WIND ADVISORY JKB 11/22/11
- THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A WIND ADVISORY THAT WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 PM WEDNESDAY.
SOUTH WINDS OF 15 TO 30 MILES PER HOUR WITH GUSTS 40 TO 50 MILES PER HOUR ARE EXPECTED. EXPOSED RIDGES AND COASTAL HEADLANDS COULD SEE GUSTS EXCEEDING 55 MILES PER HOUR. RESIDENTS ARE ADVISED TO SECURE LOOSE ITEMS. MOTORISTS ARE ADVISED USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING ESPECIALLY IN HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES.
MAN ENTERS PLEA IN CHILD SHOOTING JKB 11/22/11
- ONE OF THREE MEN CHARGED IN THE SHOOTING DEATH OF A 4 YEAR OLD BOY IN CLEARLAKE IN JUNE PLEADED NO CONTEST TO HIS INVOLVEMENT IN THE CRIME.
29 YEAR OLD KEVIN STONE INSISTED HE HAD KNOWN NOTHING ABOUT PLANS FOR A SHOOTING AT THE HOME OF 4 YEAR OLD SKYLAR RAPPS PARENTS, AND THAT HE HAD ONLY GIVEN 23 YEAR OLD PAUL BRADEN AND 21 YEAR OLD ORLANDO LOPEZ A RIDE THERE, DESPITE BEING ARMED WITH A WEAPON. BRADEN AND LOPEZ WILL STAND TRIAL TOGETHER BUT HAVE SEPARATE JURIES. THEIR TRIAL BEGINS ON JANUARY 11TH. STONE WILL BE SENTENCED AT A LATER DATE.
CHP OFFICER INJURED IN CRASH JKB 11/22/11
- A MARIN COUNTY CHP OFFICER WAS LUCKY TO ESCAPE WITH ONLY MINOR INJURIES AFTER FLIPPING HIS CAR ON HIGHWAY 101 MONDAY EVENING.
OFFICER DAVID HOTEA WAS ABLE ESCAPE FROM THE VEHICLE JUST AS IT CAUGHT FIRE AND AMMUNITION INSIDE BEGAN TO DISCHARGE. OFFICER HOTEA WAS DRIVING AT 70 TO 75 MILES AND HOUR ON HIS WAY TO A DRUNKEN DRIVER CALL WHEN HE LOST CONTROL OF HIS PATROL CAR, SLID ONTO THE MEDIAN STRIP AND OVERTURNED, COLLIDING WITH A GUARDRAIL AT 8:25 PM. HE WAS TAKEN TO MARIN GENERAL HOSPITAL. THE ACCIDENT CLOSED THE ROADWAY FOR ABOUT A HALF HOUR BECAUSE OF THE EXPLODING AMMUNITION.
FATAL MOTOR HOME FIRE JKB 11/22/11
- A CLEARLAKE FAMILYS FIRST OUTING IN A NEWLY PURCHASED USED MOTOR HOME TURNED TO TRAGEDY WHEN THE VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE WHILE PARKED AT THE SOUNDS OF THE SEA RV PARK ON PATRICKS POINT DRIVE IN HUMBOLDT COUNTY EARLY SUNDAY MORNING.
55 YEAR OLD JAMES GERACE AND 14 YEAR OLD DANIEL CRISTER DIED IN THE BLAZE. THE BOYS MOTHER, A 43 YEAR OLD WOMAN WHOSE NAME HAS NOT BEEN RELEASED AND A 4 YEAR OLD BOY WERE JUST BARELY ABLE TO ESCAPE. THE MOTHER AND CHILD WERE FLOWN TO SHRINERS HOSPITAL IN OAKLAND FOR TREATMENT. ACCORDING TO OFFICIALS, THE CHILD SUFFERED 2ND AND 3RD DEGREE BURNS ON ABOUT 40% OF HIS LOWER BODY. WHILE THE BLAZE IS BELIEVED TO BE ACCIDENTAL, THE CAUSE REMAINS UNDER INVESTIGATION.
SENTENCE IN FEDERAL POT BUST JKB 11/22/11
- A MAN WITH HOMES IN BOTH REDWOOD VALLEY AND UPPER LAKE, AND NUMEROUS PROPERTIES IN MENDOCINO, LAKE AND HUMBOLDT COUNTIES, WAS SENTENCED TO FIVE YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR CONSPIRACY TO DISTRIBUTE MARIJUANA AND THE FILING OF A FALSE TAX RETURN EARLIER THIS MONTH.
ACCORDING TO PROSECUTORS, 45 YEAR OLD SCOTT FEIL AND HIS WIFE DIANA WERE PART OF A MARIJUANA DISTRIBUTION OPERATION WITH BASES OF OPERATION IN LOS ANGELES, SAN DIEGO AND LAKE COUNTY. THE FEILS WERE ALSO ORDERED TO FORFEIT FIVE HOMES, TWO HOTELS, AND A RESTAURANT AS WELL AS MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN SEIZED ASSISTS. DIANA FEIL IS SET TO BE SENTENCED DECEMBER 8TH.
CALTRANS RELEASED DOCUMENTS ON FALSIFIED RECORDS JKB 11/22/11
· CALTRANS RELEASED HUNDREDS OF OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS YESTERDAY RELATED TO AN EMPLOYEE THAT WAS CAUGHT FALSIFYING DATA DURING THREE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS IN 2008.
BOTH CALTRANS AND THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION HAVE CONFIRMED THE EMPLOYEES FALSIFICATION WAS LIMITED TO THE LA SIERRA AVENUE BRIDGE IN RIVERSIDE, A RETAINING WALL AT BRADDOCK DRIVE ON I-405 IN LOS ANGELES AND AN OVERHEAD SIGN FOUNDATION ON I-580 IN OAKLAND. AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS HAS BEEN DONE AT EACH LOCATION TO ENSURE STRUCTURAL SAFETY. THE RECORDS SHOW THAT EVEN THOUGH THE SAME EMPLOYEE WORKED ON THE BAY BRIDGE, NONE OF HIS WORK ON THE BRIDGE WAS FALSIFIED AND THE BRIDGE IS STRUCTURALLY SOUND. THE EMPLOYEE HAS BEEN FIRED AND COULD FACE FUTURE PROSECUTION.
HOME INVASION ROBBERY JKB 11/22/11
· ANOTHER MARIJUANA HOME INVASION ROBBERY OCCURRED LAST NIGHT, THIS TIME IN HOPLAND.
ACCORDING TO THE MENDOCINO COUNTY SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT, TWO WOMEN AND A FEMALE JUVENILE WERE INSIDE THE HOME ON MAC MILLIAN DRIVE WHEN TWO MASKED MALE SUSPECTS FORCED THEIR WAY INSIDE AND SPRAYED ONE OF THE OCCUPANTS IN THE FACE WITH PEPPER SPRAY OR MACE AT AROUND 8:30 PM. THE TWO INTRUDERS THEN TOOK APPROXIMATELY $1500 IN CASH AND 10 POUNDS OF PROCESSED MARIJUANA AND FLED. A SEARCH OF THE AREA YIELDED NO SUSPECTS. ANYONE WITH INFORMATION ABOUT THIS INCIDENT IS ASKED TO CONTACT THE MENDOCINO COUNTY SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT.
CEMETERY VANDALISM JKB 11/22/11
· A HUMBOLDT COUNTY COUPLE HAVE PLEADED GUILTY TO VANDALIZING THREE CEMETERIES IN THE FORTUNA AREA THE NIGHT BEFORE HALLOWEEN.
JAMES MCMINN AND MARGERET LOPES, BOTH 22, CAUSED AN ESTIMATE $30,000 IN DAMAGE WHEN THEY KNOCKED OVER MONUMENTS AND HEADSTONES, AND SCATTERED DEER PARTS AT THE THREE LOCATIONS. MCMINN ALSO PLEADED GUILTY TO ONE COUNTY OF MAKING CRIMINAL THREATS FOR THREATENING TO KILL A WITNESS THAT CONFRONTED THEM. UNDER THE TERMS OF A PLEA BARGAIN AGREEMENT, MCMINN FACES A YEAR AND 8 MONTHS IN PRISON, WHILE LOPES COULD RECEIVE UP TO A YEAR. BOTH WILL ALSO HAVE TO PAY RESTITUTION.
