MAN ARRESTED FOR GRANDFATHERS MURDER JKB 3/19/12
- A WILLITS MAN WAS ARRESTED FOR THE MURDER OF HIS GRANDFATHER LATE SATURDAY.
DEPUTIES WERE CALLED TO THE HOME ON EAST HILL ROAD JUST AFTER 11 PM. WHEN THEY ARRIVED THEY LEARNED THAT A PHYSICAL ASSAULT HAD TAKEN PLACE BETWEEN 84 YEAR OLD RICHARD WILKINSON AND HIS GRANDSON WHO WAS CARE TAKING FOR HIM, 22 YEAR OLD KENNETH WILKINSON. FAMILY MEMBERS SAID THE ELDERLY WILKINSON WAS MISSING FROM THE HOME AND COULD NOT BE FOUND. DEPUTIES SEARCHED THE AREA AND FOUND THE VICTIM DEAD DOWNHILL OFF THE SIDE OF MARIPOSA CREEK ROAD. KENNETH WILKINSON WAS ARRESTED AND BOOKED INTO THE COUNTY JAIL ON CHARGES OF MURDER. AN AUTOPSY ON THE VICTIM IS SCHEDULED FOR THIS WEEK. ANYONE WITH INFORMATION ABOUT THIS INCIDENT IS ASKED TO CONTACT THE MENDOCINO COUNTY SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT.
FATAL ACCIDENT JKB 3/19/12
- ONE PERSON WAS KILLED WHEN THEIR CAR STRUCK A TREE OFF HIGHWAY 20, 14 AND A HALF MILES OUTSIDE OF FORT BRAGG ON FRIDAY.
CHP OFFICERS WERE CALLED TO THE SCENE AT AROUND 10:30 AM. THE CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING THE ACCIDENT AND THE NAME OF THE VICTIM HAVE NOT BEEN RELEASED.
MISSING MAN FOUND JKB 3/19/12
- A 76 YEAR OLD MAN WITH DEMENTIA AND OTHER MEDICAL PROBLEMS, WHO WALKED AWAY FROM HIS HOME ON COBB DRIVE IN THE BROOKTRIALS TOWNSHIP OF WILLITS, WAS FOUND ALIVE AFTER A NEARLY FIVE HOUR SEARCH ON FRIDAY.
THE MAN WAS REPORTED MISSING AT AROUND NOON. 59 VOLUNTEERS FROM COUNTY SEARCH AND RESCUE, THE CITIZENS EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM, COUNTY PROBATION, THE BROOKTRIALS FIRE DEPARTMENT AND SEVEN SWORN PEACE OFFICERS PARTICIPATED IN THE SEARCH. THE ELDERLY MAN WAS FOUND BY A VOLUNTEER AND HER K-9 PARTNER AT AROUND 5:15 PM. THE MAN WAS REPORTED TO BE CONFUSED, WET AND COLD, BUT CONSCIOUS. HE WAS TRANSPORTED TO HOWARD MEMORIAL HOSPITAL FOR A MEDICAL EVALUATION. HE IS EXPECTED TO MAKE A FULL RECOVERY.
E-QUAKE AT GEYSERS JKB 3/19/12
- THE GEYSERS WERE SHAKEN BY A 3.1 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE ON SATURDAY, THE 9TH QUAKE 3.0 OR LARGER TO STRIKE THE AREA SINCE THE FIRST OF THE YEAR.
THE QUAKE OCCURRED AT 4:21 PM AND WAS CENTERED 2 MILES WEST OF COBB AND 3 MILES NORTHEAST OF THE STEAM FIELDS.
SENTENCING DELAYED IN MCGINTY CASE JKB 3/19/12
- THE SENTENCING OF A WILLITS WOMAN CONVICTED OF SETTING FIRE TO HER HOME IN AN ATTEMPT TO KILL HERSELF AND HER QUADRIPLEGIC SON, WAS DELAYED BY A WEEK AND A HALF ON FRIDAY.
51 YEAR OLD NANCY JO MCGINTY FACES A MAXIMUM SENTENCE OF 18 AND A HALF YEARS IN PRISON AFTER PLEADING GUILTY TO CHARGES OF ATTEMPTED VOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER AND ARSON WITH SPECIAL ALLEGATIONS. MCGINTY HAD TAKEN CARE OF HER SON BY HERSELF FOR FOUR YEARS AND SAID SHE HAD FINALLY REACHED A POINT WHERE SHE COULD NO LONGER DO IT AND WANTED TO KILL HERSELF. SHE CLAIMED HER SON AGREED TO DIE WITH HER. PROSECUTORS SAY HOWEVER THAT MCGINTY WAS NOT IN THE HOUSE AT THE TIME OF THE EXPLOSION AND FIRE. HER SON, MICHAEL FAUSTINA WAS SAVED BY A NEIGHBOR WHO PULLED HIM FROM THE BURNING HOME. DISTRICT ATTORNEY DAVID EYSTER IS ASKING FOR A 13 YEAR SENTENCE. MCGINTYS DEFENSE ATTORNEY ARGUED THAT MCGINTY IS NOT A THREAT TO OTHERS AND HAS ASKED FOR 3 YEARS PROBATION, OR A 9 YEAR SENTENCE IF THAT OPTION IS UNAVAILABLE. JUDGE RICHARD HENDERSON SAID HE WAS TAKE THE MATTER UNDER CONSIDERATION AND WILL RENDER A DECISION ON WEDNESDAY MARCH 28TH.
WISCONSIN POT BUST LEADS TO ARRESTS IN KELSEYVILLE JKB 3/19/12
- A MARIJUANA BUST IN LAKE WINNEBAGO WISCONSIN LED TO THE ARREST OF A KELSEYVILLE WOMAN AND HER SON ON DRUG CHARGES A WEEK AGO FRIDAY.
43 YEAR OLD SPENCER BREITREITER OF KELSEYVILLE WAS IDENTIFIED AS ONE OF THE PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR TRANSPORTING MULTIPLE POUNDS OF MARIJUANA TO A LOCATION IN WISCONSIN. A STORAGE UNIT RENTAL AGREEMENT FOUND IN HIS POSSESSION LED POLICE TO SEARCH THE KELSEYVILLE HOME OF 45 YEAR OLD ELIZABETH LANGO AND HER 28 YEAR OLD SON BRANDON AUGSBURGER. INSIDE OFFICERS FOUND 47 GROWING MARIJUANA PLANTS, 20 POUNDS OF PROCESSED MARIJUANA, A SHEET OF LSD CONTAINING APPROXIMATELY 100 HITS A 20 GAUGE SHOTGUN, DIGITAL SCALES AND MORE THAN $16,000 IN CASH. DETECTIVES ALSO SEIZED A BANK ACCOUNT IN LANGOS NAME THAT CONTAINED MORE THAN $20,000. A SEARCH OF THE STORAGE UNIT TURNED UP A LEXUS AND 96 POUNDS OF MARIJUANA PACKAGED IN VACCUUM SEALED BAGS.
WEAPONS ARREST JKB 3/19/12
- ACTING ON A CONFIDENTIAL TIP, MENDOCINO COUNTY SHERIFFS DEPUTIES ARRESTED TWO MEN WITH A CACHE OF ILLEGAL WEAPONS IN BOONVILLE ON FRIDAY.
DEPUTIES SERVED A SEARCH WARRANT ON THE HOME OF 45 YEAR OLD VINCE BALLEW AT AROUND 4 PM. DURING A SEARCH OF THE PROPERTY, POLICE LOCATED 26 FIREARMS, INCLUDING DIFFERENT TYPES OF RIFLES, SHOTGUNS AND HANDGUNS. FIVE OF THE WEAPONS WERE ASSAULT RIFLES, ONE WAS AN UZI MACHINE GUN AND TWO WERE LATER DETERMINED TO HAVE BEEN STOLEN DURING A BURGLARY IN UKIAH IN OCTOBER. VARIOUS TYPES AND AMOUNTS OF AMMUNITION WERE ALSO LOCATED AT THE HOME. BALLEW WAS ARRESTED FOR POSSESSION OF THE ILLEGAL AND STOLEN WEAPONS. 40 YEAR OLD PATRICK MARIANI OF PHILO WAS ARRESTED ON THE SAME CHARGES, AS WELL AS BEING A CONVICTED FELON IN POSSESSION OF FIREARMS.
JUG HANDLE STATE PART TO STAY OPEN ANOTHER YEAR JKB 3/19/12
- JUG HANDLE STATE PARK ON THE MENDOCINO COAST GOT A 1 YEAR REPRIEVE FROM CLOSURE, THANKS TO A COMBINED EFFORT BY THE OLMSTED PARK FUND AND THE CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS FOUNDATION.
THE TWO GROUPS CAME TOGETHER TO PROVIDE $19,000 TO THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION TO KEEP THE PARK OPEN TO THE PUBLIC WITH MINIMAL SERVICES. EIGHT STATE PARKS IN MENDOCINO COUNTY WERE SLATED FOR CLOSURE DUE TO STATE LEVEL BUDGET CUTS. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE OLMSTED PARK FUND ALDEN OLMSTED SAID KEEPING JUG HANDLE OPEN WAS A TRIBUTE TO HIS FATHER, JOHN OLMSTEDS MEMORY AND LEGACY. ECOLOGIST AND BOTANIST JOHN OLMSTEDS LIFES WORK HELPED ESTABLISH THE PARK 40 YEARS AGO.
