An alleged car thief has been arrested following what Ukiah Police describe as a very destructive chase and crash. It happened Tuesday when several 911 calls came in about two men trying to break into cars. Ukiah Police say they already had Gabriel Chaon as a person of interest for other recent break-ins as he was on probation for a previous stolen car incident. When a Mendocino Deputy spotted a speeding car, a UPD Sergeant joined in and followed what turned out to be Chaon. They allege he sped through red lights, barely missed some gas pumps, and rammed through the hydraulic gate at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses and a fence at an apartment complex before slamming into a tree. They say he did this in a car he’d just stolen on Yokayo.
A Mendocino man has been identified as the person whose body was found near Portuguese Beach on Tuesday. A person walking by spotted the body and called for help which brought out the Mendocino Volunteer Fire Department Water-Rescue Team who used jet-skis to retrieve the body. The Sheriff says it was 65-year-old Douglas Craig Shapiro who was found on the beach below the steep cliff south of Kasten Street and his injuries indicate he likely fell to his death. So far foul play is not suspected but the Sheriff says it could take months to arrive at the official manner and cause of death.
Two men have been rescued after spending six days stranded in the Mendocino National Forest. The Glenn County Sheriff’s Office says they got an Apple SOS Emergency call Friday from Ivan CamposRodriguez about him and his brother, Alan CamposRodriguez, who had gotten stranded in their SUV five days earlier after getting stuck in a low water crossing. Officials say they were trying to navigate using a map app which sent them on remote unmaintained roads. Glenn County Search and Rescue and CHP Patrol Air Ops had already searched and found Alan with the SUV but not Ivan who had hiked for help. When Ivan got to a spot with cell reception they found him.
The Clear Lake Hitch could soon be getting federal protection as a threatened species. This week the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said they plan to add the Clear Lake Hitch to the threatened list, following a 12-year effort to do so from environmentalists and local tribes. The Clear Lake Hitch is only found in the Clear Lake watershed and its numbers have dwindled in the last 20 years. The Press Democrat reports a listing under the Endangered Species Act would allow for protections for the habitat and regulate any activity that could harm the hitch. There are already some local, regional, state and tribal rules but officials say this would add another layer. The feds had previously said no to the listing in 2012 and in 2020 but this time have given the hitch the green light.
A unique piano concert is coming back to Ukiah next weekend. The 32nd annual Professional Pianist Concert is set for January 25 and 26 at the Mendocino College Center Theatre. Several musicians will take to the keyboard with styles including classical, jazz, boogie-woogie, Cuban, blues, ragtime and more. And each night is different so you may want to go to both. The concerts benefit the Ukiah Community Concert Association, Mendocino College Recording Arts Club and the Allegro Scholarship Program. Get tickets online at www.UkiahConcerts.org
