CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – A tractor trailer that caught fire late Thursday night threatened wildland and resulted in Highway 20 being shut down for several hours as firefighters worked to contain a diesel spill.

The California Highway Patrol said the crash, which took place just east of Clearlake Oaks and east of Hillside Drive, occurred just after 11:50 p.m. Thursday.

A FedEx big rig pulling two trailers caught fire and was fully engulfed by the time that Northshore Fire and Cal Fire responded, according to radio reports.

The driver reportedly got out of the rig. No injuries involving the driver were reported.

Reports from the scene stated that the big rig had gone off the road. The CHP said a trailer went over the wall and was partially in the water.

Firefighters were able to knock down the fire before it got into the wildland. The fire ultimately was contained shortly after midnight to the tractor and first trailer, with partial damage to the second trailer, according to incident commanders.

Highway 20 was reported to be blocked, and officials at the scene indicated the highway would be closed for an extended period of time during mop up.

The crash resulted in a diesel spill into the lake, with the Lake County Office of Emergency Services, the California Department of Fish and Game and Lake County Environmental Health being notified of the spill.

The battalion chief at the scene indicated over the radio that 150 to 200 gallons of diesel had gone into Clear Lake as a result of the crash and fire.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Marine Patrol and Northshore Dive Team also responded to the scene to assist with installing booms to stop the diesel spill from spreading, according to radio reports. It was estimated that up to 700 feet of boom would need to be placed.

The work of placing the booms went on into the early morning hours, according to radio traffic.

Caltrans also was called to put traffic control in place, as there were concerns about potential collisions due to some “near misses” that had occurred in the area.

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

On Thursday the California Assembly passed a bill to protect access to medical marijuana and regulate the industry.

AB 2312, the Medical Marijuana Regulation and Control Act, passed the Assembly by a 41-30 vote.

Authored by Assemblymember Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco), the bill would create the first statewide regulatory framework for the medical cannabis industry in California.

“Today's vote was significant because it represents a considerable shift that the Legislature is now willing to take responsibility for the effective regulation of medical cannabis in California, 15 years after voters passed Proposition 215,” said Ammiano.

He added, “With the continuing federal crackdown, we simply cannot afford to continue keeping our heads in the sand and pretend that everything is fine. AB 2312 is an opportunity for the Legislature to defend Proposition 215 by regulating and controlling an industry that has the support of over 80 percent of Californians."

AB 2312 creates the Board of Medical Marijuana Enforcement within the California Department of Consumer Affairs to oversee and regulate the medical marijuana industry in California.

It also would authorize local governments to impose an excise tax.

Assemblyman Wesley Chesbro (D-North Coast), who represents Lake County in the Assembly, spoke in support of a bill on Thursday and was among the 41 Assemblymembers who voted for it. He also is a coauthor of the bill.

“I support this bill because it would establish a statewide regulatory system that would remove ambiguities between state law, federal law and local regulations,” Chesbro said in a statement on the Floor of the Assembly today when Ammiano presented the bill.

“Many counties have assembled their own regulations, but the inconsistencies in those regulations put patients and dispensary owners at a disadvantage,” Chesbro said. “Good actors trying to follow state law and local regulations have been penalized for their best efforts to follow the law.”

He said the goal of AB 2312 is not to limit local control, but assist local governments in grappling with the differences in local, state and federal law. “Counties still have the ability to opt out of these regulations and ban the sale of medical marijuana in their counties.”

AB 2284, Chesbro’s bill to protect the public, forests and fish habitat from illegal, environmentally destructive drug producing operations on resource lands, also was approved by the full Assembly with bipartisan support and no opposition.

Both bills now go the Senate.

California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris announced on Wednesday that the Assembly and Senate each passed important components of the California Homeowner Bill of Rights that will help protect homeowners from scams.

The bills enhance the attorney general's enforcement powers and allow the attorney general to use special grand juries to prosecute multi-jurisdictional financial crimes.

The Mortgage Fraud Strike Force established by the attorney general has been investigating and prosecuting a wide range of crimes related to mortgages, foreclosures and real estate.

"California was the epicenter of the mortgage and foreclosure crisis and scammers have been preying on vulnerable citizens who simply want to keep their homes," said Attorney General Harris. "These bills will aid our efforts to prosecute and convict these criminals."

These are two of the six bills in the California Homeowner Bill of Rights. Other portions of the package are being considered in a Joint Legislative Conference Committee, including elements to restrict unnecessary foreclosures and protect the due process rights of borrowers and homeowners.

AB 1763 (Assemblymember Mike Davis, D-Los Angeles) and SB 1474 (Senator Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley) would allow the Attorney General to convene a special grand jury to investigate and indict the perpetrators of financial crimes involving victims in multiple jurisdictions. Both bills passed out of their respective houses unanimously with bipartisan support.

The special grand jury would convene in cases involving fraud or theft that occurs in more than one county and where all potential charges are against a single defendant or multiple defendants working together.

Crimes of a financial nature often occur in multiple jurisdictions. Under current law, crimes where the fraud victims are all over the state require separate grand juries and charges filed in each county where the defendant committed the crime. This legislation would provide for the option of a special grand jury that can investigate financial crimes beyond the scope of single-county grand juries.

"The attorney general is currently engaged in the investigation of significant crimes," Senator Hancock said. "Unfortunately, county-by-county grand juries do not work well in dealing with large-scale wrongdoing in multiple jurisdictions. With this bill, the attorney general can investigate multijurisdictional crimes – it will provide protection when Californians need it the most."

In addition, AB 1950, by Assemblymember Davis, will extend to three years the statute of limitations on mortgage related crimes.

The current statute of limitations of one year can make it difficult to prosecute crimes such as the prohibition on charging up front fees for loan modification services.

Because the foreclosure process is so protracted, some homeowners may not even realize that they have been the victim of a scam before it is too late for prosecution.

"AB 1950 equips the Attorney General to do her job; to go after the bad actors that have taken advantage of homeowners. It accomplishes this by providing the Attorney General with appropriate time to investigate and prosecute those who prey on California homeowners," said Assemblymember Mike Davis. The bill passed out of the Assembly on a 46 to 18 vote.

The California Homeowner Bill of Rights also includes:

• DUE PROCESS AND FORECLOSURE REDUCTION ACT: SB 900 (Leno) & AB 278 (Eng). These bills are being considered by a Joint Legislative Conference Committee.
• BLIGHT PREVENTION LEGISLATION: AB 2314 (Carter) & SB 1472 (Pavley and DeSaulnier). These bills have passed the Assembly and Senate, respectively and now will be heard in the other house.
• TENANT PROTECTION LEGISLATION: AB 2610 (Skinner) & SB 1473 (Hancock). These bills will be heard in the Assembly and Senate by the end of the week.

For more information on the California Homeowner Bill of Rights, go to www.oag.ca.gov .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – A former codefendant took the stand on Thursday to testify about his part in the events that led to the shooting that killed a child and wounded five others at a Clearlake home last June.

Clearlake resident Kevin Ray Stone, who turns 30 this weekend, took the stand on Thursday morning in the trial of Clearlake Oaks residents Paul William Braden, 22, and 24-year-old Orlando Joseph Lopez, charged with the death of 4-year-old Skyler Rapp and the wounding of his mother, stepfather and three others on June 18, 2011.

Stone also would be the main witness on the last day of witnesses presented by District Attorney Don Anderson, who rested his case Thursday afternoon after three months of testimony. The defense teams will begin to present their cases next week.

Stone originally was charged with several counts of murder and other serious felonies along with Braden and Lopez, who he allegedly drove to the scene of the shooting on Lakeshore Drive in Clearlake.

However, last fall – after negotiations with Anderson – Stone reached a plea agreement in which he pledged to testify against Stone and Lopez in exchange for being charged with being an accessory to the murder after the fact, conspiracy to commit robbery and being a prohibited person with a firearm, all of which could see him serve a total of 10 years and four months in prison.

Stone had first taken the stand briefly on May 17, but his testimony was rescheduled after it was discovered that Anderson’s notes from meetings with Stone had not been shared with the defense attorneys – Doug Rhoades, who is defending Braden, and Stephen Carter, who is acting on behalf of Lopez.

Stone testified to having a serious methamphetamine habit at the time of the shooting, which led to him selling the drug to support his own use. “It very much controlled my life.”

He had know Braden and Lopez prior to the shootings, and had socialized with the latter, as they lived in the same Clearlake apartment complex.

On the day of the shooting, he had been at his then-girlfriend Leighann Painchaud’s apartment before working on a Chevy Blazer he owned that was broken down in the Clearlake Park area.

That night he wanted to go and get more meth to sell, so Painchaud borrowed her cousin’s minivan to drive to meet a drug contact.

He said he had been asking Lopez for weeks about someone they could rob. That night Lopez allegedly texted him to say he knew of a target for such a robbery, or a “lick,” and that he also had the “strap” – or a gun – necessary for the robbery.

Stone, who said he liked guns, said he was more interested in trying to buy the gun from Lopez.

He also explained how that, in Clearlake, “dope is like currency,” with he and many others he knew using the drug in place of money.

With his girlfriend’s cousin’s car, Stone went to pick up Lopez and another man who had a rag across the bottom half of his face. That second man later would identify himself as “Paul” to Stone, who realized it was Braden.

Braden allegedly was holding a sawed off shotgun with a pistol grip, and Lopez had a similar gun, said Stone, who testified to driving back to Painchaud’s apartment, where he picked up a .22 rifle.

The three then left, with Stone taking the back ways toward Clearlake Park. Stone said Braden was telling him to drive better. “I remember it kind of struck me as odd.”

Braden also allegedly told Stone that he was wanted for murder.

Braden and Lopez directed Stone to drive to the home of Curtis Eeds, who he knew. “We were acquaintances at first and then I ripped him off,” said Stone, recounting how he substituted fake drugs during a $150 drug sale to a male subject at Eeds’ home a few weeks before the shooting.

Eeds was alleged to be a Norteno gang member while Stone said he was a Sureno.

At the shooting scene

Stone parked around the corner from Eeds’ home and he said he and the two other men made their way, single-file, through Eeds’ backyard, crouching down along the fence. Stone said he believed they were going to rob Eeds.

Stone said he could hear people talking and laughing.

“We were right here, along the fence, and that's where I heard the first boom,” said Stone.

Stone said he saw Braden, who was “right on the fence,” shooting the shotgun. “He was just pumping off rounds.”

According to Stone, he heard a total of about five to six shots, and said he thought Braden was shooting over the fence.

Lopez, at the same time, was stopped in his tracks, looking up at Braden, with his gun partially raised. Stone said he never saw Lopez shoot the gun.

Stone said he turned and ran, with Lopez coming right after him. Braden caught up with them at the car a few moments later.

They went speeding away from the scene. “I was freaking out so I just floored it. I didn't turn on the lights or anything,” said Stone, adding that he was yelling at Braden, who was sitting calmly in the backseat.

Stone crashed the vehicle nearby, and the three jumped out and began running. They threw their guns into some bushes near a home on Woodland Drive. Stone also threw the vehicle’s keys there. He then ran a different direction from Stone and Braden, and ended up staying the night at an acquaintance’s.

Stone said he never fired his gun, although he said it went off accidentally during the drive to the scene.

One of the reasons Stone said he was testifying was because he was being blamed for the murder, and he wanted to get the truth out.

“A 4-year-old kid got shot. I don't care who you are, that's not acceptable,” Stone said.

The day after the shooting, which was Father’s Day, Stone went to the home of the mother of his children. She said she had received a text warning that people were coming to kill him. Stone said she subsequently gave him a ride to Santa Rosa, where he stayed with friends.

Four days after the shooting, Stone spoke with Clearlake Police Officer Michael Ray, who tried to convince Stone to turn himself in. Stone initially agreed to meet Ray at the downtown mall, but didn’t show up because of another officer who was coming with Ray.

Stone would later be arrested by Sonoma County Sheriff’s deputies along with Painchaud, who had brought a neighbor’s vehicle with her to Santa Rosa. That vehicle was reported stolen after Painchaud didn’t return it.

Anderson would have Stone identify the .22 rifle he admitted to carrying that night, which was strapped into a long, white evidence box.

Also on Thursday, Clearlake Police Det. Tom Clements was recalled to the stand to testify to statements Stone had made to him during interviews last year.

Stone told Clements that he didn’t know if Lopez had shot his gun, and he also told Clements where the guns were deposited. Clements and another officer would go to look for them.

Officer Andrew Jones also was recalled to the stand, testifying to finding Stone’s .22 rifle shortly after 9 p.m. on the night of July 4, 2011, in the 14000 block of Woodland Drive.

Jones was the last witness Anderson called before resting his case.

Court is set to resume on Wednesday, June 6.

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

The Glenn County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help in an effort to solve and prevent an ongoing rash of agricultural diesel fuel thefts which have occurred during the month of May.

Sheriff Larry Jones reported the thefts had resulted in the loss of thousands of dollars of diesel.

On Saturday, May 26, a total of 600 gallons of diesel was removed from two storage tanks located on property near Afton, according to Jones. Thieves cut the locks off of the storage tanks, taking diesel valued at about $2,000.

On Tuesday, May 29, approximately 200 gallons of diesel were removed from a storage tank located on State Highway 162 east of County Road Z. In that case, the suspects pulled up gate posts, with cable attached, in order to gain entry onto the property. The stolen fuel and the damage to property was estimated at $1,000, according to Jones.

On Wednesday, May 30, Namit Family Farms in the Butte City area reported theft and vandalism. Materials taken included 1,000 gallons of diesel, valued at $3,350; a single axle fuel wagon with 500 hundred gallon tank, yellow frame and silver colored tank valued at $3,500; a 100 gallon silver colored aluminum fuel tank valued at $600 were stolen; and $900 in damages done to fuel hoses.

Also on May 30 Vereschagin Farms near Orland reported the theft of 425 gallons of diesel fuel and the theft of a 500 gallon fuel tank from their orchard, Jones reported. The total value of those thefts was estimated at $1,750.  

In an additional agricultural theft, a Towner brand 21-foot 2000 model field disc was stolen from a field north of Highway 162 and east of Butte City at the end of April or early in May, Jones reported.

The disc, yellow in color, would weigh several tons and whoever took it would have to have had a heavy trailer to place it on and a front loader to accomplish the theft, Jones said. The equipment is valued at more than $20,000.

Anyone with information regarding these, or similar crimes, or who may have observed suspicious activity in the areas of these thefts, is urged to contact the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office at 707-934-6431. Callers may remain anonymous.  

Ranchers and farmers are also urged to take special precautions in an effort to deter fuel and equipment thefts.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – With springtime comes kitten season, and Lake County Animal Care and Control has many young cats looking for homes.

The three male kittens featured in the video above are 13 weeks old and are up for adoption.

They're all cute, playful and fluffy.

All three are domestic long hair mixes with blue eyes. Two are gray tabbies with white markings, one is a lilac point Siamese mix.

None of them have yet been neutered.

The kittens can be found in cat room kennel No. 18a, No. 18b and No. 18c.

To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .

Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .

For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.

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

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Funds from the latest round of financing from Caltrans will be heading to Lake County for public transit.

Caltrans said Thursday that it has awarded approximately $350 million in grants to improve public transit across California.

An estimated 80 projects will upgrade transit service, purchase eco-friendly buses, modernize transit stations and create jobs throughout the state.

“These projects are a direct investment in our state's public transit system and will help energize California’s economy,” said Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty. “Not only will these projects help create jobs, they will also reduce traffic congestion,clean the air, and provide Californians with more viable alternatives to rising gas prices.”

The grants are funded through Proposition 1B, the 2006 voter-approved transportation bond, which is providing $3.6 billion over a 10-year period to improve public transit in California.

In Lake County, Lake Transit Authority will receive $1,366,525 for five replacement buses. The funds come as Lake Transit has continued to see increased demand for its services and record ridership.

Other notable projects around the North Coast that will receive funds include an award of $283,936 to Humboldt Transit Authority for 30 foot replacement vehicles.

Among Lake's neighboring counties, the Napa County Transportation Agency will receive $178,743 for replacement vehicles; the city of Santa Rosa will receive $889,008 for replacement buses; Sonoma County Transit will receive $2,056,707 to purchase a 40-foot bus; Glenn County Transportation Commission gets $561,142 for a Glenn Ride vehicle replacement; and the Sacramento Area Council of Governments in Yolo County has been awarded two grants, one for $2.6 million for a fixed route bus replacement and the second for $197,183 to replace two double deck buses.

To date, Proposition 1B has provided $1.7 billion in funding to more than 700 transit projects statewide, with 216 completed, according to Caltrans.

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – A new educational facility at Lower Lake High School will offer students the chance to learn valuable career skills and also will help fill a need for well trained and certified automotive mechanics.

The high school’s new auto shop had its grand opening in a small ceremony on Wednesday evening.

Dana Moore, Konocti Unified School District’s director of classified services, said the new building is 3,600 square feet, with eight automotive repair bays, a classroom, tool room and locker room.

Funding for the automotive program and the shop itself came from Proposition 1D vocational money – Lower Lake High was one of the first schools in the state to receive the funds – as well as a grant written by Karen MacDougall, wife of Konocti Unified Superintendent Dr. Bill MacDougall.

Work began on the shop last September and was completed in April, according to Bill Gabe, the auto shop teacher.

Bill MacDougall said that five years ago – while he was still Carlé Continuation High School’s principal – he was asked by then-Superintendent Dr. Louise Nan to work with career tech educators in the district to create a premier school-to-career program.

A new automotive repair program – and the new facility itself – grew out of that effort, he said.

Lower Lake’s automotive program – the only one of its kind in Lake County – also will certify students as mechanics, said MacDougall.

“That will put our students ahead of the game,” he said.

Gabe said it was his dream to create a program that would fit into the modern day, and offer the most up-to-date education and qualifications for young people.

He said his shop will be a place where students will be able to take the test to become certified by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence, or ASE.

Among the disciplines offered, Gabe’s students will learn every aspect of automotive repair, from taking work orders through body repair and painting techniques, with an emphasis placed on making cars safe.

He said the shop also has a muscle car project and is building a Jammer to compete at the Lakeport Speedway.

In addition to high school auto shop classes, the shop will host night college classes in automotive repair, Gabe said.

“I have never seen a shop quite like this, I have never seen a program quite like this,” said Gabe, adding that they also have enjoyed great community support.

Konocti Unified Board President Anita Gordon thanked her fellow board members – Bill Diener, Herb Gura, Hank Montgomery and Mary Silva – for their support for educational opportunities like the auto program.

“No matter what the state does to us, no matter how much money they take from us, no matter how much they try to strip our programs, this district believes in what’s best for the kids,” said Gordon. “And I liken us to a little engine that could. No matter what, no matter what happens, we manage to come up with money, grants – whatever it takes – to make a program like this for our kids.”

Lower Lake High School Principal Jeff Dixon said the new auto shop is one of several new additions to the campus over the last several years, including a new library and new gym.

“Not every kid is college bound, we know that,” he said. “But every kid is adult bound.”

Vocational and career technical programs help many young people advance to the next step in their lives and careers, and Dixon said the school plans to expand more of its offerings in those areas, including agricultural education. The school also is expanding its visual and performing arts classes and Advanced Placement classes, he said.

An entry point to a career

The project of bringing the new building to fruition had a lot of support from local businesses, including Clearlake-based A&B Collision, which donated a paint booth, which will be installed this summer; Lake Parts of Lakeport, which donated the paint system for the booth; and Martin Senour, which is donating the paint.

For A&B Collision owners Bill Stone and Alvaro Valencia – who advised the school on how to set up the facility – it’s hoped that the program will provide them with a qualified pool of mechanics and technicians from which to hire.

Stone told Lake County News that finding qualified employees has been one of his business’ biggest challenges, and has necessitated him bringing in staff from all around the state.

But finding well-trained and certified mechanics to fill high paying jobs isn’t just a Lake County problem, said Stone.

“It’s all across the United States,” he said.

On hand to show their support were members of the Lake County A’s, which presented $600 to the program. Clear Lake Car Club President Blue Miller also attended on behalf of his group, which raises money for scholarships for high school students.

Also present for the event was James Fairless, an educational representative for the NASCAR Technical Institute, a branch campus of the Universal Technical Institute.

He said the institute recently took a group of Lower Lake High automotive students over to tour UTI’s Sacramento campus.

Fairless said the new building signified “a lot of potential.”

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

In a strong showing of bipartisan strength, on Wednesday members of the State Assembly voted in unanimous support of legislation authored by Assemblymember Jared Huffman that would help rescue California state parks from financial paralysis and prevent park closures.

“I’m proud to be joined by my colleagues from both parties in this effort to preserve our state parks,” said Huffman, D-San Rafael. “This bill gives the state additional tools it needs to help keep state parks open and provide for more sustainable management of parks in the future.”

Assembly Bill 1589, also known as the California State Parks Stewardship Act of 2012, proposes both long and short-term strategies for keeping open many of the state parks slated for closure as a result of funding reductions to the Department of Parks and Recreation.

The bill calls on the Department of Parks & Recreation to develop a prioritized action plan to increase revenues and collection of unpaid user fees at state parks, while maintaining the character and values of the state park system.  

It also creates a State Park Enterprise Fund and states legislative intent regarding the need for a multi-disciplinary independent assessment of ways to ensure long-term management and sustainable funding options for state parks.

Additionally, it includes provisions that authorize the Department of Motor Vehicles to offer special fee-based state park license plates to support the park system and allow taxpayers to redirect portions of their tax refunds to the California State Parks Protection Fund in exchange for an annual state park day-use access pass.  

“AB 1589 will end closures and make the State Parks system more self-sufficient, with a net long-term savings to the state’s general fund,” said Assemblymember Wesley Chesbro, D-North Coast, a joint author of the bill. “This legislation is also an investment in our state’s economy. Small communities throughout rural California depend on State Parks to sustain small businesses and provide jobs.”

AB 1589 also revises the factors the Department of Parks and Recreation considers when selecting state parks for future closure, requiring the Department to publicly disclose its methodology and rationale when evaluating them, and requires that park closures be considered only as a last resort after other options, including public/private partnerships, have been explored.

AB 1589 is also jointly authored by Assemblymembers Kevin Jeffries, Roger Dickinson and Mike Gatto, and coauthored by 16 other Democratic and Republican members.

The bill proceeds to the Senate for further consideration.

GLENHAVEN, Calif. – A  Fairfield man has been arrested by deputies with the Lake County Sheriff’s Marine Patrol for operating a boat while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Sean Brian Stafford, 30, was arrested on Tuesday, May 29, according to Sgt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

On Tuesday the Lake County Sheriff’s Marine Patrol responded to a report of an unresponsive subject slumped over the steering wheel of his boat in the Glenhaven area of the lake, Brooks said.

The boat was reported to be traveling in circles and had collided with a dock, according to Brooks.

Deputies responded to the north end of Glenhaven and observed a green boat moving slowly in a circle.  Brooks said the operator – identified as Stafford – appeared to be unconscious and slumped over the steering wheel.  

The Marine Patrol deputy was able to pull alongside the circling boat. Brooks said the deputy attempted to wake Stafford to have him turn off the engine by yelling at him and pounding on the deck of his boat.  

Brooks said it took three to five minutes to wake Stafford and get him to turn the engine off.

Stafford failed to complete the field sobriety tests as demonstrated and was arrested, Brooks said.

Stafford was transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked for operating a watercraft under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Bail was set at $30,000.

Jail records indicated Stafford later posted bail and was released.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Richard Schaut, an English teacher at Middletown High School, has been selected as the 2012-13 Lake County Teacher of the Year.

Tim Gill, senior director of educational services at Lake County Office of Education, announced Schaut's selection.

Schaut will represent Lake County in the upcoming California Teacher of the Year competition.

Schaut holds a bachelor’s degree in English from University of California, Los Angeles, and a master’s degree in humanities, language and literature from California State University, Dominguez Hills.

He has been an instructor at Middletown High School since 1990 and currently teaches English 12, AP English Composition, Honors English 11 and English 9, as well as philosophy.

“Students know three things will happen when they go into Mr. Schaut’s classroom: 1) There will be energy from the teacher that will start before the bell and will run until the echo of the final bell that day; 2) As a student they will be challenged to open their mind and not be afraid to get better; and 3) Both the teacher and the student become better as a result of the interaction,” said Middletown High School Principal Bill Roderick.

Schaut explains his teaching viewpoint best. “Today my philosophy of teaching is that to teach well, we must love our subject, we must love learning, we must love the process of teaching, and we must genuinely care about our students. To do this well we must have patience, we must practice, and we must be persistent, both as teachers and as students. Teaching is about building relationships and explaining processes, passing on what we know to be true.”

Each year the school districts in the county select one exemplary teacher as their district teacher of the year. A committee of community leaders then interviews these candidates.

The criteria for selection of the Lake County Teacher of the Year is based upon the state and national  requirements, which include professional development activities, commitment to the improvement of the educational system, personal attributes, creativity and ability to communicate ideas effectively, and professional skills in delivering curriculum and instruction to students.

This year’s selection committee members were Pamela Bordisso, Tim Gill, Marilyn Grock, Nyla Norris and Richard Smith.

The outstanding district teachers of the year for 2012-12 are Matthew Carpenter, Kelseyville Unified School District; Valerie Duncan, Upper Lake Union Elementary District; Teresa Dunne, Upper Lake Union High District; and Stacy Holland, Lakeport Unified School District.

Also acknowledged for excellence in teaching is Marlene Henry, Konocti Unified School District.

Schaut and the district teachers of the year will be honored for their exceptional achievement at an event this fall.

For more information on the upcoming award dinner, please contact Shelly Mascari at the Lake County Office of Education, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The man killed in a Tuesday afternoon crash on Highway 53 in Clearlake has been identified, and a Wednesday report explained the circumstances that led to the fatal incident.

Ricardo Perez, 46, of Nice died after he was struck by a tow truck driven by 45-year-old Joseph L. Brown of Yuba City at about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The CHP conducted the fatal crash investigation at the request of the Clearlake Police Department.

According to the report, Rosa M. Reyes, 23, of Clearlake was stopped in her Lexus sedan northbound on Highway 53 waiting to turn left on Polk Avenue.

Perez was standing at the rear of his parked 1997 Ford Ranger pickup on the shoulder of northbound Highway 53 facing north and south of Polk Avenue, the report said. Police had said Perez was doing landscaping work.

At the same time, Brown was driving his International flatbed tow truck northbound on Highway 53 at approximately 45 to 55 miles per hour.

The CHP said Brown saw Reyes' sedan stopped in the northbound lane with its left turn signal activated. He began to decelerate and apply the tow truck's brakes, but realized he would be unable to stop before hitting the Lexus.

Brown turned his vehicle to the right and continued braking, with the left of his vehicle hitting the right rear of the Lexus, causing minor damage, the CHP said.

After hitting Reyes' Lexus, Brown continued past that vehicle and went into the dirt shoulder toward Perez and the Ford pickup, according to the CHP.

The CHP report said the front of the tow truck hit Perez and then the rear of the tow truck hit the parked Ford pickup.

Perez was picked up by a REACH air ambulance to be flown to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, but Clearlake Police said he died en route.

Reyes sustained minor injuries and was taken to St. Helena Hospital Clearlake for treatment, the CHP said. Brown was uninjured. Both Reyes and Brown were wearing seat belts.

Alcohol was not a factor in the Tuesday collision, according to the CHP.