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Written by: Elizabeth Larson

Published: 09 April 2008

 

LOWER LAKE – The story begins with a decision, which leads to an explosive crash of shrieking metal and broken human beings.

From there, the scene pans to rescuers retrieving crash victims, transporting them to hospitals or, in some cases, the morgue. Family notifications follow, with grieving parents, siblings and friends.

Over the past two days hundreds of Lower Lake High School students watched as the drama of "Every 15 Minutes" unfolded before their eyes in specially planned assemblies.

"Every 15 Minutes" is a staged reenactment of a fatal crash caused by driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. It attempts to prevent young people from making deadly – and preventable – mistakes when it comes to their lives and the lives of others.

The name behind the program, which began in the early 1990s, is the statistic that every 15 minutes a person in the United States dies as the result of an alcohol-related traffic collision.

Students are shown the broad, bloody swath of destruction that can follow the decision to drive drunk – including the mangled wreckage of human flesh and dreams.

The presentation this week was the culmination of months' worth of work for California Highway Patrol Officer Adam Garcia and participating parents, teachers, law enforcement officials, businesses and students. Garcia said organizing the event began last September.

As part of "Every 15 Minutes," a number of students take part in recreating crash scenes, with others being separated from their class as the symbolic victims of the crashes that are said to claim the lives of people every quarter-hour.

On Tuesday, the mock collision took place. On Wednesday, it was time for the "funeral" assembly, held in the high school's gym, which was attended by students, parents, law enforcement and rescue officials.

The student victims were led in by the scythe-bearing Grim Reaper, who watched over them as they took their places away from their family and friends.

 

 

 

 

The hour-and-a-half-long assembly included a video presentation of students at school having fun and talking about their plans for the future.

It then moved to a video of the Tuesday crash scene, with rescuers retrieving bloodied bodies from the wreckage. The crushing scenes that followed included parents identifying a dead child.

Making the story chillingly real is the participation of actual law enforcement and first responders – everyone from fire personnel on the scene of the crash to jail officials who take part in booking a mock DUI suspect.

The mock DUI "suspect" this year was Kevin Freeman. The video showed him being tested for DUI before being summarily arrested and taken to the Lake County Jail, where he was put through the booking process and left in a cell.

Freeman also was show making a court appearance in Lake County Superior Court, wearing a black and white jumpsuit. He went before Judge Richard Martin, who listened as District Attorney Jon Hopkins read out the charges against Freeman. In the mock sentencing, Freeman received a 20-year, eight-month sentence for causing the death of several classmates.

Sheriff Rod Mitchell told the assembly that the two-day event was a labor of love, a gift from men and women who have seen the damage from DUI crashes and want to stop what he called “preventable” tragedies.

Mitchell recalled having to tell parents their children had died in a crash. It's the worst kind of duty, one he said he never forgets.

"Your time is precious," he told students. "Don't waste it."

Being back at Lower Lake High, he said, brought back memories of Lower Lake High student he tried to help resuscitate after a crash on Dam Road. The young man died.

 

 

 

 

CHP Commander Lt. Dane Hayward was similarly moved by emotion during his presentation.

"The big question is, why are we here today?" he asked.

The answer was simple: Hayward said he never wants to have to see another grieving family or attend another funeral for a DUI crash victim.

"When one of you dies in a car crash, our community dies a little bit," he said, reminding students that they're the future.

"I don't want to add one more tragic story to my memory, not one more," said Hayward, his voice catching.

He said law enforcement cares about keeping young people safe. "Your parents love you. We love you."

The basic message, said Hayward, was not to drink or use drugs and drive a vehicle, or ride with anyone who does.

If the sheriff and commander's words weren't a solemn enough warning, the short speech offered by 20-year-old Joshua Farris and his mother, Laura, of Clearlake Park added a whole new dimension to the story of consequences.

On June 21, 2001, Farris and a friend got into a car with the friend's stepfather, who was high on methamphetamine and alcohol. They were hit broadside when the stepfather ran a stoplight.

Josh Farris died three times at the scene as rescuers were trying to revive him, his mother explained. Finally, he was placed in a body bag. Miraculously, he began to move again, and he was rushed to a hospital.

He was in a coma for six months, with his mother staying at his side.

Although Josh lived, he suffered serious injuries that make his walking and speech difficult, although he recalls what happened that night.

"Any one of you could be in his predicament," Laura Farris told the students.

She advised parents not to be angry if their children call them to ask for help if they've been drinking. Instead, she counseled, help them and talk about it later, when they're sober and will remember what you have to say.

Lower Lake High Principal Jeff Dixon told students they were all loved, valued and respected.

He shared the experience he had 12 year ago near Chico, when he and his family were hit by a drunk driver. Luckily, they walked away from the crash with no serious injuries.

But Dixon said he's had to announce a DUI-related death of a student, faculty member or community member one too many times, and it's a duty that he – like Mitchell and Hayward – doesn't want to repeat.

Driving under the influence is a choice with lifelong consequences, he said.

He urged his students to find alternatives to getting behind the wheel while impaired or riding with someone under the influence.

"Call your friends," he said. "Call your parents. Call me. I won't judge you. I want you to grow up."

Dixon asked students to take the event's message with them, and not just leave it behind once the assembly ended.

Garcia said afterwards that the two-day event reached about 800 local students. Each of the local high schools participates once every four years, he said, to make sure that all students experience it at least once during their high school career.

Laura Farris said after the event that four years ago she and Josh started participating in the "Every 15 Minutes," events. Their appearance Wednesday was the second they've made at Lower Lake, which is where he attended high school.

She said his message is an important one that she said is changing lives. After the presentation a young woman told Farris that she had taken the car keys away from her drunk sister as she was trying to leave in her car.

Looking at her son, Laura Farris said, "He did come back to life for a reason.”

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Details

Written by: Elizabeth Larson

Published: 08 April 2008

LAKE COUNTY – An intrepid group of local park supporters went to Sacramento Monday to let state leaders know that they're not willing to accept seeing state parks closed.

About half a dozen people made the trip to take part in Park Advocacy Day, which this year has special meaning in light of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposal to close 48 state parks – including Clear Lake State Park and Anderson March State Historic Park – in order to address the state's budget shortfall.

The California State Parks Foundation reported that more than 300 people participated in the event Monday in an effort to ward off threats to parks.

Clearlake Oaks residents Leona and D.A. Butts were among those making the trip, taking with them thousands of signatures opposing the park closure. Leona Butts is a member of the Clear Lake State Park Interpretive Association's board of directors.

Also there were Madelene Lyon of Kelseyville, Clear Lake State Park Interpretive Association president; Val Nixon of Kelseyville, a recently retired park ranger who worked at Clear Lake State Park; Lower Lake resident Joey Luiz; Kelseyville residents Neil and Bobbi Towne; and Supervisor Rob Brown and his son, Tyler.

The day gave park advocates a chance to meet with legislators and representatives of the Schwarzenegger administration.

Legislators received good reviews from the group for their receptiveness to the message of saving parks.

Schwarzenegger's representatives? Not so much.

In a meeting with Thomas Sheehy, deputy director of legislation for the state Department of Finance, and Bismarck Obando, Schwarzenegger's acting director of external affairs, Butts, Nixon and Luiz recounted a terrible experience.

Luiz said Supervisor Rob Brown “really laid it on them and told them how the people of the county felt.”

 

 

 

However, the group recounted that Sheehy cut off Brown during his presentation. He then gave them the equivalent of a fifth-grade lecture on state finance and went so far as to accuse the delegation of caring only about their parks and not the state's fiscal situation.

Sheehy told the group that the governor needed their support of his 10-percent, across-the-board budget cuts, said Buttes.

Nixon said the group tried to offer a set of alternatives to the cuts, but overall they received a cool, condescending reception.

Schwarzenegger's staffer, Obando, couldn't even be bothered to listen to the group, instead sitting through the meeting with his attention on his palm pilot, Nixon said.

“We were very surprised by how rudely the constituents of Lake County were dealt with,” said Nixon.

Luiz said he asked Sheehy and Obando if they had ever explored the impacts on rural communities that the park closures would have.

“There was no answer to that, so of course they didn't,” he said.

Nixon said the officials didn't seem to grasp the importance of the parks to Lake County and its economy. Nixon explained that the 150,000 visitors who annually visit the two state parks bring dollars to businesses around the county.

Outside of that meeting, the rest of the day was wonderful, said Nixon. “We went and we participated in a very meaningful day.”

The group met with Assembly member Patty Berg and a staff from Sen. Patricia Wiggins' office. The North Coast districts of both legislators are being hit especially hard with proposed park closures. Berg and Wiggins both communicated their support for parks, said Nixon.

Nixon said she also ran into former Sen. Wes Chesbro, who is now running for Berg's seat, and he also was supportive of saving state parks.

State Superintendent of Schools Jack O'Connell was another supportive voice, said Nixon. He pointed out to park advocates that education relies on parks, which Nixon verified, saying more than 1,000 school children visit Lake County's parks annually.

In all, the day illustrated that people love and want to maintain their parks, said Nixon.

 

 

 

Nixon also called Sheehy's office Tuesday to register her disappointment in the Monday meeting. “They should be accountable to us.”

She said Sheehy called back and was perfectly polite.

“We did learn that our petitions and our presentation were taken to the governor's office, so that's where they are now,” Butts added.

“It's hard to feel like you made any progress but I feel like we did,” said Luiz.

However, officials didn't reveal what's ahead for parks, and offered no hope that the cuts might be set aside.

The potential closures, said Nixon, won't garner future support for parks. In order to inform the public of the value of putting land aside, they need to see it.

Butts said park supporters continue to gather signatures to send to the governor. For more information call her at 998-3027.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

 

 

 

 

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Details

Written by: Elizabeth Larson and Harold LaBonte

Published: 08 April 2008

MIDDLETOWN – A bomb threat Tuesday caused officials to evacuate hundreds of students from Middletown High School.

South Lake County Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Jim Wright said his agency, along with Cal Fire and the Lake County Sheriff's Office, responded to the incident, evacuating students and staff and accounting for everyone who should have been on campus.

The bomb threat was called in at about 1 p.m. Tuesday, said Kevin Colburn, public information officer for Cal Fire.

The caller reported that a bomb was located in one of the lockers, said Colburn. The voice in the message was muffled and officials couldn't make out if it was male or female.

All students and personnel were evacuated to a nearby field, said Colburn.

Middletown High School Principal Chris Heller did not return a phone call seeking comment. Also unavailable for comment Tuesday afternoon were sheriff's officials.

Lake County Office of Education reported that Middletown High has approximately 574 students, 30 teachers, two administrative staff and one counselor.

“We went in and did a cursory search,” said Wright.

Fire officials said the search took about a half hour, and included all of the lockers.

Sheriff's investigators eventually concluded that the threat wasn't credible, said Wright.

In all about 20 personnel from the various agencies assisted in the evacuation, said Colburn.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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