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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Three men federal officials arrested earlier this month in connection with a series of local home invasion robberies are scheduled to appear for their preliminary hearings and arraignments early in January.
Eric Van Mendonca, 42, a former Lake County Sheriff’s deputy, was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation at his Middletown home on Dec. 19, along with Terry Jacksen, 46, who lived on Mendonca’s rental property and 54-year-old Hidden Valley Lake resident Jack David Pollack, as Lake County News has reported.
The case against them alleges that they participated in a series of home invasion robberies in and around Lake County.
Dressed in Lake County Sheriff’s uniforms, the men targeted and robbed marijuana grows, the FBI alleged in its complaint against them.
They made brief court appearances last week in San Francisco federal court and returned to court this week for additional proceedings, according to court documents.
Mendonca is charged with conspiracy to commit robbery affecting interstate commerce, and faces a maximum of 20 years in prison as well as a fine of up to $250,000 if convicted.
Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley signed an order on Monday setting conditions for Mendonca’s release. He was released after posting $50,000 bond secured by property, case documents showed.
His preliminary hearing has been set for 9:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 7, in San Francisco before Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler, according to the court calendar.
Jacksen is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and Pollack is charged with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
While Mendonca was released, court records showed that both Jacksen and Pollack remain in federal custody, with their preliminary hearings and arraignments also set for Jan. 7 before Magistrate Judge Beeler.
If convicted, Jacksen could receive as much as 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, with Pollack facing a maximum 20-year prison sentence and $1 million fine if he’s found guilty.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – The Clearlake Oaks Volunteer Firefighters Association’s members have been busy this holiday season, sharing gifts and cheer with the community.
The group hosted Santa Claus at the Northshore Fire Protection District’s Clearlake Oaks Fire Station on Friday, Dec. 21, where they handed out gifts to local children.
Then, on Christmas Eve, they came to the aid of a Clearlake family, delivering Christmas gifts to the six children on behalf of Santa Claus.
In addition to its charitable works in the community, the association conducts fundraising for the equipment and training needed to run the Northshore Fire Protection District fire and rescue boat, based in Clearlake Oaks. It’s the only fire and rescue boat of its kind on Clear Lake.
Two district volunteers – Keith Leffler and Ted Christensen – and one captain, Rich Haney, operate the boat.
For community members who would like to support the association and its important work in the county, donations can be mailed to the Clearlake Oaks Volunteer Firefighters Association, 12655 E. Highway 20, Clearlake Oaks, CA 95423.
For more information, contact association President Keith Leffler at 707-350-0383.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Two men were arrested this week after a police officer found them taking gasoline from the transportation yard at a local school district.
David Edward Elliston, 30, and Michael Anthony Gama, 30, both of Nice, were arrested early Thursday morning, according to Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen.
At about 4:20 a.m. Thursday morning Officer Norm Taylor responded to the Lakeport Unified School District in response of a motion detector alarm going off in the transportation yard, Rasmussen said.
Rasmussen said Taylor saw a vehicle in the area and two subjects putting gas in the vehicle out of a gas can.
Taylor contacted Elliston and Gama and determined that they had taken the gasoline from the district and may have been out looking for additional gas to steal. Rasmussen noted there have been other gas thefts in the city recently.
Elliston and Gama both were on probation for theft-related crimes, Rasmussen said.
Both Elliston and Gama were booked for felony receiving stolen property and felony probation violations. Both remained in the Lake County Jail on no-bail holds on Saturday, according to jail records.
Their booking sheets said they are due to appear in court next Monday, Dec. 31.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
The Mayan calendar finally rolled over again this December and the Four Horsemen didn’t appear, no downpour of poisonous frogs or locusts. On the other hand, 2012 was a disastrous year in many other ways.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), this year past 365 days or so was one of the costliest on record in the United States.
While 2011 was also a record year for disasters, when 14 different events cost more than $60 billion in damages; this year exceeded overall costs of disasters.
This surge is much in part due to the hurricane and subsequent superstorm Sandy, as well as the wide spread drought.
Hurricane Sandy has already totaled more than $100 billion in damages to New York, New Jersey and Connecticut together. The estimates are expected to increase over the years as recovery continues.
In the last 12 months there have been 11 billion-dollar events, which included seven thunderstorms, two hurricanes (Sandy and Isaac) and many large wildfires.
The widespread drought may end up being the most expensive of all the disasters that occurred this year.
In fact, the majority of states are still experiencing drought conditions. November 2012 was the 20th warmest and eight driest on record.
According to NOAA, almost 17 percent of the United States is still in “extreme” drought conditions.
This raises the question, do you have the basic necessities in order if a natural or human-caused disaster hits your community? Studies say probably not.
Check out this wealth of resources on how you can do just that: http://www.calema.ca.gov/Pages/default.aspx .
Here are the 11 costliest disasters of 2012:
- Southeast/Ohio Valley tornadoes: March 2-3;
- Texas tornadoes: April 2-3;
- Great Plains tornadoes: April 13-14;
- Midwest/Ohio Valley severe weather: April 28-May 1;
- Southern Plains/Midwest/Northeast severe weather: May 25-30;
- Rockies/Southwest severe weather: June 6-12;
- Plains/East/Northeast severe weather (“Derecho”): June 29-July 2;
- Hurricane Isaac: Aug. 26-31;
- Western wildfires: Summer-fall;
- Hurricane Sandy: Oct. 29-31;
- U.S. drought/heatwave: Throughout 2012.
It is important to note that there were a total of 10 hurricanes measured off the Atlantic coast, as well as 19 depressions and 19 significant storms.
According to NOAA, 349 people lost their lives due to natural disasters this year.