News 9/27/10

RESTAURATEUR KILLED IN HIT & RUN JKB 9/27/10

• A LAKE COUNTY RESTAURATEUR WAS KILLED WHEN A DRIVER PULLED IN FRONT ON HIS MOTORCYCLE ON HIGHWAY 29 FRIDAY MORNING.

ACCORDING TO THE CHP, 57 YEAR OLD ZINO MEZOUI, THE OWNER OF ZINOS RISTORANTE AND INN IN KELSEYVILLE WAS TRAVELING SOUTH BOUND ON HIGHWAY 29 WHEN A BLUE CHEVY SUBURBAN PULLED IN FRONT OF HIM FROM SEIGLER CANYON ROAD AT 10:17 AM. MEZOUI STUCK THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR OF THE SUBURBAN. HE WAS AIRLIFTED TO SANTA ROSA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL WHERE HE LATER DIED OF HIS INJURIES. THE SUBURBAN FLED THE SCENE, WESTBOUND ON SEIGLER CANYON ROAD. AUTHORITIES ARE WORKING TO IDENTIFY AND LOCATE THE DRIVER. THE INVESTIGATION INTO THE CRASH IS CONTINUING.

FATAL DUI CRASH JKB 9/23/10

• A 52 YEAR OLD WOMAN WAS KILLED BY AN ALLEGED DRUNK DRIVER ON HIGHWAY 20 JUST WEST OF SCOTTS VALLEY ROAD FRIDAY MORNING.

ACCORDING TO THE CHP, THE WOMAN, WHOS NAME HAS NOT BEEN RELEASED, WAS TRAVELING EASTBOUND WHEN AN SUV, DRIVEN BY ANTON KLOIBER OF PIERCY CROSSED THE CENTERLINE WHILE ROUNDING A CURVE AND STRUCK HER HEAD ON AT 10:38 AM. KLOIBERS VEHICLE CONTINUED WESTBOUND AND COLLIDED INTO THE LEFT REAR OF A PICK UP TRUCK THAT WAS ALSO TRAVELING EASTBOUND. NEITHER KLOIBER NOR THE DRIVER OF THE PICK UP WAS INJURED. THE WOMAN DIED AT THE SCENE. KLOIBER WAS BOOKED INTO THE COUNTY JAIL FOR GROSS VEHICULAR MANSLAUGHTER WHILE INTOXICATED AND DUI.

FIREFIGHTER INJURED BODEGA BAY BLAZE JKB 9/27/10

• A VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER WAS SEVERELY INJURED WHEN HE CAME IN CONTACT WITH A DOWNED POWER LINE WHILE BATTLING A WILDFIRE IN BODEGA BAY OVER THE WEEKEND.

THE FIREFIGHTER SUFFERED ELECTRICAL SHOCK AND SUBSEQUENT BURNS. HE WAS AIRLIFTED TO A BAY AREA BURN CENTER FOR TREATMENT. HE WAS LISTED IN STABLE BUT SERIOUS CONDITION AS OF SUNDAY NIGHT. THE BLAZE, WHICH BEGAN JUST AFTER 12:30 PM SATURDAY, BLACKENED 98 ACRES AND DESTROYED TWO VEHICLES AND AN OUTBUILDING BEFORE BEING BROUGHT UNDER CONTROL. THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE HAS NOT BEEN RELEASED.

FIRE THREATENS HOMES JKB 9/27/10

• A FIRE THAT BROKE OUT NEAR LAKESHORE BLVD AND RAINBOW ROAD DESTROYED AN OUTBUILDING AND BRIEFLY THREATENED SOME HOMES FRIDAY AFTERNOON.

THE BLAZE WAS REPORTED JUST BEFORE 5 PM AND BLACKENED VEGETATION NEAR THE ROAD AND THEN HEADED UP THE HILL TOWARDS A GROUP OF HOMES. QUICK ACTION BY FIREFIGHTERS HAD THE FIRE UNDER CONTROL WITHIN AN HOUR. ONE OUTBUILDING WAS LOST, BUT NO DAMAGE TO ANY OF THE HOMES WAS REPORTED. THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE IS STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION.

MAN ARRESTED FOR THREATS WITH KNIFE JKB 9/27/10

• AN ALBION AREA TRANSIENT MAN WAS ARRESTED AFTER ALLEGEDLY THREATENING A MAN WITH A KNIFE ON FRIDAY.

ACCORDING TO POLICE, 48 YEAR OLD ERIK BAKARICH OF ALBION WAS WALKING HIS DOG ON ALBION RIDGE ROAD WHEN HE WAS CONFRONTED 58 YEAR OLD MICHAEL ZUCHOWICZ JUST BEFORE 7 PM. ZUCHAWOCZ ALLEGEDLY EXICTED HIS VEHICLE AND BRANDISHED A KNIFE, STATING HE WAS GOING TO KILL HIM. HE THEN RAN AFTER BAKARICH WHO FLED. ZUCHOWICZ EVENTUALLY ABANDONED THE PURSUIT AND LEFT WHEN BAKARICH TRIED TO FLAG DOWN PASSING MOTORISTS FOR HELP. ZUCHOWICZ WAS ARRESTED THE NEXT DAY AFTER DEPUTIES RECEIVED INFORMATION ABOUT HIS WHEREABOUTS. HE ADMITTED TO TRYING TO SCARE THE VICTIM, BUT DENIED USING A KNIFE, DESPITE BEING FOUND IN POSSESSION OF A KNIFE MATCHING THE DESCRIPTION OF ONE GIVEN BY THE VICTIM. HE WAS BOOKED INTO THE COUNTY JAIL FOR ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY WEAPON AND MAKING CRIMINAL THREATS.

MENDO COUNTY DEBT HIGHEST IN STATE JKB 9/27/109

• ACCORDING TO THE LATEST FIGURES RELEASED BY THE CALIFORNIA STATE ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES, MENDOCINO HAS THE HIGHEST DEBT PER CAPITA OF ALL 58 COUNTIES IN THE STATE.

AUTHORITIES SAY PENSION OBLIGATION BONDS ARE THE REASON THAT MENDOCINO COUNTYS DEBT IS CALCULATED AT $1,555 PER PERSON. ACCORDING TO OFFICIALS, OF THE 20 COUNTIES WITH THE HIGHEST PER CAPITA DEBT IN THE STATE, 17 HAD PENSION OBLIGATION BONDS THAT TURNED LIABILITY INTO DEBT.

JURY ACQUITS DOCTOR JKB 9/27/10

• A JURY TOOK JUST OVER AN HOUR TO FIND DR. COREY WARNER OF HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE NOT GUILTY OF SEXUAL BATTERY.

DR. WARNER WAS ARRESTED JUNE 10TH FOLLOWING THE CONCLUSION OF A YEAR LONG INVESTIGATION AFTER A FEMALE PATIENT ALLEGED THAT HE GAVE HER A BREAST EXAM AND THRUST HIS PELVIS AGAINST HER WHEN SHE WENT TO SEE HIM AFTER BEING THROWN FROM A HORSE IN JULY OF 2009. THE JURY REPORTEDLY HAD PROBLEMS WITH INCONSISTENCIES IN THE ALLEGED VICTIMS TESTIMONY AND DID NOT BELIEVE THE PROSECUTION PROVED ITS CASE. DR. WARNER WAS ACQUITTED OF ALL CHARGES.

POT PROCESSING FACILITY DISCOVERED JKB 9/27/10\

• MENDOCINO COUNTY SHERIFFS DEPUTIES ARRESTED 19 PEOPLE WHEN THEY STUMBLED UPON A LARGE COMMERCIAL MARIJUANA PROCESSING FACILITY.

DEPUTIES WERE ASSISTING THE CHP IN A FOOT PURSUIT INVOLVING A STOLEN VEHICLE CONTAINING 3 SUSPECTS AT AROUND 2 PM WHEN THEY ENDED UP AT PACOS PAINTING IN A LARGE INDUSTRIAL BUILDING CHRISTY LANE. THERE OFFICERS DISCOVERED A 30 BY 60 FOOT BUILDING FULL OF HANGING AND PROCESSED MARIJUANA. POLICE SEIZED CLOSE TO 700 POUNDS OF MARIJUANA AND ARRESTED 19 SUSPECTS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 19 AND 57 THAT WERE WORKING PROCESSING THE WEED FOR SALE. MANY OF THE SUSPECTS ARE BEING HELD ON IMMIGRATION HOLDS. THE INVESTIGATION INTO THE OPERATION IS CONTINUING.