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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Early on Monday Cal Fire concluded a multi-agency operation designed to prevent illegal fireworks from entering California.
The two-part operation resulted in the confiscation of more than 13,000 pounds of illegal fireworks.
“There is no excuse for breaking the law when it comes to fireworks. Illegal fireworks and pyrotechnics can cause devastating injuries and damage to property,” said California State Fire Marshal Tonya Hoover.
Two families in San Bernardino found that out early Sunday morning when their duplex was destroyed by a fire reportedly caused by illegal fireworks.
The interdiction operations were conducted at the California Agricultural checkpoints in Yermo (north of Barstow), Needles, in the community of Shoshone and the Death Valley area.
The coordinated multi-agency operation resulted in five felony arrests including one for driving under the influence, 46 misdemeanor arrests and numerous citations for vehicle code violations.
During the operation, officers made a total of 170 contacts. The operation also led to the execution of a search warrant in the city of Los Angeles where a large amount of illegal fireworks were believed to be stored.
“This is an excellent example of what can be accomplished when cooperating agencies work together to prevent illegal activities and protect public safety,” said Hoover.
The agencies that cooperated with Cal Fire law enforcement officers included the California Agricultural Checkpoints at Yermo and Needles, the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, Inyo County Sheriff’s Department, Inyo County District Attorney’s Office, California Highway Patrol offices in Bishop and Barstow, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, San Bernardino County Fire Department, United States Forest Service, Southern Inyo Fire Protection District and the Caltrans Shoshone Office.
“One thing is for certain; the fireworks that have been confiscated will not start a disastrous wildfire, set a home on fire or send a young child to the emergency room,” said Hoover.
Officials ask state residents to remember that illegal fireworks are just that – illegal.
Safe and sane fireworks are to only be used in approved localities. The public needs to understand that it is illegal to transport, possess, use or store even safe and sane fireworks in communities and rural areas that don’t allow their use.
In Lake County, safe and sane fireworks may only be used within the boundaries of the city of Lakeport during a short period of time around the July 4 holiday.
Safe and sane does not mean non-dangerous.
According to statistics from the U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission more than 50 percent of fireworks injuries in 2011 were due to the inappropriate use of fireworks.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission also says that the vast majority of injuries are caused by fireworks that are illegal in California.
Be fire safe by being fire smart and have a safe July 4.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) has confirmed a mountain lion attacked a 63-year-old man who was camping northwest of Nevada City.
The attack occurred in the early morning hours of July 1.
The man was traveling through Nevada County on a planned hiking trip and decided to stop for the night to sleep.
He was lying on a sleeping bag out on a tributary to the Yuba River when, at approximately 1 a.m., he was attacked in his sleeping bag for what he reported to be between one and a half to two minutes.
He said the animal attacked, bit and clawed him through his sleeping bag, and also bit through the cap he was wearing and his clothes.
The animal ceased the attack, looked at him from 15 feet away for another 15 to30 seconds, then ran into the night, according to the report.
The man drove himself to a hospital in Grass Valley where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries and later released.
DFG wardens responded to the hospital and verified that he had suffered severe scratches and puncture wounds.
They collected several articles of clothing and his sleeping bag, which were analyzed at DFG’s Wildlife Forensics Laboratory in Sacramento.
Wardens also responded to the attack scene where they found lion tracks. Specially trained dogs attempted to track the lion but were not successful.
They also found the remains of one domestic cat with injuries consistent with a lion attack.
The effort to find the lion continues, DFG reported.
California has now had 15 confirmed mountain lion attacks since 1890.
A summary of previous mountain lion attacks in California can be found at http://www.dfg.ca.gov/news/issues/lion/attacks.html .
For more information about how people and lions can coexist, visit http://www.dfg.ca.gov/keepmewild/lion.html .
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – A head-on collision between a Jeep Cherokee and a big rig early Monday morning seriously injured one driver and led to hours of traffic control along Highway 20.
The crash occurred on a curve along Highway 20 near Highway 16 – less than two miles from the Lake and Colusa County border – at 4:50 a.m. Monday, according to Sgt. Pete Montez of the Williams office of the California Highway Patrol.
Jesus Aguilar, 19, of Cloverdale, was driving a Jeep Cherokee eastbound on Highway 20 when he collided with a three-axle Kenworth semi driven westbound by 38-year-old Seth Gallaty of Red Bluff, Montez said.
Montez said Aguilar told officers that he thought he fell asleep. The next thing he remembered was the sound of the big rig horn.
Aguilar’s Jeep collided head-on in the westbound lane with the big rig Gallaty was driving, which was pulling a two-axle flatbed loaded with lumber, Montez said.
The Jeep came to rest in the westbound lane, while the Kenworth went off the south shoulder and hit an embankment, according to Montez.
After the big rig hit the embankment, the cab caught fire, Montez said.
Gallaty was able to escape the semi uninjured, Montez said. Aguilar’s leg was broken and he was lifeflighted to Enloe Hospital in Chico.
“We were real lucky all the way around with that crash,” said Montez, noting that the outcome had the potential to be far worse.
The highway was totally blocked for a short time. Montez said they then pushed Aguilar’s vehicle out of the road to get one-way traffic going.
He said Caltrans took over traffic control not long after the collision.
Eastbound traffic on Highway 20 at Highway 53 near Clearlake Oaks was blocked briefly until one-way traffic control around the crash scene was put in place, Montez said.
Montez said both lanes of traffic on Highway 20 at Highway 16 were expected to reopen between 1:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. Monday.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Clearlake Police officers – with the help of the agency’s K9 – took a Clearlake man into custody on Saturday after he allegedly shot at his two roommates.
Kenneth Leslie Johnson, 44, was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon and negligent discharge of a firearm after the incident, which police said took place just before 5 p.m. Saturday.
Sgt. Tim Hobbs reported that Clearlake Police officers were dispatched to a residence in the 13500 block of Arrowhead Road for a report of a subject shooting at two of his roommates.
When they arrived they found the two alleged victims, 47-year-old Scott Anderson and 61-year-old Jane Robinson, who were not injured but had fled their residence and were next door, Hobbs said.
Officers set up a perimeter around the residence as the suspect, identified as Johnson, was reported to still be inside the residence armed with a shotgun, Hobbs said. Additionally the road in front of the residence was closed to vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
Hobbs said medical personnel from Lake County Fire were dispatched to the area and staged a short distance away as a precautionary measure.
After failed attempts over the next 30 minutes to get Johnson to come out of the house, officers and Clearlake Police K9 “Dex” entered the residence, Hobbs said.
Johnson was located inside of the residence in a bedroom and surrendered without resistance as Dex entered the room he was in, said Hobbs.
The shotgun used in the shooting was located, loaded within reach of Johnson, who Hobbs said was then arrested.
Johnson, whose booking sheet lists him as a security officer, was booked with bail set at $50,000. Jail records showed Johnson remained in custody on Monday morning.
Hobbs said the Clearlake Police Department thanked the community for donations to the K9 program.
Without those donations that completely fund the K9 program the purchase of Dex would not have been possible and the outcome of this incident could have ended much worse, Hobbs said.