LAKEPORT – Three Sureno gang members accused of participating in a March assault in Library Park have received prison sentences.

The District Attorney's Office reported that on Monday Judge Arthur Mann sentenced Juan Luis Yepez, 17, to eight years in prison and gave Mathew Allen Domeier, 17, and Elias Hernandez, 20, each nine-year prison terms for their part in the March 16 assault of Alex Larranaga of Clearlake Oaks.

Larranaga, 19 at the time of the assault, was approached by several known gang members as he was leaving TNT's Restaurant with his family, as Lake County News previously reported. The gang members began flashing gang signs before they jumped Larranaga, who was beaten and stabbed.

Domeier and Yepez, ages 16 and 17, respectively, at the time of the assault, were tried as adults in the case after they were found unfit to be tried as juveniles in an April 30 hearing, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff.

In July, Domeier, Yepez and Hernandez all pleaded guilty to felony assault likely to cause great bodily injury, Hinchcliff reported.

The three documented Sureno gang members also admitted to a special allegation that the offense was committed for the benefit of a criminal street gang with the specific intent to promote criminal conduct by gang members, Hinchcliff said.

Prosecuting the case was Gary Luck, who retired last year as the District Attorney but has joined the office of his successor, Jon Hopkins, as a deputy district attorney specializing in juvenile cases.

Attorney Stephen Carter, who represented Domeier, said his client and the other defendants at first faced a much stiffer sentence – life in prison – because they had been charged with attempted murder, aggravated mayhem (a charge related to attempted murder, according to Hinchcliff) and a more serious gang enhancement.

Carter said he and the other defense attorneys on the case, including Roy Miller of Santa Rosa, worked to lower the charges, arriving at a plea deal on charges that Carter said he felt the District Attorney's Office could prove in court.

“So even though Mathew got a signification prison sentence, I was very pleased to avoid him getting a life sentence,” Carter said.

Domeier did not hold the knife, said Carter, but was engaged in hitting and kicking Larranaga.

Lt. Brad Rasmussen of Lakeport Police said that another suspect in the case who has not yet gone to trial, Ricardo Muniz, 18, is accused of actually stabbing Larranaga. Another juvenile defendant, 14 at the time, was charged in the case but there was no information on his case status Tuesday.

Domeier, who had been in the gang about a year when the assault occurred, had a sad family life – he never knew his father – and was interested in going into the military at one point, Carter said.

“He could have gone a much better way,” said Carter.

In the case of a juvenile like Domeier, Carter said he'll actually serve only four and a half years of the nine-year sentence. At least half of that prison time will be spent in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's Juvenile Justice Division, former known as the California Youth Authority, Carter added.

Hinchcliff said all three young men will be required to register with law enforcement as gang members once they're released from prison.

In addition, they'll be required to pay restitution to Larranaga. However, the amount they'll be required to pay has yet to be determined; Hinchcliff said it will depend on Larranaga's extensive medical bills and any other out-of-pocket expenses that he and his family incurred because of the assault.

Convicted gang members were significant players

All of the gang members involved in the Larranaga assault are members of a local Surenos gang known as South Side Willow Point, Hinchcliff said. Investigators identified them by gang monikers including “Crazy” and “Rascal.”

Lakeport Police Det. Norm Taylor said Domeier, Yepez, Hernandez and the other defendants were part of a core group that resided or spent a majority of their time in the Willopoint Resort and Library Park areas.

Since their arrests, there has been little or no gang presence in those areas, said Taylor.

“They account for a substantial portion of the active gang members in the community,” Taylor added. “Their sentences will certainly have an impact on the gang activity we see in Lakeport, although it's just a continuing trend.”

As the community grows, Taylor said gang activity also will grow, with more young people being pulled into the gang lifestyle.

Taylor said the sentences handed out to the three suspects were “substantial.”

“The judicial system and the District Attorney were very vigilant in going after and prosecuting the people responsible,” said Taylor. “Law enforcement's attitude is they'll do everything they can to locate and prosecute anyone in criminal street gangs.”

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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SACRAMENTO – State Senator Patricia Wiggins (D-Santa Rosa) announced Monday that she has asked the Joint Legislative Audit Committee (JLAC) to investigate the adequacy of health care and accommodation of residents’ disabilities at the California Veterans Home in Yountville.

“It is an embarrassment that our veterans, who served our country honorably, have been treated so poorly in their time of need,” declared Wiggins. “This audit will serve as a blueprint to correct deficiencies and bring back the high standards of care our veterans so richly deserve.

“Residents and staff have reported a wide range of issues, including disabled residents that have been left unattended lying in their feces, visually-impaired veterans who have been unable to ascertain their food choices in the mess hall or decipher home communications, and inadequacy of medical equipment resulting exacerbating injuries and perhaps death,” Wiggins said.

In her letter to the JLAC chair, Wiggins said that based on the volume and diversity of complaints that have come from residents of the home, as well as testimony by Dr. David Salopek, chairman of the Yountville Veterans Home Allied Council at an April 24, 2007 hearing of the Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee, she “lacks confidence that the California Department of Veterans Affairs is meeting its mission, goals, or vision relating to the health care and quality of life at the Yountville Veterans Home.”

“Residents have also complained of violations of their residents’ rights, disrespect for residents and their quality of life issues,” Wiggins added. “Physicians have reported the assignment of an excessive number of patients, leading to doctor burn-out and potentially inadequate care. The last thing we’d want to see is a Walter Reed type of situation at Yountville.”

The Joint Legislative Audit Committee is charged with ascertaining facts, and making reports and recommendations to the Legislature concerning the state, its agencies, departments and political subdivisions of the state. Independently, and through the State Auditor, JLAC investigates, studies, analyzes and assesses the financial practices and the performance of existing governmental and/or publicly created entities in California – in order to assist those entities in fulfilling the purpose for which they were created by the Legislature.

The committee is comprised of seven members of the Senate (including Wiggins), and seven members of the Assembly.

In her letter, Wiggins asked JLAC to direct the office of the State Auditor to investigate and then report its findings and recommendations on the following:

• The adequacy of the number of physicians and other medical personnel needed to provide adequate care to the Home’s population;

• Complaints by residents and personnel;

• The Home’s compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, with emphasis on accommodation of the mobility impaired and the visually impaired;

• The need for a hospital and health care administrator dedicated exclusively to coordinating and managing all health care facilities and related personnel (note: Wiggins is carrying a bill, SB 565, to create the position);

• The absence of a skilled nursing facility administrator at Yountville (the Department of Veterans Affairs established the position, but then redirected it away from Yountville);

• Personnel shortages and the quality of health care;

• Utilization and enforcement of the Code of Conduct by the Home’s administration.

“Providing high-quality long term care for America’s heroes, our state’s elderly and infirm veterans should be a top priority for California,” Wiggins said. “We are requesting that this audit be given priority status with the Auditor General to insure that our veterans quickly receive the care they have so rightfully earned. This audit will be a valuable tool to help us determine what actions, we as policymakers and the Department of Veterans Affairs, need to make.”

The Yountville Veterans Home is a 550-acre community of and for veterans. Some 1,200 veterans (both men and women) live at the home.

Founded in 1884, Yountville is the oldest and largest veteran’s home in the United States. It currently provides 713 residential accommodations, 48 residential care (assisted living) accommodations and three levels of in-patient health care: 169 beds for intermediate care, 230 beds for skilled nursing care, and 20 beds in general acute care. July 2007 marked the opening of the new Alzheimer’s/dementia unit, which will ultimately accommodate 75 residents.

On its Web site, the California Department of Veterans Affairs says its mission is “to provide the state's aged or disabled veterans with rehabilitative, residential, and medical care and services in a home-like environment at the California Veterans Homes.”

The site also indicates that the department’s vision is that “California veterans will live the highest quality of life with dignity and honor,” with the goal of providing “high quality advocacy and services for all California Veterans; provide the best long-term care and enhanced quality of life for all State Veterans Home residents; maintain effective communication with all staff and stake holders; and use resources wisely.”

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Steve Lantz's beautifully restored and now Corvette-powered SeaBee

LAKEPORT – Seaplanes splashed in a bit early this year as part of an extended Taste of Lakeport event.

The planes visited downtown Lakeport over the weekend, besides taking to the sky and the lake.

If you missed it, don't worry – the main event is yet to come.

The 28^th annual Western States Seaplanes Festival will take place from Friday, Sept. 21 through Sunday, Sept. 23, also in downtown Lakeport.

Organizers have expanded this year's event to include a Friday night concert featuring local music legend, David Neft, and a festival of activities over the following days, including spectacular aerial displays.

Stay tuned to Lake County News for more on that event in the weeks ahead.

E-mail Harold LaBonte at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Walter Wester from Larkspur pilots his sleek Glassair float plane up the boat ramp next to the Skylark Motel. Photo by Harold LaBonte.

The most unique-looking plane of the day was the low-riding SeaWind piloted by Ron Boyles of San Rafael. Photo by Harold LaBonte.

Steve Lantz's SeaBee "The Tahoe Special" was admired by many. Captain Lantz flew in from Lake Tahoe and expects to return in September. Photo by Harold LaBonte.

Captain Ray Arceneaux flew his Cessna 185 in from the Gold Country. Photo by Harold LaBonte.

A future pilot takes the controls for the very first time. Photo by Harold LaBonte.

City workers mobilize to correct ramp problems due to lower-than-expected water levels. Photo by Harold LaBonte.

The Cal Fire Incident Command Center reported that the fire was reported at 10:12 a.m.

Cal Fire and Lake County Fire Protection District responded to the fire, located along Clayton Creek Road. Cal Fire sent its standard responded, including one air attack, two air tankers, one helicopter, one battalion chief, five engines, two dozers and two handcrews, officials reported.

No structures were threatened and no injuries reported, according to Cal Fire.

The fire's cause is still under investigation.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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California Highway Patrol Officer Josh Dye reported Monday afternoon that Sally A. Waddell, 51, of Clearlake Oaks was the fatality in the collision, which took place at around 8:43 p.m. Sunday north of Diener Drive.

As Lake County News previously reported, Waddell was traveling northbound on Highway 29 in a Hyundai Accent when her vehicle crossed the double-yellow lines and collided head-on with 43-year-old Sonoma resident Tina Hendry in her 1998 Chevy 2500 pickup.

A third vehicle went into a ditch to avoid the accident, which was spotted by CHP Officer Mark Barnes, who was on his way to the Lake County Jail to deliver an arrestee, according to Dye.

Waddell died at the scene; Dye said Hendry and three passengers in her truck received minor injuries.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation, Dye said.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Clayton Duncan with a picture showing his great-grandmother, Lucy Moore. Photo by Raphael Montoliu.

LAKE COUNTY – "At 6 years old, she weighed not much more than one of the cannon balls that tore through the people like a boulder though willows. Crouching beneath the water beside the bank she sipped air through a reed to maintain her life. Above her, an old world was ending, washed in blood.”

Those are the words Clayton Duncan uses to tell the story of his grand-grandmother, Lucy Moore, and her survival of the events of Bloody Island.

The year was 1850. Lucy hid in the bloodied water behind the tules with her mother at Badonnapati, Old Island – called Bloody Island after dragoons and a militia under the command of Captain Nathaniel Lyon massacred between 150 and 200 Pomo men, women, elders and children, bayoneting women and babies, stepping on and crushing infants, "braining" (a 19th century term) children by smashing their heads against tree trunks.

Given some limited public outcry, they were charged for these crimes but not convicted, and Lyon later was promoted.

The members of the militia, some of them prominent members of society, subsequently took ownership of the best Pomo lands around the lake and all over Lake County, said Duncan, for the unofficial design of this particular expedition was to "clear" the land of its indigenous inhabitants, as the official policy of California, supported by the federal government, was to exterminate all of the Indian population.

A few Pomo people survived Bloody Island. It took five days to gather the bodies for cremation, Duncan said. Orphaned children had to be hidden from settlers gathering slaves for the market in central California.

Despite this and many more hardships unleashed on native people by the US, Duncan said Lucy Moore became a mother, a grandmother and great-grandmother, lived to be 110 years old, and in her old age prayed every day to forgive America.

It is in her memory and to honor her, her prayer and all who died at Bloody Island that Duncan created the Lucy Moore Foundation in 2000, having for many years approached the tribal leadership to address some of the following issues, without success.

The foundation organizes the yearly May 15 Sunrise Ceremony at Bloody Island, to honor and remember the people who died there during the massacre.

The Lucy Moore Foundation's vision is to educate the public about the massacre, one of many in California, according to Duncan. The group also is working to locate, preserve and memorialize the site of the mass grave – where the victims of the massacre, whose only fault was to live on their own land and stand in the way of America's expansion – were thrown into a hole and cremated.

The foundation's mission is to pronounce Bloody Island and the surrounding 500 acre of marshlands an area of archaeological sensitivity, as a variety of significant prehistoric and historic periods archaeological sites exist within the borders of the 500 acres Bloody Island project boundaries.

As part of that mission, the foundation wants to buy Bloody Island and preserve the rich archaeological and anthropological resources known to exist in great abundance on and around the Island, its wetlands and its bay.

On the island will be created a Lucy Moore Foundation Museum and Cultural Center in the traditional shape of a round house, Duncan said.

In accordance with the prophetic dream of Sage Runningbear and the traditional use of the four directions, the foundation also is planning to build and develop:

• To the east a research center/laboratory, focusing on nutrition, natural medicine and the environment;

• To the north a counseling center for abused, neglected children of all races;

• To the west a healing center offering Native and non-Native spiritual and healing practices and therapies such as the sweat lodge, round house and Native American church, herbal medicine, yoga, massage, meditation, acupuncture and other healing methods;

• To the south an amphitheater and spaces for concerts, celebrations, pow wows and other events.

"If we can do this together, to know and learn from each other, to accept the truths of the old world and the new, perhaps our children will not see the colors of skin, the manners of our worship, our cultural heritages as characteristics that divide us,” said Duncan. “Perhaps they will see them as the attributes that unite us so we can all work together to fix, mend and heal the Earth, our mother.

“Doing this, we know in our hearts and from the wishes of our ancestors that it will bring back the balance, using Lucy Moore prayer of forgiveness,” Duncan said.

Anyone seeking more information about the Foundation, including foundation meeting dates, should contact Clayton Duncan, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 707-274-6788.

E-mail Raphael Montoliu at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Brian Collins was sentenced to eight years in prison for the sodomy case. Lake County Jail photo.

LAKE COUNTY – A repeat sex offender found guilty of forcible sodomy on a teenage boy has received eight years in prison.

Deputy District Attorney John DeChaine reported Tuesday that Brian Keith Collins, 44, was sentenced to the upper term of eight years in prison on Monday for the forcible sodomy of a 16-year-old boy in Lake County.

DeChaine prosecuted the case, which was investigated by Det. Mike Curran of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Judge Arthur Mann imposed the maximum prison sentence after denying the Collins' motion for probation, DeChaine reported.

On July 9, DeChaine reported Collins pleaded no contest to forcible sodomy, in violation of California Penal Code section 286(c)(2).

Forcible sodomy is categorized as both a serious and a violent strike in California, DeChaine reported. As a result, Collins will not be eligible for parole until he serves 85 percent of his prison sentence.

The 16-year-old male victim alleged that Collins had assaulted him after luring him to a vacant house in Clearlake Oaks on June 6, 2006, according to DeChaine's report. The teenage victim said he had only met Collins the day before the incident. Collins was 43 years old at the time of the sexual assault. As with most sexual assaults, there were no third party witnesses to the crime.

Collins, a construction worker, was arrested on June 7, 2006, the day after the assault, and was booked into the county jail, according to jail records.

Throughout the year-long prosecution of the case, Collins had been held in custody with bail set in the amount of $75,000, DeChaine said.

Collins was already a registered sex offender and was identified as such on the Megan’s Law Web site in 2006 when he committed this current offense, according to DeChaine.

Collins' prior sex crimes consisted of two misdemeanor convictions for child molestation in violation of Penal Code section 647(a) in 1983, in San Pablo, DeChaine added.

When Collins is released from prison, the law requires that he must continue to be required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.

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California Highway Patrol Office Josh Dye reported late Sunday that CHP Officer Mark Barnes came upon the crash, on Highway 29 north of Diener Drive, at 8:43 p.m.

Barnes, who was traveling northbound on Highway 29 while transporting an arrestee to the Lake County Jail, saw vehicles blocking the roadway and advised dispatch that he was at the scene of a traffic collision, Dye reported.

A 51-year-old woman from Clearlake Oaks was driving a Hyundai Accent northbound on Highway 29 when, for unknown reasons, her vehicle swerved across the double yellow lines and collided head-on with a 1998 Chevy 2500 driven by Tina Hendry, 43, of Sonoma who was traveling southbound, according to Dye.

A third, unidentified vehicle had been following the Chevy, and Dye said that vehicle narrowly avoided the collision when the driver evasively maneuvered the vehicle into a ditch.

The Clearlake Oaks woman died at he scene; Dye said her name has not been released pending notification of family.

Four other people were reportedly riding in the other vehicle involved, according to the CHP incident logs.

Along with the CHP, Lake County Sheriff's units responded to the scene to assist with traffic control and coroner's duties, Dye said.

Caltrans reportedly closed the road at Highway 29 and Diener and Highway 29 and Highway 281 while emergency personnel responded to the scene. Dye said the highway was closed for two hours while the scene investigation took place.

Two flatbed tow trucks responded to the scene to remove the vehicles involved for evidence, according to the CHP log.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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According to a statement issued at 7 p.m., Sonoma County Sheriff's officials said they had taken a missing persons report on Lauren Rutz, 22.

A Sonoma State University student who occasionally resides in the Sebastopol area as well as Kelseyville, the sheriff's report stated that Rutz was traveling alone from San Francisco to the Kelseyville area when she disappeared.

She was last heard from Saturday at 2:45 a.m., the report noted, when she spoke to her mother via cell phone.

At the time of the call, cell phone records indicate Rutz may have been in the Windsor area, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office reported.

Rutz is a white female, 5' 4" tall and 140 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes, authorities reported. She was driving a silver 1997 Toyota RAV4, California License Plate No. 4XXF221.

Law enforcement agencies continue to search Rutz's possible routes of travel from the air and on the ground, in and around Sonoma County, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff's report. No foul play is suspected at this time.

Anyone with information is asked to call Sonoma County Sheriff's Department at (707) 565-2650.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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“The evidence that U.S. attorneys were fired for political purposes has mounted for almost a year, and the credibility of our nation’s justice system has increasingly suffered,” Thompson said in a written statement.

Thompson had sent a letter to President George W. Bush five months ago calling for Gonzales' resignation.

“Rather than ‘fix the problems’ as he promised, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has only stonewalled Congress’ attempt to hold the Bush Administration accountable and has given questionable testimony about his own involvement,” Thompson said. “His resignation was long overdue. Moreover, if the investigations find that the law was broken or justice obstructed, Gonzales should face charges.

Thompson said he hopes Bush will use Gonzales' resignation as an opportunity to bring integrity back to the office of the Attorney General by appointing a nominee “who holds the law above politics and aims to strengthen, not diminish, our civil liberties.”

“This is also an opportunity to re-examine the continuation of warrantless surveillance,” Thompson said.

Thompson, who is chairman of the House Intelligence Subcommittee on Terrorism, Human Intelligence, Analysis and Counterintelligence, said the House Intelligence Committee will be crafting new legislation to replace the flawed Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), the law that governs the surveillance of foreign targets for intelligence purposes.

“We need a law that allows us to collect information on those who threaten our nation’s security, without violating the rights of law-abiding Americans,” said Thompson. “FISA should also be altered to ensure that an independent court, not the Bush Administration, determines when the communications of Americans need to be monitored.”

Visit Thompson's Web site at http://mikethompson.house.gov/.

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Sonoma County Sheriff's Office investigators reported finding the body of Lauren Rutz, 22, on Sunday, the victim of an apparent vehicle accident.

As Lake County News reported Sunday, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office issued a report on seeking information on the whereabouts of Rutz, who was driving from San Francisco to Kelseyville Saturday when she went missing.

Rutz reportedly resided in both the Sebastopol area and Kelseyville,

Her mother had reported hearing from her at 2:45 a.m. Saturday during a cell phone conversation, as Lake County News previously reported. Cell phone records had indicated that Rutz was in the Windsor area at the time of the phone call.

On Sunday at approximately 1 p.m., the Sonoma County Sheriff's Helicopter was conducting a search along possible routes that Rutz could have used on her way from the San Francisco area to Kelseyville, according to a Sonoma County Sheriff's Office report.

The helicopter crew spotted vehicle debris and a vehicle off of Highway 101, south of Asti, according to the report. The vehicle was well off the roadway, in a ditch near a vineyard in dense vegetation.

The vehicle was not visible from the roadway to passing motorists or deputies who had driven through the area earlier as part of a ground search, the report stated, and turned out to be the Toyota RAV4 Rutz was driving.

Rutz, the vehicle's only occupant, was found dead in the vehicle and positively identified, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office reported.

The circumstances surrounding the vehicle accident are being investigated by the California Highway Patrol, the report added.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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You would see the full moon being slowly eaten by some hideous, unseen creature – a very bad omen indeed! Will the earth be next? What will happen to us?

Our scientific knowledge back then, or lack thereof, gave rise to many frightening explanations for what will be seen.

Today, we have a better understanding of what causes the celestial event that will occur on Tuesday morning. It's an eclipse of the moon, and in Lake County we'll have a marvelous view of it – providing you're able to stay up late, or get up early, depending on your schedule.

The eclipse will begin around 1:20 a.m. It will be at maximum at 3:30 a.m., and will end around 6 a.m.

A lunar eclipse happens when the earth is between the sun and the moon, and the Earth's shadow is cast on the moon.

The diagram below shows how this happens.

A diagram provided by www.mreclipse.com.

Lunar eclipses occur several times a year. They can only be seen from specific parts of the Earth – this month's eclipse won't be visible from Europe, for example.

The next eclipse we'll be able to see will happen on Feb. 21, 2008. After that one, we'll have to wait until December 2010.

So, this month's eclipse may not happen at a convenient time, but it's an event well worth setting your alarm for or staying up to watch.

John Zimmerman has been an amateur astronomer for 50 years. He is a member of the Taylor Observatory staff, where, among his many duties, he helps create planetarium shows.

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An example of a lunar eclipse from earlier this year.