The checkpoint will take place between 6 p.m. Friday and 2 a.m. Saturday.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

:The desired result is to save lives and make everyone’s family summer excursion, for both our community residents and those visiting our beautiful county, a safe and pleasurable memory,” said Lt. Greg Baarts, CHP Area commander.

The sobriety checkpoint will be staffed by officers who are trained in the detection of alcohol and/or drug impaired drivers.

Drug recognition experts, certified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, will be on site to provide on the spot assessments of drivers suspected of drug use.

The officers will also be equipped with state of the art hand-held breath devices which provide an accurate measure of blood alcohol concentrations of suspected drunk drivers.

“Traffic volume permitting, all vehicles will be checked and drivers who are under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs can expect to be arrested,” Baarts said.

He added, “Our goal is to ensure the safe passage of each and every motorist by targeting roads where there is a high frequency of drunk driving. DUI enforcement patrols, as well as sobriety checkpoints, are effective tools for achieving this goal and are designed to augment existing patrol operations. By publicizing our efforts, we believe that we can deter motorists from drinking and driving.”

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Paul Anthony Neuman, 33, of Lakeport, was arrested by Lake County Sheriff's deputies in March on a $2 million Idaho warrant, as Lake County News has reported.

Neuman's arrest in Lake County came the same month as he was indicted by the grand jury in Ada County, Idaho, according to a report from the office of Ada County Prosecutor Greg H. Bower.

On Aug. 18, Neuman entered a guilty plea to one count of robbery and one count of rape before Judge Thomas Neville in Ada County Court, according to Bower.

Neuman admitted to entering the Herb Tree Store in Meridian, Idaho, on Dec. 10, 2010. Wearing a mask, Neuman allegedly produced a gun and then robbed and raped the female store clerk just as the store was closing, according to Bower.

Bower said that immediately after the rape and robbery the female victim reported the crimes to police but was unable to provide a physical description of the assailant because of the mask and dark clothing.

DNA from the sexual assault kit was recovered and placed in the nationwide CODIS databank. Bower's report said that in January of this year, the state of Idaho received notice that a match to the DNA had been obtained out of California.

Meridian law enforcement was able to identify Neuman as the source of the DNA CODIS identification. Bower said law enforcement officials took a DNA sample from Neuman and verified that the DNA from the sexual assault was his.

After Neuman pleaded guilty to the robbery and rape charges last week, the prosecution dismissed the remaining charges in the case, according to Bower.

Bower said Neuman will be sentenced Oct. 17.

According to Idaho statute, both rape and armed robbery are punishable by life in prison at the discretion of the judge.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there are 26,000 school bus related collisions per year and more than 9,500 children that are injured nationally.

Additionally, 23,000 children are injured and 250 killed every year walking or cycling to school.

As the school year begins, there is an increase in traffic in around schools which can cause a tragic event. This is something the CHP is trying to prevent.

“We still receive several complaints a week which involve drivers not stopping for school buses. This is not acceptable. We need to ensure the safety of our children and that responsibility falls on everyone. If a school bus has its red lights activated, both directions of traffic must stop,” Clear Lake CHP Area Commander Lt. Greg Baarts said.

The CHP also reminds drivers to be aware of the school zone speed limits.

“When the school year starts, motorists need to remember to reduce their speed in school zones. The school zone speed limit is 25 miles per hour. Awareness of students utilizing crosswalks is also extremely important. All of us have a responsibility to pay attention to our surroundings and not allow ourselves to be distracted while we drive,” Baarts said.

Here a few traffic safety rules for drivers and tips you can share with children to keep them safe when you can’t be with them.

For drivers:

• Pedestrians always have the right of way.

• In the absence of traffic signals, drivers must always slow down or stop for pedestrians in marked and unmarked crosswalks.

• At stop signs and when a school crossing guard is displaying an official stop sign or flag, drivers must come to a complete stop.

To share with your children:

• First and foremost, set a good example by always following the traffic safety rules yourself. Children learn by example.

• Cross in the crosswalks at the corner, not in the middle of the block. Never cross from between parked cars. Never cross an intersection diagonally.

• Children should look to see that drivers are aware of them. Making eye contact with a driver is a good way to know whether a driver is aware that someone is about to cross the road.

• Cross quickly – do not linger or play in the street.

• Always wear a helmet when riding a bicycle, skateboard, or scooter.

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Narcotics detectives said they found two ounces of methamphetamine, a digital gram scale, a calculator, packaging materials, records of drug transactions, a large amount of currency and other items related to the sale of controlled substances, and $2,361 in currency at the home of Carin Jones of Lower Lake, Calif., on Tuesday, August 23, 2011. Photo courtesy of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – A Lower Lake woman was arrested this week after drugs, paraphernalia and drug sales records were allegedly found in her home.

Carin Kim Jones, 55, was arrested following a search warrant service at her home on Tuesday, Aug. 23, according to Michelle Gonzalez, public information officer for the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Gonzalez said Jones was contacted and detained in the driveway of her residence without incident.

A search of the residence was conducted by narcotics detectives and a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy and his K-9 partner, Gonzalez said. The search resulted in the discovery of a false panel above the bathtub in the home.

Carin Kim Jones, 55, of Lower Lake, Calif., was arrested at her home on Tuesday, August 23, 2011, following a search warrant service and the discovery of drugs and paraphernalia. Lake County Jail photo.

The panel slid open to reveal a safe hidden in the wall. Once opened, narcotic detectives discovered approximately two ounces of methamphetamine, as well as a digital gram scale, a calculator, packaging materials, records of drug transactions, a large amount of currency and other items related to the sale of controlled substances, Gonzalez said.

In addition, Gonzalez said $2,361 in currency was seized from Jones’ person and the safe pending asset forfeiture proceedings.

Jones was transported to Hill Road Correctional Facility where she was booked for possession of a controlled substance for sale, with bail set at $10,000. Jail records indicated she later posted bail and was released.

The Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force can be contacted through its anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.

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Another 74,000 veterans have claims pending, and will only need to show VA that they set foot in Vietnam and have one of the diseases added last year to the list of Agent Orange “presumptive” conditions.

Though these payments comfort veterans and their families, they have upset some Republican senators who argue they are “unfair” to fellow veterans and taxpayers, and drive up VA compensation claims at a time when budgets are tightening and needs are expanding for new veterans.

These senators argue the Agent Orange Act of 1991 is flawed, providing too much authority to the VA secretary and allowing compensation awards based on a mere “association” between a disease and herbicide exposure rather than evidence that exposure “caused” the ailments.

“We are transferring a half million dollars to veterans under this decision by Secretary Shinseki for people who weigh 350 pounds, smoke three packs of cigarettes a day, and have hypercholesterolemia because they will not take their medicine,” Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) complained to colleagues during floor debate on his recent amendment to tighten the law.

“We are saying the reason they have heart disease is because at some point in time they were in Vietnam” and their disease meets the law’s criteria of being “associated” with herbicide exposure.

Coburn in late July sought to change the law to block more conditions from being added to VA’s list of presumptive diseases for exposure to Agent Orange unless medical science can show a “causal” effect and veterans can prove they were exposed to the herbicide.

Coburn’s amendment to the Military Construction and Veterans’ Affairs Appropriations Act of 2012 was tabled on a motion from Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.). The vote was 69-to-30 with 29 Republicans supporting Coburn.

Though he lost this vote, Coburn will continue to try to narrow the Agent Orange law and trim back authority of the VA secretary for expanding the list of presumptive diseases, said his press aide, Becky Bernhardt.

Coburn’s amendment would not have impacted the current list of presumptive diseases, including conditions added last year. That wasn’t clear from his rhetoric during floor debate.

Coburn noted that in 2006 the Institute of Medicine (IOM) found no positive association between exposure to Agent Orange and heart disease.

By 2008 it had found a positive association “but absolutely no causation. There is a big difference… On that basis, the secretary committed this country to make payments to people for disabilities not associated with their service.” With a limited budget going forward, if we are paying for disabilities that are not associated with service, that means we are going to have less money available for those veterans who do have a disability.”

Arizona Sen. John McCain, ranking Republican on the armed services committee, endorsed Coburn’s amendment.

McCain had co-sponsored the Agent Orange Act of 1991 believing the herbicide had harmed the health of many thousands of veterans.

But the VA secretary “has now expanded the eligibility to the point where it is beyond any scientific evidence that compensation would be required,” McCain said.

He noted that heart disease “is the leading cause of death in America today and has been so for decades.” Yet any Vietnam vet with the disease now can be awarded compensation at a potential cost to VA of up to $42 billion by 2020 “without what appears to be a direct connection to Agent Orange.”

There are too many legitimate needs “for veterans of wars to come” to allow this “open-ended expenditure of taxpayers' dollars.”

Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.), a Vietnam veteran like McCain, voted with fellow Democrats to table the amendment.

But Webb, who serves on the veterans’ affairs committee, later released a statement saying he agreed with Coburn that the 1991 law’s “associative” link between illnesses and exposure to Agent Orange “is too vague” and the law “gives too much discretion to the secretary of veterans affairs.”

“This discretionary power has been increasingly widened over time, impacting hundreds of thousands of veterans and tens billions of taxpayer dollars,” Webb said. “Legislation enacted 20 years ago under the assumption that it would be applied to a very narrow set of illnesses now allows presumptive service-connection for such age-related maladies as Type II diabetes and chronic heart disease.”

He asked VA Committee Chairman Murray to hold a hearing to consider legislation to reform the 1991 law.

Murray expressed no support for such a hearing in her motion to kill the amendment, arguing that Coburn made “a compelling case for saving money” but gave no evidence Agent Orange did not cause the conditions faced by these veterans...They have been dying for 40 years or more. We should not ask them to wait longer.”

Veterans’ groups vigorously attacked the amendment.

“Congress, in part, settled on this mechanism because it was nearly impossible for Vietnam veterans to prove that their exposure to Agent Orange caused their health conditions,” said John Rowan, National President of Vietnam Veterans of America. Coburn’s change “would essentially mean that benefits due to Agent Orange exposure would be out of reach” on additional diseases.

Tim Tetz, legislative director for the American Legion, said the law remains “fair and non-political. We think that’s the model for environmental exposures as we go forward … We applauded it then and we continue to applaud it today for creating an objective, scientific-based standard” which recognizes very poor record-keeping on herbicide exposure during the war.

To comment, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., write to Military Update, P.O. Box 231111, Centreville, VA, 20120-1111 or visit: www.militaryupdate.com.

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The robbery prosecution of Flynn Washburne, 51, ended quickly following his Aug. 8 arrest and subsequent appearance in Mendocino County Superior Court, where he entered guilty pleas on Aug.15 to two counts of robbery and admitted having already served two prior prison terms, according to a report from Mendocino County District Attorney C. David Eyster's office.

Sentencing is set for 9:30 a.m. Sept. 12 in the Ten Mile Division of the Mendocino County Superior Court in Fort Bragg. Eyster's office said Washburne is facing a sentence of up to eight years in prison.

Washburne’s case has been curious from the outset, detailed in part by his own postings on his Facebook page.

After his arrest, Washburne admitted to authorities that he robbed the Bank of America branch on State Street in Ukiah on July 27, and then fled on a bicycle.

That night he posted to Facebook: “Well, people. I’ve advanced into the big leagues. Without going into too much detail, I have definitely stopped fence straddling in the matter of being a criminal or not.”

Within a short time of the bank robbery, authorities were able to identify Washburne based on a photo taken of the robbery suspect by a bank security camera. A local newspaper published the photograph, and Washburne in turn posted a copy of the photograph on his Facebook site.

The next day – July 30 – Washburne walked into Cheshire Books on Franklin Street in downtown Fort Bragg, pointed what turned out to be a painted black handgun at the clerk and grabbed money from the store cash register. Authorities said he admitted to fleeing on foot and stopping briefly to change his clothing in an alley afterward.

Washburne eluded capture until Aug. 8, when a Fort Bragg resident who knew he was wanted saw him in town and called police.

Washburne is being held in Mendocino County Jail, and as of Monday was still making posts through proxies to his Facebook site while awaiting his sentencing.

“Cavalier posts regarding my criminal acts seem ill-advised and inappropriate,” his latest post read.

Washburne said an intermediary will continue to post on his behalf even while he’s serving time at San Quentin State Prison.

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Joyce Sue Adams, 67, of Clearlake, Calif., was arrested on drug charges by Lake County Narcotic Task Force detectives on Friday, August 19, 2011. Lake County Jail photo.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A Clearlake woman was arrested last week following the discovery of drugs and paraphernalia at her home.

On Friday, Aug. 19, Lake County Narcotic Task Force detectives served a search warrant at the residence of Joyce Sue Adams, 67, according to Michelle Gonzalez, the sheriff's public information office.

When they arrived at Adams' home narcotic detectives contacted and detained Adams without incident, Gonzalez said.

After securing the residence, narcotic detectives located a digital gram scale, packaging material and a quantity of methamphetamine in a dresser drawer in the living room, according to Gonzalez.

During the search of the master bedroom a safe was located. Gonzalez said the safe was later opened and detectives found items associated with the sale of controlled substances, including additional packing materials, and calibration scale weights.

Also located in the bedroom was a second digital gram scale, and a prescription medication bottle without a label. Gonzalez said the bottle contained Diazepam tablets for which Adams did not have a prescription.

Approximately one-quarter ounce of methamphetamine was located on the ground next to where Adams had been detained, Gonzalez said. Detectives seized $421 from Adams pending asset forfeiture proceedings.

Adams was arrested and transported to the Hill Road Correctional Facility where she was booked for possession of a controlled substance for sale, and possession of a controlled substance, Diazepam, according to Gonzalez.

At the jail, narcotics detectives requested and received a bail enhancement, and Adams’ bail was set at $100,000, Gonzalez said.

The bail enhancement request was based on the previous Narcotics Task Force arrest of Adams on July 15 for possession of a controlled substance for sale, and possession of marijuana for sale, according to Gonzalez.

She remained in custody early Thursday, according to jail records.

The Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force can be contacted through its anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.

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LAKEPORT, Calif. – A local man was sentenced to three years in state prison on Monday for stealing hundreds of dollars from his brother-in-law and replacing the money with counterfeit bills.

Robert Lawrence Deppe, 57, of Upper Lake was sentenced in the case by Judge Andrew Blum on Monday morning.

Deppe's attorney, J. David Markham, did not return a call seeking comment.

“We gave him a pretty big break,” Deputy District Attorney John Langan said of Deppe.

Langan said Deppe could have faced life in prison because he was a three strikes candidate, with two previous felony first-degree burglary convictions that occurred about 20 years ago.

The report on the case explained that Deppe turned himself in at the Lake County Jail on Feb. 9 after an investigation began into allegations that he took money from his brother-in-law – who lived with Deppe and his wife, Lisa – as well as taking money from Lisa Deppe herself.

Robert Deppe was alleged to have taken from his brother-in-law eight $100 bills and five $20 bills and replaced them with fake bills. He also allegedly took two $100 bills from his wife's purse, also putting fake bills in their place, according to the initial sheriff's report.

The District Attorney's Office later charged Deppe with forgery and felony petty theft, as Lake County News has reported.

It was about that same time that Deppe, the former post commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2015, was accused of having falsified a Vietnam service record, leading to him leaving the post.

Langan said the fact that Deppe used counterfeit bills to cover the thefts showed premeditation.

Rather than facing a potential life sentence, Deppe received the three-year prison sentence, said Langan.

“We gave him a tremendous break,” Langan said.

He noted, “This was kind of an unusual offer on my part.”

Langan said Deppe made a complete confession to the thefts.

Lisa Deppe – who paid her brother back the stolen money – asked for leniency, and it was Langan's understanding that she also was speaking for her brother-in-law, but found out later that the brother-in-law wasn't asking for Robert Deppe to be given a break.

“It was my mistake,” said Langan.

He said he invited Deppe's brother-in-law to come and make a statement to the court and lodge a complaint about the process if he had one. However, when the man addressed the court Monday, he said he was fine with the outcome. He also stated that he loved his sister but was tired of dealing with Deppe.

“I guess it's an ongoing problem,” said Langan.

Because of the previous convictions Judge Blum turned down probation, said Langan.

Deppe was immediately taken into custody and transported to the Lake County Jail, said Langan. From there he will be transported to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

Jacobo Lopez Mejia was booked into the Lake County Jail on Tuesday, August 23, 2011, for several felony charges in connection with a fatal pickup rollover that killed two of his five passengers on Thursday, August 18, 2011, near Kelseyville, Calif. Lake County Jail photo.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Following his release from the hospital the driver in a fatal rollover last week that killed two men has been taken into custody on several felony charges including vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence.

Jacobo Lopez Mejia of Kelseyville was booked into the Lake County Jail on Tuesday, Aug. 23, the same day as he turned 24 years old, according to jail records.

He was arrested for felony gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, two counts of driving under the influence of alcohol causing bodily injury and a misdemeanor count of driving without a license, according to jail records.

His booking sheet indicated he is being held without bail due to a felony immigration hold.

Mejia was driving a 1999 F-150 Ford pickup truck on Merritt Road outside of Kelseyville at 11 p.m. Aug. 18 when he went off the road and lost control, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The pickup flipped over several times, ejecting four of Lopez’s five passengers and killing two of them, the CHP reported.

On Wednesday CHP Officer Kory Reynolds identified the two fatalities as Kelseyville residents Hector Perez, 34, and Florentino Leon-Flores, 42.

The remaining passengers who were injured but survived included Kelseyville residents Abelino Gomez, 28; Armondo Gomez, 33; and Juan Perez, 22, according to the CHP.

Lopez Mejia was placed under arrest early on the morning of Aug. 19 but was transported to UC Davis Medical Center for treatment of moderate injuries, the CHP said.

Reynolds said the CHP’s case has not yet been forwarded to the Lake County District Attorney’s Office.

“It’s still under investigation,” he said.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

The dedication will take place beginning at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 26, at the American Legion Hall, 14770 Austin Road, Clearlake.

Carl Webb, a member of the Clearlake Rotary Club – which spearheaded the effort to get the highway designation – said there will be speakers, a Boy Scouts color guard, and representatives from local government and veterans' organizations.

He said Assemblyman Wes Chesbro, who carried the state legislation to get the designation approved, also is invited, as is Congressman Mike Thompson.

Webb said he will do a brief presentation at the Friday event about how the idea to designate the highway in honor of local veterans came about.

He said he was on a fishing trip a few years ago, traveling through the redwoods, when he saw a sign for a Humboldt County Veterans Highway.

“I said, 'How come we don't have one?' And that's what started the whole thing,” he said.

It was, he added, “a long, slow process.”

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

Cal Fire Mendocino Unit Chief Christopher P. Rowney said that Steven Gene Hensley, 36, was arrested shortly after noon on Monday, Aug. 22, without incident, for the suspected arsons.

Cal Fire will not release details of the investigation to protect the integrity of the upcoming criminal action.

However, Rowney said, “Fire investigators, Fire Captain Specialists Shawn Zimmermaker and Craig Dudley, have been working tirelessly to put an end to the property destruction and life threat of these intentionally set fires.”

Although this particular threat has been removed, Chief Rowney encourages all residents to continue to prepare their property for unwanted fires by creating 100 feet of defensible space around homes.

He reminds residents preparing for a wildfire starts with three simple steps: “Ready, Set, Go.”

Detailed information on “Ready, Set, Go” is available at www.fire.ca.gov or contact CAL FIRE Mendocino Unit Headquarters at 707-459-7414.

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