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LAKEPORT – Through the haze of a smoke-filled day a veteran was laid to rest on Tuesday.
George Oliver Elder had no known living relatives and a handful of friends, mostly his neighbors. However, this man and his service to his country were not forgotten.
The Military Funeral Honors Team of Lake County assembled at Hartley Cemetery to pay tribute to one of their own. No one from the team had ever made Elder’s acquaintance. That was of no concern as he was one of their brothers. George Elder served honorably in the Air Force from 1957 to 1961, ensuring him a place in the hearts of his comrades and fellow veterans.
Riding motorcycles and flying flags, members of the Patriot Guard Riders made their way down the road at Hartley Cemetery to Veterans Circle, Elder’s final resting place. A group of Elder’s neighbors and patriots supporting troops and veterans gathered for the ceremony.
The funeral honors team fired the traditional three-round volley and the bugler’s rendition of “Taps” rang hauntingly through the cemetery.
Woody Hughes, chaplain for the team, spoke and a two-person honor guard from the United States Air Force provided flag duties, carefully folding and presenting an American flag representative of Elder’s service.
Terre Logsdon, Elder’s neighbor, received the flag from the USAF honor guard. The flag was then provided to the Avenue of Flags, a community memorial to veterans. Elder’s flag will fly alongside hundreds of veteran flags on Memorial Day and Veterans Day every year.
George Oliver Elder was not forgotten.
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- Written by: Ginny Craven
THE PRECISE NAME OF THE CASINO'S OWNERS HAS BEEN CORRECTED.
LAKE COUNTY – A man found guilty of robbing an area casino, carjacking and kidnapping as well as using a firearm was sentenced Monday to three decades prison.
Judge Richard Freeborn sentenced John Alan Gillies, 44, of Cloverdale to a state prison term of 30 years to life for kidnapping during the course of a carjacking, second-degree robbery and two allegations involving personal use of a firearm, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff.
Gillies will have to serve a period of 26 years and six months in prison before becoming eligible for parole, Hinchcliff said.
On May 15 Gillies was convicted by a jury at trial of the Nov. 6, 2006 kidnapping and carjacking of a Clearlake Oaks man at gunpoint, and of the subsequent robbery of the Twin Pine Casino in Middletown of $23,500, Hinchcliff reported.
The kidnapping and carjacking of the victim occurred while the victim was washing his truck at the Middletown car wash. Hinchcliff said Gillies forced the victim out of the truck on Dry Creek Cutoff, then drove the stolen truck to Twin Pine Casino where he entered wearing a mask and used a gun to rob the casino cash cage. Gillies pointed the gun at several employees inside the casino before fleeing with the money.
He was apprehended and prosecuted after a lengthy investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the California Bureau of Gambling Control, as Lake County News has reported.
At the sentencing hearing on Monday, Judge Freeborn also denied Gillies’ motion for a new trial and his motion to continue the sentencing proceeding, according to Hinchcliff.
Hinchcliff said the court heard the testimony of Jose Simon III, speaking on behalf of the Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians, the owners of the Twin Pine Casino and the victims of the robbery.
Simon requested that the court impose the maximum possible punishment in this case. He related to the court the devastating emotional impact these crimes had on the casino employees, and informed the court of the ongoing financial losses incurred by the Middletown Rancheria as a result of Gillies’ criminal conduct.
After the sentence was pronounced, Judge Freeborn remanded Gillies into the custody of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Hinchcliff said.
Lake County Deputy District Attorney John J. Langan prosecuted this case on behalf of the People of the State of California. The defendant was represented by Mr. Thomas Quinn.
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- Written by: Editor
Judge Richard Martin sentenced Ronell Lee Isaac, 34, to 25 years and six months prison for the October 2006 shooting of two people in Clearlake, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff.
The court found aggravating circumstances to sentence the defendant to the maximum sentence allowed based on the jury verdicts, Hinchcliff reported.
Due to the violent nature of the offenses, Isaac is only entitled to 15 percent credit off of his prison sentence, said Hinchcliff. Isaac will not be eligible for parole until sometime in 2028.
On May 15 a jury found Isaac guilty of two counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, Hinchcliff said. Special allegations of personal use of a firearm as well as causing great bodily injury to the two victims were found to be true.
The charges stem from a shooting that occurred in the city of Clearlake on Oct. 12, 2006 in front of the American Legion Hall, according to Hinchcliff's report.
Isaac shot two people – a male and female adult – both of whom were admitted to the hospital with serious injuries, including a gunshot wound to the female victim’s liver, and a gunshot wound to the stomach, hand, buttocks and knee of the male victim, Hinchcliff said.
The male victim was shot from behind as he was attempting to flee from Isaac. Hinchcliff said Isaac testified at trial that he was acting in self defense.
After the shooting Isaac fled to Nevada County and was apprehended there on Dec. 20, 2006, Hinchcliff said.
Mike Hermann and Martin Snyder were the Clearlake Police Department's primary investigators on the case, Hinchcliff said. Deputy District Attorney Susan Krones prosecuted the jury trial against Isaac, who was defended by attorney Jason Webster.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
In addition to the 14,000-acre Walker Fire, multiple large fires exist to the east, south, north and west of Lake County, so smoke continues to enter the basin no matter where the wind originates, Air Pollution Control Officer Bob Reynolds reported.
All of Northern California is being impacted by severely degraded air quality and many areas are reporting markedly higher levels than Lake County, according to Reynolds.
Air monitoring data in Lakeport, Anderson Springs and Glenbrook showed violations of health-based standards to include the small respirable particulate state Ambient Air Quality Standard at all sites by 155 percent to 223 percent, Reynolds said. The federal ultrafine, inhalable, particulate air standard was exceeded by 278 percent.
These values are considered representative of areas not adjacent to fires in Lake County; Reynolds said values may be higher in those areas.
Smokey conditions can cause irritation of the eyes, nose and air passages, which can be hazardous in young children, the elderly, individuals with heart conditions or chronic lung disease such as asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory conditions.
Even though local hospitals report no unusual increases in illness likely to be related to poor air quality, Lake County health officials recommend taking simple precautions in order to stay healthy.
Because of the uncertainty of fire conditions, Lake County Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Tait advises residents near the fires to be prepared. Individuals with asthma, bronchitis, emphysema and other lung or heart diseases should make sure that they have at least a five-day supply of any prescribed medications. Individuals with asthma should carefully follow their asthma management plans.
Anyone, regardless of known health conditions, should seek medical attention if they experience unusual symptoms of chest pain, chest tightness, or shortness of breath.
Residents who live near the affected areas should be prepared to stay indoors, avoid vigorous physical activity and check for a "recirculation" function on the air conditioner.
If smoke is present, it will be easier to breathe indoors if air is recirculating instead of drawing smoky air from outdoors. Strong consideration should be given to moving planned outdoor events to an indoor location or rescheduling them, especially if they involve sports or similar activities.
The poor air quality is a direct result of these dispersed, numerous wildfires within the California Coastal Mountains, said Reynolds. Smoke is trapped in the cooler marine air layer and transported inland, causing the smoke impacts. At times smoke can be transported to sea within a circulation cell, and then return back over northern California in a wide band of smoke-filled air.
The smoke and sunlight cause chemical reactions in the air that further reduces visibility by forming secondary particles in addition to those already in the smoke, Reynolds explained. These particles draw the moisture out of the air, growing in number and size, making the haze even worse.
Residual haze and particulate from these fires can be expected to continue throughout areas of Northern California until the fires are out, Reynolds said.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports