Fort Bragg Police have a new clue that could provide important information about 15-year-old Roy Mora who has been missing for nearly two weeks. In an update Thursday, Police Chief Neil Cervenka disclosed that someone found Roy’s phone. The man told investigators he picked up the phone on the sidewalk near the middle of the Noyo Bridge on the night Roy disappeared and tried to get into it but it was locked. When he saw a poster about Roy, he turned it in anonymously to a business earlier this week which turned it over to police. The FBI has the phone and are trying to break into it for any saved information. Chief Cervenka says the man who found the phone has been investigated and is being cooperative. He reiterates there are no indications of foul play.
A drone has helped Ukiah Police catch a guy they say had been at large for three months. It started with an officer trying to pull over a woman who was talking on her phone while driving, but when she refused to stop and made a sudden turn into a vineyard, the officer followed and saw a guy jump out of the car. The UPD drone operator found Douglas Whipple III hiding in a creek. Police say he had two outstanding felony warrants for parole violations for a gun-related offense. Police then issued a warrant for the woman driving because she was allegedly helping Whipple to get away. They found Anamaria Mejia at her home where they also allegedly found a large stash of pot, meth and magic mushrooms which they believe may have been set up to sell.
The Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake have gotten a $2.4 million grant to increase public safety. The Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant will support the Tribe’s Responder, Patient and Pedestrian Safety Project which aims to improve the safety of emergency responders as well as their patients in and around Upper Lake. The project is in partnership with the Northshore Fire Protection District with Fire Chief Mike Ciancio telling Lake County News the grant is a game-changer for the safety and efficiency of emergency response in the community because it will improve coordination between responders and the public to make responses faster and safer. Some of the tech with the grant include transponders to alert drivers that emergency vehicles are near and a specialized care database to get patient health information to first responders faster.
Ukiah Police are urging drivers to double check for people walking before making any turns or lane changes as they investigate an accident in which a person was hit by a car in the middle of the day on Monday. It happened around 1pm at the corner of East Gobbi Street and South Orchard Avenue. Police have not named the woman who was hit, saying only she is from Lake County and that her injuries are so serious she had to be taken to a hospital out of the area. While they are still investigating exactly what happened, police say so far they don’t think the driver was under the influence.
For families that need help with getting enough food, the CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable EBT Pilot Program is back. The pilot program gives recipients of CalFresh benefits a dollar back for every dollar they spend on fruits and vegetables at participating stores, up to $60 a month. The Mendocino Voice reports the CalFresh Pilot had to go on hiatus last year due to funding but recently got a $10 million boost from the state legislature so it will run again until the money runs out.
Governor Gavin Newsom has proclaimed a state of emergency due the impact the “bird flu” is having on the state dairy industry. With a growing number of cows being detected with Avian Influenza A, also called H5N1 or “bird flu”, Newsom wants to expand and coordinate state resources to contain the spread of the virus. Officials say California has already established the largest testing and monitoring system in the nation to respond to “bird flu” but the emergency proclamation gives local agencies more flexibility around staffing, contracting, and other rules. The state says they are also working to minimize exposure of workers at dairy cattle and poultry farms around California.
