A man from Ukiah has been sent to prison for possession of child pornography. Miguel Ramon Flores in court last Friday pleading guilty. On the spot he was sent to prison for 8 years. He also admitted he had a previous strike on his record out of Tulare County for lewd and lascivious acts on a child under the age of 14. That means the child pornography term, which is generally 4 years, doubles. Plus any credit for good and work time is limited to 20 percent of his overall sentence. He will also have to register every year for life as a convicted sex offender. Court papers say he received videos from a female acquaintance where she was performing sex acts on her two-year old son after they met on the Dark Web.
The Mendocino County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder Katrina Bartolomie has paperwork for those impacted by the Hopkins Fire. Anyone who has damage or destruction to their home or any other structure has to file an application for a “Reassessment of Property Damaged by Misfortune or Calamity”. That is posted on the agency’s website. You can also call the office to get the application mailed to you. It applies for anyone who had over $10,000 damage. The application must be sent to the Assessor within 12 months of the date of the calamity. An appraiser will contact applicants after the Assessor’s office reviews the information. The whole process is free.
Another death has been reported in Mendocino County due to the coronavirus. Mendocino County Public Health says it was notified of another Mendocino County resident lost to the COVID-19 Virus. This time it was an elderly man from Fort Bragg. The 96 year old was the county’s 76th death and he was vaccinated. Public Health continues to warn to be cautious when putting yourself in a situation where you could be exposed, especially due to the more infectious Delta variant which has been ravaging the country. The agency also asks you to follow all CDC and CDPH guidance at this time. Vaccination, masking and social distancing remain the best options for combating the Covid-19 Virus.
People living in Redwood Valley posting on social media they were without power. The posts last night after dinner time in the Redwood Valley Community Awareness and Information group. Mendo Fever reported about two dozen reports of no power in the group. The Pacific Gas & Electric power outage map did show there were some in the area in the dark, but it didn’t say how many residences were affected, but maybe as many as 50, per the news site. The power company indicated they had a crew out and they’d have power restored early this morning. But then about 40 minutes later it was 500 homes without power. The company sent out an alert that it was 1,200 homes altogether, but later their map had the total back down to under 600.
A new fire has burned in Ukiah, but is reportedly out already. Reports yesterday afternoon were that the fire had burned three acres along the 1500 block of Low Gap Road west of Ukiah. Ukiah High School was evacuated too, just before kids were let out for the day. Parents were also told to avoid Low Gap Road when they eventually went to pick students up. The fire was reported in dry grass, burning uphill. The Battalion Chief for Cal Fire reported even though we had some recent rain, it was not near enough, and the fire moved fast through dry grasses because of high temperatures and wind. Cal Fire along with Ukiah Valley Fire Authority and the California Conservation Corps were on the scene and the Sheriff’s Office and Ukiah Police were on Low Gap Road directing traffic through the area.
Reports of a death after an ATV crash in northern Mendocino County. Emergency responders on the scene yesterday around 4 p.m. east of Confusion Hill off the Red Mountain Access Road on Cat Track Road/BLM Road 10. Reports from responders to emergency dispatch said there was one deceased person, but no other info was released.
Another state of emergency declared in Mendocino County, this one because of the Hopkins Fire. The Mendocino County Board Of Supervisors declared the emergency yesterday at their meeting so that federal and state funds can be funneled in to the county for disaster cleanup and recovery. The county’s disaster recovery coordinator reported there were 67 structures destroyed, including 36 single-family homes and 31 accessory structures. There were also almost 30 vehicles burned, seven trailers and three boats. But all of that was preliminary. There were also damaged roads and water infrastructure for one subdivision of homes. Mendo Voice reports there will soon be a one day assistance center set up for fire survivors. And the supervisors also gave their approval for a permit program for fire survivors to use trailer coaches as temporary housing for up to three years on their properties.
West Nile Virus has been detected in Lake County. Lake Co News reports Lake County Vector Control said the virus was found in two mosquito samples and in sentinel chickens near Upper Lake. The mosquitoes were found in Lower and Upper Lake. It comes after other samples this summer near Kelseyville and Upper Lake. Vector Control said if there’s virus present in sentinel chickens, it also shows conditions are right for human infections from West Nile virus. So of course, they are warning to try to avoid mosquito bites and dump or drain standing water, use bug repellant and avoid being outdoors when the pests may be present, like dusk and dawn.
A man killed after a car chase who later died after crashing into a tree has been identified. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office says it was 33 year old Claud Walker of Willits killed in the crash on Highway 20 Monday afternoon. The CHP reported getting a bunch of calls that the man had been driving recklessly and fast in a 1998 Mercedes-Benz on westbound Highway 20. They reported he may have been in a crash earlier with another car at a roundabout at Highway 20 and Highway 29. He eventually crashed after the CHP went after him and he ran off Hwy 20 near Upper Lake, hit a tree and rolled, then hit another tree. His car burst into flames and he was ejected. There was also a fire nearby after that had spread from his car.
It was sort of a wash… Californians didn’t really cut their water consumption as requested due to the drought. The Governor was asking a couple of months ago for residents to curb water use by 15%. But as of the last report on water consumption, which is for the month of July, there was only a 1.8% cut. The state water board says we have to do better after Newsom declared a drought emergency in the Russian River watershed in April. Data showed people in that region cut their water consumption by 17% compared to July of 2020. The latest data was released yesterday.
A woman who used to live in Fort Bragg has been sent to prison instead of taking on a jury trial for the sexual abuse of her 2 year old son and distributing child pornography with him in it. The Mendocino County DA’s office says 21 year old Lena Reid got 14 years for continuous sexual abuse of a child and using a minor to create for distribute child pornography. She will also have to register for life as a convicted sex offender wherever she is living. Police say it comes after she repeatedly sexually abused her two-year old son and created pornography to share with others showing her performing sex acts on the child. She claims someone threatened her so that’s why she did it. Her son is now with his biological father, who the DA says is getting him therapy.
A man who police say was involved in a honey oil manufacturing business has reportedly died after causing an explosion in a trailer in an RV park in Ukiah. Police say the 56-year-old Ukiah man died at a hospital in Sacramento County after he was severely injured Sept. 9th where there were also a couple of children inside. Both children had to go to the hospital, but are home now and expected to be fine. Police say they were not the man’s children, but they were somehow related. The explosion happened at the Manor Oaks Mobile Estates in the 700 block of East Gobbi Street. The fire was out when firefighters arrived. The man’s name was not released.
