submitted, his office will go after the perpetrators.

As the community moves into the recovery and rebuilding phases, “I anticipate getting a lot of unlicensed contractors or people impersonating contractors, things such as that,” said Anderson.

He added, “We'll be all over them.”

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.