News 03/30/18

Search and rescue teams continue to comb the Mendocino Coast looking for three Washington state kids missing since their family’s SUV plunged off a 100-foot cliff into the Pacific Ocean earlier this week. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office says the bodies of five family members have been recovered: parents Jennifer and Sarah Hart and three of their six adopted children. But the other three kids who are 16; 15; and 12 had still had not been found as of Thursday afternoon. A sheriff’s spokesman says it most likely they ended up in the ocean but that are also holding out hope that they were not with the rest o f the family and are somewhere with friends or relatives.

A 19-year-old Clearlake man has been arrested for robbery and kidnapping in connection with Tuesday’s armed robbery of the Jack in the Box on Dam Road. Giovanni Madrigal-Rincon surrendered to officers waiting for him as he came out of a motel. Police think he is the masked man who approached two workers outside the Jack in the Box around 2 a.m., ordered them inside at gunpoint, and forced a third employee to take him to the safe and give him cash. The victims were able to watch him walk to his car. Through the night police gathered information pointing to Madrigal-Rincon as the suspect and they had set up surveillance at several locations around Clearlake and Lower Lake when an offer spotted his car at the Travelodge about two miles from the crime scene. A woman with him was questioned and released. Madrigal-Rincon was being held on $300,000 bail.

Mendocino County has a new Agricultural Commissioner. The Board of Supervisors says they’ve appointed of Harinder Grewal who joins the County of Mendocino after previously serving in the Stanislaus County Department of Agriculture for 15 years. Grewal possesses two Masters degrees in both Agriculture Economics and Business Administration, as well as a doctorate in Agriculture Economics. Board Chair Dan Hamburg says Grewal’s extensive background with Stanislaus County will serve our farming community well and calls him an experienced communicator who will strengthen the County’s Agriculture Department.

Bail is set at $750,000 for an Anchor Bay man accused of shooting his neighbor in a property dispute. The Sheriff’s Office says Harry Miller pulled a gun in a dispute over easement access, and shot Paul Palestrini without provocation and then allegedly tried to shoot Palestrini’s wife Desiree. Paul Palestrini has a life threatening gunshot wound and is in critical condition at an out of county hospital. Miller was also hurt, with Palestrini allegedly hitting him with a shovel. Miller was initially flown to an out of county hospital but was released Thursday and surrendered himself to the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office where he was booked for two counts of attempted murder, and an enhancement of personal use of a firearm causing great bodily injury.

A Lakeport man is in custody on suspicion of stabbing his father to death and injuring his mother Thursday morning at their home on Lyons Road. Witnesses called to say Steven Fredericks has assaulted family members and when deputies arrived they found David Fredericks dead and Judy Fredericks with lacerations to her neck. She was being treated at Sutter Lakeside with non-life-threatening wounds. Steven Fredericks has run into the woods with the knife before the deputies got there but surrendered after a short time. He also had lacerations to his wrists and was taken to Sutter Lakeside for treatment. Major Crimes Detectives are continuing to investigate.

A major Lake County road improvement project starts next week. Lake County News reports after years of planning, the Safe Routes to School sidewalk project will get under way Monday in Clearlake Oaks and take until the end of October to complete. The county secured funding for the project through the state and federal Safe Routes to School Programs in 2010 and has been planning it ever since. It includes curb, gutter and sidewalk improvements on the north side of Highway 20 from Foothill (near the Center Plaza) to High Valley Road and the East Lake Elementary School, and on the south side of the highway from the Clearlake Oaks Fire Station to Keys Boulevard. The work will mean restricted traffic along Highway 20 from Foothill Boulevard to Keys Boulevard from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

There are several opportunities for the kids to hunt Easter eggs this weekend. In Clearlake the First Assembly of God will host its annual Easter egg hunt from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Austin Park. The event is free, and includes free hot dogs, face painting and games. Twin Pine Casino will hold its Easter Eggstravaganza from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The free community event will include Easter baskets (while supplies last), a jump house and a photo with the Easter Bunny. Upper Lake’s annual Easter egg hunt will take place beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Upper Lake Middletown School field. And on Sunday the 93rd annual Lakeport Rotary Easter Egg Hunt will take place rain or shine at the Lake County Fairgrounds. It is free to the public. Gates open at 1:15 p.m. with the hunt to begin promptly at 1:30 p.m. The annual hunt, ongoing since 1926, will feature 2,880 hidden eggs, plus 300 “special pay” eggs.

Playlist 3/30/18

BRUNO MARS – FINESSE
DRAKE – GOD’S PLAN
BEBE REXHA – MEANT TO BE
CAMILA CABELLO – NEVER BE THE SAME
THE WEEKND – PRAY FOR ME
ZEDD – THE MIDDLE
SZA – ALL THE STARZ
ANNE-MARIE – FRIENDS
LAUV – I LIKE ME BETTER
DUA LIPA – IDGAF
BAZZI – MINE
MEGHAN TRAINOR – NO EXCUSES
POST MALONE – PSYCHO
DEMI LOVATO – TELL ME YOU LOVE ME
MAROON 5 – WAIT
5 SECONDS OF SUMMER – WANT YOU BACK
IMAGINE DRAGONS – WHATEVER IT TAKES
HALSEY – ALONE
JACK & JACK – BEG
TAYLOR SWIFT – DELICATE
LOGIC – EVERYDAY
SHAWN MENDES – IN MY BLOOD
ALICE MERTON – NO ROOTS
NIALL HORAN – ON THE LOOSE
FOSTER THE PEOPLE – SIT NEXT TO ME
WHY DON’T WE – TRUST FUND BABY
CHAINSMOKERS – EVERYBODY HATES ME
KHALID – LOVE LIES
JANELLE MONAE – MAKE ME FEEL
KENT JONES – MERENGUE
MIGOS – STIR FRY

PM News-03-29-18

A man from Smith River has been found guilty of driving under the influence of painkillers. The Mendocino County D-A posted on its Facebook page about the guilty verdict against Troy Morgan after deliberations ended with guilty verdicts for unlawfully driving a motor vehicle under the influence of oxycodone, a misdemeanor and for unlawful possession of the medicine without a prescription, also a misdemeanor. No word quite yet on sentencing.

A man arrested in Sonoma and hit with a Taser gun is dead. Sheriff’s deputies from the Sonoma Valley substation get calls to a suspicious person in a mobile home park in the city of Sonoma. They say several residents of the park reported a man was yelling, broke glass and was slamming things around. They say on the way callers said the guy was running around naked and punching street lamps with his bare hands. When they got there they saw a naked, large man moving towards them so they deployed Tasers as they tried to handcuff him, but he kept resisting. He then went into medical distress, so they called for an ambulance and started CPR, but he died at a hospital later. His name’s not yet been released and the deputies involved are now on administrative leave, which is standard practice. Officers from the Sonoma Police Dept. are investigating.

A young man in Clearlake in jail after a morning armed robbery at Jack in the Box. Police say 19 year old​
Giovanni Madrigal was busted after reports of a man alone wearing a mask at the fast food joint with a shotgun. Employees called police to say the guy ordered one of them to open a safe in a back room, he got some money and ran off. He was seen running to McDonald’s where he got into a silver car. Then Clearlake police got some leads into who he may be, and went to a home and other areas of Clearlake and unincorporated Lower Lake, finding the guy at Travelodge. Madrigal seen with that large loaded shotgun and ran when he saw police, they caught up to him near the little league baseball fields with the help of a police dog. He’s charged with several violent felonies including robbery, kidnapping and being armed in the commission of a felony and one misdemeanor and held with bail set at $300,000.

A new postmaster for Upper Lake. Tomorrow Angela Gross takes over after she’s sworn in at 3:30 pm at the Upper Lake Grange Hall. The oath of office will be administered by the Post Office Operations Manager Maria Lane. Gross started her career with the U-S Postal Service in 2012 at the same post office. She began managing about a year after clerking, with the title of officer in charge, that was in 2014. Then she was promoted to be the postmaster this past January. She serves the greater community of about 1050 residents with more than 1200 rural daily mail deliveries and 658 PO Box deliveries with five employees.

Marijuana growing is on in Clearlake. Officials say they’re ready to start taking personal cultivation permit applications. The permit required to legally grow your own pot in the city under the Personal Marijuana Cultivation Ordinance. You can get the applications at city hall or thru the city’s official website to grow outside in the city limits. You have until April 30th to hand in the application with your $250 registration fee. You cannot sell the weed your grow for personal use. As part of prop. 64, up to six plants are allowed inside, but as part of the city’s ordinance, no more than six total can be grown on a property, inside or out.

PM News-03-28-18

Reports of a bomb on a school bus had Kelseyville buses on hold for a time. Around the end of school yesterday a student told a teacher there was a bomb on the school bus, so with an abundance of caution, all of the buses in the school district were held by police, then inspected by the Sheriff’s Office. The buses got the all clear, and no buses were found to have any explosives on board. It was just under an hour delay to check the buses and the sheriff ‘s still investigating. The posted on Facebook about the event, saying children’s safety is very important to the Kelseyville Unified School District and that they will continue to take appropriate actions to ensure student safety.

A fire in a motel had the fire department out after smoke poured out of the laundry room. The Ukiah Valley Fire Authority reports nobody was injured but the power was out in the building early this morning on the second floor of the motel near the pool area at the Super 8. The fire department says they had to cut through some concrete in the floor where the fire was contained in two utility closets. They say it looks like it was caused by some old wiring, and that it was an accident. The hotel owner says the front desk employee saw the smoke on the security camera. The hotel had to be evacuated, but those staying there dodn’t have to leave even though it was fully booked.

A phone scam being reported by the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office in Willits. Cops say several residents called to inform them they had people calling saying they were with Publishers Clearing House, but they found the calls coming from Jamaica, and they were asking potential victims to go to Walmart to buy a prepaid card or money order. Police say the callers were not connected in any way to Publishers Clearing House and were trying to defraud victims. Residents are told not to give out any personal information or send money and to instead call the Sheriff’s office to report any funny business.

News-03-28-18

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A man Ukiah Police were looking for related to a murder six years ago has been arrested in Mexico. Ukiah Police say Manuel Rodriguez suspected in connection to Duane Johnson’s September 2012 murder was living in Guadalajara Jalisco. Johnson had been found beaten to death in the 300 block of North Main Street and was taken to a hospital but died later. At the time, Rodriguez was named as a possible suspect but ran to Mexico back then. Apparently local police working with the U.S. Marshals Service International Investigative Branch finding Rodriguez at a McDonald’s outside Guadalajara and arrested him. He’s been deported back to the U-S and is being held on suspicion of murder and $500,000 bail.

Willits police say they’ve arrested a man for trying to rip off a local grocery store and getting into an altercation with another man. Police say they got a call early yesterday morning to the fight in the middle of a street and when they got there they found Brian Anderson who they say tried buying items from Village Market, but had no money on him, so he walked out with them and a store employee confronted him. Police say he threatened the employee and attacked him, so the employee tried calling 911, but Anderson took his cell phone and smashed it on the ground. Anderson’s charged with robbery, criminal threats, vandalism, and the destruction of a wireless telephone and he was booked into county jail.

A senior at Ukiah High is the first ever to win a major scholarship from the NROTC. The $180,000 scholarship pays for a four-year university in return for Marine Corps service after college. Emily Davis reportedly chosen from more than 400 applicants. Her parents own a local yogurt and Ice Cream store in Willits. A Marine Corps recruiter in Ukiah told the Daily Journal her work towards school work and physical fitness distinguished her from the others, showing a lot of pride.

A new Grand Jury report says the streets in Ukiah need help. The latest report saying the streets are in a state of extreme disrepair. The report says locals are questioning why expensive alternative transportation projects, like the Ukiah Rail Trail, are getting money to be constructed before local streets are repaired. The report goes on to say voters in Ukiah wanted streets repaired badly enough that they voted to pass Measures Y and Z in November of 2016 to help, but state money for local road repair is pretty much gone. The report says changes in state transportation funding, a lack of city funds for ongoing maintenance, and restrictive state contracting rules are the reason for the current state of our roads.

California’s Attorney General is investigating the shooting death of an unarmed black man by Sacramento Police. The Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra says they’ll provide independent oversight of the investigation after 22 year old Stephon Clark was shot by as many as 20 rounds after a chase last week. Police were responding to area break ins and say they found Clark and thought he pointed a gun at them, but it turns out it was only a cellphone. There’s been protests ever since the March 18th death. The Atty. Gen. says they’ll be involved to make sure there’s a fair and impartial investigation.

Voters will get to decide next month if the Northshore Fire Protection District should get more money by way of a new special fire fee. Measure E will be on an April 10th ballot, which voters should have received by now. The Fire Chief says it will mean a higher fire fee on property tax bills to help keep the district going. The chief says revenue’s been flat, but spending has gone up. Apparently it’s been more than 2 decades since the fire fee’s been raised, except in Clearlake Oaks, but that was back in 2004.

Uber will no longer test autonomous vehicles in California, allowing its state permit to expire this weekend. If the company wants to come back to Calif., it has to get a new permit and take part in the investigations after a crash of an autonomous test SUV in Arizona that killed a pedestrian. This according to the California DMV in a letter sent to the company earlier this week. That makes two states, Arizona and Calif. that are not allowing the ride-hailing service from testing autonomous vehicles on public roads.

A man found at a commercial marijuana operation last summer in Hopland’s pleaded no contest. Seng Boungnavath of Hopland and Ukiah in court Monday for the illegal growing of 3,200 plants and also for environmental law violations, plus possession of marijuana for sale and the unlawful burning of trash. Cops are still looking into others involved in the operation. Police found it when looking into an illegal burn, that’s where they found the massive grow operation including water illegally being pumped along a creek, trash and debris around the area, all harmful to local fish.

Police in Ohio arrest a women after she was making lewd comments to an Easter Bunny at a carousel. Police in Mansfield say the 54 year old was getting her picture taken with the Bunny while she was drunk and made lewd comments, was unsteady on her feet and was slurring her speech. She was arrested after witnesses said she was drunk. After her remarks to the Easter Bunny she rode the carousel.

PM News-03-27-18

Five people including three children are dead after an SUV went off a cliff, landing on a rock along the Mendocino Coast. The CHP reports the bodies of the three children were found outside the GMC and two adults, from West Linn, OR were inside the vehicle. None of their ages or names have been released. The car apparently went off the road between Rockport and Westport on Highway 1. The SUV had pulled over, then for some reason went down a 100-foot cliff, south of San Juan Creek, about 20 miles north of Fort Bragg. It took emergency responders several hours to get to the wreckage, finding everyone deceased. They had to rappel down the cliff to get to the partially submerged SUV.

Two men in Anchor Bay recovering from injuries after an altercation over an easement between their properties. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office says they got a call to a gunshot victim at Redwood Coast Medical Services facility, finding there had been an altercation between Paul Palestrini and Harry Miller in Anchor Bay. Cops say they found Miller shot Palestrini in the stomach and Palestrini had hit Miller with a shovel over an easement on a shared driveway. The two had serious injuries and were taken by air ambulance to a hospital in Sonoma County and were listed in stable condition. Police say they don’t know who started it and are reaching out to the public if anyone may have seen anything.

News-03-27-18

A reforestation plan is in the works in Willits and the city council’s considering who to give the contract to. City Council is going to consider North Coast Resource Management consulting services from Calpella for the job. City staff says the work will bring in nearly $50,000 for its water fund. So the city needs to find foresters to salvage burned timber and to do some restoration. There are two proposals in to the city, but the city reportedly decided to work with North Coast because of how they proposed how they’d do the work, plus they apparently have a lot of experience in salvage and reforestation. City staff asking the council to keep the project under $75,000.

Avoiding a jury trial, three men accused of a home invasion robbery last fall in Laytonville, plead guilty instead. The jury was ready and the prosecution said they were ready, but the trio of robbers who tried stealing marijuana and money from a woman last November admitted they did it. D’wan Raysean Porter-Walker of Oakland, Johnny Lee Walker the III of Oakland, and James Jesse Richardson of Discovery Bay all pleaded guilty to several crimes including attempted robbery in the 1st degree in concert with others, a k a home invasion robbery, using a firearm in the commission of an attempted robbery and armed with a firearm during the commission of the attempted robbery. A couple had prior convictions on their records and they got about 15 to 16 years, but James only gets 6.5 years.

A man charged in the death of a woman in Clearlake a couple of years ago has pleaded no contest. That’s pretty much like a guilty plea so Robert Wade Hitchcock will be sentenced for the death of Nichole Welborn in a Sept. 2016 crash in downtown Lower Lake. Cops say the guy was in a pickup truck on Main Street and hit Welborn’s car and pinned her between two vehicles, he was driving drunk. He’ll be sentenced April 23rd.

A doctor says a man accused in the murder of his daughter in Hidden Valley Lake is mentally unfit to stand trial. Steven Miller in court to hear the doctor’s report with the doctor asking the court for a continuance since he cannot help in his own defense. Earlier this year he entered a not guilty plea as well, as not guilty by reason of insanity on all counts, denying special allegations. He’s accused in the shooting death of Hannah Welch in May of 2017. The court found sufficient cause he was guilty of murder and exhibited a weapon, but has now ordered the case be suspended until April 17th.

The state is banning a chemical used in refrigeration that can cause release of greenhouse gases. The California Air Resources Board is banning hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, which are in supermarket refrigerators, frozen yogurt dispensers, Slurpee machines, chilled vending machines and foams used in construction. The chemicals apparently trap heat thousands of times greater than the most common greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide. But since the state’s got a law on the books for a 40 percent reduction from 1990 levels of all greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, the state’s been trying to get rid of HFC’s, which will now go into effect.

In an effort to help with Climate Change, PG&E has donated $75-grand to the Lake Area Rotary. It’s part of the utility’s Respond, Rebuild, Resilience campaign. So the money goes to buy a generator for a community center which is used as an emergency shelter. The utility announced they would support the shelter at a city council meeting in Clearlake last week with the money to help after years of drought, extreme heat and with millions of dead and dying trees in Calif. The utility working to help communities and the state as a whole with a $1 million shareholder contribution to the California Climate Challenge to help deal with extreme events caused by climate change.

A unanimous decision by the Willits City Council for an excise tax on marijuana which will go to voters in November. The money to pay for the costs of allowing commercial medical marijuana. The city manager says the council approved the fees last fall to offset the cost of processing permits and reviewing applications and sites, but it doesn’t cover the day to day operations of selling cannabis in the city. That could include more cops, constant fire prevention and protection, plus more traffic coming into town. The ballot measure will need a majority to pass and will be on the November ballot.

Lake County’s got a new internet service provider which has started to get neighborhoods in the Big Valley area connected to high speed broadband. The company Lake County Broadband Solutions started at the beginning of the month to serve areas including downtown Kelseyville, Finley, and parts of south Lakeport. The company says it plans to expand in coming months too. The company says it uses fiber-fast “terrestrial wireless point-to-point” technology. The way they do it is without digging trenches, they instead use antennas. For more info, visit www. lcbs.co or http://www.lakecountybroadbandsolutions. com.

The new owner of the Konocti Harbor Resort and Spa is talking about plans for the space. Lake Co News says the new owners are out of the Bay Area and they say they want to be part of the community, bring more economic growth and be a good partner. The company, Clear Lake Resort Services is going to add some new construction and upgrades to the resort. They’re putting in new docks and slips, a fuel depot, boat storage and a marina supply retailer too. There are also plans for new studio suites, improved retail and restaurants.

Two horses have been killed after being hit by a car on the 101 near Ukiah. The Hopland Fire Department reports getting a call to the Highway near Nelson Ranch Road finding the driver injured and one horse dead with the second horse injured. The California Highway Patrol says the driver was southbound in a BMW coupe early Monday morning and saw the two horses in the southbound lane and tried stopping but hit the animals. The driver taken to the hospital and the animals removed. Cops still had not located the horses owners late yesterday.

Police in Hawaii looking into the theft of a car, a man using a forklift to do the deed. Police in Honolulu say the car was found soon after, but gutted. The whole heist caught on camera. The 2000 Honda Civic stolen from an airport parking lot, by a man on a small forklift who lifted the car off the ground and rode away. The car found soon after, stripped down and burned.

PM News-03-26-18

A man in Covelo’s been arrested after cops find him with a weapon, high on drugs and trying to hide it. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office reports an officer tried stopping a car for a traffic violation, then the deputy sees a hunting rifle in the car. The deputy says the passenger, John Parnell Nelson, an ex felon was in the car, so he was arrested for ex felon in possession or control of a firearm. Then the cop found drug paraphernalia and more than two grams of meth and found Nelson to be under the influence of a controlled substance so he was arrested and held on charges of ex-felon in possession of a firearm, under the influence of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and destroying, or concealing evidence. He was being held on $25,000.00 bail.

A man in Willits says a man was yelling racial slurs at him near a community garden by his house so he called police. The Sheriff’s office says the victim first ignored the man yelling at him, but then he started to threaten him so he was afraid and called for help. Deputies found the suspect, Robert Spicer who they say denied he did anything wrong, but the a witness confirmed what the victim said about the threats. Spicer then arrested for making criminal threats and he was booked into the Mendocino County jail, and held on $20,000.00 bail.

A man in Laytonville’s arrested after a homeowner says they found him inside their house. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office got a call March 15th to the home for a reported burglary in-progress. The homeowner says they confronted the suspect who ran, and deputies and CHP officers went looking for him after finding he forced his way into the home. They say they found evidence the suspect, Richard Sullivan, and possibly another man, had eaten food and took other items from the home. Sullivan was picked up near the Red Fox Casino on the Cahto Reservation where he lost control of his truck, hit a utility pole and two large boulders. He tried running but they caught him and arrested him on residential burglary and evading a peace officer – reckless driving a week later. He was being held on $290,000 bail.

A reminder from the Mendocino County Office of Emergency Services and the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office about the Tsunami Warning Communications Test this week. On Wednesday from 11 AM to Noon, the County will be part of a three county test, with Humboldt and Del Norte Counties, plus the National Weather Service and the California Office of Emergency Services will also be involved. They remind residents television and radio signals will be interrupted for the alert and you may hear Tsunami Sirens in Fort Bragg and Point Arena. For more info you can call the Sheriff’s office or the county office of emergency services.

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News-03-26-18

A man in Willits has been arrested after reports he was harassing people, ringing their doorbell and cursing at them. The Sheriff’s office reports getting the call and finding Michael Herman on the front porch of the home, screaming, but when he saw the deputy arrive, he ran. The deputy went after Herman, who he caught up to, finding he was drunk. Then another deputy got there finding Herman and the first Deputy wrestling on the ground because he says Herman was physically aggressive with him. They say he continued being combative and punched one of them, so finally their police dog partner, Ruddick, helped take him down. Herman’s charged with obstructing or resisting a Peace Officer, and battery on a Peace Officer and held on $15,000.00 bail. One of the injured deputies was treated and released from the hospital.

A man in Cloverdale’s arrested after a dead horse and several others that were neglected and emaciated are found on his property. Police say they got a call by a neighbor that the guy was boarding the animals at his house and they looked ill. They told the sheriff’s office they were giving the horses food. Joseph Rafael was arrested after the investigation revealed the dead horse had signs of severe malnourishment with protruding bones. There were eleven other horses in almost knee high mud, also with signs of some malnourishment. Rafael said he was trying to help get the animals fattened up, but neighbors say he had a history of neglecting animals. A nonprofit known as CHANGE, Coins to Help Abandoned and Neglected Equines helped take the animals to a shelter where they’re recovering. Rafael was booked on 12 counts of felony animal abuse, but was released on a $10,000 bail bond.

Congressman Mike Thompson has a second-time challenger. Nils Palsson filing paperwork to run again in the 5th District for the U-S House of Representatives. He’s a teacher, nonprofit communications director and former Lake County resident, now living in Santa Rosa, running as an independent. His platform, according to Lake Co News, is social, racial, environmental and economic justice for all, with an emphasis on getting money out of politics and restoring our democracy. He also ran for the same seat in 2016.

A man from Clearlake Oaks accused of killing his dad and a friend and injuring a couple of other people including a CHP officer and trying to kill others will stand trial for the rampage. Alan Leroy Ashmore’s lawyer is already talking about the fact the prosecution says Ashmore made strange statements and bizarre claims when police talked to him afterwards and what his frame of mind and mental state were then. Ashmore’s charged with several crimes including two counts of murder, two for attempted murder, the attempted murder of a peace officer and arson, robbery, burglary and felon in possession of a firearm. The D-A says he’s not going after the death penalty because of his age and because before the shootings, he had little criminal background. He’s due back in court April 24th to be arraigned.

A couple of downed power poles meant some people spent some of the weekend without power. On Friday night power outages reported in Lower Lake and in Kelseyville with some roads closed due to the damaged poles and downed lines too. Firefighters got a call to arcing power lines off Highway 29 outside of Lower Lake Friday night, with PG&E reporting more than 270 people in the dark all the way out to near Hidden Valley Lake. The power was back on overnight, but another broken power pole was found after in Kelseyville closing another street there. Part of Gaddy Court in Kelseyville was closed through the night and 320 people were in the dark there.

Some high schoolers in Ukiah had their own local March For Our Lives rally this weekend. The rally Saturday at the Alex R. Thomas Jr. Plaza for gun control and to protest gun violence and mass shootings at schools in America. It was part of a national protest that brought as many as 1 million people to Washington D.C., possibly the biggest protest in history to the National Mall. There were 800 nationwide protests. Here locally about 600 people were at the plaza including the students from Ukiah High. There were booths for voters registration, one pre-registering kids as young as 16, and sales of T-shirts with the words “I teach, I don’t need a gun.” There were representatives from politicians offices too.

The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors considering putting together a Cultural Services Agency to roll the county museum, library administration and Department of Parks and Recreation into one. The proposal first considered at a meeting of the museum board when the 1st District Supervisor Carre Brown broached the subject. The Daily Journal reports the item is on the supervisors’ meeting agenda now, but it’s not clear how such an agency would function. The newspaper reports the county’s Library Advisory Board Chairman is against the idea of one entity running all the departments together. The idea comes as the county’s questioned about the library’s funding and staffing.

A man in Oregon upset he can’t get his McDonald’s order and gets himself arrested. Police in Sutherlin say Jedediah Ezekiel Fulton was arrested two Friday’s ago after fast food workers told him they wouldn’t make his order of 30 double cheeseburgers, so he destroyed a banner and attacked the golden arches. He’s charged with suspicion of second-degree disorderly conduct, second-degree criminal trespass, second-degree criminal mischief and harassment. Cops say he also grabbed someone’s shirt, and fearing for their lives over the burger debacle, another witness pulled out a gun.

gmail_default style=”font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:small;display:inline”> PM News-03-23-18

A drunk driver with a record found guilty once again of driving after drinking for a fourth time. Kent Gladden of Ukiah found guilty of driving a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and driving a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol .08 or greater. The jury heard he was driver actually over .16 percent, plus he was found guilty of inflicting injury on another person. The jury didn’t know he had three prior convictions, one in Sonoma County, then twice before in Mendocino County, all three were misdemeanors. But since he had prior convictions, within ten years, this latest conviction is a felony. He’ll be sentenced April 4th after the probation dept. comes up with a sentence​
recommendation.

Two women from Fort Bragg have been arrested after a home in Caspar has some paintings stolen. The resident called deputies to say they heard construction/destruction type sounds coming from another house and saw flashlight beams in and outside that house. Deputies say they found Wendy LagasseWilliams and Carrie Mata putting paintings in their car, saying they owned them and that the house was there’s. But deputies say it was obvious the home had been broken into. The two ended up being arrested for Residential Burglary and Conspiracy to Commit a Felony and held on 50 thousand dollars bail each.

Still no sign of a man accused of a murder six months ago in Humboldt County seen putting gas in a stolen car this week. Zachary Harrison still on the run, with police saying they think he may be in the same area where the murder​
of Robert Holtsclaw​
happened. A spokesperson for the Humboldt County Sheriff’s office says he escaped into a forested area after being spotted Wednesday getting gas in Miranda. Cops took chase, but Harrison abandoned the stolen car and ran. Cops put out reverse 911 calls. The sheriff’s office says they went out to a home in Alderpoint where he was known to hang out, saw him again, but he was able to ditch police again. He ran into the Eel River and cops using a helicopter, a plane, jet skis, and a boat searched to no avail. A Netflix crew hearing of the chase came out to film too. But he was not found.