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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Clearlake Police Chief Allan McClain said that the domestic violence situation, which was under way after midnight on Thursday, was allegedly instigated by 23-year-old Ivan Vargas.
Vargas allegedly took a loaded firearm and went to his ex-girlfriend's home in the 15000 block of 42nd Avenue. McClain said Vargas' ex-girlfriend fled the home with family members but several children were still in the home with Vargas.
The woman called police believing Vargas was still in the house with the children, McClain said.
He explained that when police arrived no one at the home would respond to them. As a result, they called in the Lake County Sheriff's Office SWAT and hostage negotiation teams.
When the teams entered the residence, they found the firearm Vargas had allegedly had with him, along with six unharmed children, said McClain.
Authorities continue to look for Vargas, who is accused of making terrorist threats. McClain described Vargas as a Hispanic male, 5 feet 5 inches tall, 220 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.
McClain said anyone with information should call the Clearlake Police Department, 707-994-8251.
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Over the last two days fires and downed power lines are among the hazards firefighters have faced, with fires reported near Clearlake Oaks, Clearlake and east toward Spring Valley on Wednesday and Thursday.
On Wednesday evening, firefighters responded to blazes along Old Long Valley Road and New Long Valley Road, as Lake County News has reported.
Northshore Fire Battalion Chief Pat Brown said downed power lines and exploding dog pine trees challenged both local and state firefighters when they arrived at the “Valley Incident” on Old Long Valley Road and the Pomo Ranch shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday.
Brown said the fire started when a tree fell into a power line, which tripped breakers and cut off power to the Spring Valley area.
The fire expanded into neighboring properties and had the potential to go further. He said additional equipment was requested and officials prepared for possible evacuation of neighboring residences. However, the fire was contained at a total of six acres, and none of the four structures threatened were damaged.
A second fire started from spotting from the first fire a quarter of a mile off the Pomo Ranch, and Brown said that fire, called the “Long Incident,” was quickly controlled at one acre of brush in steep terrain.
He said both fires were a unified command of Northshore Fire and Cal Fire.
Brown said Northshore Fire sent two battalion chiefs, two engines and a water tender out of the Clearlake Oaks station, one engine out of the Spring Valley station, one engine out of the Lucerne station, one engine and medic out of the Nice station and a water tender out of the Upper Lake station. Lake County Fire responded one engine under mutual aid. Total personnel responding was 21, he said.
Cal Fire also sent resources, with Brown noting that they had a full wildland response – totaling five engines – at one point.
Early Thursday evening a small fire that appeared to be a rekindle of the Old Long Valley Road fire was reported but quickly contained, according to reports from the scene.
Firefighters were on scene for several hours on Widgeon Way in Clearlake Oaks where a fire was reported burning just after 4 p.m. Power lines were down and residents in Clearlake Oaks and Spring Valley reported a power surge as a result.
Northshore Fire and Cal Fire responded, with the incident terminated at around 10:30 p.m., according to radio reports.
Pacific Gas & Electric spokesperson Brandi Ehlers said the company didn't have reports of damaged equipment from the Wednesday night fires, although they had a report of issues resulting from the Thursday fire near Widgeon Way.
In other fire news around the county Thursday, shortly before 4:30 p.m. a 50-foot area of grass was reported on fire near Ogulin Canyon Road outside of Clearlake, and was later contained.
A small brush fire was reported on Burns Valley Road in Clearlake near the Redbud Library, but radio reports indicated the fire was quickly put out shortly after 6 p.m.
The week's biggest blaze, the Indian Fire at the north end of Indian Valley Reservoir, was contained Thursday after burning for two days, according to Cal Fire. The fire was limited to 363 acres.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The California Department of Justice's Bureau of Gambling Control, working with the Hopland Commissioned Police and Hopland Band of Pomo Indians' Tribal Gaming Agency, conducted an investigation beginning in November 2008 that resulted in the arrests, as Lake County News has reported.
The defendants are accused of embezzlement and grand theft for allegedly taking more than $102,000 from the casino, officials reported.
Those arrested included Joan Pickron of Ukiah, a former casino shift manager; Ukiah residents Alex Ralph Martin, John Steven Glass Jr. and Roberta Lynn Reeder; Thomas Jay Williams of Redwood Valley; Mary Ann Moore of Rohnert Park; Gloria Marie Nelson of Nice; and Teresa Marie Miller of Clearlake, the Department of Justice reported.
Assistant Mendocino County District Attorney Beth Norman said Reeder, Moore, Williams and Nelson turned themselves in and appeared in court on July 26 in response to a letter issued the previous month, telling them to appear.
The other four didn't show up on that date, and were picked up more recently on felony arrest warrants the county issued, Norman said.
The Mendocino County District Attorney's Office has filed complaints against the eight, she said.
The charges are filed chronologically, Norman said, depending on who was involved at what time during the course of the alleged embezzlement.
Norman explained that some of the defendants are facing more charges than others, with Pickron being the only defendant who allegedly was consistently involved throughout.
Brett Rhodes, chief of the tribe's police department, said the discovery of a possible internal theft came to light after the tribe's gaming commission began investigating a minor internal policy violation in October 2008.
He said the gaming commission conducted its own internal investigation, determining substantial theft had occurred and, as a result, it revoked Pickron’s gaming license.
Pickron is alleged to have used her position as a casino shift manager to create and authorize false jackpots in the casino's online accounting system. Rhodes said she is alleged to have paid out those false jackpots to known associates.
Rhodes said it was important to note that the gaming devices were in no way manipulated to create the false jackpots.
The investigation was turned over to Hopland’s Commissioned Police Department for criminal investigation. Rhodes said Lt. John Larsen diligently worked on the criminal investigation and involved the state Department of Justice's Gaming Division special agents when preparing several search warrants in connection with the case.
“These investigations and subsequent arrests on this case are an excellent example of law enforcement working in cooperative policing efforts at all levels to achieve positive outcomes,” Rhodes said.
Rhodes said the casino has had minimal internal issues previously, like any other private business operation, but those usually are handled in-house. Due to the large scale and the networking of others, this was a case that he said was ripe for criminal investigation and prosecution.
Miller was in court on Wednesday and is due back Friday, Norman said, along with some of her other co-defendants. Miller has posted bail, as have Pickron, Martin and the others except for Glass, who is being held due to warrants in other cases.
Norman said her goal is to have everybody return to court on Sept. 20 so they can start setting future court dates.
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