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On Monday, Oct. 6, Dopre Charles Belcher, 32, was sentenced to six years in state prison, the maximum term, by Judge Arthur Mann, according to a report from the District Attorney's Office. On Sept. 8, Belcher pleaded no contest to one count of assault with the intent to commit rape.
Because the crime is classified as a violent felony – or a “strike” – Belcher will have to serve 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole, the District Attorney's Office reported.
The assault in question occurred on May 28 in Lakeport, as Lake County News reported over the summer.
The 39-year-old victim was staying the night with a friend in a home where Belcher also was present, according to the investigation.
Although the victim was acquainted with Belcher she had not had a romantic relationship with him, according to authorities. The victim was asleep in a spare bedroom when Belcher entered the room and committed the assault.
Lakeport Police told Lake County News that the report of the assault originally came in from a local doctor's office on June 3.
The case was investigated by Sgt. Kevin Odom of the Lakeport Police Department, with assistance from Det. Norm Taylor and Sgt. Jason Ferguson.
The victim received support and services from the Lake Family Resource Center and the District Attorney’s Victim Witness Program. An advocate from Lake Family Resource Center read the victim’s impact statement at the sentencing.
Deputy District Attorney Ed Borg prosecuted the case, while defense attorney Doug Rhoades represented Belcher.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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A woman pumping at the Marina Market on Highway 20 was robbed just after 2 p.m. Thursday, according to Capt. James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Bauman said the woman, a 55-year-old Lucerne resident, was at the gas pumps when a male subject approached her.
The man allegedly told the woman to hand over her wallet; he also told her that another subject was parked behind the market with a gun, according to Bauman.
The frightened woman handed over her wallet to the man, who disappeared behind the market, Bauman said.
She then heard a vehicle start up and leave, but Bauman noted that she never actually saw the vehicle come out from behind the market.
Bauman said the suspect is described as a Hispanic or American Indian male who is in his 30s, with a husky build, shoulder-length black hair and a tattoo on his neck. He was reportedly wearing a navy blue hooded sweatshirt.
The stolen wallet, Bauman said, contained about $1,000 in cash as the woman was on her way to the post office to pay some bills with money orders.
If anyone has any information on the case they should call the Lake County Sheriff's Office at 262-4200.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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WASHINGTON – Last week, the House of Representatives approved legislation that would stop a tax on 25 million middle-class families, including an estimated 45,000 tax filers in the 1st Congressional District.
The Alternative Minimum Tax Relief Act of 2008 passed along with a number of other tax provisions as part of H.R. 1424, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act. It was added on by Senate Leadership as part of a package of tax relief bills that had already been passed by the House.
The AMT provision provides one-year relief from the AMT for millions of Americans who would otherwise be hit by a tax originally designed to affect the very wealthy.
"American families are already struggling to pay their bills," said Congressman Mike Thompson. "The House has passed this on multiple occasions. The Senate should have followed our lead in passing this critical tax relief a long time ago. While I don't agree with how it was added on to this particular bill in the middle of the night, I'm glad our middle class families will get some relief."
He added, "I believe we need to permanently fix the AMT problem, but that's going to require a broader effort to simplify our tax code and improve fairness," added Thompson. "I'm very hopeful that the next president will be willing to make that happen in a fiscally responsible way."
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According to the National Weather Service in Sacramento, the approaching storm system that began moving into Lake County Thursday with gusty winds will continue until Saturday afternoon.
Because of predicted sustained winds of 25 miles per hour and gusts up to 40 miles per hour, a wind advisory has been issued – as well as a red flag warning for high fire danger, due to the low humidity and high winds.
A low pressure system moving down from Canada also will lower the temperatures, with daytime highs only reaching the mid to low 60s both Friday and Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. Low temperatures are forecast to dip into the upper 30s and low 40s.
With the winds tapering off on Saturday, combined with the low daytime highs, there is a possibility that the first frost of the season will occur overnight Saturday and into Sunday morning in Lake County.
Protect frost-tender outdoor plants by covering them on Saturday night. By Sunday, the low pressure system is forecast to move out of the area, and daytime temperatures are predicted to climb back to the upper 70s and low 80s through most of next week.
E-mail Terre Logsdon at
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