On Friday, Capt. James Bauman released a detailed account of the events, which started early Thursday morning.

At 7:20 a.m. Thursday sheriff’s deputies responded to a reported home invasion at a residence on Noble Ranch Road in Lower Lake, Bauman said.

A 30-year-old transient identified by the victims as Charles William Burk, along with another man who was later identified as Malcolm Safa Brown, 40, had barged into the home of Burk’s adopted parents and assaulted Burk’s father, 52-year-old Donald Merrill, and Burk's brother, 22-year-old Donald Merrill Jr.

At one point during the assault, Burk acquired a rifle from the home and tried to shoot his father, but Merrill Sr. was able to overpower Burk and recover the weapon while Merrill Jr. fought with Brown, said Bauman.

Bauman said that, after members of the Merrill family were able to ward off the physical attack of both suspects, the suspects fled the home in a white pick-up truck.

One of the sheriff’s deputies responding to the scene was traveling northbound on Spruce Grove Road when he encountered the suspects’ pickup traveling southbound on Spruce Grove, said Bauman.

In an apparent act of deadly force to obstruct the deputy’s response, the truck sped up, veered into the deputy’s path and intentionally rammed the patrol vehicle, Bauman said. The suspects’ truck continued southbound on Spruce Grove Road. The deputy’s patrol car was disabled and although shaken, the deputy was uninjured.

About five minutes later, 34-year-old Brian Moynihan reported that the suspects’ truck had rammed the gate leading to his property on Spruce Grove Road near Hidden Valley Lake and collided head-on with a tree in his yard, according to Bauman. Upon arrival at Moynihan’s home, deputies found the suspects’ truck abandoned and still running.

Moynihan reported that after hearing the truck crash into his tree, at least one of the suspects started pounding on his back door and tried to force the door open, said Bauman. Moynihan physically held the door from being opened and when the attempt to break in ceased, he opened the door and chased one of the suspects off of his property.

Additional law enforcement, including sheriff’s detectives and patrol units from the Clearlake Police Department and the California Highway Patrol responded to the area to assist, Bauman said. As additional units arrived, it was determined both suspects had fled on foot either into the brush north of Hidden Valley Lake or into the Hidden Valley Lake subdivision.

As a search perimeter was established, the sheriff’s SWAT team was called out and a helicopter from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department was requested to respond. Bauman said a telephonic public safety notification also was issued to Hidden Valley Lake and Spruce Grove Road residents in a three-mile area around the scene of the abandoned truck, alerting them of the suspects at large and the search activities.

The search for the two suspects lasted throughout the morning and into the afternoon. At about 1:30 p.m., a man vaguely matching Burk’s description was spotted by one of the deputies on Greenridge Road but he was wearing different clothing, said Bauman. When the man was stopped, it was discovered he was wearing multiple pairs of pants and the identity he provided could not be verified.

When another deputy arrived to assist with the detention, the man took off running and was lost behind some houses on Stonegate Road, Bauman reported. Additional deputies responded and during about a 10-minute search, several Stonegate residents reported sightings of the man.

Following up on one report, deputies were able to locate the man hiding beneath the exterior deck of a house on Stonegate. Bauman said that, despite no further means of escape, the man refused to come out and a taser was deployed to gain his compliance. He was then taken into custody and positively identified as Burk.

Telephonic public safety alerts to Hidden Valley Lake residents continued throughout the afternoon and at about 4 p.m., deputies responded to several reports of another suspicious subject walking through properties on Foothill Court and Spyglass Road in Hidden Valley Lake, Bauman said.

The Highway Patrol also responded to the area and after an approximate 20-minute search of the area, the Highway Patrol located and detained the man in a field near Highway 29 and Arabian Lane. Bauman said that, when deputies arrived, the man was identified as 40-year-old Malcolm Safa Brown of Graton and subsequently confirmed to be the second suspect at large.

Burk later divulged that after crashing his truck into the tree on Spruce Grove Road and fleeing into Hidden Valley Lake as deputies surrounded the area, he had broken into a residence on Raven Hill Road, Bauman reported.

Once inside the house, Burk shaved his head to alter his appearance and changed into clothing taken from the residence before setting out on foot again to evade capture, according to Bauman. Burk also is the one believed to be responsible for trying to break into Moynihan’s home on Spruce Grove Road as it was later determined he and Brown fled in different directions after abandoning the pickup truck.

Both suspects were booked on felony charges of attempted murder, attempted robbery, burglary and assault with intent to inflict great bodily injury. Bauman said Burk faces additional felony charges of assault by use of a firearm against his father and felony assault on a peace officer for intentionally ramming the deputy’s patrol car. Both suspects are being held on $500,000 bail.

Donald Merrill Sr. and Donald Merrill Jr. both sustained minor to moderate injuries as a result of the puzzling attack, said Bauman. Both were treated and released from St. Helena Hospital Clearlake. Robbery was the apparent motive for the home invasion and both suspects appeared to be under the influence of methamphetamine at the time of their capture.

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County personnel were evacuated from the building shortly before 10 a.m. Employees at the scene said the smell of propane was strongest on the third and fourth floors.

Responding to the scene were Lakeport and Kelseyville Fire Protection Districts, Lakeport Police and Lake County Sheriff's deputies.

Capt. Bob Holbrook of Lakeport Fire said by the time firefighters arrived on the scene county staff had identified the problem with the propane system and were working to fix it.

“We basically ventilated the building and checked for levels for flammability,” said Holbrook.

He said getting the building aired out took less than 30 minutes, and then staff were allowed to re-enter the building.

Dave Hendrick of the county's Facilities Maintenance Department explained that there was a leak in the control valve to the system's gas pilot, which heats the propane. That caused the gas smell, which was made worse when the system's exhaust, after it left the building, was drawn back through the system intake.

Hendrick added that no gas actually was in the intake or coming into the building.

He said he expected the problem would be fixed by the end of the day, and that it wasn't a big deal.

However, he added, “It's better to be safe than sorry.”

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Officials also have told community residents to stay in and keep their homes secured.

The attempted burglary occurred on Noble Ranch Road at about 7:20 a.m., according to Capt. James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Two men, who have not been identified, were alleged to have committed the break-in, assaulting two people inside the home, said Bauman.

“It's still unclear as to whether or not they were armed at the time or not,” Bauman said.

However, he said the two men should be considered armed and dangerous based on the initial incident.

The men reportedly left the scene in a white pickup truck, said Bauman.

While responding to the scene a sheriff's deputy collided with a white Chevy pickup. Bauman said the pickup was abandoned on a property on Spruce Grove South near Hidden Valley Lake, as its two occupants fled on foot.

The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office's Henry 1 helicopter has been searching the community from the sky over the last few hours, said Bauman. At the same time, detectives and deputies are on the ground looking for the suspects.

Bauman said a Citywatch Alert used in emergencies was sent out to residents in a three-mile perimeter of the incident, which amounts to about 60 percent of the community.

Hidden Valley Lake Security confirmed two men were being sought, with officials paying particular attention to the Stonegate and Greenridge areas.

Lake County News will continue to report on the situation as it unfolds.

Correspondent Aimee Gonsalves contributed to this report.

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Lt. Mike Hermann said Clearlake Police officers have been attempting to locate the motorcycles and identify the drivers involved in these incidents.

Over the weekend, Craig Fenno Jr. and Tyler Kirwin were both stopped on off-road motorcycles being illegally driven within the city limits, according to Hermann.

Hermann said Fenno, 20, was found to have an outstanding warrant for his arrest and a suspended driver’s license. He was arrested on Konocti Road and the motorcycle was impounded.

Kirwin, 21, was located near Burns Valley Road, said Hermann, where he also was found to be unlicensed and on active parole. His motorcycle was impounded and a report will be forwarded to his parole officer in addition to citations being issued.

In a third incident, Hermann said officers had another dirt bike flee from them on Burns Valley Road. While searching the area for the bike and rider, officers located a red and white Honda 250 dirt bike on Polk Avenue that had its vehicle identification number altered and removed. That motorcycle was towed and an investigation into that incident is ongoing.

Clearlake Police officers will be continuing their efforts to locate the motorcycles and identify the drivers, said Hermann. Once located, motorcycles that are being operated in an illegal manner will be impounded and the drivers will be charged.

Even in cases where the drivers may elude capture, Hermann said charges can still be filed against them as they are identified.

Hermann asks citizens to contact the Clearlake Police Department, 994-8251, with any information on the stored locations of the motorcycles or their drivers.

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We’ve seen so many movies like the police procedural that unfolds to almost predictable extremes in “Pride and Glory” that the list of films emulated is just too long to publish now. Just for the heck of it, let’s say that the recent films “The Departed” and “We Own the Night” inform, to a great degree, what should be expected from director and screenwriter Gavin O’Connor, the son on a New York City cop. Apparently, O’Connor may have a few insights into the law enforcement culture that help him explore the clash of loyalties on full display in “Pride and Glory.”

Police dramas have become as generic as uplifting sports stories, and as a result, the title “Pride and Glory” would seem to work for either genre.

The concepts of pride and glory are very much at risk when an incendiary corruption scandal threatens to undermine the New York City Police Department. During the holiday season, four NYPD officers are dead, killed in an ambush that has the entire force on alert and on edge.

With a cop killer on the loose and so much at stake, Chief of Manhattan Detectives Francis Tierney Sr. (Jon Voight) asks his son, Detective Ray Tierney (Edward Norton), to lead the investigation.

For his part, Ray is reluctant to take on the case because he was burned in the past and has settled into low-risk assignments that keep him off the streets. Moreover, he knows that the cops who were lost had served under his older brother, Francis Jr. (Noah Emmerich), and alongside his brother-in-law Jimmy Egan (Colin Farrell). Right from the start, there is an overabundance of family ties that are certain to cause grief. This we know from watching too many other police procedurals sounding the same themes.

On the surface, the case looks like a routine drug bust gone terribly, tragically wrong. However, as Ray digs deeper in his investigation, he realizes someone had to have tipped off the drug dealers that cops would arrive on the scene.

More unthinkable is the awareness that the informant was somebody on the inside of the police department. Worse still, the evidence starts to point in the direction of his own family members, seeing how both Francis Jr. and Jimmy are in the same precinct that comes under a cloud of suspicion.

Naturally, as Ray’s probing into the dark corners starts to produce unwelcome results that the family patriarch doesn’t really want to hear about, especially when distrust is likely to touch on all relatives.

The hot-headed Jimmy is the most culpable, and this becomes increasingly apparent as he starts threatening drug-dealing lowlifes with an alarmingly aggressive attack. One of the most disturbing moments involves Jimmy’s use of a hot iron during an intense interrogation. Increasingly unhinged by erratic behavior, Jimmy even puts his wife Megan (Lake Bell) and kids in jeopardy when having to confront his criminal informants in his own backyard.

Meanwhile, Francis Jr. is caught in the swirling storm of controversy that threatens to ruin not just his command, but also to shred the family reputation. Moral dilemmas begin to run rampant, most of them predictable for the cop genre.

A more affecting story is that of Francis Jr.’s wife Abby (Jennifer Ehle), a victim of terminal cancer who just wants to be sure her husband will take care of their kids. Unfortunately, there’s a palpable feeling from the start that Francis Jr. is in way over his head and unable to deal effectively with a band of rogue cops on his watch.

What one expects is that the multi-generational police family will band together as a tightknit family, upholding their own principles, if not the “blue wall of silence.” But, as these things happen, the situation gets wildly out of control, leading to very intense, often brutal action. Aiding and abetting a downward spiral is the extremely volatile Jimmy, who seems to be channeling the energy of every hot-tempered, unstable drug-dealing punk on the streets.

“Pride and Glory” thrusts a family of Irish cops onto rocky moral terrain, compelling a number of difficult choices for dealing with corruption, family loyalty and departmental ties. In the end, the characters are more interesting than the story.

Colin Farrell’s explosive Jimmy is often shocking. Edward Norton’s tortured Ray is the emotional core of the film. Jon Voight excels as the worldly patriarch struggling to keep the family together. Together, and with the other strong supporting characters, they make this formulaic police procedural work quite well.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE

Selecting programs often seen on PBS and A&E, Acorn Media distributes DVDs of the best of British television to the North American market.

“Agatha Christie: Mystery Lover’s Collection” features a collection of five mysteries from the Queen of Crime. From the subtle intrigue of Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot to the frolicsome sleuthing of Tommy and Tuppence and the suspenseful adventure of two young lovers in “The Pale Horse,” this collection showcases the full spectrum of Agatha Christie’s timeless talents.

Among the five titles, “The Body in the Library” stars Geraldine McEwan as Miss Marple investigating the death of a glamorous young woman whose body turns up in the unlikeliest place.

David Suchet plays detective Poirot in “The Mysterious Affair at Styles,” coming to the aid of an old friend, a recovering war veteran who encounters an apparent murder at a remote English estate.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

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Since Judge Arthur Mann signed an order requiring airport-type security screening as of May 28, screening visitors has been a part of the daily routine at the Lake County Courthouse in Lakeport. Screening was enacted at the south county courthouse in Clearlake in the summer of 2007.

Assistant Court Executive Officer Kip Rodda said court officials are pleased with the additional security that the screening brings to the facility and the cooperation of other courthouse users.

Courthouse visitors also are learning what they can and can't have when entering the courthouse, Rodda noted.

The September report on court security operations, which Rodda provided to Lake County News, shows that so far this year there have been 112,069 persons screened between the two courthouses, 74,510 at Lakeport since May and 37,559 for Clearlake since the start of the year.

Approximately 20,880 people were screened at both courthouses in September alone, the report notes.

Weapons such as guns are a primary target for screeners, but only five guns have been found so far this year, and none were confiscated. One was noted in the September report for the Lakeport courthouse. There also have been seven bullets, one of which was taken, this year.

More prevalent have been items such as pepper spray or mace, with 26 found and three confiscated this year so far.

The most common items found that violates court security rules are knives. The report notes that 1,612 have been discovered this year, 180 of them at Lakeport in September. Year-to-date, only 90 have been confiscated; in many cases visitors may keep the items if they agree to remove them from the courthouse.

Other items that will set off the security alarms are chains over a foot in length (171 of those have been found so far this year and seven confiscated), multi-tools (170 found, 10 confiscated), razor blades (71 found, 19 confiscated) and more mundane items including scissors, laser pointers, glass containers, knitting needles, nail files and safety pins.

In an interesting bit of trivia, 84 handcuff keys have been found year-to-date and 11 of them confiscated. There have not, however, been any handcuffs found or confiscated at either courthouse.

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