How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
News
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
View California Fire Map in a larger map
CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – Containment doubled on the Wye Fire over the course of Tuesday, as more than 1,200 firefighters worked on the incident, burning east of Clearlake Oaks.
The Wye Fire consists of the Wye and Walker fires, both of which were sparked on Sunday afternoon. The fires are located near the intersection of Highway 20 and 53 and Walker Ridge Road.
Cal Fire Incident Management Team 4 reported Tuesday night that the fire acreage had remained at 7,000 acres, with containment increasing to 60 percent.
The Walker portion of the fire, burning both in Lake and Colusa counties, required some evacuations for Bear Valley Road, north of Highway 20, and Wilbur Hot Springs Road.
Those evacuations remained in place on Tuesday, Cal Fire said, a day after Spring Valley residents who were evacuated due to the Wye portion of the fire were allowed to return home.
There were 1,219 fire personnel on scene Tuesday, along with 157 engines – of which 124 were from dozens of other fire agencies around the state – 28 fire crews, two airtankers, six helicopters, 24 bulldozers and 14 water tenders.
Cal Fire said the cause of the fires remains under investigation.
The fire had burned on both sides of Highway 20, hitting utility lines and poles.
Pacific Gas & Electric spokesperson Brittany McKannay said the company has been working closely with Cal Fire to mitigate the potential for power outages.
“So far we’ve been fairly successful in doing that,” she told Lake County News on Tuesday.
McKannay said PG&E didn’t have any significant outages due to the fire.
On Monday PG&E crews had been working on poles near the entrance of Spring Valley, where firefighters were working on mop up around a burn area.
The crews were working on pretreating power poles to minimize the chance of the poles catching fire, McKannay said.
Because of the Wye Fire, Lake County Air Quality Management issued an air quality alert for Wednesday, when conditions are to be “moderate” to “unhealthy for sensitive individuals.” Areas closer to the fires – the Northshore, Clearlake, and the county’s eastern portions – are of particular concern.
Air quality conditions had improved on Tuesday. While areas close to the fire experienced “significantly degraded air quality,” Air Pollution Control Officer Doug Gearhart reported that most areas of Lake County experienced good to moderate air quality, with particulate levels not exceeding state health-based air standards.
The district said weather forecasts are predicting favorable west winds that will push smoke out of the Lake County air basin most of Wednesday. However, because there is a chance the smoke could settle in the air basin overnight, smoke could linger Wednesday morning before the wind resumes.
For information about highway closures, call Caltrans at 800-427-7623; the Wye Fire Call Center can be reached at 707-967-4207 or 707-967-4208; Lake County Air Quality Management can be reached at 707-263-7000.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKEPORT, Calif. – A Clearlake man originally charged with murder in a fatal June 2011 shooting that killed a child and wounded five others was sentenced on Tuesday to lesser charges as part of a plea agreement.
Judge Stephen Hedstrom gave Kevin Ray Stone, 30, the upper term of 10 years and four months for his involvement in the incident, which included driving 24-year-old Orlando Lopez Jr. and 22-year-old Paul Braden, both of Clearlake Oaks, to the scene of the fatal shooting in Clearlake on June 18, 2011.
The shooting killed 4-year-old Skyler Rapp; injured his mother, Desiree Kirby; her boyfriend, Ross Sparks; his brother, Andrew Sparks; Ian Griffith; and Joseph Armijo.
The sentencing hearing was continued to Thursday due to questions about how much time credit Stone would receive under the state’s new correctional realignment rules.
Stone reached a plea agreement last fall with District Attorney Don Anderson and, as a result, he pleaded no contest to conspiracy to commit robbery, accessory to murder and possession of a .22-caliber rifle by a prohibited person. He also agreed to testify in the joint trial of Braden and Lopez.
In June Braden and Lopez were found guilty of 15 felony counts and numerous special allegations, and last week were sentenced. Braden received 312 years, Lopez 311 years.
Judge Hedstrom began by denying defense attorney Komnith Moth’s request that Stone be temporarily released to visit a San Francisco drug rehabilitation program.
Hedstrom said that such a program would have been a part of probation. Considering that Stone had pleaded no contest to conspiracy to commit first-degree burglary, “For him to even get probation, the court’s going to have to find unusual circumstances,” Hedstrom said.
Moth said Stone offered his “deep condolences” to the little boy’s family for their loss. He said Stone had two small children and had nothing but the utmost sympathy for the child’s family.
Stone, Moth said, was glad that Anderson had gone after the individuals who were responsible.
“His testimony was essential in securing the convictions for the other two codefendants,” Moth said of Stone, adding that Stone’s statements placed Lopez and Braden at the scene, and identified Braden as the shooter.
Hedstrom noted in court that Stone had 14 misdemeanor convictions and no previous felonies.
Reading from a statement that Stone had submitted to the court, Hedstrom said Stone called himself a drug addict who had been involved with drugs for 10 years. He feared his life would end if he didn’t stop, and he blamed his drug use for making a lot of poor decisions.
“He is begging for one chance at drug treatment,” said Hedstrom.
Hedstrom said that several things jumped out as he considered Stone’s statement. “It was basically about him,” he said.
Stone’s numerous misdemeanor convictions included multiple drunk driving or “wet reckless” cases, failure to appear, possession of drugs and paraphernalia, driving on a suspended license, riding a bicycle under the influence, possession of a switchblade, possession of a stolen vehicle and, more recently, domestic battery and assault with a deadly weapon.
“He’s been given chance after chance after chance after chance at probation,” and has done significant stints in the county jail, which didn’t appear to have an effect, Hedstrom said. Stone also had 17 probation violations.
Putting all of that together, Hedstrom said Stone didn’t qualify for probation.
Stone was part of a conspiracy to commit a robbery. “This conspiracy ultimately led to the death of a child, someone who couldn’t live out a life beyond the age of 4,” said Hedstrom.
“When you conspire to commit a robbery with a firearm, it should not blindside you that violence may occur,” Hedstrom said.
Stone was armed and, while he did not personally inflict the injuries, his accomplices did and he remained an active participant. “He wasn’t dragged to that scene. In fact, he drove the other two ultimate killers to the scene,” Hedstrom pointed out.
On that drive Stone stopped to retrieve his own firearm, a .22 rifle, from the apartment he shared with his girlfriend, Hedstrom said, reading from a case summary.
Hedstrom also noted Stone’s substance abuse problem, including alcohol, marijuana, mushrooms, Ecstasy, cocaine and methamphetamine, and his history of committing thefts and cultivating drugs to support his habit. He said Stone poses a substantial danger to society if not imprisoned.
After discussing those aggravating factors, Hedstrom considered the factors in mitigation, including Stone’s cooperation with the prosecution and his testimony in trial.
However, Hedstrom pointed out that Stone’s cooperation gave him a “very substantial benefit” because it prevented him from getting life in prison. “He had some very real liability.”
While Stone said he didn’t want to hurt Skyler Rapp or his family, he went to a scene armed and, “all of a sudden, guns are blazing,” said Hedstrom, pointing out that Stone didn’t disassociate himself at that point, but remained a part of the conspiracy, driving Lopez and Braden from the scene.
Hedstrom sentenced Stone on the charges to which he had pleaded no contest, and also ordered he pay $2,000 in restitution, and stayed a second $2,000 restitution fine unless Stone’s eventual parole is revoked. Stone will receive 405 days of credit for time already served.
A probation officer pointed out different credit parameters for the conspiracy charge, which is a serious felony, which threw off Hedstrom’s initial calculations on how much presentence and post-sentence time credit Stone would receive. Those issues arose from new legislation established to support correctional realignment.
“This is a perfect example of how complex this stuff has gotten,” said Hedstrom.
Hedstrom continued the sentencing hearing to 3 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 16, at which time Stone’s final time credit amounts will be determined.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
- Details
- Written by: Lake County News reports
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lakeport resident and retired Highway Patrol Commander Steve Davis culminated an award winning week by capturing “Best of Show” honors at the Atlantis Hotel & Casino last Saturday night during Hot August Nights in Reno, Nev.
Davis’ award winning car, a 1955 Chevy Bel Air hardtop also received Best of Show Finalist at the Peppermill Casino, and was judged “Best of Class” Friday night at the Atlantis.
Hot August Nights, in its 26th year, is one of the most elite Hot Rod & Custom Car Shows in America, drawing some 6,000 entries each year.
The weeklong event which involves seven major casinos in the Reno/Sparks Area draws thousands of classic car enthusiasts from throughout the United Sates.
The reconstruction of his vehicle, which took over three years, was a tribute to his brother Tim, who purchased the car in 1963 and died in 2004.
The renovation was performed by Nissen’s Hot Rod Garage in Williams, Calif.; paint by B & J Auto Body in Folsom, Calif; and interior by Al’s Custom Upholstery, Lower Lake, Calif.
This was Davis’ first entry into the competitive arena of rod and custom vehicles, however, he plans to enter the car in the Good Guys West Coast Nationals in Pleasanton later this month, and the Route 66 Rendezvous in San Bernardino in September.
The Route 66 Rendezvous will be a return to the area where Davis and his brother enjoyed many fond memories while cruising as teenagers.
- Details
- Written by: Lake County News reports
During Child Support Awareness Month, the California Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) reminds parents to meet their responsibility to provide financial and medical support for their children.
DCSS’ efforts to collect child support payments continued to grow last year to the benefit of families across California.
“We’ve seen an increase in our ability to collect and parents’ ability to pay their child support,” said Kathleen Hrepich, interim director of DCSS. “We are pleased to be moving in the right direction, as we work hard to provide even more children with the support they need.”
California’s child support collections increased by $37 million in the state fiscal year ending in June 2011, with the total distributed collections at $2.3 billion.
Of that, $1.8 billion was distributed directly to families, and $500 million was distributed to the state and federal government for recoupment of public assistance and foster care expenses. Figures for the state fiscal year ending in 2012 will soon be available.
The focus of Child Support Awareness Month 2012 is the vital role parents play in providing a positive environment for their children.
The theme this year is, “Child support provides security, instills confidence, maintains trust, and helps to make childhood dreams come true.”
During the month of August, parents who are past due on their child support payments are encouraged to drop by their local child support agency to make a payment, modify their child support order, obtain a repayment plan, and/or find out whether they qualify for a compromise on the overdue balance.
Child support services are available to the public through a network of 51 county and regional child support agencies, and the Child Support Program serves 1.4 million children and their families.
County and state child support professionals work together so that children in the system can rely on their parents for the financial and medical support they need to be healthy and successful.
Learn more a online at http://www.childsup.ca.gov/Home/ChildSupportAwarenessMonth.aspx .