- Elizabeth Larson
Sheriff's office looks for missing man
LAKE COUNTY – Authorities are asking the public for information about a man who has been missing since early Wednesday morning.
Lt. Cecil Brown of the Lake County Sheriff's Office reported that the agency received a missing persons report on Wednesday regarding Paul Joseph “Joe” Womachka, 39, of Nice.
Womachka drives a Hey Taxi taxicab in Lake County. He was last seen operating the taxi just after midnight on Wednesday morning, according to Brown's report. Attempts to contact Womachka have not been successful.
Brown reports that the vehicle Womachka was driving is a white, 2000 Chevrolet Venture minivan, license plate number 8H96815. The sides of the van are marked, “Hey Taxi” in highly visible red letters.
The van Womachka operates has the number “19” in black letters on the back, said Brown, which differentiates it from other Hey Taxi vans operating in the county.
Anyone who has seen Womachka or the van since the early morning hours of June 27 is asked to call Detective Nicole Costanza at 262-4236.
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- Elizabeth Larson
Clearlake Police arrest car theft suspect, recover car
CLEARLAKE – A Ukiah man is in custody after police found him in a stolen car Sunday.
Clearlake Police Lt. Mike Hermann reported Monday that officers arrested 21-year-old Steven Ramier.
Officer Dominic Ramirez contacted Ramier at 8 p.m. Sunday in a stolen Toyota Celica parked near Redbud Park's pump house, according to Hermann's report.
Ramier told police that his girlfriend's uncle had given him the car. However, Hermann reported that officers determined that the car had been reported stolen out of Ukiah and that Ramier and his 17-year-old girlfriend were trying to sell the car with a falsified bill of sale.
Hermann reported that Ramier was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail for felony possession of a stolen vehicle. Ramier also is charged with a misdemeanor warrant, according to jail booking records.
Charges against his juvenile girlfriend are pending review by the District Attorney's Office and Lake County Probation, Hermann reported.
The department had had no previous contact with Ramier or his girlfriend, said Hermann.
Ramier remained in custody late Monday on $15,000 bail, with a court appearance scheduled for Tuesday.
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- Elizabeth Larson
McClain sworn in as Clearlake Police chief
CLEARLAKE – As city councilmembers, community members, law enforcement officials from around the lake and his family looked on, the new Clearlake Police chief was sworn in Monday morning.
Interim Police Chief Larry Todd administered the oath of office to Allan McClain, 48, in the Monday ceremony.
The City Council announced McClain's hiring June 1, and finalized his contract at the June 14 council meeting. He brings to the department 26 years of law enforcement experience, having served most recently as sheriff of Kings County, a position to which he was appointed by that county's Board of Supervisors in 2004.
Todd called McClain's hire “a new starting point for the police department.”
Mayor Judy Thein offered a welcome before the swearing-in. “Our city has finally turned a corner,” she said. “Our police department will be able to take its rightful place of distinction.”
Todd said the department has a long history of leadership, and he recognized retired Chief Bob Chalk, who was in attendance. Chalk ended his service in December after 13 years as chief, Todd noted.
But now, it's McClain who the community and police force will be looking to for leadership, Todd said. He asked McClain if he was willing to take on the job, and McClain said yes.
Todd then administered the oath of office, and invited McClain's wife, Tammy, up to pin his new badge on her husband.
Next, Todd pinned four silver stars on both sides of McClain's collar, which denotes his rank as the department's top officer.
And, lastly, Todd handed over another important piece of equipment – the chief's cell phone, which he seemed more than happy to part with – before giving a bouquet of flowers to Tammy McClain.
“I'm excited to be here,” McClain said, thanking everyone for coming and recognizing his family – including his wife and two sons, his mother, aunt, father and stepmother, and members of his old command staff at the Kings County Sheriff's Office.
“We're going to work together,” McClain said, as the department moves forward in its relationship with the community.
He said he's going to take a family approach to his new job, and reminded them that sometimes families don't always agree but that, in the end, they work together.
“We're going to have a bright future in Lake County and you're all going to be part of that,” he said.
City Administrator Dale Neiman said he's enjoyed working with Todd, and added that he's looking forward to McClain joining the city's management team, most of which has been replaced over the last year.
McClain told Lake County News that he's looking forward to leading the Clearlake Police Department, which by and large is composed of many young officers and staff.
“We're going to have some fun,” he said.
At 10 a.m., following the swearing-in ceremony and the reception in the City Hall foyer, the new chief and his staff got to work, holding their first official department meeting.
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- Elizabeth Larson
Police launch new effort on LaForge murder case
LAKEPORT – For nearly five years Lakeport Police have searched for the killer of a local businesswoman who was found murdered in her downtown shop. In the hopes of finally bringing the murderer to justice, they say they're reassigning officers to the case in order to take a fresh look at the evidence.
Police found Barbara LaForge, 43, of Kelseyville shortly before noon on Oct. 8, 2002, on the floor of the Wild Wood Gallery and Frame Shop on North Main Street in Lakeport. She was pronounced dead at Sutter Lakeside Hospital shortly after 1 p.m. on that day, according to original police reports.
An autopsy later revealed that she had been shot four times in the chest with a small-caliber weapon. One of the shots struck her in the heart.
Lt. Brad Rasmussen said Lakeport Police continues to work on the case, with Det. Norm Taylor serving as the lead investigator.
“We're following up on some leads that have recently come in,” said Rasmussen.
The department has devoted significant resources to the case over the years, said Rasmussen, with as many as four out of the department's 12 officers working on the case at any one time.
The District Attorney's Office has been involved in the investigation since the murder occurred, he added. The department is planning to meet with a district attorney's investigator to discuss the case's status.
Lakeport Police Chief Kevin Burke has assigned two Lakeport Police officers to review the LaForge case in its entirely, said Rasmussen. One is a longtime member of the department and the second is a new officer with experience in homicide investigations.
The investigation records include pictures, reports and interviews that take up three large three-ring binders, and which amount to about 1,500 pages, Rasmussen estimated. The officers will review all of that information.
Oftentimes, having someone with a fresh perspective examine a case results in picking up on details that other investigators may have overlooked, said Rasmussen.
They're also looking outside the department for assistance in reviewing the case, said Rasmussen.
“In the past, we have had this case reviewed by outside agency investigators,” he said. “We are in the process of doing that again.”
Rasmussen, who was one of the officers who originally investigated the murder, said Lakeport Police continue to follow up on leads. “It's an active case and we do receive information that needs to be followed up on,” he said.
Any leads they get are investigated, he said.
“It's not uncommon for us to get contacted regarding this case,” said Rasmussen, either people calling in leads or asking about its status.
In September of 2003, the Governor's Reward Program issued a $50,000 reward leading to information leading to an arrest and conviction for LaForge's murder.
Unlike some rewards programs, this reward doesn't expire, said Rasmussen. “It's good forever.”
The Governor's Office reported that the reward program was started in 1967, and since then 169 rewards have been offered, 18 of which have been paid.
The process starts when the Governor's Office receives a written request from a police chief informing them that the agency has pursued all leads and believes that a reward would assist in the effort; that the crime involved “is one for which a reward may be offered under California law” and that the victim's family supports the reward request.
In the LaForge case, retired Chief Tom Engstrom placed the request with former Gov. Gray Davis. The Governor's Office reported that the requests are processed by the governor's legal affairs unit to ensure statutory compliance before they're forwarded to the governor for final approval.
With the reward still active and the case getting a fresh look, Rasmussen said the department hopes they'll be able to solve the case, which is the city's only unsolved homicide.
Anyone with information in the case is urged to call Det. Norm Taylor at Lakeport Police, 263-5491.
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- Elizabeth Larson
Council approves contract with new police chief
CLEARLAKE – The Clearlake City Council sealed the deal with its new police chief Thursday, approving his four-page, $114,000-per-year contract as the final step in the hiring process.
Allan McClain, 48, will begin work June 18. He has 26 years of law enforcement experience, with most of those years spent with the Kings County Sheriff's Office. He's also been a police academy instructor.
McClain was appointed sheriff by the Kings County Board of Supervisors in 2004 after longtime Sheriff Ken Marvin retired. Last November, he lost the election for sheriff to Chris Jordan.
The council announced its intent to hire McClain on June 1.
"The proposed employment agreement is the final step in the process," City Administrator Dale Neiman told the council Thursday.
Under the approved contract, McClain will receive a base salary of $114,000 a year, a full-use city vehicle with a police radio and emergency equipment, and $5,000 to cover his moving expenses from Hanford.
The council approved the contract 4-1. Councilman Roy Simons voted no, saying he didn't agree with the car allowance.
In other police business, interim Police Chief Larry introduced six new or recently promoted police department employees at Thursday night's meeting.
"We've been aggressively recruiting for a number of positions over the last six months," said Todd.
They include:
– Sgt. Rodd Joseph, a U.S. Army veteran who comes from Susanville Police Department.
– Sgt. Brett Rhodes, recently promoted from within the department's officer ranks, who Todd called a “bright star in the future of this department.”
– Nicole Newton, a former department dispatcher who left for a job in Santa Rosa before returning as the new records and communications supervisor. In that position she'll serve on the department's management team. "We're glad to have her back," Todd said.
– Vicki Estrella, who originally came from the Bay Area and in recent years bought a home in Lake County. The mother of four and grandmother of 14 has worked as an electrician and a manager in a shipbuilding operation, and her technical skills will be put to work in the department's new support services technician position. In that job, said Todd, she will be primarily responsible for evidence, building maintenance and supervising the Volunteers in Police Service program.
– Sarah Correia, a new dispatcher who grew up in Middletown and who this week is attending dispatcher training.
– Linda Lewis, a new dispatcher scheduled to begin work June 25. She lives in Kelseyville.
The council also approved Todd's request to surplus 13 more vehicles, which brings to 28 the total number of older vehicles Todd has removed from the police department's fleet.
Todd said he looked for the most economical way to dispose of the cars, and said he settled on the auction company PropertyRoom.com, which other cities around the state use for surplus equipment. The company will transport the vehicles to its warehouse facilities at no cost to the city, cover all Department of Motor Vehicle documents and and sell the cars, he explained.
The city will receive 50 percent of the first $1,000 of sales proceeds and 75 percent of sales above $1,000, Todd reported. The council agreed to return the car sales proceeds back to the police department budget.
Todd, whose last day with the city is scheduled for June 29, also secured the council's approval of a $26,062.50 purchase request for two police dispatch workstations. The item was approved as part of the council's consent agenda.
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- Elizabeth Larson
Police continue pedestrian safety effort
LAKEPORT – Lakeport Police's effort to draw attention to pedestrian safety resulted in the second crosswalk enforcement in two weeks on Friday.
As Lake County News previously reported, Lakeport Police launched the effort to educate the public about the importance of yielding to pedestrians in city crosswalks in May.
As part of the plan, police are conducting “enforcement operations” in areas of the city that they've identified as trouble spots where drivers consistently fail to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians using crosswalks.
On May 31, Lakeport Police conducted an enforcement operation using a decoy on North Forbes and North Main streets, between Second and Third streets, which resulted in six citations.
On Friday, Lt. Brad Rasmussen said a second enforcement took place between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. at two different locations: North Forbes at Second Street in front of the courthouse, and South Main Street at Armstrong.
“We had two of our police volunteers acting as decoys,” he said, along with three officers.
“It was very heavy traffic,” he said. “It was hard to get behind some of the vehicles and get them pulled over.”
Three citations were given near the courthouse, and another five in the South Main vicinity, said Rasmussen. In addition, officers gave three warnings, for a total of 11 traffic stops.
Excuses varied from drivers saying they didn't see anyone in the crosswalk to thinking that there was enough distance between themselves and the decoy pedestrians that driving through the crosswalk wasn't a hazard, said Rasmussen. All but two of those cited were local residents.
Rasmussen said officers saw 10 more violations, but officers were so busy writing tickets that they couldn't pull the other violators over, he added.
Because they saw an increase – rather than the hoped-for decrease – in citations from the first operation to the second, Rasmussen said Lakeport Police will definitely continue the effort throughout the busy summer season.
“We plan on doing several more of these throughout the summer,” he said.
He added, “We plan to continue doing these until we get the driving public more educated on this issue.”
When pedestrians are in any part of the crosswalk, state vehicle code requires drivers to yield the right-of-way, and to wait until the pedestrian has completely moved through the crosswalk to proceed.
As Rasmussen previously told Lake County News, pedestrians also have a responsibility to enter crosswalks when it's safe to do so – and not suddenly leave the curb or run into traffic, creating a hazard.
Pedestrians who do so, said Rasmussen, will be subject to citations, and Lakeport Police is looking for those violations as well during the enforcements.
State penalty schedules show that drivers cited for failing to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians in crosswalks can face fines of more than $100.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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