News 3/30/15

HIGHWAY 20 ROLLOVER SPILLS 5,000 GALLONS OF MILK (LAW) JB 3/30/15

AN EARLY MORNING ROLLOVER ACCIDENT ON HIGHWAY 20 RESULTED IN THOUSANDS OF GALLONS OF MILK SPILLING INTO CLEAR LAKE.

57 YEAR OLD DANA MONTGOMERY WAS HEADED WESTBOUND ON HIGHWAY 20 EAST OF LUCERNE AROUND 3: 30 SATURDAY MORNING WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. FOR UNKNOWN REASONS, HIS 2008 KENWORTH SEMI HAULING A TANKER OF MILK LEFT THE ROADWAY AND OVERTURNED, TRAPPING HIM INSIDE THE CAB AND RUPTURING THE TRAILER. APPROXIMATELY 5,000 GALLONS OF MILK SPILLED FROM THE TRAILER INTO A CULVERT THAT LED INTO CLEAR LAKE. MONTGOMERY SUFFERED MAJOR INJURIES IN THE CRASH AND WAS FLOWN BY REACH 6 TO AN OUT OF COUNTY TRAUMA CENTER FOR TREATMENT. THE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT IS STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION.

NORMAN GREENBAUM INJURED IN VEHICLE ACCIDENT (LAW) JB 3/30/15

AN ACCIDENT WEST OF SANTA ROSA LEFT ONE MAN DEAD AND INTERNATIONALLY KNOWN SINGER-SONGWRITER NORMAN GREENBAUM CRITICALLY INJURED.

CHP REPORTS IDENTIFIED 72 YEAR OLD GREENBAUM, BEST KNOWN FOR HIS 1969 HIT SPIRIT IN THE SKY, AS A PASSENGER IN A SUBARU OUTBACK THAT WAS INVOLVED IN THE CRASH ON OCCIDENTAL ROAD NEAR PIEZZI ROAD. 20 YEAR OLD IHAB HALAWEH, OF SANTA ROSA, WAS KILLED WHEN THE OUTBACK, TRAVELING EAST ON OCCIDENTAL, TURNED LEFT ONTO PIEZZI ROAD AND CROSSED INTO THE PATH OF HIS WESTBOUND MOTORCYCLE. GREENBAUM AND A MALE PASSENGER ON THE MOTORCYCLE WERE TRANSPORTED TO SANTA ROSA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL WITH WHAT CHP OFFICIALS DESCRIBED AS CRITICAL INJURIES. GREENBAUM REMAINED IN CRITICAL CONDITION ON SUNDAY MORNING IN THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT. THE CAUSE OF THE CRASH IS UNDER INVESTIGATION ALTHOUGH ALCOHOL IS NOT BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN A FACTOR.

BROOKTRAILS AND WILLITS REACH AGREEMENT (ECN) JB 3/30/15

AFTER 9 YEARS OF ARGUMENTS AND LITIGATION, BROOK TRAILS AND THE CITY OF WILLITS HAVE REACHED AN AGREEMENT.

ACCORDING TO THE WILLITS NEWS, BROOKTRAILS AND WILLITS ABRUPTLY RESOLVED THEIR LITIGATION AND SET UP A NEW FRAMEWORK FOR WORKING TOGETHER. THE AGREEMENT WAS READ INTO THE COURT RECORD WEDNESDAY MORNING, EFFECTIVELY ENDING THE CONFLICT. THIS UNPRECEDENTED MOVE OCCURRED WHILE THE TRIAL WAS UNDERWAY. BROOKTRAILS AGREED TO PAY 36 PERCENT (DOWN FROM 37.69 PERCENT) OF ALL FUTURE BOND PAYMENTS FOR CONSTRUCTION OF THE WILLITS SEWER PLANT, AND TO PAY WILLITS $213,500 IN DISPUTED PAST PAYMENTS. WILLITS AGREED TO RESERVE CAPACITY IN THE NEW PLANT EXCLUSIVELY FOR BROOKTRAILS AMOUNTING TO 459,000 GALLONS PER DAY OF DRY WEATHER FLOW. IN THE SETTLEMENT BOTH PARTIES WILL PAY THEIR OWN LEGAL COSTS. LOCAL TAXPAYERS HAVE PAID OUT NEARLY $1.5 MILLION IN LEGAL COSTS OVER THE COURSE OF THE LEGAL BATTLES.

SANTA ROSA MAN HELD IN CLEARLAKE HOMICIDES (LAW) JB 3/30/15

A SANTA ROSA MAN IS BEING HELD IN THE LAKE COUNTY JAIL IN CONNECTION TO THE FATAL SHOOTINGS OF TWO PEOPLE ON THURSDAY NIGHT.

THE LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTED THAT 26 YEAR OLD FRANCISCO LEON-SARMIENTO, WHOSE OCCUPATION IS LISTED AS LABORER, WAS ARRESTED BY CLEARLAKE POLICE JUST AFTER 10:30 P.M. THURSDAY, ABOUT TWO HOURS AFTER TWO PEOPLE WERE MORTALLY WOUNDED IN A SHOOTING IN THE 16000 BLOCK OF 35TH AVENUE. POLICE HAD REPORTED DETAINING ONE PERSON WHO WAS IN A VEHICLE MATCHING THE DESCRIPTION OF ONE THAT WITNESSES SAID HAD LEFT THE SCENE OF THE SHOOTING JUST AFTER 10 P.M. IN THE AREA OF 40TH AVENUE. LEON-SARMIENTO IS BEING HELD ON A MURDER CHARGE, WITH BAIL SET AT $1 MILLION AND A COURT APPEARANCE TENTATIVELY SET FOR TUESDAY.

THREE ARRESTED IN FORT BRAGG BURL THEFT (LAW) JB 3/30/15

THREE FORT BRAGG RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN ARRESTED IN CONNECTION WITH THE THEFT OF REDWOOD BURL ON THE COAST.

ACCORDING TO REPORTS BY THE MENDOCINO COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE, AN INVESTIGATION WAS CONDUCTED RECENTLY INTO THE REPORTED THEFT OF A REDWOOD BURL BELONGING TO THE MENDOCINO COAST PARK AND RECREATION DISTRICT. DEPUTIES IDENTIFIED AND DETERMINED THAT THREE FORT BRAGG RESIDENTS, 49 YEAR OLD CHARLES MARTIN, 39 YEAR OLD CHRISTOPHER MAKI AND 29 YEAR OLD CASSIDY BAKER CONSPIRED TO STEAL THE APPROXIMATE 90-CUBIC-FOOT REDWOOD BURL. THE THREE MEN WERE CHARGED WITH MULTIPLE FELONIES IN CONNECTION WITH THE THEFT AND BOOKED INTO THE MENDOCINO COUNTY JAIL.

SOUTHSHORE LITTLE LEAGUE FLAGS STOLEN (LAW) JB 3/30/15

THE SOUTHSHORE LITTLE LEAGUE SUFFERED A THEFT OF THE FLAGS FROM THEIR FIELD RECENTLY.

WITH THE OPENING DAY OF THE 2015 SEASON LESS THAN A WEEK AGO, THE AMERICAN FLAG AND TWO SMALLER LEAGUE FLAGS WERE REPORTED STOLEN FROM THE FLAGPOLE AT THE LEAGUE FIELDS IN CLEARLAKE. ACCORDING TO THE LEAGUE PRESIDENT, THE THEFT OCCURRED SOMETIME BETWEEN 8:30 PM THURSDAY AND 2 PM FRIDAY. THE THEFT IS AN EXPENSIVE LOSS FOR THE LEAGUE AND ANYONE WHO HAS INFORMATION ON THE THEFT OR KNOWS THE WHEREABOUTS OF THE FLAGS IS ASKED TO CALL HELEN MITCHUM AT 998-9194.

REDWOOD VALLEY DAM LAWSUIT SETTLED (PI/EVR) JB 3/30/15

A LAWSUIT STEMMING FROM A DAM CONSTRUCTION PROJECT IN REDWOOD VALLEY WAS RECENTLY SETTLED FOR OVER $7 MILLION.

THE UKIAH DAILY JOURNAL REPORTED THAT ACCORDING TO THE UKIAH LAW OFFICES OF DUNCAN M. JAMES, THE SUIT WAS FILED IN THE EARLY 2000S AFTER STATE FARM REPORTEDLY DENIED COVERAGE TO NORTH COUNTIES ENGINEERING, RUN BY ENGINEER GARY AKERSTROM, WHO WAS HIRED BY LOLONIS VINEYARDS OF REDWOOD VALLEY TO DESIGN A DAM. STATE REGULATORS SUED THE WINERY AFTER INVESTIGATING NEIGHBORS COMPLAINTS ABOUT EROSION AND EXCESS SEDIMENT IN SURROUNDING WATERWAYS THAT OCCURRED SHORTLY AFTER THE DAM WAS COMPLETED. THE WINERY IN TURN SUED NORTH COUNTIES ENGINEERING, CLAIMING THE DAMAGE WAS PARTLY CAUSED BY NEGLIGENT DAM CONSTRUCTION. STATE FARM WAS IN TURN SUED BY THE ENGINEERING FIRM FOR DENYING COVERAGE AND A REVERSAL OF A COURT DECISION IN 2014 LED TO THE RECENT SETTLEMENT. THE $7.5 MILLION CASH SETTLEMENT REIMBURSES NORTH COUNTIES ENGINEERING OF UKIAH FOR ATTORNEYS FEES, COSTS, LOST INTEREST AND DAMAGES.