LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The first four-year university to call Lake County home is beginning the process of looking for a new president, while Lake County's former top administrator has been added to the institution's board.

Marymount California University announced this week that Dr. Michael Brophy has accepted the president's position with Benedictine University in the Illinois suburb of Lisle, near Chicago.

Dr. Brophy, who has led Marymount for nearly a decade, will conclude his service with the university in August.

“The board of trustees, students, staff and faculty are appreciative of Marymount’s transformation led by Dr. Brophy during his 10-year tenure with the university,” said Burt Arnold, chairman of the Marymount California University Board of Trustees. “His intelligent vision, inspirational stamina and persistence have resulted in tremendous growth for Marymount California University.”

“Since 2006, I have been honored to serve the Marymount California University community as we transitioned from a two-year college to a multi-campus comprehensive university,” said Dr. Brophy. “My family and I will have many fond memories of our time in Southern California and are very grateful to the board of trustees, faculty and staff, students and their families, donors and the greater 'Marymount family,' who have given their unfailing support to the university.”

Under Brophy's leadership, the private, Catholic, nonprofit institution – headquartered in Rancho Palos Verdes – has grown from a two-year college to a four-year university, invested millions in campus upgrades and, following its mission to serve others, created new learning opportunities for Lake County residents.

Marymount has nearly doubled its enrollment and revenue in five years, added a campus in San Pedro in Los Angeles County, increased its baccalaureate degrees and introduced graduate degrees, added competitive athletics and earned accreditation from the Senior Commission of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

It also was recognized by the state of California as a university and, in 2013, the former Marymount College became Marymount California University.

Most significant for Lake County, Brophy led the university to open its third campus – the Lakeside Campus – in Lucerne, at the historic Lucerne Hotel, the 1920s-era landmark the county of Lake purchased and began renovating in 2010.

In 2012, the university and the county of Lake finalized and signed a 15-year lease agreement for the 75,000-square-foot building, with the county handing off the keys to the seven-acre property in August.

Now known as the Marymount Castle, the stately building hosts classes for students seeking bachelor's and graduate degrees. The first academic year was just completed.

As for potential impacts of Brophy's departure on Marymount's Lake County presence, “We have no reason to think that this change impacts the Lakeside Campus,” Kelly Curtis Intagliata, Marymount's chief officer of public relations and marketing, told Lake County News.

She said the university's trustees were just at the Lakeside Campus June 5 and 6 for a board meeting.

At that time, Kelly Cox – the county of Lake's longtime administrative officer who retired in 2012 after more than 30 years in the job – was appointed to the board of trustees, Intagliata said.

He was among six new appointees to the 22-member university board, according to Intagliata.

Cox championed the effort to save the Castle and to bring the university to Lake County. He and Brophy have been lauded for their vision and collaboration in creating the partnership that made the university's arrival in Lake County possible.

In his new role, Cox will join his fellow trustees in hiring Brophy's successor.

The university reported that its board will appoint interim leadership for the academic year 2015-16 “to ensure that there is no gap in the management of the university’s strategic plan and priorities,” while it conducts a nationwide search for Marymount's new president.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Library invites the public to get to know Lake County better with Know Lake County, a free lecture series.

On June 20 Janet Berrian and Gabriele O’Neill of the Lake County Master Program will present a program on planting drought-tolerant and native plants suitable to Lake County’s climate.

Lakeport Library, located at 1425 N. High St., will host the event at 2 p.m.

The University of California Cooperative Extension Lake County Master Gardeners are volunteer staff of UC Agricultural and Natural Resources and their objective is to educate home gardeners in all aspects of horticulture, using a science based approach.

In light of the need for specialized information to help deal with the current ongoing drought, Master Gardeners have focused the majority of their public talks and workshops on how to garden in a drought in the last couple of years.

Janet Berrian has been a UC Master Gardener since 2012. Her passion for native and drought-tolerant plants led her and a colleague to design and implement a 100-percent California native plant garden at Sutter Lakeside Hospital.

The garden was designed to be a place of respite for patients, their families, Sutter staff and members of the community.

Also, through this garden Berrian hopes to inspire others to create xeriscape landscapes that are beautiful, that will meet the needs of our native insect and bird species, and that require minimal water and effort to maintain.

Gabriele O'Neill has been a UC Master Gardener since 2005 and is the current volunteer coordinator of the Lake County Master Gardener Program.

While her main passion lies in fruit and vegetable culture, she has, by necessity, become a xeriscape gardening expert in the course of her time in Lake County.

She sees it as the mission of the UC Master Gardener Program to help people adapt their gardening practices to meet the local challenges of climate and soil, with the drought being only an exacerbation of the already extreme conditions local gardeners have to contend with.

O’Neill said, “Come and find out how you can create beauty and beneficial insect habitat with a minimal input of water. No fertilizer or insecticides needed ever!”

Know Lake County programs take place on the third Saturday of each month from February through December at 2 p.m. at Lakeport Library, 1425 N. High St.

Know Lake County delves into many facets of Lake County, including human history, natural history, outdoor recreation, science, performing arts and programs for children.

The family-friendly programs are designed to inform and entertain Lake County residents about Lake County. Some programs will cover interesting lore about the county and others will cover the work that community organizations perform.

Speakers from an array of disciplines and organizations will deliver programs for Know Lake County.

Upcoming programs will feature representatives of the Taylor Observatory, Gae Henry with the Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association, archaeologist Dr. John Parker on Lake County’s prehistory, retired park ranger Tom Nixon representing Konocti Regional Trails, Mike Adams from the Soper Reese Theatre and Carolyn Jarrett from the Children’s Museum of Art and Science.

Know Lake County’s full schedule is posted on the Know Lake County Web site www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Lake_County_CA__Library/KLC.htm .

The schedule is subject to change without notice.

For more information about Know Lake County and other library programs call 707-263-8817.

The Lake County Library is on the Internet at http://library.co.lake.ca.us and Facebook at www.facebook.com/LakeCountyLibrary .

Library events are also posted at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Lake_County_CA__Library/Calendar.htm .

Jan Cook works for the Lake County Library.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – A local man is looking at spending the rest of his life in prison after a jury convicted him of murder for the September 2011 shooting of an Upper Lake woman that he said was an accident.

The jury, which had begun deliberating late Thursday afternoon, handed down the conviction in the trial of 53-year-old Daniel Ray Loyd of Nice by late Friday morning.

Loyd was on trial for the shooting death of 48-year-old Cindy Yvette Quiett early on the morning of Sept. 13, 2011, in Lucerne.

Prosecutor John DeChaine said the jury returned guilty verdicts on all five felony counts in the case: first-degree felony murder, with a special circumstance that the murder occurred during the commission of an attempted robbery; attempted robbery; assault with a firearm; being a felon in possession of a firearm; and being a felon in possession of ammunition.

In addition, the jury also found true certain special allegations, including that Loyd personally used a firearm in the commission of the murder, and that he committed attempted robbery and assault with a firearm.

DeChaine said Loyd is facing a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Loyd's defense attorney, David Markham, told Lake County News that Loyd plans to file an appeal, but said he could make no other comment on the case at this time.

Judge Stephen Hedstrom, who has presided over the trial, must still decide on some special allegations relating to two prior prison terms that Loyd served as well as an out-of-state strike, DeChaine said. However, those matters are unlikely to have much – if any – impact on Loyd's ultimate sentence or the prison time he will serve.

DeChaine presented a case showing that Loyd drove to Lucerne that morning intending to rob Quiett's boyfriend, Patrick Ryden, after Ryden failed to pay him back for meth he had fronted him to sell.

Loyd, having borrowed a van and a .357 pistol from another man, confronted Ryden, sticking the loaded gun in his face and demanding, “Give me your s***.”

The two men struggled, Ryden pushed the gun away and into the direction of Quiett – standing between 12 and 20 feet away – who was struck in the stomach and mortally wounded when the gun went off. She died later that morning.

Jury selection on the trial began in mid-April, with testimony taking place for more than a month, averaging about two days a week, according to jury foreman Val McMurdie.

During that time, the prosecution had put on significant evidence before Markham presented his case over the course of one day on May 28, with Loyd on the stand for much of that time. Markham would not discuss the reasons for having Loyd testify on his own behalf.

While on the stand, Loyd – who admitted to being a drug dealer – had insisted that the shooting was an accident and that he felt remorse.

He said that at the time of the shooting he had been high on methamphetamine and had not slept in 10 days.

Loyd admitted in court to writing a letter in April to a female friend who regularly visited him at the jail, urging her to tell other witnesses in the case about the felony murder rule and not to come to court to testify against him, otherwise he was facing life in state prison.

Both the prosecution and defense had agreed in closing arguments last week that Loyd didn't intend to kill anyone, and that the shooting was an accident.

However, DeChaine had successfully argued that – accident or not – the shooting still rose to the level of felony murder.

McMurdie estimated the jury deliberated for a total of two and a half hours, beginning on Thursday afternoon and finishing up on Friday morning.

With experience in law – he's practiced in two states – McMurdie said one of the key issues jurors discussed during their short deliberations was probable cause, and whether it could have been foreseen that a struggle and, ultimately, the shooting of a person who wasn't the intended victim might have resulted.

“There were three jurors who wanted to explore that,” he said.

As for Loyd's testimony, “The jury itself as a group did not discuss it,” said McMurdie, adding that in some side conversations with other jurors they indicated that Loyd's statements were “stupid,” especially his justification for sending the letter trying to dissuade witnesses from appearing.

“I think that it was very damaging to the defendant,” McMurdie said of Loyd taking the stand.

Other than that, Loyd's testimony did not figure significantly because, McMurdie said, there was more than enough evidence for the jury to convict Loyd of the charges.

He said that the sheriff's office had, in its investigation, caught everything – except the smoke from the pistol used in the crime.

McMurdie said he found the case interesting from the standpoint that it involved a local criminal underworld made up of its own particular community – people who were longtime Lake County residents, career criminals, and drug dealers and users.

“What could go wrong?” he asked.

DeChaine said he was pleased that the jury didn't accept Loyd's explanations about the crime, and that the trial's outcome showed the justice system works.

“They recognized that he was responsible for Cindy Quiett's death, and hopefully that provides some solace for Cindy's family and friends,” DeChaine said.

In addition to his own murder trial, Loyd – who has been in custody since the September 2011 shooting – took the stand as an informant in another local murder case, that of 4-year-old Skyler Rapp, who was shot to death in June 2011 in Clearlake.

During the trial of Paul Braden, Loyd testified that Braden – who had been housed with him at the Lake County Jail – had confided to him about key points in the crime, including admitting to being the gunman in the shooting, which also wounded several other people. Braden would be convicted in that case and sentenced to more than 300 years in prison.

While Loyd's murder conviction automatically calls for a sentence of life without parole, the case will still be referred to the Lake County Probation Department, which DeChaine said will conduct its analysis and make a sentencing recommendation to the court.

A sentencing date in the case has not yet been set, DeChaine said.

Loyd has waived the time limits for sentencing, so he will return to court on June 30, at which time DeChaine said Loyd's sentencing date is expected to be set.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The 71st quilt block on the Lake County Quilt Trail is “Moon Over Mountain.”

The location of this quilt block is 5245 Third St., at the corner of Third and Saderlund streets.

This building, as some remember, was the U.S. Post Office in Kelseyville until the late 1990s. It became the Kelseyville Senior Center when the post office moved to Gaddy Lane.

The senior center offers various activities: art paint-outs, lunch on the third Tuesday of the month at noon, card playing on Mondays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Bible study in the annex and exercise groups.

Rental of the hall and full kitchen is available for events and celebrations.

For information on the senior center call 707-279-2175, and a volunteer will get back to you.

“Moon Over Mountain” was chosen for this location as there is a direct view of Mt. Konocti from the front of the senior center.

This 4-foot by 4-foot quilt block was designed and painted by Gerri Groody, one of the volunteer members of the Lake County Quilt Trail team.

The installation of the block was kindly volunteered by Michael Richeson.

The Lake County Quilt Trail is an agricultural and tourism project designed to promote community pride.

Its team is a group of dedicated quilters, graphic artists, painters, writers, carpenters and a videographer.

For more information about the Lake County Quilt Trail visit www.lakecountyquilttrail.com or the Lake County Quilt Trail Facebook page.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Organizers of the annual Lake County Home Wine and Beer Makers Festival are seeking entrants for this year’s event.

The festival will take place at Lakeport’s Library Park from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 27.

Children and leashed pets are welcome although beverage tastings are restricted to those 21 years and older. 

Home brewers and wine makers from across Northern California are urged to share tastes of their best efforts with an admiring public, along with winning recognition from a panel of professional judges.

The Winefest, as it’s called, is now in its 13th year and is the major fundraiser for the Lake County Symphony and Youth Orchestras, as well as providing music teaching for many local young people.

During the festival music is provided by a variety of sources including the popular David Neft and acoustic classical guitarist Travis Rinker.

Those interested in entering their beverages for professional judging will be charged a fee of $7 per 750 milliliter bottle, applicable to most of the popular varietals, including dessert wines.

Samples need to arrive at the festival before 9 a.m. on the date of the event. The judges' stand will be at the Lake County Yacht Club, located just to the left of the boat ramp when entering Library Park.

Home brewers should contact Michael Shoemaker at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for entry information and registration of their beer and ale entries.

There are no fees for the amateurs although they are urged to provide a canopy or other sunshade and lawn furniture for both themselves and their guests. Water for rinsing glasses and perhaps a selection of crackers for palate cleansing might also be a good idea.

In addition to the amateurs, many of Lake County’s leading commercial wineries and breweries also will be on hand, pouring tastes for the public who pay just $20 per advance sale ticket, or $25 at the gate, which includes a commemorative wine glass necessary for tasting, as well as ballots for voting in the popular People’s Choice awards.

Advance ticket outlets are available at the Lake County Chamber of Commerce, 875 Lakeshore Blvd., and Watershed Books, 305 N. Main St., both in Lakeport.

Tickets also are available at the tasting rooms of most of the county’s leading commercial wineries including Cache Creek, 14572 E. Highway 20, Clearlake Oaks; Six Sigma, 13372 Spruce Grove Road, Lower Lake; Don Angel, 165 N. Main St., Lakeport; Steele Wines, 3350 Thomas Drive, Finley; and Laujor Winery, 8664 Seigler Springs Road near Kit’s Corner, Kelseyville.

Other Kelseyville locations are Rosa D’Oro, 3915 Main St., and Wildhurst Wines, 3855 Main St.

Food and arts and crafts vendors also will be featured, along with a silent auction and raffles.

All participants should contact Ed Bublitz at 707-277-7076, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , for space reservations or Charlie Schley at 707-279-2997, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , for wine entries.

Check the festival’s Web site at www.lakecountyhomewinemakers.com for additional information.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Local officials have issued an update regarding a large number of dead carp that are appearing on Clear Lake and washing up on the shoreline.

This fish die-off seems to be lakewide and only affecting carp, according to a report from the county of Lake.

In 2008, Clear Lake experienced a very large carp die-off, numbering in the hundreds of thousands. 

At that time, fish tissue analysis done by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) determined the cause to be koi herpes virus.

It is CDFW’s opinion that this may be the reason for this year’s die-off. Fish tissue analysis will be performed by CDFW this week.

Koi herpes virus is specific to the carp family, Cyprinidae. The virus does not sicken any other animal or humans.

The preferred method of disposal of dead carp is to bury the carp as soon as is feasible landward of the high water mark or to place the fish in a plastic bag in the trash can, officials said. 

CLEARLAKE, Calif. –  St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake department leaders are working with the Lake County Fire Protection District in conducting a disaster preparedness drill scheduled for Tuesday, June 16.

The purpose of this drill is to make sure that all individuals involved become familiar with their roles and are prepared in the event of an actual emergency.

A temporary emergency response center will be set up in the lower parking lot of the hospital where a specially designated hospital incident management team and first responders from the fire department will enact the procedures required in a real life emergency.

Volunteers will be employed throughout this exercise to play the role of both the victims and the responders.

Entities such as the local Community Emergency Response Team will be on hand, as well as members of the Clear Lake Police Department Volunteers in Policing program, to provide support, guidance and security. 

St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake administration would like patients and visitors to be aware this drill is taking place, and urges guests to use the upper parking levels.

For additional information, or to find out about volunteer opportunities with participating agencies, please call Melissa Kinsel, the hospital's communications and development officer, at 707-995-5677.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Firefighters in Mendocino and Napa counties have been working a number of wildland fire incidents over the last few days.

Cal Fire reported that there were two small wildland fires in Mendocino County on Monday afternoon.

The first fire, the Spy incident, started just before 3:30 p.m. Monday at mile post 77 along Highway 101 in Laytonville, Cal Fire said.

The agency said the Spy incident burned half an acre of grass and brush and was contained just after 5:20 p.m.

The second fire, the Tan incident, started at 3:45 p.m. at the Tan Oak Park in Leggett, according to Cal Fire.

The Tan incident was contained at 5:45 p.m. and burned four and a half acres acres of grass and heavy timber, with difficult access for firefighters. Also presenting challenges for firefighters were downed power lines, Cal Fire reported.

Cal Fire said the initial response included one copter, two tankers and multiple engines and crews. 

Patrol of the fire area continued on Tuesday, with three engines and two crews assigned, Cal Fire said.

Cal Fire's incident commander reported that the grass and timber were very dry and burned like late July conditions.

Cal Fire's Mendocino Unit also reported that it is staffing up in order to be ready to respond to the season's very dry conditions.

Then, on Tuesday afternoon, Cal Fire's Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit and the Napa County Fire Department responded to the Garage Fire in Napa County.

The wildland fire was first reported shortly before 3:30 p.m. near the intersection of Howell Mountain and Pope Valley roads, the agency said.

Structures were threatened but none were burned thanks to air tanker and helicopter drops that – in concert with ground forces – kept the fire away from the buildings, according to a Tuesday evening report from Fire Capt. Joe Fletcher.

Fletcher said suppressing the fire was a challenge due to gusty winds and steep terrain. However, forward progress of the fire was stopped when fire line around its perimeter was complete just after 4 p.m.

Altogether, the fire burned 36 acres and was 75-percent contained, according to Fletcher's Tuesday night report.

Engine companies and fire crews were scheduled to work on mop up and patrol throughout the night, Fletcher said.

Approximately 220 residents in the Pope Valley and Berryessa Estates communities were expected to be without electrical power until midnight because Pacific Gas and Electric was completing power line repairs, Fletcher said. Howell Mountain Road between Pope Valley Road and Ink Grade Road was to remain closed while the repairs took place.

There were no injuries, Fletcher said.

Resources on scene included nine engine/truck companies, two water tenders, three volunteer companies, two fire crews, two helicopters, five overhead personnel, two bulldozers, four air tankers and 103 personnel, according to Fletcher's report.

For information on how to be ready for wildfire visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org .

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

As temperatures begin to warm up throughout the state, California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Director Dr. Karen Smith advises California residents to prepare themselves for what could be a very hot, dry summer.

“Because this hot spell has come on rather suddenly, many people may be caught off guard by the warm up,” Dr. Smith Said. “It is important that all Californians take precautions to prevent heat-related illness and stay hydrated.”

In Lake County, the temperatures were reported to have hit the century mark on Monday, with forecasters calling for the remainder of the week to see highs topping out in the 90s, and the possibility of thunderstorms and some rain on Tuesday.

In areas where air quality is impacted, people with heart disease, asthma or other respiratory diseases should minimize outdoor activities, CDPH said.

Summer schools and programs with children who have sensitive conditions, including heart disease, asthma and other respiratory diseases should not participate in outdoor physical activity and should stay indoors as much as possible.

Extreme heat poses a substantial health risk, especially in vulnerable populations including young children, the elderly, people with chronic diseases, pregnant women, people with disabilities, and people who are socially isolated.

Heat-related illnesses include cramps, heat exhaustion and, most seriously, heat stroke and death. Warning signs of heat-related illnesses vary, but may include heavy sweating, muscle cramps, weakness, headache, nausea or vomiting, paleness, tiredness or dizziness.

Smith offered the following tips to stay safe in extreme heat:

– Those lacking air conditioning should go to a cooling center, library, or public place such as a shopping mall to cool off for a few hours each day.
– Avoid physical exertion/exercise outdoors during the hottest parts of the day to avoid overheating. Reduce exposure to the sun from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. when UV rays are strongest, and keep physical activities to a minimum during that time. When working outside, drink plenty of water or juice even if you are not thirsty, and take rest breaks in the shade.
– Check on elderly who live alone every 24 hours; many may be on medications which increase likelihood of dehydration.
– Those lacking air conditioning should go to a cooling center, library, or public place such as a shopping mall to cool off for a few hours each day.
– To prevent overheating, use cool compresses, misting, showers and baths. Get medical attention if you experience a rapid, strong pulse, feel delirious, or have a body temperature above 102 degrees.
– Never, EVER leave infants, children or frail elderly unattended in a parked car – it can take as little as 10 minutes for the temperature inside a car to rise to levels that can kill.
– Wear a wide-brimmed hat to cover the face and neck, and wear loose-fitting clothing to keep cool and to protect your skin from the sun and mosquitoes.
– Wear sunglasses that provide 100 percent UVA and UVB protection. Chronic exposure to the sun can cause cataracts, which left untreated, can lead to blindness.
– Liberally apply sunscreen (at least SPF 15) 15 minutes before venturing outdoors and re-apply at least every two hours – sunscreen may reduce the risk of skin cancer, the number one cancer affecting Californians. Sunscreen may also prevent premature aging.

In California, employers with outdoor places of employment are required to prevent heat illness in their employees.

For more information, please see Cal/OSHA’s Web page on Heat Illness Prevention: http://www.dir.ca.gov/DOSH/HeatIllnessInfo.html .

For more information, go to CDPH’s Preventing Summer Heat Injuries page at www.cdph.ca.gov .

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The South Lake County Volunteer Firefighters Association is preparing to host its annual fundraiser dinner, raffle and auction next week, which helps fund important equipment purchases and community organizations.

The fourth annual event will take place from 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, June 19, at Twin Pine Casino's event center on Highway 29 in Middletown.

Dan McCabe, a captain with the district and the association president, said the annual event is the association's only fundraiser.

The association had hosted the event in the 1970s and 1980s before it stopped for several years, he said.

“We picked it up and started it again four years ago,” McCabe said.

The event has proved to be key to the association's ability to support the fire district's operations, he said.

Funds raised from the event go toward district equipment purchases, McCabe said.

“The needs are endless with the fire district, especially with the current budget situation,” McCabe said, noting the lack of building in the district has impacted tax revenue, which has decreased significantly over the last five to six years.

McCabe said the district has older engines and ambulances that need to be replaced, with engines running between $400,000 and $500,000.

“We go after all the grants we can, it's just a matter of winning them,” he said.

In addition to trying to address the fire district's needs, “We give back a lot to the community,” McCabe said of the association, which has about two dozen members.

He said the association also contributes to Relay for Life, the annual Christmas Spirit of the Season food and gift effort and the Candy Cane Run, and offers assistance to individuals and their families who are facing emergencies, health issues or other challenges.

Proceeds from the 2014 event also were used to provide academic scholarships to high school seniors who have shown serious interest in becoming first responders, the association reported.

Tickets for the June 19 fundraiser cost $40 in advance or $50 at the door, with $5 free play from Twin Pine Casino included.

McCabe said the evening will feature a great dinner, with selections including hand-carved Angus prime rib or salmon fillet, with tickets including up to three glasses of wine.

There will be a 50/50 raffle, general raffle prizes and door prizes, and a live auction. Among the prizes will be quality firearms; McCabe said a firearms dealer will be on site to do paperwork, and the 10-day wait will apply before winners can pick up their firearms.

Tickets can be purchased at the Middletown Fire Department, 21095 Highway 175, telephone 707-987-3089, Extension 4, or ask your favorite South Lake County firefighter.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

NICE, Calif. – A Redwood Valley woman died early Tuesday morning following a crash on Highway 20, with officials seeking information about the driver of a white pickup that may have contributed to the wreck.

The California Highway Patrol did not identify the 65-year-old crash victim pending notification of her family.

The crash occurred at 6:15 a.m. on Highway 20 east of Floyd Way in Nice, according to the CHP.

The Redwood Valley woman was driving a 2010 Toyota Corolla westbound when she attempted to pass a white pickup truck by using the center two-way turn lane, the CHP said.

The CHP said that as the woman was attempting to pass the pickup, the pickup appeared to accelerate as both vehicles entered a right curve in the roadway.

The Toyota driver lost control of the vehicle, which veered across the eastbound lane and struck a dirt embankment on the south side of the highway. The CHP said the impact caused the Toyota to overturn before it hit a large tree.

Firefighters responded to the scene and found the Toyota driver deceased. The CHP said the Toyota's driver was wearing her seat belt.

The crash remains under investigation, led by Officer Michael Phillips. The CHP said it is unknown if drugs or alcohol contributed to the crash.

The CHP is actively seeking any witnesses to the crash as well as any information that would help identify the unknown white pickup truck and its driver.

If anyone has any information they are asked to contact the CHP's Clear Lake Area office at 707-279-0103.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The scheduled sentencing for a Hopland man facing more than 150 years in prison for the attempted murder of two California Highway Patrol officers and dozens of other felonies has been postponed and another trial – this time relating to his mental competence at the time of the shootings – is set to be held next month.

In April a jury convicted 41-year-old William Edward Steele of Hopland of 22 felony charges, chief among them the attempted murder of CHP Officers Shane Roach and Glen Thomas, as Lake County News has reported.

Other charges the jury convicted Steele of include assault with a deadly weapon, discharging a firearm from a vehicle, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, violating a restraining order by possessing a gun, shooting at an inhabited car, reckless evading, evading a peace officer causing death or serious injury, and more than 30 special allegations relating primarily to firearm use as well as causing great bodily injury.

Roach and Thomas had attempted to pull Steele over early on the morning of Oct. 19, 2013, in the area of Highway 29 and Cruickshank Drive in Kelseyville as they believed he was driving under the influence.

Steele pulled a .380-caliber semiautomatic handgun and shot at the officers before fleeing. He then turned around near Live Oak Drive and shot at the officers again.

In the Chevy Tahoe that Steele was driving were Jeremy John and Gavina Delgadillo. John jumped from the vehicle to escape, hit his head and died days later at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

The jury found Steele not guilty of murder for John's death, but did convict him of involuntary manslaughter, deadlocked on a hit and run charge and found Steele not guilty of kidnapping Delgadillo, but did convict him of her unlawful imprisonment.

Steele was set to have been sentenced on May 18, at which time it was estimated that he was facing at least four life sentences for attempted murder charges – two for each of the CHP officers.

However, Senior Deputy District Attorney Art Grothe – who prosecuted the case – said the criminal proceedings were temporarily suspended after Steele raised doubt as to his own mental competence.

Ahead of the sentencing, the Lake County Probation Department prepared a sentencing recommendation for Steele in the case that Grothe said came to 154 years and eight months in state prison.

Following that, during the first week of May, Steele raised the mental competence issues, Grothe said.

Steele then fired his attorney Patrick Pekin and began filing his own motions in the case, according to Grothe.

Steele asked for and received another attorney, whose caseload was too heavy. Tom Quinn told Lake County News that he subsequently was appointed as Steele's new attorney.

Quinn said he couldn't offer further comment on the case at this time.

Grothe said Steele requested a jury trial on his mental competence, which Quinn agreed to do.

That request comes under Penal Code 1368, which allows for the inquiry into the competence of a defendant before trial or after conviction in cases.

Based on the penal code, Steele and his attorney will have the burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that he was incapable of understanding the nature of the criminal proceedings or incapable of providing any meaningful assistance in his defense to his attorney due to a mental defect.

In his 26 years as a prosecutor, said Grothe, he's never encountered this type of situation.

That special trial is scheduled for July 15, Grothe said. He estimated it could run as long as two days, and will require the selection of a new jury.

In preparation, Grothe said the District Attorney's Office has reports from two doctors saying that Steele is mentally competent.

In this trial, the finding will be competent or incompetent, as opposed to guilty or not guilty, Grothe said.

“If he’s found competent, we’re back on track in the criminal proceedings,” with a new sentencing date to be set, said Grothe.

Should Steele be found incompetent, he would be sent to the Napa State Hospital, where he would be enrolled in a program that helps get individuals to the point of being competent. Grothe said Steele would then be returned to Lake County for sentencing.

The time when Steele could have pursued the insanity defense is well past, said Grothe.

Separately, Grothe said Steele and Quinn have indicated they will seek a new trial.

As for whether or not the potential for spending the rest of his life in prison may have been Steele's motivation in seeking the competency trial, Grothe said, “I really don’t want to speculate at this point.”

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