Lakeport Police Sgt. Kevin Odom reported Thursday that over the past week, several cases of vandalism have been reported in the city.

He said vandals have written graffiti, which is possibly gang-related, in the 1000 block of N. Main Street, the 600 block of Forbes Street, the 400 block of Konocti Avenue, the 300 block of Lakeport Boulevard and the 1100 block of S. Main Street during the nighttime hours of Dec. 10 and Dec. 11.

Similar graffiti also was reported in the 100 block of Forbes Street and 300 block of S. Main Street on or around Dec. 12 and Dec. 13 during the night, Odom said.

He said the vandals appear to be using some type of large marking pen or similar device.

The vandalisms appear to be similar in style and design, Odom added.

Police had previously taken reports for six graffiti tagging incidents from Nov. 27 through the end of the first week in December, as Lake County News has reported.

Those earlier vandalisms had been reported in Library Park, on S. Forbes Street, N. Main Street and Park Street, police said.

Residents seeing any suspicious activity are encouraged to report it to the police department immediately at 707-263-5491. If an actual crime is in progress, please call 911.

Odom said the police department thanked the community members who have been victims of these vandalisms for their prompt cleanup efforts

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After considering community concerns and assessing higher traffic volume areas of the city, the department intends to increase enforcement of hazardous traffic violations such as speed, improper turning movements, right-of-way violations, failure to obey traffic signs or signals, impaired driving and use of cellular phones while driving, according to Police Chief Brad Rasmussen.

The targeted area for the week starting Sunday, Dec. 18, will be Main Street between Lakeport Boulevard and 11th Street, Rasmussen said.

Members of the public are encouraged to contact a department supervisor to discuss any traffic safety concerns they may have, he added.

The Lakeport Police Department can be reached at 707-263-5491.

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The detail has taken place during the last two weekends and is set to continue through the holidays, according to Sgt. Rodd Joseph.

During the detail, assigned officers are paired with a partner officer with their primary responsibility being the investigation of traffic violations and conducting DUI investigations, Joseph explained.

Since the start of the enforcement detail, officers have made a total of 42 traffic stops, issued 34 citations and given eight warnings, conducted four DUI investigations, made five arrests and towed one vehicle, Joseph said.

The enforcement detail will continue through the remainder of the holiday season, according to the Wednesday report.

The Clearlake Police Department is encouraging drivers not to drive while intoxicated, adding that DUI collisions are completely preventable.

To report a possibly intoxicated driver, contact your local law enforcement agency. If they are within the city of Clearlake please contact the Clearlake Police Department at 707-994-8251. Callers may remain anonymous.

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The petition, filed last Friday, Dec. 2, seeks relief under article XXI, section 3 of the California Constitution, on the ground that a referendum measure seeking to invalidate the Citizens Redistricting Commission’s certified state Senate district map is likely to qualify for the November 2012 ballot and hence stay implementation of the map.

In light of the short time frame imposed by the impending 2012 electoral cycle, the court sought and obtained by Wednesday, Dec. 7, expedited preliminary opposition and reply briefing from the parties.

Also on Dec. 7, the Citizens Redistricting Commission filed a motion to intervene. The court sought and obtained expedited opposition to that motion.

The petition in Vandermost v. Bowen asks the court, first, to grant two forms of immediate “interim relief”: an order directing the Secretary of State to suspend the statutory requirements of filing fees and the corresponding filing period for “in lieu” petitions for state Senate candidates seeking election in June 2012; and appointment of an expert or special master to “advise and assist the court in preparing to provide interim boundary adjustments” for state Senate districts should the referendum qualify for the ballot and stay the certified map.

The petition also asks the court to issue an order to show cause to address which Senate district boundaries will apply for the 2012 elections in the event the referendum challenging the certified Senate district map qualifies for placement before the voters on the November 2012 ballot.

Acting on an “ASAP” basis today, rather than waiting until its normal Wednesday conference, the court unanimously denied the petition with respect to the two requests for immediate “interim relief,” and unanimously issued an order to show cause with respect to the request to address what Senate district boundaries will apply for the 2012 elections in the event the referendum qualifies for placement on the November 2012 ballot.

In addition, the court unanimously granted the Citizens Redistricting Commission’s motion to intervene, and set out an additional procedural issue for the parties to brief, concerning the court’s jurisdiction to entertain this writ petition.

The court established an extremely expedited briefing schedule, requiring briefing by the parties within the next 10 days, and briefing by any amicus curiae two days after that.

The court explained that this schedule is necessary in order to facilitate oral argument “as early as the first two weeks in January 2012, and the filing of an opinion in this matter as early as the end of January 2012,” so as to avoid disrupting the June 2012 Primary Election.

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LAKEPORT, Calif. – A former sheriff’s deputy arrested in 2007 for having been sexually involved with a young teenage girl has reached a plea agreement in the case.

Derik Dion Navarro, 39, pleaded guilty to one count of felony unlawful intercourse with a child under age 16, according to California Attorney General’s Office spokesperson Becca MacLaren.

The plea agreement was reached on Wednesday, just as court records indicated Navarro’s jury trial was getting ready to begin.

When he is sentenced at 8:15 a.m. Jan. 9 in Lake County Superior Court’s Department Three, Navarro will face three months in the Lake County Jail and three years of formal probation, MacLaren said.

MacLaren said Navarro will not be required to register as a sex offender.

When he was first arrested in April 2007, Navarro was facing charges of committing lewd and lascivious acts with a minor, sodomy and having sex with a minor under age 16, according to the initial law enforcement statements on the case.

It was alleged that Navarro had a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl from May 2005 through May 2006. Officials said the alleged acts took place when Navarro was not on duty as a sheriff’s deputy.

In the early days of the case, the Lake County District Attorney’s Office pursued 18 felony counts and two misdemeanor counts against Navarro for his alleged involvement with the 14-year-old and another teenage girl, as Lake County News has reported. However, MacLaren said the plea only pertains to one of the alleged victims.

The case has seen numerous delays, with hearings and trials rescheduled several times over the last four and a half years, based on court records.

Navarro’s case originally had been prosecuted by the Lake County District Attorney’s Office.

However, after District Attorney Don Anderson took office at the start of the year, it was handed over to the Attorney General’s Office because of a conflict of interest, as Lake County News reported in April.

Anderson told Lake County News this spring that the conflict arose because the Police Officers Research Association of California had appointed him to represent Navarro during an administrative hearing regarding his employment. Deputy Attorney General Dave Druliner handled the resolution of Navarro’s case.

Navarro worked for the Lake County Sheriff’s office from 2002 to 2007.

In a 2007 interview, then-Sheriff Rod Mitchell said his command staff received information in January 2007 that led to an internal investigation into allegations of misconduct on Navarro’s part. The same day as the information was received, Navarro was placed on administrative leave pending the investigation’s outcome.

“The matter was of such consequence that we asked Lake County District Attorney investigators to conduct a separate and independent criminal investigation,” Mitchell said at the time.

Following a lengthy District Attorney’s Office investigation, Navarro was arrested exactly a week after his termination, officials reported.

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Sgt. Kevin Odom said the department has taken a total of six reports on graffiti tagging since Nov. 27.

The places hit include Library Park, which had multiple taggings that appear to be related; an area on S. Forbes Street near the Lakeport Christian School; the side of the building at N. Main and Third streets that houses Penny Lane thrift store; and another area on Park Street, which was reported Tuesday night, said Odom.

Odom said the vandals are writing gang graffiti.

“At times their tagging can be unique,” he said.

Police are looking at the markings to see if they can match them to any possible suspects, Odom said.

He said the vandals are hitting “places of convenience,” where it’s easy to pull out a spray can, scrawl a message and leave before being seen.

Odom said the best ways to prevent graffiti including keeping areas well lit – which doesn’t provide vandals an easy opportunity – and immediately reporting suspicious activity.

The taggings in the park and downtown have been removed, said Odom. City ordinance requires property owners to remove graffiti because it tends to attract more of the same.

Anyone with information about the graffiti taggings or possible suspects is asked to call the Lakeport Police Department at 707-263-5491.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Google+, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .