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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LUCERNE, Calif. – A body was discovered on the lakeshore in Lucerne on Tuesday.
The body, said to have been that of an adult female, was found on the shore of Clear Lake next to a home in the 6500 block of E. Highway 20 in Lucerne.
Two Northshore Fire units, three Lake County Sheriff’s patrol vehicles and an unmarked van were at the location, along a narrow stretch of Highway 20 at the east end of Lucerne, after 3 p.m. Tuesday to recover the body.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office has so far neither released the identity of the person found nor responded to a Lake County News request for comment Tuesday evening regarding the earlier recovery operation.
The discovery has raised concerns that the body was that of 23-year-old Kimberly Hazelwood of Nice, who disappeared near Upper Lake on the night of Sunday, Dec. 23.
Hazelwood’s family confirmed to Lake County News late Tuesday evening that the sheriff’s office told them a body had been found but would not confirm that it was Hazelwood, nor would Sheriff’s officials divulge to the family the gender of the individual.
Searches have been taking place for Hazelwood since she was first reported missing more than a week ago.
Shortly before deputies responded to the location of her disappearance, a person was reported in the water in Middle Creek about two miles south of where Hazelwood was last seen. Searches for that person were unsuccessful.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – A Clearlake man facing trial for the May 2010 shooting death of his wife reached a plea agreement with the District Attorney’s Office on Monday.
Eddie Lee Gillespie, 53, pleaded guilty to second degree murder and a gun use enhancement, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff.
Gillespie was alleged to have fatally shot his estranged wife, 52-year-old Tracey Gillespie of Clearlake Oaks, on May 25, 2010.
Hinchcliff said Gillespie had been set to go to trial on Jan. 16.
Gillespie originally was facing murder and a lesser included offense of assault with a firearm, along with special allegations of use of a gun and causing great bodily injury. The additional charges were dropped as a result of Gillespie’s plea, Hinchcliff said.
Defense attorney Stephen Carter said Gillespie was looking at more than 50 years to life in prison had he gone to trial and been convicted of first-degree murder and the rest of the charges.
Gillespie’s plea to second-degree murder and the enhancement of using a firearm means he will face a total of 18 years to life at sentencing later this month. That breaks down to 15 years to life for murder and three years for the enhancement, according to Carter.
Carter said Gillespie, who was taken into custody on the day of the murder, already has nearly enough time served to cover the time for the enhancement.
Gillespie must serve 15 years before he will be eligible for parole, which will occur when he is in his late 60s, Carter said.
Hinchcliff said Gillespie is scheduled for sentencing at 1:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 28, in Judge Andrew Blum’s Department 1 courtroom in Lakeport.
With Gillespie’s case reaching a settlement, Hinchcliff said only one other murder case still is pending in Lake County Superior Court, that of Daniel Ray Loyd of Nice, accused of shooting to death 48-year-old Cindy Yvette Quiett in September 2011.
Hinchcliff said Loyd is set for preliminary hearing on March 20.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Local officials are continuing to investigate the shooting last week of a Clearlake man.
Steven Farnan, 20, was the victim of the shooting, which occurred at around 1 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 23, in the 10000 block of Fairway Drive in the Clear Lake Riviera, as Lake County News has reported.
Farnan was shot in the face by a male suspect following a physical fight, with the suspect and at least one other male fleeing the area in a blue hatchback, according to witnesses at the scene.
No arrests have yet been made.
Sgt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said the case is still being actively investigated.
He said Farnan is recovering and that his wound was not as bad as it was originally reported to have been.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the Lake County Sheriff’s Office’s Central Dispatch at 707-263-2690 on the holiday or at 707-262-4200 during main business hours.
John Jensen contributed to this report.
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MENDOCINO COUNTY, Calif. – Two Clearlake men were among several suspects arrested late last week in connection with a Fort Bragg burglary.
Dylan Davis, 41, and Robert Gilbert, 33, both of Clearlake, were arrested in the case, along with Willits residents Seth Foster, 27; Clint Harbour, 49; and William Breen, 24, according to Lt. Greg Stefani of the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.
Just after 5:30 p.m. last Friday, Dec. 28, Mendocino County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a residential burglary in the 19000 block of Dorffi Road in Fort Bragg, Stefani said.
He said deputies responded to the location and contacted the victims, Pamela Deeter, 25, and Justin Fenstermacher, 28.
Deputies learned that Deeter and Fenstermacher arrived home to discover that someone had recently forced entry into their residence and stole multiple items of personal property, Stefani said.
The deputies obtained other information from witnesses at the scene that related to suspect and vehicle information and direction of flight, according to Stefani.
At approximately 6:15 p.m. deputies located a vehicle that matched the description provided, Stefani said.
He said deputies initiated an investigative stop on the vehicle at 29700 Highway 20 and identified the five occupants as Davis, Gilbert, Foster, Harbour and Breen. One or more of the occupants matched the earlier descriptions provided and arrangements were made with the victims and witnesses for an in-field showing.
As a result of that in-field showing, all occupants were positively identified as suspect to the reported burglary and arrested, Stefani said.
All five suspects were ultimately lodged into the Mendocino County Jail and booked on the listed charges with bail set at $50,000, Stefani reported.