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James Curtis Powell, 48, of Hidden Valley Lake died when his pickup overturned and went down an embankment, according to a report from the California Highway Patrol's Napa office.
Powell was driving his 1996 Ford Ranger northbound on Knoxville Road north of Eastside Road, in a remote area in the region of Lake Berryessa, the CHP reported.
He was traveling between 35 and 40 miles per hour when, for an unknown reason, his pickup veered to the left, in a right curve, colliding with a concrete bridge wall, according to the report.
Powell's pickup went over the roadway edge and rolled onto its side about 20 feet down the embankment, the CHP reported.
CHP reported that witnesses found Powell unresponsive inside the pickup.
Because of the area's remoteness, locating the vehicle required the CHP to use a helicopter, which helped guide emergency personnel to Powell's truck.
Powell was pronounced dead at the scene, CHP reported.
The investigation into the collision is still under way. CHP said that it's unknown if drugs or alcohol may have been a contributing factor to the fatal crash.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKEPORT – A judge has ruled that a Carmichael man will stand trial for manslaughter for a fatal April 2006 boating collision.
At the end of a preliminary hearing that wrapped up Wednesday, Judge Richard Martin ruled there was enough evidence to try Bismarck Dinius, 39, for vehicle manslaughter involving a vessel and boating under the influence of alcohol.
On the night of April 29, 2006, Dinius was steering the Beats Workin' II, a 27-foot sailboat owned by Willows resident Mark Weber, when the sailboat was hit by a 24-foot-long speedboat driven by Russell Perdock, a chief deputy with the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Weber's fiancee, 51-year-old Lynn Thornton of Willows, was fatally injured and died days later.
The prosecution has alleged that the sailboat was under way without lights, which was reportedly a reason for charging Dinius with manslaughter.
The decision to try Dinius was based on evidence presented during a four-day preliminary hearing, which ran May 20 through May 22, and then was continued Wednesday.
During the May portion of the hearing, Dinius' attorney, Victor Haltom, presented experts who testified that the lights had been on, and who further alleged that Perdock was operating his speedboat at around 60 miles per hour.
Perdock was not charged in connection with the crash, resulting in considerable outrage in the sailing community, members of which have contacted Lake County News from around the globe to express their concerns about the case.
During the May 22 portion of the hearing, Perdock was on the stand for several minutes before proceedings were continued due to other business scheduled to take place in court that day.
On Wednesday defense attorney Victor Haltom of Sacramento picked up where he left off in his line of questioning, asking Perdock about his contact with sheriff's Sgt. James Beland on the night of the collision.
Last month, Beland had testified he transported Perdock to Redbud Community Hospital for a blood draw and later drove around with him for some time, but he couldn't remember where they went.
Haltom questioned Perdock on what they spoke about, with Perdock responding that he could not recall specific details, but adding he didn't believe it was about the crash.
Perdock also contradicted testimony given last month by Lt. Charles Slabaugh of the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office, who was called in to lead the investigation because of Perdock's position within the local sheriff's office.
Slabaugh had testified that Perdock said his tachometer and speedometer were in a 12 o'clock position, which the defense had calculated put the boat's speed in the range of about 60 miles per hour.
Perdock suggested Slabaugh's memory was confused, saying he had made no such statements about the gauges' readings, which were closer to 9 o'clock positioning. He said the discrepancy might be explained by a simple typographical error in the report.
He also answered defense questions regarding his knowledge of the rules and regulations of Harbor and Navigation Regulations.
Regarding his speed, Perdock testified that while he could see two miles across the open water he was only able to see 10 feet directly in front of his boat. When asked if he felt he would have been able to stop his boat in such a short distance while going at the speed he claimed he was traveling, he responded, “No.”
Shortly afterward, Perdock concluded his testimony, and the defense moved on to call boat and marine service business owner Doug Jones and boat builder Malcolm Davey of Kelseyville.
Haltom also recalled Sheriff's Boat Patrol Sgt. Dennis Ostini, who testified to the location of where and how both boats had been stored soon after the incident.
In his closing statements, Deputy District Attorney John Langan argued that Dinius should be held for trial based on the specifics of law; he also said that Dinius had a previous DUI conviction within a seven-year period.
Dinius, an experienced sailor, should have been aware of the possible outcome of operating a vessel at night without required navigational lights, said Langan.
In his response to Langan's argument, Haltom asserted that Dinius was not the person ultimately at fault in the crash, and that “gross negligence belongs on the shoulders of Chief Deputy Russ Perdock.”
Pointing to Dinius, Haltom said, “The wrong man is sitting at this table.”
In handing down his decision to send Dinius to trial, Judge Martin agreed with Langan's argument that, based on his boating experience, Dinius was negligent in operating the boat without the lights off.
He also found the past DUI conviction relevant, because Dinius, he said, went boating after drinking “excessively.” Dinius allegedly had a blood alcohol level of 0.12 the night of the crash.
“I'm disappointed obviously,” Haltom said afterward. “We will let the evidence speak for itself at the trial. I think that at trial Bismarck will be acquitted and the jury will do the right thing.”
Dinius said he was very surprised that the case had led to this point, but he was prepared to move forward with the worst-case scenario of going to trial.
Martin scheduled Dinius to return to court for arraignment on the morning of July 28 in front of Judge Arthur Mann. At that point, a trial date may be set, possibly for the fall.
Elizabeth Larson contributed to this report.
E-mail Harold LaBonte at
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- Written by: Lake County News Reports
THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED REGARDING OWNERSHIP OF THE PICKUP.
LAKEPORT – Officials were searching for a subject who led the California Highway Patrol, Lakeport Police and sheriff's deputies on a high-speed chase through downtown Lakeport Tuesday night.
The chase reached speeds of as high as 120 miles per hour, according to a CHP officer at the scene.
It ended on Martin Street when a woman and at least one other person – possibly another female – ditched a stolen pickup truck they were driving.
At about 9:30 p.m. the CHP was in pursuit of the woman on Highway 29 heading northbound toward Upper Lake. The pickup was speeding, which the CHP reported was the reason for trying to pull it over initially.
The woman reportedly was driving a late model white Dodge Ram pickup that had a First Choice Abbey Carpet sign on it, but did not belong to that company. CHP reported the vehicle was stolen out of Napa, and had license plates stolen out of Vallejo.
The pursuing CHP officer at one point reported objects were being thrown from the vehicle, and that the driver appeared to be preparing to veer into oncoming traffic on the highway. The officer put a request out to other law enforcement in the area to attempt to find the items thrown on the highway.
The pickup then got off of the highway and onto Park Way, and headed back into Lakeport along Lakeshore Boulevard. A call was put out for spike strips to be put out on Lakeshore at Rainbow, but the pursuit moved through the area too quickly.
The high-speed pursuit continued through downtown Lakeport and along Main Street, with Lakeport Police and Lake County Sheriff's deputies joining CHP in the attempt to stop the vehicle.
The chase ended on Martin Street near the car wash, where the pickup was abandoned and the pickup's occupants escaped on foot, officials reported.
The pickup was left with both front doors open, and had nearly hit a tree at the corner of Martin and Forbes, but was undamaged.
Officials were examining at least three women's handbags found in the pickup.
CHP was joined by Lakeport Police and Lake County Sheriff's deputies, who continued looking for the suspects late into the night.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Harold LaBonte and Elizabeth Larson
LAKE COUNTY – Smoky skies in parts of Lake County Tuesday resulted from a wildland fire burning in Sonoma County.
Smoke from the Pine Fire, burning along Geysers Road east of Cloverdale, was being carried over the mountains and into Lake County Tuesday by strong winds, according to Cal Fire officials.
Those same winds, Cal Fire reported, had whipped the fire out of control after it started Tuesday morning, shortly after 10 a.m.
Cal Fire's Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit was fighting the fire, which had reached 700 acres by Tuesday night, and was reported to be 50-percent contained.
The Pine Fire was one of five active fires Cal Fire was working to contain around the state on Tuesday.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson