CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Police took a Clearlake woman into custody over the weekend after she led officers on a late-night vehicle pursuit and rammed a police car more than once.

Sherri Elaine Painchaud, 31, was arrested following the chase, which occurred late on Friday, Nov. 29, according to Sgt. Dominic Ramirez of the Clearlake Police Department.

Just before 11 p.m. Nov. 29, Clearlake Police officers Elvis Cook and Travis Parson were on routine patrol when they attempted to conduct a traffic enforcement stop on a vehicle in the city of Clearlake for traffic violations, Ramirez said.

The driver of the vehicle, Painchaud, failed to yield to the patrol vehicle's emergency lights and led the officers on a vehicle pursuit, according to Ramirez.

Ramirez said Painchaud fled from officers for approximately six miles through the city on residential streets. At times she was traveling at high rates of speed in excess of 50 miles per hour, in wanton disregard for the safety of persons and property, passing vehicles over double yellow lines and running red lights.

During the pursuit Painchaud lost control of her vehicle and came to a stop. Ramirez said the pursuing patrol vehicle came to a stop behind her vehicle in order to conduct a high risk vehicle stop.

As the patrol officers began to exit their vehicle, Painchaud placed her vehicle into reverse and rammed the front end of the patrol vehicle, causing moderate damage to it. After ramming the patrol vehicle Painchaud fled the scene and officers continued to follow her, Ramirez said.

Ramirez said Painchaud continued to flee from the officers and after several miles she struck a dirt embankment. At that time she struck the front end of the pursuing patrol vehicle a second time in order to elude the pursuing officers.

Painchaud sped off after hitting the patrol vehicle a second time and the pursuit continued, Ramirez said.

Finally, Painchaud's vehicle became disabled in the lake bed of Borax Lake. Officers conducted a high risk stop and she failed to comply with officers verbal commands, Ramirez said.

She refused to exit the vehicle, rolled up the windows and locked the doors. Ramirez said the officers on scene broke out the side windows to the vehicle in order to deploy the Clearlake Police K9 Max into the vehicle when Painchaud gave up and complied with the officers' verbal commands.

Ramirez said Painchaud was arrested for felony assault on a police officer, felony battery, felony vehicle evasion, a felony parole violation, and driving while under the influence.

She was booked into the Lake County Jail where she is being held without bail, according to jail records.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to call Officer Parson at the Clearlake Police Department, 707-994-8251.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A Bay Area man has been arrested for his alleged involvement in a Thanksgiving day home invasion robbery in Clearlake, with police continuing to search for two other suspects.

Reginald Jerome Patillo, 30, a parolee from Oakland, was arrested on Friday by Berkeley and Oakland police officers, according to a report from Sgt. Rodd Joseph of the Clearlake Police Department.

Shortly before 2 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 28, Clearlake Police Officers responded to a report of a home invasion robbery which had just occurred at the Lakeview Terrace Apartments, with the suspects having already fled, Joseph said.

When officers arrived on scene, they found three adults had been tied up and robbed at gunpoint by three unknown suspects. Joseph said officers learned two adults, a male and a female, and a 6 year old child live in the apartment. An adult male, who lives out of state, was there visiting with them.

The names of the victims are being withheld to protect their identities, Joseph said.

The out-of-state visitor had met a couple on a flight from Colorado to San Francisco on Nov. 21. Joseph said the couple, who sat next to the out-of-state visitor during the flight, claimed to be from Oakland. The male victim told the couple he was traveling to Clearlake to visit friends, and he and the couple exchanged phone numbers during the flight.

On the evening of Wednesday, Nov. 27, the couple from the flight and another unknown black male adult arrived at the Lakeview Terrace Apartments to “hang out” after having been invited there by the out-of-state visitor, Joseph said.

At about 1:30 a.m. Thanksgiving day, the suspect trio pulled handguns and an AK-47-style assault rifle and threatened the victims, Joseph said.

He said the suspects tied and bound the three adult victims and stole an undisclosed amount of money, a shotgun, several cellular phones, a flat screen television, an Xbox video game console and a large amount of processed marijuana.

The three suspects then fled the scene in a black Ford Crown Victoria. Joseph said none of the victims were seriously injured during the incident.

Joseph said the victim described the three suspects. The first, a black male who had been on the flight, was described as 6 feet, 1 inch tall, with a muscular build and long dreadlock-styled hair. He had a large dollar sign tattoo on his throat and another dollar sign on his face near his eye. He goes by the moniker of “Money Bags.”

The second suspect, a woman who had been on the flight, was described as a white female adult, about 5 feet 5 inches tall, with long dark hair and either blue- or green-colored eyes, Joseph said.

Joseph said the third suspect was a black male adult with short dark hair, approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall, with a thin build, gold teeth and went by the moniker of “Junior.”

During the course of the investigation, officers were able to identify the first suspect as Patillo, who currently is on California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation parole for a previous robbery conviction, Joseph said.

Joseph said the two other suspects have not yet been positively identified, however leads are being followed up on by police and additional arrests are expected.

Once Patillo had been identified, officers managed to use GPS coordinates and tracked Patillo’s cellular phone for most of the afternoon. Joseph said Patillo was found to be frequenting the cities of Oakland and Berkeley. Both the Oakland Police Department and the Berkeley Police Departments were notified.

Clearlake Police Department officers worked through the night with the Berkeley Police Department trying to pin down Patillo’s exact location, Joseph said.

Joseph said that at about 3:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 29, the Clearlake Police Department was notified that Patillo had been located in a motel in the city of Oakland by the Berkeley and Oakland Police Departments, working on information developed by the Clearlake Police Department.

Patillo was taken into custody and booked into the Berkeley City Jail on a parole violation, Joseph said.

When Patillo was arrested he was with three other subjects, none of whom were the other two suspects. Joseph said the weapons and stolen property have not yet been located.

Patillo remains in custody on the parole violation in Alameda County, pending a warrant being issued out of Lake County which Joseph said is expected sometime later this week.

Joseph said the likely felony charges to be filed on Patillo include robbery, burglary, grand theft of a firearm, exhibit a firearm, grand theft and conspiracy.

More information will be released as the case continues to develop and the other two suspects are identified and located, Joseph said.

The Clearlake Police Department thanked the Berkeley Police Department and the Oakland Police Department for their assistance in locating and arresting Patillo based on the investigation.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – On Monday two men were injured in a two-vehicle crash in Clearlake that included one of the vehicles hitting a restaurant.

Joe Cook, 26, of Kentucky and 49-year-old Clearlake resident Edward Gonzales were injured in the crash, according to a report from Clearlake Police Officer Tim Hobbs.

On Monday night, Gonzales was in the Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital intensive care unit listed in critical condition, Hobbs said.

At 11:10 a.m. the Clearlake Police Department received several reports of a red pickup truck driving recklessly at a high rate of speed on Lakeshore Drive, Hobbs said. At the time of the call the truck was reported to be in the area of Lakeshore Drive near Howard Avenue.

Approximately two minutes later, as officers were arriving in the area of Lakeshore Drive and Howard Avenue, there were several reports of a red pickup truck being involved in a collision on Lakeshore Drive in front of Howard's Grotto, Hobbs said.

Hobbs said officers responded to that location and located a red Chevrolet S10 in the driveway portion of Howard’s Grotto. The vehicle had sustained major damage and was occupied by one person, who was identified as Cook.

The second vehicle involved in the initial collision, a red Jeep Cherokee, was located on Lakeshore Drive in front of Howard's Grotto. Hobbs said the Jeep also sustained major damage and was occupied by one subject identified as Gonzales.

A Ford Explorer that was parked in the Notts Liquors parking lot to the south of Howard's Grotto sustained moderate damage from three large rocks that had been ejected from the bed of the Chevrolet S10, Hobbs said.

Due to the extensive damage to the Chevrolet pickup and the Jeep Cherokee, both Cook and Gonzales had to be extricated from their vehicles by personnel from the Lake County Fire Protection District, according to Hobbs.

Once extricated from their vehicles, both men were transported to Redbud Park to be transported by air ambulances from REACH and CalStar to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, Hobbs said.

Cook sustained numerous rib fractures, dislocated toes and a mild head injury. Gonzales sustained serious head injuries including a large nasal fracture, Hobbs said.

Hobbs said Lakeshore Drive was closed until 2:30 p.m. while officers investigated the collision.

Based on the preliminary investigation, Hobbs said it appears Cook was driving eastbound on Lakeshore Drive at a high rate of speed when he lost control of the Chevrolet and traveled into the westbound lane of traffic.

The Chevrolet struck the Jeep – driven by Gonzales – that was traveling in the westbound lane. After colliding with the Jeep the Chevrolet traveled off the road and crashed into the front of Howard’s Grotto restaurant, Hobbs said.

According to a message on the restaurant's answering machine, it had been closed on Monday.

Anyone that witnessed the actual collision is asked to contact Officer Mike Carpenter at 707-994-8251, Extension 542.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – A federal court has dismissed a case that alleged the California Department of Fish and Wildlife violated the federal Clean Water Act with its program that stocks fish in hundreds of water bodies.

Del Norte County resident Felice Pace and Missoula, Mont.-based Wilderness Watch filed the legal challenge to the fish stocking program in November 2012, as Lake County News has reported.

The suit alleged that the Department of Fish and Wildlife's practice of discharging fish by airplanes and canisters borne by packstock – oxygenated plastic bags – should have required permits under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System of the Clean Water Act.

Originally, the case documents indicated Humboldt, Del Norte and Lake County's water bodies were among those at issue.

However, a list provided by attorney Peter Frost of the Eugene, Ore.-based Western Environmental Law Center that shows the 241 California water bodies that were stocked by the agency in 2012 doesn't include any of Lake County's lakes or streams.

Counties that do have water bodies on the list include Alpine, Del Norte, El Dorado, Fresno, Humboldt, Inyo, Lassen, Madera, Modoc, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, Trinity, Tulare and Tuolumne.

The plaintiffs contended that stocking fish altered the lakes' nutrient levels, could spread disease to amphibians, and cause other disruptions in the lakes' biological integrity and food webs. They sought an injunction prohibiting the practices until the agency possessed permits.

Part of the allegation contended a violation of the Clean Water Act because of water released along with the fish that the plaintiffs said can harbor nonnative species of aquatic plants, invertebrates and fish, and therefore the program was releasing “biological materials” that constituted “pollutants” under federal law.

The Department of Fish and Wildlife challenged that point, arguing that the plaintiffs didn't back up their claim with additional information and that the practice was not a violation of federal law based on precedent set in a Ninth Circuit Court ruling in the case Association to Protect Hammersley v. Taylor Resources.

In a Nov. 4 order dismissing the Pace case with prejudice, Judge William Orrick of the U.S District Court's Northern District agreed with the department's argument, writing, “In Hammersley the Ninth Circuit considered how to define 'biological materials' and concluded that it means 'the waste product of a human or industrial process.'”

Orrick went on to say that the Department of Fish and Wildlife's introduction of live fish for stocking lakes “cannot be considered the waste product of a transforming human or industrial process” as defined in Hammersley.

Orrick also agreed with the Department of Fish and Wildlife that the plaintiffs failed to provide sufficient factual basis for their claim for relief under the Clean Water Act, and did not address in written court documents or in oral arguments that “deficiency in their pleadings,” despite having multiple opportunities to do so.

“Given that plaintiffs have not opposed defendants’ argument on its substance, the Court finds that plaintiffs’ allegation regarding the release of water (associated with the release of fish) is not actionable as pled,” Orrick wrote.

“In an era in which some prefer to litigate instead of pursue decision-making through the public process, I’m encouraged by this legal victory. Though we expect an appeal that could jeopardize our legacy statewide fishstocking program, it’s a big win for today,” said California Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Charlton H. Bonham in a written statement.

Frost said the plaintiffs have not decided whether to appeal the decision.

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.

110413 Fish Stocking Case Dismissal Order

LAKEPORT, Calif. – An elderly Lakeport woman lost thousands of dollars on Saturday after being targeted in a phone scam.

The Lakeport Police Department said the 91-year-old woman lost $3,800 to con artists working out of New York state.

The agency said Officer Mike Sobieraj investigated the case involving two con artists using the “grandparent scam.”

In this case, police said a female subject called the victim and advised her that she was her granddaughter, had been arrested and needed money wired to New York to post bail.

Police said a male subject then got on the phone and advised the victim he was the arresting officer and told her she needed to wire money for bail.

The victim made two Western Union wire transfers of $1,900 each prior to learning this was a scam, Lakeport Police said.

Although this scam has been around for some time and has been reported on by law enforcement and the media, there are still persons who may not be aware of it or the tactics used by the suspects, according to police.

“We are reporting on this case in an effort to prevent others from becoming victimized,” the agency said in a Saturday night report. “Our victim requested that we warn others and we commend her for her concern for her community.”

Police urged citizens that if they receive a call like this, do not send money. Contact your grandchild or another family member directly to confirm the status of your grandchild and notify your local law enforcement agency.

To learn more about the “grandparent scam,” visit this Federal Bureau of Investigation report: http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2012/april/grandparent_040212 .

The Lakeport Police Department asked for the community's help in spreading the word about the scam in order to prevent more people being victimized.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office recently conducted additional compliance checks and probation searches of local sex offenders during Halloween.

The compliance checks were conducted took place from Oct. 28 through Oct. 31, according to Lt. Steve Brooks.

On Oct. 28, deputies contacted and searched 10 sex offenders who all appeared to be within compliance, Brooks said.

On Oct. 31, detectives received information that David Monthei was walking around the Lucerne Elementary School, Brooks reported.

Brooks said it was reported that Monthei was wearing a fire department shirt, had his arm in a sling and was carrying a first aid kit. It was also believed that Monthei was out of compliance with his probation terms.

Lake County Sheriff’s Office personnel responded to Monthei's residence and conducted a search, pursuant to his probation terms, according to Brooks.

During a search of Monthei's residence, a cellular phone belonging to Monthei was located. This phone was connected to Facebook, and Brooks said there were messages between Monthei and other individuals believed to be juveniles. The content of the messages were sexual in nature.

During the sweep, detectives also contacted 44-year-old Anthony Stephen Gevas of Lakeport. Brooks said Gevas, who is listed as a sex offender registrant, was in violation of the conditions and terms of his parole.

Monthei was arrested for violating his probation and having child pornography on his phone. Gevas was arrested for violating the terms and conditions of his parole. They were both transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked, Brooks said.

Brooks said the Lake County Sheriff’s Office has taken a proactive approach to apprehending registered sex offenders who are in violation of their registration terms.

Since Jan. 1, Brooks said 11 registered sex offenders have been arrested for violating their terms and are as follows:

• 42-year-old Michael James Horner of Cobb was arrested on Feb. 27 for failing to register within five days of his birth date.
• 52-year-old Veronika Irene Wells (Phinney) of Clearlake Oaks was arrested on March 25 for failing to register within five days of her birth date.
• 64-year-old Lyn Ashley Dunham of Clearlake was arrested on April 19 for failing to register his change of address.
• 64-year-old William Arthur Bond of Lower Lake was arrested on May 11 for public intoxication and failing to comply with his transient registration terms.
• 54-year-old Alfonso Deno Robles of Clearlake Oaks was booked into custody at the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility on April 30 on a felony bench warrant issued as the result of an investigation which found Robles was not living at the address he reported during his annual registration.
• 50-year-old Kenneth Allen Lakatos of Lakeport was arrested on July 23 for failing to register a change of address. During the arrest, Lakatos was found to be in possession of methamphetamine and a glass pipe and was charged for the possession of both items.
• 42-year-old Oliver Dewitt Wells of Clearlake Oaks was arrested on Aug. 7 for failing to register his change of address.
• 52-year-old Veronika Irene Wells (Phinney) of Clearlake Oaks was arrested on Aug. 27 for failing to register her change of address. A probation violation was later added for her earlier sex offender registration violation.
• 35-year-old Raymond Jared Lukens of Lakeport was arrested on Oct. 25 for failing to comply with his transient registration.
• 28-year-old Anthony John Rupert of Kelseyville was arrested on October 29, 2013 for failing to register his change of address.
• 51-year-old James Robert Gowan of Blue Lakes was arrested on Nov. 12 for failing to register within five days of his date of birth.