MAN KILLED BY COP IDENTIFIED JKB 11/28/11
- A MAN WHO WAS SHOT TO DEATH BY A SEBASTOPOL POLICE OFFICER THANKSGIVING DAY HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS 25 YEAR OLD PABLO PEREZ RAMIREZ OF PETALUMA.
PEREZ WAS REPORTEDLY UPSET OVER A RECENT BREAKUP WITH HIS 20 YEAR OLD GIRLFRIEND. POLICE WERE CALLED TO THE HOME OF THE GIRLS GRANDMOTHER ON A REPORT THAT PEREZ WAS POUNDING ON THE BACK DOOR. THE FIRST OFFICER TO ARRIVE ON THE SCENE, IDENTIFIED AS 60 YEAR OLD DENNIS COLTHURST, A 31 YEAR VETERAN OF THE FORCE, ENCOUNTERED RAMIREZ ARMED WITH A LOADED HANDGUN AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS. RAMIREZ REFUSED ORDERS TO DROP THE GUN AND WAS FIRED UPON WHEN HE BRANDISHED THE WEAPON AT THE OFFICER. HE DIED AT THE SCENE. OFFICER COLTHURST HAS BEEN PLACED ON ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE PENDING THE OUTCOME OF AN INVESTIGATION.
FATAL ACCIDENT JKB 11/28/11
- ONE PERSON WAS KILLED AND ANOTHER WAS SEVERELY INJURED IN A HEAD ON COLLISION ON HIGHWAY 29 NEAR KELSEYVILLE LATE SUNDAY NIGHT.
THE CRASH OCCURRED AT AROUND 11 PM JUST SOUTH OF BOTTLE ROCK ROAD. VERY FEW DETAILS ABOUT THE ACCIDENT WERE AVAILABLE. ONE OF THE VEHICLES WAS ON FIRE WHEN RESCUE PERSONNEL ARRIVED. ONE PERSON REPORTEDLY DIED AT THE SCENE, WHILE THE OTHER WAS TAKEN TO SUTTER LAKESIDE HOSPITAL BY AMBULANCE WHEN MEDICAL HELICOPTERS DECLINED TO RESPOND DUE TO WEATHER CONCERNS. THE ROADWAY WAS OPEN TO ONE WAY CONTROLLED TRAFFIC AT AROUND 12:15 AM THIS MORNING AND WAS COMPLETELY CLEARED BY 1 AM. THE NAMES OF THE CRASH VICTIMS OR THE DETAILS REGARDING THE ACCIDENT HAVE NOT BEEN RELEASED.
EXPLOSIVES FOUND IN CLEARLAKE STORAGE UNIT JKB 11/28/11
- ALTHOUGH DETAILS ARE SKETCHY, IT WAS REPORTED THAT THE DISCOVERY OF DANGEROUS EXPLOSIVES AT A STORAGE UNIT ON OLYMPIC DRIVE IN CLEARLAKE LED TO THE EVACUATION OF A NEARBY APARTMENT COMPLEX AND REQUIRED THE SERVICES OF THE BOMB SQUAD LATE SUNDAY.
REPORTS INDICATED THAT C-4 WAS FOUND IN ONE OF THE UNITS AT OLYMPIC STORAGE LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON. THE ADAGIO APARTMENTS NEXT DOOR WERE EVACUATED AND THE BOMB SQUAD WAS CALLED INTO REMOVE AND DETONATE THE EXPLOSIVE, WHICH OCCURRED AT AROUND 9:30 PM. THERE WERE NO REPORTED INJURIES. NO OTHER DETAILS ABOUT THE INCIDENT HAVE BEEN RELEASED.
UNDER ROADWAY LANDSLIDE IMPACTS 101 JKB 11/28/11
- A LANDSLIDE THAT HAS SLID UNDER THE ROADWAY INSTEAD OF OVER IT HAS CLOSED THE SLOW LANE OF NORTHBOUND HIGHWAY 101 NEAR FROG WOMAN ROCK AND THE KOREAN WAR VETERANS MEMORIAL BRIDGE SOUTH OF HOPLAND.
HEAVY RAINS EARLIER THIS YEAR CAUSED THE SLIDE THAT IS PUSHING UP THE ROADWAY. CALTRANS OFFICIALS SAY REPAIRS WILL NOT TAKE PLACE ANYTIME SOON UNLESS THE SITUATION BECOMES WORSE AND CAUSES THE CLOSURE OF THE NUMBER 2 LANE AS WELL. CURRENTLY TRAFFIC HAS BEEN REDUCED TO ONE NORTHBOUND LANE AND TWO SOUTHBOUND LANES.
DISMISSAL OF MURDER CHARGES SOUGHT JKB 11/28/11
- THE ATTORNEY FOR A HUMBOLDT COUNTY WOMAN CHARGED IN THE DEATH OF HER INFANT SON WHO WAS FED METHAMPHETAMINE LACED BREAST MILK, IS SEEKING THE DISMISSAL OF THE MURDER CHARGE IN THE CASE.
A JUDGE IN JULY DETERMINED THERE WAS ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO TRY 26 YEAR OLD MAGGIE WORTMAN ON CHARGES OF INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER IN THE DEATH OF 6 WEEK OD MICHAEL ACOSTA THE THIRD, WHO DIED OF METHAMPHETAMINE TOXICITY AFTER DRINKING THE TAINTED BREAST MILK NOVEMBER 21ST OF LAST YEAR. PROSECUTORS RE-FILED THE CASE WITH A MURDER CHARGE ALLEGING WORTMANS INTENTIONALLY RECKLESS ACTIONS EQUATED TO IMPLIED MALICE, TANTAMOUNT TO MURDER. WORTMANS ATTORNEY FILED A MOTION EARLIER THIS MONTH TO DISMISS THE CHARGE, SAYING THE FACTS OF THE CASE DO NOT SUPPORT THE CHARGE. A JUDGE IS CONSIDERING BOTH ARGUMENTS THIS WEEK. A TRIAL DATE HAS NOT YET BEEN SET.
MEDICAL MARIJUANA INITIATIVE SEEKS SIGNATURES JKB 11/28/11
- TWO MEDICAL MARIJUANA ADVOCACY GROUPS IN LAKE COUNTY WILL BEGIN COLLECTING SIGNATURES THIS WEEK FOR A NEW MEDICAL MARIJUANA CULTIVATION ORDINANCE THEY HOPE TO PUT BEFORE COUNTY VOTERS.
THE LAKE COUNTY CITIZENS FOR RESPONSIBLE REGULATIONS AND THE LAKE COUNTY GREEN FARMERS ASSOCIATION HAVE SUBMITTED AN INITIATIVE PROPOSAL TO REPLACE AND REPEAL AN ORDINANCE PASSED BY THE LAKE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS IN OCTOBER. THE ADVOCATES WANT THE VOTERS TO DECIDE WHAT REGULATIONS SHOULD BE IMPLEMENTED AND HAVE DRAFTED A NEW ORDINANCE. THEY HAVE UNTIL DECEMBER 22ND TO GATHER A MINIMUM OF 2,115 SIGNATURES FROM REGISTERED LAKE COUNTY VOTERS. IF THEY ARE SUCCESSFUL, THE SUPERVISORS WILL THEN DECIDE WEATHER TO PUT THE ISSUE BEFORE VOTERS, OR ADOPT THE NEW ORDINANCE AS IT IS WRITTEN, WITHOUT ANY CHANGES.
UKIAH CASINO PROJECT SCALED DOWN JKB 11/28/11
- THE PINOLEVILLE BAND OF POMO INDIANS HAS REPORTEDLY SCALED BACK A CASINO PLANNED FOR NORTH UKIAH.
ACCORDING TO THE UKIAH VALLEY SANITATION DISTRICT, THE ORIGINAL PROJECT FOR A 90,000 SQUARE FOOT CASINO, AND A 72,100 SQUARE FOOT HOTEL WOULD HAVE REQUIRED AT LEAST 134 EQUIVALENT SEWER SERVICE UNITS OR ESSUS, AND A LETTER STATING THE SANITATION DISTRICT WOULD MAKE THOSE AVAILABLE WAS ISSUED LAST YEAR. TRIBAL LEADERS THIS YEAR HAVE REQUESTED A SIMILAR LETTER, AND BASED ON VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS, THE REVISED SIZE OF THE PROJECT WILL NOW ONLY REQUIRE AN ESTIMATED 45 ESSU CONNECTIONS. THE CASINO PROJECT IS STILL IN THE DESIGN PHASE, AND COULD TAKE MONTHS TO COMPLETE.
