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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED WITH ADDITIONAL DETAILS ABOUT THE ARREST AND INVESTIGATION.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The local woman who died in a fatal crash early Sunday morning has been identified.
Jennifer Clark, 31, of Clearlake was the victim in the crash, according to Sgt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Clark was the passenger in a 1984 Chevrolet El Camino driven by 27-year-old Danny Fields II of Clearlake when the crash occurred sometime between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. Sunday, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Fields was driving southbound on Highway 29 north of Highway 53 near Lower Lake when his car went off the road, traveled down an embankment and hit a walnut tree, the CHP reported.
Fields then reportedly left the scene, was picked up by an unidentified driver and dropped off at the Tower Mart in Lower Lake. The CHP said Fields’ parents were contacted, and they picked him up from the Tower Mart and transported him to St. Helena Hospital Clearlake.
It was the hospital that contacted the CHP shortly before 9 a.m. Sunday to notify the agency that a traffic collision involving Fields had taken place.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office, which assisted in the investigation, discovered Fields’ vehicle less than 20 minutes after the hospital reported the crash. Clark was found inside the vehicle and pronounced dead, the CHP said.
A blood sample was taken from Fields, as CHP investigators suspect that the crash may have been the result of driving under the influence. That blood sample has been sent to the California Department of Justice lab for analysis, according to CHP Sgt. Rick Okazaki.
Fields, who sustained major injuries in the crash, was placed under arrest for felony driving under the influence and felony hit and run causing death or injury, Okazaki said.
However, Fields was released after his arrest due to the extent of his injuries. That doesn’t preclude the CHP from refiling charges if the investigation concludes Fields was at fault, Okazaki said.
Fields is still hospitalized, Okazaki said.
Officer Joe Wind said Monday that the investigation is continuing, with officers speaking to witnesses in an effort to fully understand what took place.
“They’re busy working on different leads,” he said.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A preliminary hearing is expected to be set next month for Robinson Rancheria’s tribal chair, who is alleged to have embezzled tens of thousands of dollars while she worked for another local tribe.
Following a federal investigation, Tracey Avila, 50, of Nice was arrested last September on a felony charge of grand theft, as Lake County News has reported.
She allegedly took more than $60,000 from Elem Colony of Clearlake Oaks while she worked as the tribe’s fiscal officer from February 2006 to September 2008, according to case documents.
Deputy District Attorney Rachel Abelson, who is prosecuting the case, said the discovery in the case is still being finalized, thus the delay in the proceedings.
She said the preliminary hearing is expected to be set at a hearing on May 22 in Judge Stephen Hedstrom’s Clearlake courtroom.
The case began after Elem conducted its own investigation and concluded that Avila had allegedly taken the funds.
In June 2009, the tribe’s general counsel sent a letter to Laura Yoshii, acting regional director for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Pacific Southwest Region 9, requesting an investigation into the alleged embezzlement.
Within two weeks U.S. EPA’s Grants Management Office opened the investigation, which later was handed to special agents with the EPA Office of the Inspector General and HUD's Office of the Inspector General, according to investigative documents.
If convicted, Avila could face a maximum three years in state prison, according to Abelson. Avila may end up serving her prison time in the Lake County Jail due to correctional realignment.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Three young female cats are offered for adoption at the county animal shelter this week.
Two tabbies and a stylish black cat are cleared and ready for new lives and new homes.
Cats that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed and microchipped 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 there, hoping you'll choose them.
The following cats at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (other cats pictured on the animal control Web site that are not listed here are still “on hold”).
‘Tilly’
Tilly is a 9-month-old female domestic short hair mix.
She is a brown tabby, and has not yet been spayed.
She is in cat room kennel No. 126, ID No. 32385.
Black female short hair
This black domestic short hair mix is 8 months old.
She has not yet been spayed.
Find her in cat room kennel No. 13, ID No. 32378.
Gray female tabby
This gray female tabby is 2 years old.
She has a short coat and is not yet spayed.
She is in cat room kennel No. 16, ID No. 32431.
Adoptable cats also can be seen at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Cats_and_Kittens.htm or at www.petfinder.com .
Please note: Cats 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.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Circle of Native Minds Wellness Center held its first workshop on Pomo Language for the Native community on April 11 at its new facility in Lakeport.
The workshop was presented by the California Indian Museum & Cultural Center (CIMCC) based in Santa Rosa.
“It is a good feeling to be part of the museum language program,” said Pomo elder and museum board member Wilbur Augustine. “Language is a part of us. It is what we were born with.”
An opening prayer was done by Thomas Leon Brown, the center's tribal outreach and engagement specialist.
Fifteen people attended with members from Upper Lake Rancheria, Elem Indian Colony, Robinson Rancheria, Sherwood Valley Rancheria and other natives not affiliated with a tribe.
The presenter was CIMCC Executive Director Nicole Lim, who discussed the recently completed comprehensive assessment of Pomo languages, which resulted in the Pomo Language Status report. The center will use this information as a guide to develop and start its program.
Lim discussed the necessity of understanding the historical loss of the Pomo language.
“Several outside factors have contributed to the historical loss of language within Pomo communities,” Lim said. “The vitality of many indigenous languages was destroyed by federal policies that targeted Native peoples and cultures for extermination. The loss of tribal lands, and genocide of whole communities, disrupted the continuity of native languages and cultures.”
During the mid to late 1800s, the federal government sought to “assimilate” native peoples. Many Indian children were removed from their families and tribes and placed in boarding schools.
At the boarding schools the English language was the only language that was allowed to be spoken. Federal officials believed that if they erased tribal languages they would also erase tribal customs, traditions, cultures and way of life.
In the 1950s, the federal government set forth the termination acts and the relocation program. Termination was applied to 40 California Indian tribes, essentially erasing their governmental authority and the trust status of their lands.
Relocation provided government-sponsored job training and housing assistance off reservations in the urban centers of Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Hundreds of families were encouraged to move away from their communities and into the city where the government had hoped their cultural distinctiveness would disappear.
“Despite these efforts tribal and cultural heritage was not destroyed,” said Lim. “The overwhelming ability of native people to prevail over the forces of genocide and colonization is a true testament to the Indian community’s strength and character. It goes without saying that damage has been done, but by working together native peoples can heal and revitalize the wealth of our culture.”
The Elder’s Talking Circle will focus its language program toward native youth, ages 5-18 years. The vision is to have a drop-in for “fun, language and learning” after school program. Of course, all age groups will be welcomed.
The Elder’s Talking Circle is very interested in talking to any native person who is interested in serving as a volunteer at the center or to discuss the possibility of teaching a traditional art.
Please contact the center at 707-263-4880 for further information.