News 3/30/12

FUNDING FOR WILLITS BYPASS APPROVED JKB 3/30/12

• THE CALIFORNIA TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION APPROVED A MAJORITY OF THE FUNDING FOR THE PROPOSED WILLITS BYPASS AT THEIR MEETING YESTERDAY.

THE COMMISSION ALLOCATED $135.5 MILLION FOR THE PROJECT. THE TOTAL COST FOR THE NEARLY 6 MILE LONG BYPASS IS EXPECTED TO BE AROUND $210 MILLION, WITH A COMPLETION DATE SOMETIME IN THE YEAR 2016. THE FUNDING WAS PART OF $271 MILLION THAT WAS ALLOCATED YESTERDAY FOR 73 TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS ACROSS THE STATE, AND INCLUDED $214 MILLION FROM TRANSPORTATION BOND PROPOSITION 1B THAT WAS APPROVED BY VOTERS IN 2006.

FIRE DESTROYS HOME NEAR MCNAB RIDGE WINERY JKB 3/30/12

• A HOME NEAR THE MCNAB RIDGE WINERY NORTH OF HOPLAND WAS DESTROYED BY A FIRE ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

THE SMALL HOME WAS FULLY ENGULFED IN FLAMES BY THE TIME FIREFIGHTERS ARRIVED AT AROUND 7 PM. ACCORDING TO INVESTIGATORS THE BLAZE STARTED INSIDE THE HOME, WHICH HAD BEEN VACANT FOR A FEW MONTHS. THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE IS STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION.

FIRE IN CLEARLAKE JKB 3/30/12

• A FIRE HEAVILY DAMAGED ON HOME ON MEADOWBROOK DRIVE IN CLEARLAKE LAST NIGHT, AND WAS THREATENING OTHER NEARBY HOMES BEFORE FIREFIGHTERS COULD BRING IT UNDER CONTROL.

THE BLAZE WAS REPORTED JUST BEFORE 7 PM. THE HOME WAS 75% ENGULFED IN FLAMES BY THE TIME THE FIRST UNITS ARRIVED ON SCENE. QUICK ACTION BY FIREFIGHTERS KEPT THE BLAZE FROM SPREADING TO NEIGHBORING HOUSES TO THE NORTH AND SOUTH, AND THE FIRE WAS CONTAINED BY 7:32 PM. THERE WERE NO REPORTED INJURIES. THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE IS UNDER INVESTIGATION.

WILKINSON BACK IN COURT JKB 3/30/12

• A WILLITS MAN ACCUSED OF TORTURING AND KILLING HIS GRANDFATHER WAS BACK IN COURT YESTERDAY IN THE CONTINUANCE OF HIS ARRAIGNMENT THAT WAS BEGUN LAST WEEK.

22 YEAR OLD KENNETH WILKINSON IS BEING REPRESENTED BY THE PUBLIC DEFENDERS OFFICE IN THE DEATH OF 84 YEAR OLD RICHARD WILKINSON. HE HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH MURDER AND A SPECIAL ALLEGATION OF TORTURE FOR ALLEGEDLY DRAGGING THE ELDERLY MAN BEHIND HIS PICK UP TRUCK FOR NEARLY 6 MILES ON THE NIGHT OF MARCH 17TH. A CONVICTION ON ALL CHARGES COULD MAKE WILKINSON ELIGIBLE FOR THE DEATH PENALTY, BUT THE DISTRICT ATTORNEYS OFFICE HAS STATED IT WILL ONLY SEEK A SENTENCE OF LIFE IN PRISON WITHOUT PAROLE. WILKINSON WILL BE BACK IN COURT APRIL 19TH IN ANTICIPATION OF SETTING A DATE FOR A PRELIMINARY HEARING.

DUI CHASE AND ARREST JKB 3/30/12

• A REDWOOD VALLEY MAN WAS ARRESTED AFTER LEADING POLICE ON A VEHICLE CHASE, FOOT PURSUIT, AND REPORTING IN A FALSE CRIME IN AN ATTEMPT TO GET AWAY.

23 YEAR OLD SERGIO JIMENEZ WAS PULLED OVER JUST BEFORE 3 AM ON MARCH 22ND BY UKIAH POLICE, BUT SPED AWAY AS THE OFFICER APPROACHED HIS CAR. WHILE OFFICERS FROM THE UKIAH POLICE DEPARTMENT, SHERIFFS OFFICE AND CHP WERE SEARCHING FOR HIS VEHICLE, JIMENEZ CALLED 911 TO REPORT A STABBING AT ANOTHER LOCATION IN AN ATTEMPT TO DRAW POLICE OUT OF THE AREA. JIMENEZ WAS FOUND STANDING NEXT TO HIS VEHICLE AT A TRAILER PARK ON SOUTH STATE STREET A COUPLE OF HOURS LATER AND FLED ON FOOT AFTER BEING SPOTTED. HE WAS EVENTUALLY TAKEN INTO CUSTODY AFTER FIGHTING WITH ARRESTING OFFICERS AND BOOKED INTO THE COUNTY JAIL ON A HOST OF CHARGES INCLUDING DUI, EVADING ARREST, AND REPORTING A FALSE EMERGENCY.

HELLS ANGELS MEMBERS TO STAND TRIAL JKB 3/30/12

• A LAKE COUNTY JUDGE HAS ORDERED THREE SONOMA COUNTY HELLS ANGEL CHAPTER MEMBERS TO STAND TRIAL FOR ALLEGEDLY ATTACKING RIVAL CLUB MEMBERS DURING A TATTOO CONVENTION AT THE KONOCTI VISTA CASINO LAST JUNE.

36 YEAR OLD JOSH JOHNSON, 33 YEAR OLD NICOLAS CARRILLO, AND 34 YEAR OLD TIMOTHY BIANCHI HAVE BEEN CHARGED WITH A NUMBER OF OFFENSES IN THE ATTACK ON MICHAEL BURNS AND VALIDATED VAGOS MOTORCYCLE GANG MEMBER KRISTOPHER PERKIN. A FOURTH HELLS ANGELS MEMBER INVOLVED IN THE ATTACK DAVID DABBS REMAINS AT LARGE.

INTERSTATE POT RING BUSTED JKB 3/30/12

• 14 PEOPLE IN THREE STATES WERE ARRESTED AND MORE THAN 1300 POUNDS OF PROCESSED MARIJUANA WAS SEIZED AS PART OF A MILTI STATE ILLEGAL DRUG TRAFFICKING RING EARLIER THIS MONTH.

AGENTS ALSO SEIZED 2 POUNDS OF HASHISH, 8 FIRE ARMS, MORE THAN $400,000 IN CASH, $35,000 IN GOLD BULLION AND SILVER COINS, AND THREE GENERATORS VALUED AT MORE THAN $20,000. STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL KAMALA HARRIS MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT YESTERDAY, SAYING ARRESTS HAD BEEN MADE IN CALIFORNIA, ILLINOIS, AND WISCONSIN. THE MOUNTAIN AND VALLEY MARIJUANA INVESTIGATION TEAM IN SACRAMENTO IS SEEKING FEDERAL INDICTMENTS ON THE PEOPLE ARRESTED. AUTHORITIES CLASSIFIED THE GROUP AS A MAJOR DRUG TRAFFICKING OPERATION.

DJARDE TO REPLACE SMITH AS SUPERVISOR =- JKB 3/30/12

• FORT BRAGG CITY COUNCIL MEMBER DAN GJERDE WILL REPLACE 4TH DISTRICT SUPERVISOR KENDAL SMITH ON THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS WHEN HER TERM EXPIRES AT THE END OF THE YEAR.

NO OTHER CANDIDATES FILED THE PAPERWORK REQUIRED TO RUN FOR THE 4TH DISTRICT SEAT, SO GJERDE WILL BE GIVEN THE POSITION UNOPPOSED. GJERDE WAS ELECTED TO THE CITY COUNCIL IN 1998 AT THE AGE OF 28. A SPECIAL ELECTION WILL BE HELD IN MARCH OF 2013 TO FILL HIS SEAT ON THE CITY COUNCIL.