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- Written by: Lake County News reports
CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is attempting to locate a Clearlake Oaks man who is suspected of being involved with a nonfatal shooting that occurred last week.
Walter Frederick Wolkenhauer, 19, is being sought in connection with the incident, which happened on the night of Thursday, Sept. 13, according to Sgt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
At approximately 9:28 p.m. Sept. 13 deputies responded to Nylander Park, located at 12588 Acorn Lane in Clearlake Oaks, for a reported gunshot victim, Brooks said.
When deputies arrived they contacted the victim, who said that Wolkenhauer shot him with what he believed to be a shotgun, according to Brooks.
The victim said he had just exited “The Barn” when he received a telephone call from Wolkenhauer, who was calling him out to fight and threatened to shoot him. Brooks said that the victim reported that Wolkenhauer disconnected the phone immediately after threatening him.
The victim then looked across the street and noticed Wolkenhauer standing in the area of Nylander Park, Brooks said.
According to the victim’s account, Wolkenhauer appeared to be holding something close to his waist and starting running towards him. Brooks said that the victim told deputies that he started running away from Wolkenhauer towards the Tower Mart when he was shot.
Brooks said deputies canvassed the area but were unable to locate Wolkenhauer, who is believed to have fled the area.
The victim was transported to Saint Helena Clearlake Hospital for medical treatment, Brooks said.
The investigation is ongoing and anyone who may have information regarding this case or the whereabouts of Walter Wolkenhauer is encouraged to contact the Lake County Sheriff’s Office at 707-263-2690.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Last Friday, a special afternoon ceremony honored one of Lake County’s retired judges.
Judge Arthur Mann, who still hears cases for the Lake County Superior Court on a part-time basis, was on hand for the unveiling of his new portrait in his former Department 3 courtroom.
Mann retired in November 2009. He was succeeded in 2010 by Judge Andrew Blum.
Blum, along with Judge Richard Martin and retired Judge Robert Crone Jr., led the Friday ceremony honoring Mann, recognizing him for his service and for his fair treatment of who came to his courtroom.
Lake County Bar Association President Mary Heare Amodio unveiled the portrait, which was presented by the association to the Lake County Superior Court.
“I’m still enjoying being a judge. I look forward to assignments whenever they come around,” Mann told the group.
Mann’s longtime bailiff, Cliff Swetnam – now also a retiree – was on hand to do the honors of hanging the portrait above the jury box.
“There’s something appropriate about hanging Art on the wall,” quipped Blum.
The ceremony can be viewed in its entirety in the video above, shot by John Jensen of Lake County News.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKEPORT, Calif. – A new group of mixed breed dogs – big and little – are the featured pets at the shelter this week.
Labrador Retrievers and a husky, shepherds and Shih Tzu mixes are waiting for new homes.
Thanks to Lake County Animal Care and Control’s new veterinary clinic, many of the animals offered for adoption already are spayed or neutered and ready to go home with their new families.
Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.
If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets hoping you'll choose them.
The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).
Labrador Retriever-beagle
This female Labrador Retriever-beagle mix is of undetermined age.
She weighs nearly 37 pounds, has a short black coat and is not yet spayed.
Find her in kennel No. 5a, ID No. 34314.
Labrador Retriever-Beagle
Shelter staff has not given an age for this female Labrador Retriever-beagle mix.
She weighs 28 pounds, has a short black coat and has not yet been altered.
She’s in kennel No. 5b, ID No. 34315.
‘Augie’
“Augie” is a 1-year-old male Shih Tzu-Chihuahua mix.
He has a short fawn-colored coat and is not yet neutered.
He’s in kennel No. 12, ID No. 34207.
‘Girlie’
“Girlie” is a 2-year-old Shih Tzu-Chihuahua mix.
She has a short fawn coat, weighs 12 pounds and is not yet spayed.
She’s in kennel No. 16a, ID No. 34209.
Husky mix
This male husky mix is 2 years old.
He has a long white coat with black markings.
He’s in kennel No. 18, ID No. 34251.
Pit bull mix
This female pit bull terrier mix is 9 months old.
She has a short tan coat, weighs 38 pounds and is spayed.
She’s in kennel No. 19, ID No. 34363.
Dachshund-Chihuahua mix
This male dachshund-Chihuahua mix is 2 years old.
He has a short black coat and floppy ears.
He’s in kennel No. 20, ID No. 34206.
Labrador Retriever mix
This female Labrador Retriever mix is 7 years old.
She has a short black coat.
Find her in kennel No. 25, ID No. 34318.
Shepherd-Rottweiler mix
This female shepherd-Rottweiler is 8 months old.
She has a short tan and black coat, weighs nearly 47 pounds and has been spayed.
Find her in kennel No. 26, ID No. 34311.
Border collie-Labrador Retriever mix
This female border collie-Labrador Retriever mix is 3 years old.
She’s got a short black and white coat, weighs 50 pounds and has not yet been spayed.
Find her in kennel No. 28, ID No. 34365.
Shepherd-basset hound mix
This female shepherd-basset hound mix is 3 years old.
She is nearly 38 pounds and has a short black and tan coat. She has been spayed.
She’s in kennel No. 31, ID No. 34156.
Labrador Retriever mix
This female Labrador Retriever mix is one and a half years old.
She weighs 50 pounds, has black coloring and is not yet spayed.
She’s in kennel No. 32, ID No. 34269.
Adoptable dogs also can be seen at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dogs_and_Puppies.htm or at www.petfinder.com .
Please note: Dogs listed at the shelter's Web page that are said to be “on hold” are not yet cleared for adoption.
To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .
Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.
Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .
For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Dr. Tony Phillips
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's long-lived rover Opportunity has returned an image of the Martian surface that is puzzling researchers.
Spherical objects concentrated at an outcrop called Kirkwood on the western rim of Endeavour Crater differ in several ways from iron-rich spherules nicknamed “blueberries” the rover found at its landing site in early 2004.
“This is one of the most extraordinary pictures from the whole mission,” said Opportunity's principal investigator, Steve Squyres of Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. “Kirkwood is chock full of a dense accumulation of these small spherical objects. Of course, we immediately thought of the blueberries, but this is something different. We never have seen such a dense accumulation of spherules in a rock outcrop on Mars.”
The spheres measure as much as one-eighth of an inch in diameter. The analysis is still preliminary, but it indicates that these spheres do not have the high iron content of Martian blueberries.
The Martian blueberries found elsewhere by Opportunity are concretions formed by action of mineral-laden water inside rocks, evidence of a wet environment on early Mars. Concretions result when minerals precipitate out of water to become hard masses inside sedimentary rocks.
Many of the Kirkwood spheres are broken and eroded by the wind. Where wind has partially etched them away, a concentric structure is evident.
Opportunity used the microscopic imager on its arm to look closely at Kirkwood. Researchers checked the spheres' composition by using an instrument called the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer on Opportunity's arm.
“They seem to be crunchy on the outside, and softer in the middle,” Squyres said. “They are different in concentration. They are different in structure. They are different in composition. They are different in distribution. So, we have a wonderful geological puzzle in front of us. We have multiple working hypotheses, and we have no favorite hypothesis at this time. It's going to take a while to work this out, so the thing to do now is keep an open mind and let the rocks do the talking.”
Just past Kirkwood lies another science target area for Opportunity. The location is an extensive pale-toned outcrop in an area of Cape York where observations from orbit have detected signs of clay minerals. That may be the rover's next study site after Kirkwood.
Four years ago, Opportunity departed Victoria Crater, which it had investigated for two years, to reach different types of geological evidence at the rim of the much larger Endeavour Crater.
The rover's energy levels are favorable for the investigations. Spring equinox comes this month to Mars' southern hemisphere, so the amount of sunshine for solar power will continue increasing for months. Indeed, Opportunity is on the verge of completing the first Martian Marathon.
“The rover is in very good health considering its eight and a half years of hard work on the surface of Mars,” said Mars Exploration Rover Project Manager John Callas of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. “Energy production levels are comparable to what they were a full Martian year ago, and we are looking forward to productive spring and summer seasons of exploration.”
Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.