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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The crash, which took place just north of the Nice-Lucerne Cutoff, was reported just before 3:30 p.m.
A small vehicle and a semi collided, with the big rig over on its side, according to witnesses.
The California Highway Patrol reported that there were four crash victims who were out and walking but had sustained injuries.
Caltrans personnel were called to the scene to assist with setting up cones around the blocked southbound lane, the CHP said.
The truck was reported to be leaking diesel fuel, according to the CHP.
A full report on the individuals involved in the crash and the extent of their injuries wasn't available from the CHP Tuesday evening. Minor injuries were reported.
It took several hours to investigate the scene and remove the vehicles.
At around 6:30 p.m. several CHP officers were still examining the scene. The big rig had been set upright but still hadn't been removed from the highway median at that point.
About an hour and a half later the truck had been towed off the highway.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Mendocino County Sheriff's officials reported Tuesday that 76-year-old Naomi Alice Kerwin of Albion was found alive at 7 p.m. Monday in the Albion Ridge Road.
Kerwin had been reported missing at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, according to Lt. Dennis Bushnell of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office.
Kerwin, who suffers from Alzheimer's, had last been seen on Saturday walking her terrier Rosie in the Albion Ridge Road area, Bushnell reported.
Bushnell said Mendocino County Sheriff's deputies began an immediate search of the area before Mendocino County Search and Rescue and the Albion Fire Department were called out. The search was fully under way at 10 p.m. Saturday with 12 personnel.
On Sunday morning, officials requested more personnel, air units and K-9 teams, with approximately 60 personnel involved, Bushnell said. Additional agencies involved in the search were Cal Fire, the California Highway Patrol, Sonoma County Search and Rescue and Marin County Search and Rescue.
Also included in the search were members of Lake County Search and Rescue and K-Corps, according to Sgt. Gary Basor, the Lake County Sheriff's Office's Search and Rescue coordination.
He said the sheriff's office received a mutual aid request Saturday shortly before 10 p.m.
“We responded with 17 members of our Search and Rescue team,” which included K-Corps, Basor said.
When Kerwin was found Monday night, she was 200 feet off the road down a hill in dense brush, Bushnell said.
Basor said the location where Kerwin was located was about a quarter of a mile from the point where she was last seen.
“She was dehydrated and somewhat lethargic, probably wasn't going to last the night based on what my team has said,” Basor said.
The Lake County technical rope rescue team – composed both of Search and Rescue members and teenage K-Corps members – assisted with packaging Kerwin and pulling her up out of the canyon, according to Basor.
During the search Bushnell said there were 160 searchers from various agencies on scene, with resources including people on foot and ATVs, as well as mounted and air units.
He said Kerwin was OK and had returned home.
This was the first call out for the local Search and Rescue in a while, said Basor.
“Search and Rescue-wise, it's been relatively quiet,” he said.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Vernon James, 40, was taken into custody and charged with arson, according to a report from Capt. Kurt Smallcomb.
At 11 p.m. Sunday a deputy was dispatched to 2501 Old River Road in Talmage in regards to a vegetation fire. Smallcomb said the deputy contacted Ukiah Valley Fire Chief Dan Grebil who was on scene.
An investigation into the fire scene revealed that the cause was believed to be suspicious in nature, Smallcomb said.
The deputy contacted James, who was standing on his porch viewing the emergency service activities. Smallcomb said the deputy had been earlier advised that James has been suspected of being involved in numerous suspicious fires, ranging from Redwood Valley – where James used to reside – to Talmage, where numerous suspicious vegetation fires have been investigated by Ukiah Valley Fire Personnel.
Smallcomb said the deputy was able to obtain a statement from James, who admitted to being responsible for the current vegetation fire. James also admitted to starting three different vegetation fires on this date by using his lighter in the dry grass.
The most recent fires were adjacent to the Caravan Mobile Home Park located on Old River Road, Smallcomb said.
James was placed under arrest and transported to the Mendocino County Jail, according to Smallcomb.
Ukiah Valley Fire Personnel along with Cal Fire and Mendocino County Sheriff's deputies continue to conduct further investigation into suspicious fires in the area which James may be responsible for, Smallcomb said.
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SANTA ROSA, Calif. – A Rohnert Park man pleaded guilty to 61 felony burglary counts this week and as a result will face more than 60 years in prison when he's sentenced next month.
Sonoma County District Attorney Stephan Passalacqua reported that on Monday James Gregory Stone pleaded guilty to the 61 charges, including 29 counts of residential burglary. Stone also pleaded to possession of an assault weapon and a bomb device.
The pleas came in on the day Stone's trial was to start, Passalacqua said.
“It is clear that the majority of the items recovered were taken from more than 50 burglaries of Rohnert Park homes and that Stone’s crime spree had gone on for over a decade,” said Assistant District Attorney Diana Gomez. “It is very fortunate that he was finally caught.”
Most of the charges relate to residential burglaries that occurred while the homes’ occupants were asleep, the District Attorney's Office reported.
Almost all of the homes were within a two block radius of Stone’s Rohnert Park home. During a search warrant of Stone’s residence, a cache of stolen property was discovered, including personal identifications, bicycles, golf clubs, firearms and power tools, according to the report.
Detectives from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office were able to determine that the stolen property came from residential burglaries of the defendant’s neighbors over the past decade, beginning as far back 1998, officials said.
Sentencing is set for Sept. 30. Passalacqua's office said Stone faces a maximum term of 64 years and eight months in prison.
No plea bargain was made and no promises were given as to any sentence he may receive, Passalacqua said.
Deputy District Attorney Michael Li was the prosecutor assigned to the case. Sonoma County Sheriff’’s Detective Sal Borruso was the lead detective.
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