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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The trial of two young local men for a June 2011 shooting that killed a child and wounded five others let out early on Friday after a broken elevator prevented them from getting to court on time.
Paul William Braden, 22, and Orlando Joseph Lopez, 24, are each facing 15 counts for the shooting on June 18, 2011, that killed 4-year-old Skyler Rapp and wounded five others, including the child’s mother, Desiree Kirby, and her boyfriend, Ross Sparks.
During the week Josh Gamble, a cousin of Sparks, continued testimony he began last week, with Sparks also taking the stand, according to District Attorney Don Anderson.
On Friday, Curtis Eeds, who lived next door to Sparks and Kirby, was called to take the stand, Anderson said.
Eeds was on the stand in the morning before testimony stopped so Anderson and the defense attorneys – Doug Rhoades representing Braden and Stephen Carter representing Lopez – could work out issues with the case out of the presence of the jurors, Anderson said.
Court was to reconvene at 1:30 p.m., with those issues from the morning still not worked out, but proceedings couldn’t continue because the defendants didn’t show up, Anderson said.
“The elevator broke down and they were stuck in it,” he said.
As a result, visiting Yolo County Superior Court Judge Doris Shockley let jurors go early for the day, Anderson said.
Testimony will resume next week.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The final list of Stars of Lake County Award nominees has been announced.
The Lake County Chamber of Commerce released the list on Friday.
The final tally on nominations for 2012 is 74 in all, with almost every community in Lake County represented. Each nominee has received a letter notifying them of their nomination.
The entire list of nominees can be seen below.
All nominees will be honored on Sunday, May 6, at PSI Seminars in High Valley above Clearlake Oaks. The reception begins at 4 p.m. with the very popular David Neft providing music during the reception and dinner hours.
PSI Seminars is a state-of-the-art conference learning center and will accommodate seating for up to 400 guests for Stars this year. The chamber said it was only able to accommodate 300 guests the past two years and had to turn away people.
The chamber thanked everyone who made time to forward a nomination for the 2012 Stars Community Awards and to everyone who responded with the additional information requests.
The Stars Selection Committee will be meeting Thursday, April 26, after reviewing all 74 nominations. Their decisions on the recipients will be revealed at the Awards Program on May 6.
Tickets are on sale for Stars through the Lake County Chamber office, located at 875 Lakeport Blvd. at Vista Point in Lakeport.
Thanks to a generous sponsorship from St. Helena Hospital Clearlake for Angel Tickets, the chamber will be able to furnish some nominees with tickets who have limited incomes.
The Stars of Lake County Dinner Sponsor this year is Calpine Corp. Category Sponsors are: Cliff & Nancy Ruzicka, WestAmerica Bank, Marymount College, Mendo Mill Lumber & Home Center, Umpqua Bank, Calpine Corp., Savings Bank of Mendocino, Strong Financial Network, Lake County Land Trust, Konocti Vista Casino Resort & Marina, Foods Etc., Bruno’s Shop Smart, Kathy Fowler Auto Dealerships, U. S. Representative Mike Thompson, John Tomkins Tax Consultants, North Lake Medical Pharmacy and the Lake County Record-Bee.
There are still 3 categories available for sponsorships; anyone interested in those should contact the Lake County Chamber at 707-263-5092.
2012 STARS OF LAKE COUNTY NOMINEES LIST
Marla Ruzicka Humanitarian of the Year
Sponsored by Cliff and Nancy Ruzicka
1. Dr. Paula Dhanda, Kelseyville
2. Levi Palmer, DDS, Lakeport
3. Taira St. John, Lakeport
Senior of the Year
Sponsored by Westamerica Bank
1. Janet Taylor, Lakeport
2. Christine Hansom, Cobb
Volunteer of the Year
Sponsored by Marymount College
1. Edward McDonald, Lakeport
2. Bruce Maxwell, Lakeport
3. Don Stewart, Findley
4. Phyllis Kelsey, Middletown
5. Gregory Scott, Lakeport
6. Don and Peg McCown, Lakeport
7. Richard Birk, Hidden Valley Lake
Student of the Year-Female
1. Alice Crocket, Lakeport
2. Brittany Elkington, Lakeport
3. Cheyanne Horvath, Cobb
4. Krystina Riccio, Hidden Valley Lake
Student of the Year-Male
1. Eli Wade, Clearlake
Youth Advocate of the Year-Professional
1. Patty Chandler, Lakeport
2. Antoinette Goetz and Sheila LaVine of Antoinette School of Dance, Lakeport
3. Tami Cramer, Lakeport
4. Tanya Biasotti, Clearlake
5. Barbara Clark, Lakeport
6. Bill MacDougall, Kelseyville
7. Alan Mathews, Lakeport
Youth Advocate of the Year-Volunteer
1. A&B Collision, Clearlake
2. Kristi Weiss, Lakeport
Agriculture Award
Sponsored by Calpine Corp.
1. Farm to Table Program, Kelseyville
2. Lake County Quilt Trail, All Around Lake County
Organization of the Year-Nonprofit (has paid staff)
Sponsored by Savings Bank of Mendocino
1. Hospice Services of Lake County, Lakeport
2. KPFZ/Lake County Community Radio,Lakeport
3. Healthy Start, Lakeport
Organization of the Year-Volunteer (all volunteer staff)
Sponsored by Strong Financial
1. Any Positive Change, Lower Lake
2. Animal Coalition of Lake County, Clearlake
3. Lake County Rodeo Association, Lakeport
Environmental Award of the Year
Sponsored by Lake County Land Trust
1. Gae Henry and Henry Borenstein, Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association, Lower Lake
2. Victoria Brandon, Sierra Club Lake Group, Lower Lake
New Business of the Year
1. A Touch of Tranquility Day Spa, Lakeport
2. Jolly Kone, Middletown
3. One Stop Print Shop & More, Lucerne
4. 2 Women Traders, Middletown
Small Business of the Year
Sponsored by Foods Etc.
1. Tatonka Land Miniature Golf & Zippies, Clearlake
2. Here for the Holidays/Accents on the Lake, Kelseyville
3. Innovative Physical Therapy, Kelseyville
Large Business of the Year
Sponsored by Bruno’s Shop Smart
1. Mendo Mill Home Center & Lumber Co., Lakeport, Clearlake
2. Calpine Corp., Middletown
3. Hardester’s Markets, Middletown, Hidden Valley, Cobb
Best Idea of the Year
1. Window Treatments for Vacant Storefronts, All Around Lake County
2. Funtown at Lakeside Family Fun Center, Lakeport
3. “Lake County Live!”, Lakeport
4. District Attorney’s Office Charitable Contribution Program, Lakeport
5. “Penny’s For Education,” Lakeport
Local Hero of the Year
Sponsored by U. S. Representative Mike Thompson
1. Amy Zingone, Clearlake Oaks
2. Gabriel Lopez, Hidden Valley Lake
3. Lee Buckmaster and Rhonda Straub, Lower Lake
The Arts Award of the Year-Professional
1. Verna Wicks-De Martino, Lakeport
2. McKenzie Paine, Kelseyville
3. Lyle and Deanna Madeson, Kelseyville
Woman of the Year
Sponsored by North Lake Medical Pharmacy
1. Susan Cannon, DVM, Lakeport
2. Linda Burton, Clearlake
3. Pat Grabham, Clearlake Oaks
4. Joyce Overton, Clearlake
5. Antoinette Funderburg, Lakeport
6. Voris Brumfield, Middletown
7. Lannette Huffman, Lakeport
Man of the Year
Sponsored by Lake County Record-Bee
1. Charles Davis, Clearlake
2. Gary Dickson, Lakeport
3. Joey Luiz, Clearlake
4. Tom Lincoln, Lakeport
5. John Hodgkin, MD, Clearlake
6. Sheriff Frank Rivero, Lakeport
7. John Fulton, Lakeport
Lifetime Achievement
1. Griffie Ratterree, Clearlake
2. Lynn Brookes, Lucerne
3. Cliff Ruzicka, Lakeport
4. Don Johnson, DDS, Lakeport
4. Stephen R. Elias, Esq. (posthumously)
5. Gardiner (Buster) Jones, Lucerne
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Caltrans maintenance crews statewide dedicated Thursday, April 19, to litter removal for this year's annual Litter Day.
Last year's Litter Day efforts resulted in the removal of 2,533 cubic yards of litter statewide, enough to fill 158 garbage trucks, Caltrans reported.
Caltrans said a final tally for the litter picked up in Lake County wasn’t available on Friday.
However Caltrans spokesman Phil Frisbie said crews worked on Highway 29 and on Highway 53, picking up trash – most notably 10 discarded mattresses found along the highways – and painted over graffiti they found on several local bridges.
This cleanup effort is part of the Great American Cleanup campaign, sponsored each spring by the nonprofit organization Keep America Beautiful.
More than 2,800 Caltrans Adopt-A-Highway groups also are helping this campaign by picking up litter along their sections of highway sometime in April or May.
Caltrans said litter is an ongoing problem on state highways. Litter is not only ugly, but it also can lead to pollution in lakes, rivers and beaches.
Cigarette butts are the No. 1 item littered in California — they are discarded by the millions, often causing roadside fires, clogging storm drains, and threatening water quality and wildlife, Caltrans said.
In addition, motorists face the risk of accident, injury, and death as the result of trash and other debris fallen from vehicles hauling unsecured and untarped loads, the agency reported.
“During this time of limited public resources, Caltrans is spending millions of dollars every year cleaning up litter from California highways,” said Caltrans District 1 Director Charlie Fielder. “There are so many other uses for that money. We’re asking the public to help us reduce the litter problem — please Don’t Trash California.”
For more information on the Caltrans Adopt-A-Highway program, call Mike Cossolotto at 707-445-5761.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – The service of two search warrants by the Lake County Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force Wednesday morning has resulted in four arrests and the seizure of narcotics, firearms, body armor and drug paraphernalia.
Arrested were Clearlake Oaks residents Kenneth Kurt Neumiller, 29; Ashley Lauren Jackson, 20; Timothy Todd Ryden, 45; and Karen Lyn Williamson, 45, according to Sgt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Brooks said narcotics detectives secured a search warrant for Neumiller's person, home and vehicle, as well as for Ryden's home, vehicle and person on Friday, April 13. Both search warrants were based on
a single narcotics investigation.
On Wednesday, April 18, at approximately 7 a.m., both search warrants were served simultaneously, Brooks said.
When narcotics detectives entered Neumiller’s residence, which is located on Iris Way in Clearlake Oaks, both Neumiller and Jackson were detained without incident, according to Brooks.
During a search of Neumiller’s residence narcotics detectives located and seized a loaded 12 gauge shotgun and an AR-15 rifle in the master bedroom. Brooks said they also located three glass pipes, commonly used to smoke methamphetamine.
Neumiller was arrested for being in possession of a loaded firearm while under the influence of a controlled substance, under the influence of a controlled substance and possession of narcotics paraphernalia, Brooks said.
He said Jackson was arrested for being under the influence of a controlled substance and possession of narcotics paraphernalia.
Both were transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked, Brooks said.
Neumiller's bail was set at $15,000, while Jackson's was set at $5,000. Jail records showed both later posted bail and were released.
Brooks said when narcotics detectives entered Ryden’s residence, which is located on Nectarine Way in Clearlake Oaks, both Ryden and Williamson were detained without incident.
During a search of Ryden’s residence narcotics detectives located and seized a handgun in a nightstand in the master bedroom. Brooks said they also located a hypodermic needle and a glass methamphetamine pipe in a dresser located in the master bedroom along with numerous narcotics and body armor.
Ryden was arrested for being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, possession of a hypodermic needle, possession of narcotics paraphernalia and being under the influence of a controlled substance. He was booked into the jail with bail set at $200,000, and remained in custody early Saturday.
Williamson was arrested for possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, possession of a hypodermic needle, possession of narcotics paraphernalia and being under the influence of a controlled substance. Her bail was set at $15,000 and jail records indicated she later posted bail and was released.
The Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force can be contacted through its anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.