How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
News
- Details
- Written by: Lake County News reports
As California gradually reopens, many people will be eager to celebrate the holiday weekend with family and friends.
To help reduce the risk and slow the spread of COVID-19, the California Department of Public Health is urging the public to avoid traveling long distances for vacations or pleasure as much as possible.
However, if you decide to leave home, take steps to keep everyone safe like wearing face coverings, physical distancing, and washing hands frequently.
"Should the upcoming weekend include a road trip, stay safe and healthy with a few additional precautions," said CHP Commissioner Warren Stanley. “Obeying speed limits, buckling up, and not driving impaired or distracted will be more important than ever.”
Traffic has been lighter on California roadways the past few months, which has resulted in an increase in citations for excessive speed.
Motorists are encouraged to take their time this holiday weekend and arrive safely at their destination.
During the recent Memorial Day MEP, CHP officers issued 458 citations for speeding in excess of 100 mph, which is a 173-percent increase from the same period in 2019.
The 2019 Independence Day MEP was four and a half days, which was two days longer than the upcoming MEP.
During that 102-hour enforcement effort, 36 people lost their lives in traffic crashes, 21 within CHP jurisdiction. Of those 21 individuals, 11 were not wearing seat belts.
Additionally, CHP officers made 1,317 arrests for driving under the influence.
“However you choose to celebrate the weekend, do it without putting yourself or others at risk,” said Commissioner Stanley.
- Details
- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
NORTH COAST, Calif. – The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office is seeking leads in its efforts to identify the man responsible for an armed robbery on Monday night at a Ukiah market.
The agency said that at 10:40 p.m. Monday its deputies were dispatched to an armed robbery at the Express Market located at 3141 North State St.
Deputies responded to the location and contacted employees who stated a male subject entered the business and approached the checkout area. The male subject displayed a black semi-automatic handgun and demanded money.
The employee fled towards the back of the business and the male subject walked around the counter to the area of the cash register, according to the report.
The male subject forcibly removed the cash drawer containing an undisclosed amount of US currency, and fled the area on foot, the agency reported.
The male subject was described as being a white male adult, approximately 5 feet 11 inches to 6 feet tall, 190 to 200 pounds in weight, with blond hair. The sheriff’s office said the male subject was wearing white tennis shoes, gray pants, a black long-sleeved shirt, gloves, a multi-colored face mask and had a gray shirt tied around his head.
Anyone with information regarding the identity of this subject is urged to contact the Mendocino County Sheriff's Dispatch center at 707-463-4086.
Information can be given anonymously using the Sheriff's Office Tip Line at 707-234-2100 or by contacting the WeTip Anonymous Crime Reporting Hotline at http://wetip.com or by calling 800-732-7463.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The 19 new cases reported on Wednesday bring the county’s total to 79, Dr. Gary Pace reported.
It’s the largest single-day spike in confirmed cases for Lake County since the pandemic began.
“Lake County has experienced a significant rise in confirmed COVID-19 cases over the last week,” said Pace, noting that on June 25 the county was at 42 total cases.
Of Lake County’s 79 cases, 39 are active and 40 are recovered, with four people currently in the hospital, Pace said.
Pace said that none of the four hospitalized cases have been intubated.
“Thankfully, most of the people recently infected have relatively mild symptoms. The newly diagnosed folks with mild symptoms are stable and isolating at home with daily check-ins with Public Health,” he said.
Of the 37 cases reported since June 25, Pace said at least half resulted from an outbreak in the farmworker community, with the other cases stemming from a variety of sources.
“This pattern of spread indicates that there is at least some community transmission,” Pace said.
Pace said the initial case in the outbreak in the farmworker community was identified last week. The day after it was identified, a standup testing site was erected and more than 300 people were tested at that time.
Because of slow-downs in lab processing at the state level, Pace said the results are just now coming in.
The Public Health COVID-19 dashboard showed that 5,068 tests have been conducted, with the results from 911 of those tests still pending as of Wednesday evening.
There also have been details requiring confirmation for appropriate documentation, Pace said. For example, some of those tested work in Lake County but reside in another county, and will be added to the total in their county of residence.
“We are hopeful all results will be available by the end of the day,” he said.
Pace said the agricultural community and the farmworker representatives have all been extremely helpful and cooperative in testing and coordination. “Their operations have been put on hold until we are able to get on top of the spread.”
Some of the other cases confirmed over the past week involve several separate contacts with people out of the area who were later confirmed positive. “A few of the new cases have no identifiable source,” Pace said.
Pace said Lake County’s uptick in cases is consistent with statewide trends, which in recent weeks have shown a case surge.
By early Wednesday evening, more than 233,000 cases and 6,100 deaths statewide had been reported, based on Public Health departments reports.
Case investigation process explained
Pace said that the Lake County Health Department’s process in handling a confirmed case of COVID-19 is to do a “case investigation.”
They get information about the likely source of the infection and the people who have been in contact with the individual who has tested positive, and then they provide education regarding how to isolate, Pace said.
“Then, the people identified as contacts during the contagious period will get a call, and they are encouraged to quarantine and given information on how and where to get tested,” he said.
In situations where someone who tests positive has a job working with the public, Pace said the Health Department encourages the business to inform anyone who was present during the relevant time periods about the positive case.
Pace said any business is at risk now, so if one of the stores you go to informs the public of an employee who turns positive, “this is a very positive thing for that business to do.”
He added, “By being transparent about when infections may be present, the public can be reassured in those businesses that at other times, they are relatively safe. We strongly encourage the business community to work with the Health Department in letting the public know when a positive case occurs amongst their employees.”
Pace also continued to urge people to wear masks and practice social distancing to protect themselves and others.
“When investigating the contacts, it is clear people who wear masks and engage in social distancing are causing fewer of their friends and family to get COVID-19. Those who live in a household with individuals with underlying medical conditions or other vulnerabilities to severe complications must be particularly cautious,” he said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
- Details
- Written by: Lake County News reports
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Police have arrested a Lakeport man who assaulted two senior adults at Library Park on Tuesday, with authorities trying to identify the men who helped officers subdue the suspect during a struggle.
Todd Gary Ousterhout, 37, was arrested on Tuesday evening, according to the Lakeport Police Department.
At 5:50 p.m. Tuesday, Lakeport Police officers were dispatched to Library Park to investigate the report of a physical altercation, the department said.
Upon arrival, the department said officers contacted a 67-year-old male with visible injuries who stated that a subject later identified as Ousterhout had punched him in the back of the head then the nose, and also pushed his 92-year-old mother, who is recovering from recent surgery and has dementia.
The male victim identified and pointed out Ousterhout to the police officers on the scene. Police said Ousterhout looked toward the officers and then began running from the park heading north. Three officers began searching the area.
One officer spotted Ousterhout leaving a residential property in the 700 block of North Forbes Street and confronted him, giving him orders to show his hands. Police said Ousterhout complied and dropped a cellular telephone.
The officer then approached Ousterhout and attempted to take him into custody. Police said Ousterhout resisted arrest and while attempting to control Ousterhout, both the officer and Ousterhout fell to the ground as the struggle continued in the street.
Two unidentified male citizens stopped and began assisting the officer, as did a second officer who arrived at the location. Police said the two officers and two citizens were able to take Ousterhout into custody and remove him from the street.
During the course of the investigation, officers were contacted by another citizen who advised that prior to Ousterhout being contacted by police on North Forbes Street, he had been in the bushes at a private residence using his cell phone to take photographs of the inside of an occupied residence, according to the report.
Numerous witnesses were identified who saw and heard parts of the attack at Library Park. Police said the investigation revealed that Ousterhout had become violent and committed the assault over the fact that the male victim was wearing a Harley Davidson shirt and his belief that the victim was racist.
There is no indication at this time that any of the victims at the park or the residence being photographed were known to Ousterhout, police said.
The police department reported that Ousterhout was transported to a local hospital where he was treated for minor injuries and cleared for booking.
Ousterhout was booked for felony abuse of elder and/or dependent adults, prowling and resisting a police officer, police said.
Officers are seeking to identify the two male citizens who stopped and assisted police with the arrest of Ousterhout. Those persons are asked to contact the department at 707-263-5491, by private Facebook Message @LakeportPolice or by email at