A mistrial has been declared in the case of a Redwood Valley man accused of misdemeanor domestic battery and it will likely not be retried. The Mendocino County DA’s office says the Superior Court jury deciding the trial of Gavin Benjiman Lewis told the judge they deadlocked and would not be able to reach a unanimous verdict. But the DA alleges the trial judge mistakenly dismissed the charge instead of setting the case for a new trial within 30 days, as required by law, and instead told the prosecutor to refile the charge and get a new trial. The DA says in a statement on social media a misdemeanor cannot be refiled a second time.
The father of a teenage girl attacked by a pack of dogs last month in Piercy says she is slowly recovering but has severe injuries. Police have been very tight lipped about the case since it first happened November 6 but the news site Redheaded Blackbelt reports the father has confirmed the girl was a runaway from San Diego and was staying at a property in the remote area when she was attacked by the dogs. The girl remains at UC Davis hospital. Meanwhile Mendocino County investigators say 13 dogs have been seized from the area but they have not been able to positively link any of them to the attack. Neighbors of the property where the attack happened say they are concerned for their safety but investigators say the dog owners are not being cooperative.
The longtime artistic director of the Mendocino Ballet is retiring. This weekend’s performance of “The Nutcracker” is the swan song for Trudy McCreanor who has decided to step away after 25 years. She tells the Ukiah Daily Journal she wanted her dancers to have a high level of training to be able to dance key roles in the holiday classic such as the Sugar Plum Fairy so her focus was always on comprehensive, professional dance training encouraging dancers of all ages but in a non-competitive environment. She says over her 25 years she is especially proud of Mendocino Ballet’s French Cultural Exchange Program and the Ballet company’s membership in Regional Dance America of which she is currently the president of the Pacific Region.
Lake County’s Toys for Tots Distribution event is this weekend at Lakeport City Hall. To receive toys you need to sign up in advance with Toys for Tots Lake County. Officials say the distribution will cover all of Lake County. After you sign up you need to remember to bring a valid ID for yourself and some kind of verification for each child you are picking up for. They prefer that parents of their children pick up their own gifts but if that is not possible you need to send along a signed note plus all the verification information for all the children. And no kids are allowed at the toy distribution.
California’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction is sponsoring a senate bill to keep U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from coming within a mile radius of schools and keep them from accessing school data with the goal of deporting any students. Lake County News reports the bill was introduced Monday by Senate Majority Leader Lena Gonzalez. State Schools Superintendent Tony Thurmond says while one goal of the bill is to protect immigrant families from the fear of deportation, it also addresses the problem of those kids dropping out of school which lowers attendance and therefore lowers some state funding that is based on enrollment numbers.
