This just in: The Solar System is different from the space just outside it.

Researchers announced the finding at a press conference on Jan. 31, 2012. It’s based on data from NASA’s IBEX spacecraft, which is able to sample material flowing into the solar system from interstellar space.

“We’ve detected alien matter that came into our solar system from other parts of the galaxy – and, chemically speaking, it’s not exactly like what we find here at home,” said David McComas, the principal investigator for IBEX at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas.

Our solar system is surrounded by the heliosphere, a magnetic bubble that separates us from the rest of the Milky Way.

Outside the heliosphere lies the realm of the stars or “interstellar space”; inside lies the sun and all the planets.

The sun blows this vast magnetic bubble using the solar wind to inflate the sun’s own magnetic field.

It’s a good thing: The heliosphere helps protect us from cosmic rays that would otherwise penetrate the solar system.

Launched in 2008, the IBEX spacecraft spins in Earth orbit scanning the entire sky.

IBEX’s special trick is detecting neutral atoms that slip through the heliosphere’s magnetic defenses. Without actually exiting the solar system, IBEX is able to sample the galaxy outside.

The first two years of counting these alien atoms have led to some interesting conclusions:

“We've directly measured four separate types of atoms from interstellar space and the composition just doesn't match up with what we see in the solar system,” said Eric Christian, mission scientist for IBEX at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

Among the four types of atoms detected – H, He, O and Ne – the last one, neon, serves as a particularly useful reference.

“Neon is a noble gas, so it doesn’t react with anything. And it’s relatively abundant, so we can measure it with good statistics,” explained McComas.

Using data from IBEX, the researchers team compared the neon-to-oxygen ratio inside vs. outside the heliosphere.

In a series of six science papers appearing in the Astrophysical Journal, they reported that for every 20 neon atoms in the galactic wind, there are 74 oxygen atoms.

In our own solar system, however, for every 20 neon atoms there are 111 oxygen atoms.

That translates to more oxygen in any given slice of the solar system than in local interstellar space.

Where did the extra oxygen come from?

“There are at least two possibilities,” said McComas. “Either the solar system evolved in a separate, more oxygen-rich part of the galaxy than where we currently reside or a great deal of critical, life-giving oxygen lies trapped in interstellar dust grains or ices, unable to move freely throughout space – and thus undetectable by IBEX.”

Either way, this affects scientific models of how our solar system – and life – formed.

“It’s a real puzzle,” he said.

While IBEX samples alien atoms from Earth orbit, NASA’s Voyager spacecraft have been traveling to the edge of the heliosphere for nearly 40 years – and they could soon find themselves on the outside looking in.

Researchers expect Voyager 1 to exit the solar system within the next few years. The new data from IBEX suggest the Voyagers are heading for a new frontier, indeed.

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MENDOCINO COUNTY, Calif. – An investigation earlier this week in Mendocino County resulted in the arrests of numerous suspects from Mendocino, Lake and Sonoma counties, and the seizure of large amounts of cash and illicit drugs.

The County of Mendocino Marijuana Eradication Team (COMMET) operation, which took place on the afternoon of Monday, Feb. 6, resulted in the arrests of Megan Champion, 27, of Redwood Valley; Karen Johnanna Spencer, 39, of Ukiah; Dakota Michael Nesbitt, 19, of Kelseyville; James Kelby Shook, 30, of Kelseyville; Bogdan Gabriel Cristea, 27, of Santa Rosa; Jordan Anthony Williams, 21, of Santa Rosa; and Mia Miller, 47, of Ukiah.

Mendocino County Sheriff's Capt. Kurt Smallcomb said COMMET went to 2310 Road K in Redwood Valley just before 1 p.m. Monday to conduct followup on an ongoing investigation.

Smallcomb said deputies discovered that the residence was being used to process marijuana and the residence was secured and a search warrant was obtained.

While at the residence deputies located Spencer, Nesbitt, Shook, Cristea, Williams and Miller, Smallcomb said.

A subsequent search of the residence revealed approximately 144 pounds of marijuana drying in a detached garage, 89 pounds of processed bud marijuana packaged for sale, 17 pounds of untrimmed marijuana, scales, packaging material, records, less than a gram of MDMA – or Ecstasy – and $164,456 in US currency, according to Smallcomb's report.

Spencer was arrested for a misdemeanor probation violation and a felony probation violation, and felony charges of possession of marijuana for sale and marijuana cultivation, according to Mendocino County Jail records.

Nesbitt, Williams, Shook and Cristea all were arrested on felony counts of marijuana cultivation and possession of marijuana for sale and booked into the Mendocino County Jail, the report said.

Smallcomb said Miller was released and charges are being submitted to the Mendocino County District Attorney's Office against her.

He said Megan Champion was determined to be the person living at and renting the property and charges are being submitted to the District Attorney's Office against her.

The investigation is continuing and additional arrests are expected, Smallcomb said.

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LOWER LAKE, Calif. – The Konocti Unified School District Board of Trustees will hold a special workshop to shape the coming fiscal year's budget on Saturday, Feb. 11.

The workshop will begin at 8:30 a.m. in the Carol McClung Conference Center, located at 9430-B Lake St. in Lower Lake.

Community and staff members are encouraged to attend the meeting.

The main work of the meeting will focus on budget development and contingency planning for 2012-2013 and beyond.

The district has to cut $2.8 million in order to meet declining funding for the 2012-13 school year.

District Superintendent Dr. Bill MacDougall has introduced a zero based budget model to help the district rebuild its services from the ground up.

On Feb. 1 MacDougall presented to the board a preliminary list of suggestions on how to make the reductions.

At the Saturday meeting he will take to the board a refined list of proposals from the administrative management team.

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020912 KUSD - Zero Based Budget ions 020912 KUSD - Projected 2012-13 Savings

A report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has identified January 2012 as the fourth-warmest January on record for the contiguous United States.

In the contiguous U.S., the average temperature for January was 36.3°F which is 5.5°F above normal range, according to the report.

This makes the month not only the fourth warmest of its kind in history, but also the warmest since 2006, the report showed.

“It's warmer this year mainly because of the jet stream pattern,” said AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Michael Pigott.

“Generally, for the most part of the winter, it has been on a west-to-east pattern,” said Pigott. “Meteorologists refer to this as a 'zonal flow.' Essentially, we've seen a lot of storms moving from west to east, and not a lot traveling northward or southward. So, anything in the Arctic is staying up there, and anything in the U.S. is staying put as well. If you have north-to-south undulations in the jet stream, you do get warmer air heading northward to the poles, and colder air comes down toward the U.S. from the Arctic."

Nine states recorded their top ten warmest average temperatures for January in 2012: Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Missouri, Minnesota, Arizona and Kansas.

It has also been the fifth-warmest, six-month period from August 2011 to January 2012 ever recorded in the contiguous U.S. Forty states have had warmer-than-average temperatures.

Even though the contiguous U.S. has seen record warmth this winter, Alaska is a different story. Several towns in Alaska have seen their coldest January on record.

“Since the jet stream isn't moving colder air southward, it's getting trapped over Alaska,” Pigott said. “It's basically creating an extreme divide in record temperatures there compared to the rest of the U.S.”

In addition to a warm January in 2012, it has also been dry. In fact, the contiguous U.S. has seen its 28th-driest January in recorded history.

The central Plains had below-average precipitation for the month, especially in Kansas. Kansas had its third-driest January in recorded history, while Nebraska saw its eighth-driest January.

“One reason the central Plains have seen less-than-average precipitation has been due to the weakening of storms coming from the West,” said Pigott. “When these storms hit the Rockies, they tend to stall out and weaken in intensity.”

However, this has not been the case for every state. Texas has actually seen above-average precipitation for the second month in a row. The state had not had two consecutive months of above-average precipitation since January-February 2010.

If March comes in like a lamb ...

The warm trend may continue through the end of February and into March, but temperatures are not expected to be as high as they were in January.

“It looks like the pattern will be similar for most of the country, but not to the same extent,” said AccuWeather.com Expert Senior Meteorologist Jack Boston. “We are getting in a pattern where we're more susceptible to cold air masses coming down. However, that doesn't mean they're going to stay. They're still going to be progressive. That means cooler temperatures will come in for only a few days, then disappear again.”

Intermittent stretches of cooler air will bring overall average temperatures closer to normal for the months ahead.

“The average will be somewhat above normal, though it won't be as above normal as January. But, it will be closer to normal,” added Boston.

Boston also stated that he thinks temperatures in the Northeast will begin to drop “just in time for spring,” with a pattern developing for cooler-than-normal weather in the Northeast starting later in March and continuing through April.

Boston also said that much of the rest of the contiguous U.S. will remain warmer with the possible exception of the Pacific Northwest.

“It may stay pretty active up there and get lots of rain and therefore keep their temperatures held down pretty well,” said Boston.

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This week a Glenn County man convicted of selling false identification and immigration documents received a 27-month federal prison sentence.

On Friday United States District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. sentenced 38-year-old Camilo Reyes of Orland to prison time for transfer of false identification documents, according to a report from United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner.

According to Reyes' plea agreement, he sold fraudulent identification documents to undercover agents at a store in Orland between Dec. 14, 2009, and Aug. 13, 2010.

On March 12, 2010, an undercover agent met with Reyes and paid him $300 in exchange for two fraudulent resident alien registration cards – or green cards – and two fraudulent social security cards, Wagner's office reported.

The report said the cards contained fictitious identifying information and photographs that the agent had provided.

During a search of Reyes’ home, agents found tools and materials used in manufacturing fraudulent documents such as printers, card stock and lamination devices, Wagner's office said.

Wagner said Judge Burrell immediately remanded Reyes into custody to begin his sentence.

The US Attorney's Office said this case was the product of an extensive investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Michael D. Anderson prosecuted the case.

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MENLO PARK, Calif. – The U.S. Geological Survey has established the USGS California Volcano Observatory, or CalVO, headquartered within existing USGS facilities in Menlo Park.

Establishing CalVO will increase awareness of and resiliency to the volcano threats in California, many of which pose significant threats to the economy and well being of the state and its inhabitants.

“By uniting the research, monitoring, and hazard assessment for all of the volcanoes that pose a threat to the residents of California, CalVO will provide improved hazard information products to the public and decision makers alike,” explained USGS director Marcia McNutt. “This realignment is part of the USGS's efforts to build the National Volcano Early Warning System, a prioritized modernization of USGS volcano monitoring enabled through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.”

The list of potentially threatening volcanoes on CalVO's watch list includes the Clear Lake Volcanic Field, which is located in Lake and Napa counties.

Features within the volcanic field are The Geysers geothermal steamfield and the 300,000-year-old Mount Konocti. The area's most recent eruptions occurred around 11,000 years ago around Mount Konocti, according to CalVO.

The volcanic features are Quaternary and include rhyolitic lava dome complexes, cinder cones and maars of basaltic composition, the agency reported.

“Although Clear Lake Volcanic Field has not erupted for several millennia, sporadic volcanic-type earthquakes do occur, and the numerous hot springs and volcanic gas seeps in the area point to its potential to erupt again,” CalVO reported.

Other areas on the watch list include Mount Shasta, Medicine Lake Volcano and Lassen Volcanic Center in Northern California; Long Valley Caldera and Mono-Inyo Craters in east-central California; Salton Buttes, Coso Volcanic Field, and Ubehebe Craters in southern California; and Soda Lakes in central Nevada.

CalVO's watch list is subject to change as new data on past eruptive activity becomes known, as volcanic unrest develops, as monitoring networks are upgraded, and/or as exposure factors change.

CalVO takes on responsibility for research, monitoring, and assessing hazards for all of the potentially active volcanoes in California and coordinating with local and state emergency managers to prepare for responding to renewed volcanic activity.

Previously, the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory in Vancouver, Wash was responsible for responding to volcanic unrest at some northern California volcanoes.

CalVO replaces the former Long Valley Observatory, established in 1982 to monitor the restless Long Valley Caldera and Mono-Inyo Craters region of California.

The creation of CalVO will improve coordination with federal, state, and local emergency managers during volcanic crises, and create new opportunities for volcanic hazard awareness and preparedness.

The realignment of USGS Volcano Observatories will further facilitate collaboration with federal and state partner agencies including the California Emergency Management Agency and the California Geological Survey.

“California has always led the nation in comprehensive planning for potential disasters. Having the USGS take the initiative to enhance their volcanic threat capabilities and, most importantly, improve planning and coordination with California's emergency managers is welcomed news. At the end of the day, the public expects us to plan for all hazards, and this is another great example,” said Mike Dayton, Undersecretary of the California Emergency Management Agency.

“California is the most geologically diverse state in the nation. We are known for our earthquakes, landslides and flood hazards. But our nearly forgotten hazard is our volcanoes,” said Dr. John Parrish, the State Geologist of California. “The California Geological Survey welcomes the new CalVO with its expanded scope and organization, and we look forward to its successful operations. The new CalVO will streamline our emergency response operations since CGS has offices at the USGS Menlo Park complex, and CalVO’s authority now encompasses all of California's volcanic provinces in one center.”

In 2005, the USGS issued an assessment entitled “Volcanic Threat and Monitoring Capabilities in the United States” (USGS OFR 2005-1164). Volcanic threat rankings for U.S. volcanoes were derived from a combination of factors including age of the volcano, potential hazards (the destructive natural phenomena produced by a volcano), exposure (people and property at risk from the hazards), and current level of monitoring (real-time sensors in place to detect volcanic unrest).

Under the Stafford Act, the USGS has the federal responsibility to issue timely and effective warnings of potential volcanic disasters.

In addition to CalVO, the USGS operates four other volcano observatories.

The Cascade Volcano Observatory oversees efforts at all potentially active volcanoes in Oregon, Washington and Idaho.

The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory is responsible for volcanoes in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona.

The Alaska Volcano Observatory oversees Alaskan volcanoes and those within the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

The oldest USGS volcano observatory, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, is responsible for the state of Hawaii and is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

All USGS volcano observatories share scientific expertise, administrative staff and equipment.

Visit the new CalVO Web site at http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/observatories/calvo/.

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Just three days after the state Legislature passed it, a bill that restores funding to school transportation programs statewide received the governor’s approval.

On Friday Gov. Jerry Brown signed SB 81, which replaces the $248 million midyear cut to the Home-to-School Transportation program Brown made with a smaller, more equitable reduction across all school districts in California.

SB 81 moved quickly through the Legislature and made it to the governor’s desk in just three days. The bill goes into immediate effect.

“This is a victory for every child in the state,” said state Sen. Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa). “Every child should have equal access to a quality education. SB 81 ensures kids will get to school so they can learn, get an education and be on track to be successful and contributing members of our society.”

Assemblyman Wes Chesbro (D-Arcata) praised Gov. Brown for taking quick action on the bill and understanding its importance to school children in rural areas.

“I am thrilled that the Legislature and governor were able to come together to restore the funding that gets California’s students to school,” Chesbro said. “Home-to-School Transportation is an essential service in my district. This bill was signed just in time to save the jobs of many school bus drivers and ensure that there is no interruption in getting kids to school.”

Lake County Superintendent of Schools Wally Holbrook told Lake County News on Friday that the governor’s midyear cuts to Home-to-School Transportation and special education transportation would have amounted to just over $1 million for Lake County's school districts.

However, SB 81 has reduced those cuts by $527,000, bringing the total reduction for the county to approximately $482,147, Holbrook said.

Konocti Unified and Kelseyville Unified, with the county’s largest transportation needs, had $263,976 and $147,140 in funding restored to them, respectively, according to Holbrook.

Holbrook said his office contacted Chesbro and Evans, with both being “really responsive” to concerns about the funding loss and writing to the governor.

Chesbro and Evans both decried the cuts, saying they were unfairly hitting the rural areas they serve.

Holbrook said the governor’s midyear cuts were not across the board, but targeted the last half of the 2011-12 fiscal year’s transportation funding, and amounted to a 50-percent cut for schools with transportation programs based on a formula developed a long time ago.

The result was that some districts were hit particularly hard. Districts with no transportation had no cuts, but schools with transportation needs were harder hit, with some cuts amounting to several hundred dollars per student, he said.

The cuts totaled more than $100 per student for the Kelseyville and Konocti districts, according to Holbrook.

With SB 81 becoming law, the cuts total about $42 per student across the board, whether their schools offer transportation or not, Holbrook said.

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More than 6,300 individuals applied to be a part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's next astronaut class, according to a report from the agency.

NASA said that's twice as many applicants as it typically receives and the second highest number of applications it has ever received.

“Historically, we’ve received between 2,500 and 3,500 applications for each class,” said Duane Ross, who leads NASA’s Astronaut Selection Office. “We were a bit surprised, but very pleased by the overwhelming response to our recent Astronaut Candidate vacancy announcement. To me, this demonstrates the fact that the public remains genuinely interested in continuing the exploration of space. As for my office, we will be busy for a while.”

Late last year, NASA sent out a call for a new astronaut class. Applications were accepted for two months, with the deadline set for Jan. 27.

NASA said the response to this latest recruitment announcement was “tremendous,” resulting in approximately 6,372 applications.

That's the largest number of applications since 1978, when NASA had more than 8,000 submissions from astronaut hopefuls.

“The Flight Crew Operations Directorate is very happy with the large number of applicants for the astronaut program,” said Janet Kavandi, director of Flight Crew Operations. “NASA feels strongly that an appropriate mix of skills, education, and background provide the office with a greater ability to successfully work a wide array of operational situations.”

During the next couple of months, Astronaut Selection Office staff will sort through the applications to compare them to a list of basic qualifications.

Those applications that meet the basic qualifications will then be reviewed by a selection committee to identify “highly qualified” applicants. The panel will determine which remaining applicants will be invited for an interview and medical evaluations.

The interview process will be a two-step process, NASA reported.

Initial interviews will be conducted by the Astronaut Selection Board beginning in August and will continue through October. Then, starting in November and running through January 2013, NASA said final interviews will be held along with medical evaluations of each applicant.

The Astronaut Selection Board is expected to make its final decision in the spring of 2013 with the new Astronauts Candidates reporting for training that summer. The new candidates will undergo two years of training before being eligible for mission assignments.

These new candidates will live and work aboard the International Space Station, help build the Orion spacecraft for exploration beyond low earth orbit and continue NASA’s partnership with companies that will supply commercial transportation services to the ISS.

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COBB, Calif. – EcoArts of Lake County invites artists to apply for a spot in the 10th annual EcoArts: Lake County Sculpture Walk at the beautiful 107-acre Middletown County Trailside Park.

Temporary works with strong artistic merit made from and/or relating to nature will be chosen.

The sculptures will be sited along both sides of a three-eights of a mile central trail through meadows and woodland.

Submission applications must be received by March 15.

Approved works will be installed from Saturday, May 19, through Sunday, May 27, and be removed Sunday, Oct. 14, through Sunday, Oct. 21.

A large public reception will be held at the park on Sunday, June 10, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.

More than 270 sculptures by local, national and international artists have been installed over the past nine years with public attendance reaching over 3,000 people per exhibit.

EcoArts encourages local schools and community groups to apply and waives any fees for participation.

Visit www.EcoArtsofLakeCounty.org for information on the submission process and installation criteria. There is a $15 submission fee for each entry.

Applications and information also are available at the Lake County Arts Council’s Main Street Gallery, 325 N. Main St. in Lakeport.

Submissions and fees are due by Thursday, March 15, and will be acknowledged upon receipt.

Contact EcoArts directly for late submission information. Visit www.EcoArtsofLakeCounty.org, contact Karen Turcotte at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 707-928-0323.

EcoArts of Lake County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization dedicated to promoting visual art opportunities for the residents and visitors of Lake County, Calif.

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SANTA ROSA, Calif. – A Santa Rosa man convicted of a string of burglaries that stretched across four counties, including Lake, has been sentenced to 31 years in prison by a Sonoma County judge.

Monty Allen Mullins, 46, received the sentence this week from Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Dana Simonds, according to a report from the office of Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch.

On Oct. 27, 2011, Mullins entered guilty pleas to five residential burglaries, possession of stolen property, and possession of a stolen vehicle.

In addition, Mullins admitted that he had a prior conviction for residential burglary, which is a strike offense, and also admitted that he committed two of the residential burglaries while out on bail in four pending cases.

“This defendant has proven that imprisonment is the only way to keep him from victimizing people and burglarizing their homes,” Ravitch said. “Numerous victims have had to cope with the violation of the sanctity of their homes. Particularly striking is the impact on elder victims who lost a lifetime’s worth of sentimental personal belongings. I commend the cooperative investigative efforts by multiple law enforcement agencies that lead to this defendant’s apprehension and significant sentence.”

This case was investigated by the Santa Rosa Police Department, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, the Calistoga Police Department and the Novato Police Department.

The crimes in this matter spanned from Sonoma County into Napa, Lake and Marin counties, Ravitch's office reported.

In late 2009, Mullins was linked by fingerprint evidence to a residential burglary of a home owned by an elderly couple and located in the Oakmont retirement community, just outside of Santa Rosa.

When he was arrested for the Oakmont burglary, Mullins was in possession of stolen property and a window-punch burglary tool, which stolen property had been removed from a window-smash car burglary hours before Mullins’ arrest.

Ravitch's office reported that Mullins posted bail on the Oakmont residential burglary case and, on Sept. 3, 2010, while out on bail, was arrested after found fleeing from a residential burglary in Windsor, in a vehicle which had been stolen from a residential burglary in Novato days before, according to the district attorney's report.

The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at Mullins’ home that evening and found Mullins’ girlfriend allegedly wearing jewelry from the Novato residential burglary.

In addition, Mullins’ girlfriend was arrested days later at a pawn shop in Santa Rosa while allegedly carrying a bag full of coins, also stolen from the residential burglary in Novato.

Further investigation revealed that Mullins and his co-defendant, Joseph Greathouse, had attempted to burglarize a residence in Sonoma on the evening of Aug. 29, 2010, but fled once contact was made with one of the occupants living at the residence.

Another occupant of the home was able to provide a license plate number of the getaway vehicle, which was found to be registered to Mullins’ daughter.

Video surveillance taken earlier that day at the Twin Pine Casino in Middletown showed Mullins and Greathouse leaving the casino in that same car, after attempting to use an elderly couple’s credit card that had been stolen during a residential burglary of the elderly couple’s Calistoga home earlier that same day.

He again posted bail and, on Feb. 8, 2011, was arrested after he was caught burglarizing two more homes in the Rincon Valley area of Santa Rosa.

Mullins, who was caught in the act by the elderly homeowner’s adult sons, ran from the first residence into another residence, where he committed another residential burglary before being apprehended by the Santa Rosa Police Department.

Officials said Mullins has been in custody since Feb. 8, 2011, with bail specially set at $2 million.

The lead investigators in this case were Sonoma County Sheriff’s Detective Perry Sparkman and Santa Rosa Police Detective Brett Siwy. Deputy District Attorney Robin Hammond was the prosecutor assigned to the case.

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LAKEPORT, Calif. – A Kelseyville man has been ordered to stand trial for attempted murder and numerous other charges for allegedly shooting his wife’s male friend and brutally assaulting her in an incident last September.

Andrew James Serrano, 39, will return to court in March for arraignment on the charges.

He allegedly shot Willy Turner in the chest with a .40 caliber handgun on Sept. 10, 2011, while Turner was helping Serrano’s estranged wife, Lesa, move furniture and clothing from the home that she had shared with her husband up until five months before at 3050 Big Valley Road.

In the same incident Andrew Serrano allegedly beat Lesa Serrano severely, holding the handgun to her head and threatening to kill her before deputies arrived on scene.

In testimony on Thursday, Lesa Serrano said that by the time of the shooting she had been subjected to months of harassing and threatening phone calls and text messages, death threats, physical assault and an incident in which her estranged husband rammed her SUV with his pickup in downtown Lakeport.

Judge Richard Martin ruled that Serrano should stand trial at the end of nearly two days of testimony in his preliminary hearing.

Regarding the Sept. 10 incident, Martin found there was evidence to hold Serrano for trial for attempted murder, an act which Martin said showed deliberation and premeditation; aggravated mayhem, a charge used when someone shows extreme indifference to the well-being of another person, with an intent to do physical and psychological harm; simple mayhem; assault with a firearm; spousal abuse; criminal threats and false imprisonment.

Consolidated with the shooting case were other pending criminal cases against Serrano, with Martin also ordering him to stand trial on counts of assault with a deadly weapon; hit and run; stalking; and three misdemeanors relating to Serrano’s alleged violations of a domestic violence restraining order against his wife and civil restraining orders against him held by two of her friends.

Serrano also will be held to answer for about a dozen special allegations involving use of a firearm, great bodily injury and potential strikes; Martin dismissed three of those charges because he did not feel they had enough evidence to support them.

Turner, who first took the stand on Wednesday afternoon, continued testifying Thursday, explaining how he spotted Andrew Serrano driving by his Kelseyville home on several occasions prior to the shooting.

In one incident, one of Turner’s sons was walking across the street to return a table that had been borrowed for a party when Serrano came speeding down the street and had to slam on his brakes to avoid hitting the boy. He then sped off, Turner said.

Lesa Serrano, who followed Turner to the stand, said she and her husband – now legally separated – have been married over 18 years and have three sons, ages 20, 15 and 10.

The marriage’s most serious problems started four to five years ago, and escalated from verbal arguments into physical violence, which the first incident occurring in April 2011. That was the first time she called the police on him. A few days later he would admit himself to the hospital.

She said on separate incidents in May 2011 he called to threaten her life – telling her, “You’re dead, I planned this out” – and in another confrontation threatened her again and used his hand to gesture at her like a gun. Also that month, he called her cell phone 33 times over an hour and a half period late one night.

On July 2, 2011, Lesa Serrano had dinner at Renee’s Cafe in Lakeport with friends Katrina and Kayla Hickey. While sitting near a window overlooking Main Street they saw Andrew Serrano drive by several times.

As they left in Lesa Serrano’s SUV, driving southbound on Main Street near the Courthouse Museum, Andrew Serrano – who was driving northbound in his pickup – got into the middle lane and then the southbound lane, ahead of his wife’s vehicle. Both vehicles stopped and he gestured as if pointing at each woman.

Lesa Serrano tried to drive around him and he revved his engine and rammed her vehicle. “He looked straight at me,” she said.

While he appeared to be reaching for something, Lesa Serrano said she put her vehicle in drive and tried to get away from him, with her vehicle getting scraped as she drove off.

Additional witnesses testify about ramming incident

Lesa Serrano described how on the day of the shooting her husband drove up while she and Turner were gathering items from the house. She went out to speak with him. He was standing by the side door of his pickup, doing something with his hands.

“He looked over his right shoulder at me, looked back down and I could see he was loading a gun,” she said, explaining how she ran back in the house.

Turner told her to go and hide, which she did in the garage. That’s where she was when she heard a loud gunshot. She crouched behind an electric cart and Andrew Serrano walked through and then left the room, coming back a minute later, spotting her when she moved slightly.

He came around the front of the cart, grabbed her by her hair and drug her outside, pointing the gun at her head and threatening to kill her repeatedly, she said.

She said he accused her of cheating on him, and she tried to talk to him, focusing on their children.

By the time Andrew Serrano was taken into custody, his wife had a wound above her eyebrow, he’d hit her repeatedly in the face and her jaw was knocked out of line.

Katrina Hickey also testified on Thursday to seeing Andrew Serrano drive by the Lakeport home she and her sister shared. She discussed the July 2011 vehicle ramming incident, during which she received an injured right arm and stiff neck. She said she was throwing up with fear by the time Lesa Serrano drove them to the Lakeport Police Department.

Lakeport Police Sgt. Jason Ferguson was on duty that day when Lesa Serrano and the Hickeys showed up at the Lakeport Police Department after Andrew Serrano rammed their vehicle.

“All three of them were hysterical. They were crying. It was rather chaotic in the parking lot,” said Ferguson.

Ferguson put out a countywide be on the lookout for Serrano, who was later taken into custody at his Big Valley Road home by the California Highway Patrol.

Ferguson said Andrew Serrano refused to speak with him after his arrest. They found his damaged truck, showing damage of the collision, in this garage. Inside of it they found a machete.

Andrew Serrano’s attorney, Mitch Hauptman, said Thursday he would not offer a defense for the purposes of the preliminary hearing.

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KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – On Wednesday the preliminary hearing for a Kelseyville man accused of assaulting his estranged wife and shooting her male companion last September got under way.

Andrew James Serrano, 39, is facing attempted murder, mayhem, assault with a firearm, spousal abuse, making terrorist threats, false imprisonment and special allegations for use of a firearm for the shooting of William Turner and an assault on Lesa Serrano that occurred on Sept. 10, 2011, at the Big Valley Road home the Serranos shared before they separated the previous April.

Serrano, wearing a jail jumpsuit and sitting alongside defense attorney Mitch Hauptman, was in Judge Richard Martin's Department 2 courtroom for the Wednesday proceedings.

Turner took the stand during the day of testimony, recounting how he was at the Big Valley Road home helping Lesa Serrano move furniture when Andrew Serrano arrived.

In the confrontation that followed, Turner said he was facing Serrano through a window in a door when Serrano raised a .40-caliber handgun and fired.

“At that point I couldn’t believe he was going to shoot me,” said Turner, who remembered looking down and seeing a 1-inch hole in his chest before reaching up and pulling the bullet’s metal jacket from the wound with his fingers.

In testimony on Wednesday it was alleged that about a month before the incident Andrew Serrano – who had restraining orders against him from his wife as well as two of her friends – had a friend buy him the .40-caliber Glock handgun and ammunition recovered from the scene.

The shooting also took place just two months after Andrew Serrano allegedly rammed his wife’s SUV with his pickup in Lakeport after circling a restaurant where she and two friends were eating, as Lake County News has reported.

In January 2011 Andrew Serrano allegedly had begun sending Turner texts and leaving angry voice mail messages telling him to stay away from his wife and children and accusing Turner of having an affair with Lesa Serrano, which Turner denied on the stand.

Sheriff’s officials recount arriving at the scene

Ahead of Turner, Deputy District Attorney Alan Upton called to the stand lead investigator Sgt. Mike Curran, Deputy Gary Frace and Sgt. Andy Davidson, who were the first to arrive on scene and have been credited with saving both Turner’s and Lesa Serrano’s lives.

It was Turner who called 911 to report the shooting. When Frace and Curran got to the house they found Andrew Serrano with a handgun. Curran and Frace drew their weapons and ordered Andrew Serrano to drop his weapon and get on the ground, which he did.

While Frace covered Andrew Serrano, Curran handcuffed him. As he was doing so, Andrew Serrano uttered a spontaneous statement, according to Curran, “Something like, 'He came at me.'”

Once Andrew Serrano was securely handcuffed, Frace would go to look for Turner, who was lying on his back in the garage doorway, and Lesa Serrano, who had a head injury and appeared to be in shock.

Frace said Lesa Serrano was bleeding badly from the head. She told him that Andrew Serrano had hit her with the pistol, punched her with his fist, attempted to strangle her and was dragging her to his vehicle when deputies arrived.

When Davidson arrived, he requested a REACH air ambulance, which flew Turner to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. Curran, meanwhile, placed Andrew Serrano in the backseat of Deputy Carla Hockett's patrol car.

Hockett later transported Andrew Serrano to the sheriff's main office in Lakeport, where he refused to speak to a detective without his attorney, and instead was taken to the jail and booked. He was placed on suicide watch, according to statements in court.

During Curran’s testimony – the longest of the day – he said Lesa Serrano told him she and her husband had separated sometime around April 2011. The day of the shooting, she had asked Turner to go with her to pick up some furniture for her two sons as well as some other items.

Curran, as lead investigator, also was present during the surgery when a doctor pulled the bullet from Turner’s chest.

The surgeon told Curran that Turner had suffered “a significant injury” that was life-threatening. Curran called the wound a “through and through” shot to the lung, with the bullet going through the lung before lodging against a rib. Damage to the lung resulted in a “significant amount” of internal bleeding.

The surgeon told Curran that Turner was “a lucky man.”

Shortly after the shooting, Curran said Rob Brown – a county supervisor, bail bondsman and friend of Turner's – arrived at the home after receiving a phone call about the shooting. Curran said Lesa Serrano had refused to go to the hospital by ambulance, and Brown offered to drive her to the hospital.

In a followup interview Curran conducted with Brown on Sept. 12, 2011, Curran said Brown stated that Andrew Serrano's family had asked him to be the bail bondsman in the case, and he agreed, believing he would be able to keep tabs on Andrew Serrano and prevent him from “making a poor choice,” Curran said.

Andrew Serrano was required to check in with Brown daily to comply with the terms of his bail. Brown told Curran that he had warned Andrew Serrano to stay away from Turner due to concerns about the potential for a physical confrontation, as Andrew Serrano had told him he believed Turner and his estranged wife were having an affair. At the same time, Andrew Serrano also reportedly had a girlfriend.

Brown told Curran that he received a text message from Andrew Serrano the night before the shooting, stating he was not going to be at the high school football game in which his son was playing because he was having “an anger management issue” relating to Lesa Serrano. That same weekend Andrew Serrano was scheduled to have visitation with his two sons.

In addition to asking a friend to purchase the handgun and ammunition – telling the man he wanted the gun because of a recent break in at the Big Valley Road residence, which Curran said wasn’t found in sheriff’s records – Andrew Serrano had reportedly initiated an unusual conversation with a neighbor at the Lake County Fair, just a few weeks before the shooting.

The neighbor told Curran that Andrew Serrano approached him and said he might be hearing some gunshots around the Big Valley Road home in the coming weeks, but not to worry about it.

Another friend of Andrew Serrano’s told Curran that Serrano had texted him on at least two occasions with pictures of handguns and references to Lesa Serrano, with one of the texts saying she was going to disappear.

There also were indications that Andrew Serrano was using some kind of tracking to follow Lesa Serrano, as he always seemed to know where she was at, said Curran.

No direct evidence of GPS or other tracking was found, although Curran said Andrew Serrano’s friend who reported receiving the handgun texts said that everything Curran would want to know about that would be found on a computer belonging to Andrew Serrano which, by the time of the shooting, had been removed from the main home.

Recounting the confrontation

Turner, in his testimony, called Lesa Serrano his “best friend,” and recounted how she had come to him to ask about dealing with divorce. She also shared with him that her husband was becoming more violent, and was keeping her up arguing during the night.

Andrew Serrano had left him a phone message in the middle of the night in January 2011, telling Turner to stay away from Lesa Serrano. Turner said he called Andrew Serrano back the next day to tell him he had no idea what he was talking about.

“Obviously you don’t know me and you don’t know Lesa,” he said he told Andrew Serrano.

He said he would get another warning text from Andrew Serrano in May 2011.

At Lesa Serrano’s request, Turner took his pickup and a trailer and went to the Big Valley Road residence last Sept. 10 to move her sons’ dressers and beds and pick up some other household items.

Andrew Serrano arrived as Turner was in the middle of moving a dresser. “The family dog started whimpering and was cowering, hiding in the corner,” Turner said.

Turner said Andrew Serrano slid out of his truck, got into the back seat and reached for something. Lesa Serrano went out to talk to him and asked him to leave.

“At that point he spun around and slammed a clip into the gun,” said Turner.

Lesa Serrano ran into the house, hysterical. “I grabbed her by the shoulders and told her, ‘You need to calm down so we can make it through this,’” said Turner.

While he sent Lesa Serrano to hide in the home’s detached garage, Andrew Serrano came around to the back porch. “We were standing face to face,” said Turner, who was standing behind a door but looking through the door’s window at Andrew Serrano.

Andrew Serrano kept telling Turner to leave. Turner said he told Serrano he needed to move his truck first. Serrano repeated himself three times before raising the gun.

Turner leaned to the left, Serrano lowered the gun, repeated that he needed to leave, and after Turner said he would leave Serrano allegedly raised the gun again, this time shooting from about 18 inches away, according to Turner.

After he realized he had been shot, Turner said at first it felt like a pinch, he felt very warm and his arm was numb. Having done a tour in Desert Storm in the Marines, Turner said he knew he needed to stay calm and control the bleeding.

Andrew Serrano went at Turner again, telling him he shouldn’t be there, before going to find Lesa Serrano.

Turner used his cell phone to call 911, and then tried to find a weapon to help defend Lesa Serrano, who he heard screaming.

“I was scared out of my mind that he was just going to pull the trigger and shoot her right there on the spot,” Turner said.

He said Andrew Serrano had his estranged wife by the hair, and she was reaching up to push his hand and the gun away. Turner briefly passed out in the garage as he was trying to find some implement to use to defend them.

Help finally arrived, and Turner could hear the deputies telling Andrew Serrano to get down on the ground. He remembered Davidson – who he’d known since childhood – trying to stop the bleeding from his chest.

Turner said he was taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, where he was put into a security wing for his protection. While there he woke up to find a strange man standing by his bed. “All I could see was Andy at that point,” he said, with the duty nurse subsequently locking down the wing.

He said he continues to have anxiety and physical issues, and has worked little in his profession as a contractor since the shooting. Coaching wrestling also has been a challenge.

Turner is expected to continue testifying on Thursday morning. Upton estimated the remainder of the hearing could wrap up by the end of the day.

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