LAKEPORT, Calif. – At the order of a state appellate court, a Lake County Superior Court judge on Tuesday modified the sentence of a man convicted four years ago of the murder of a 4-year-old boy and the attempted murder of five others.

Through his attorney Mitchell Hauptman, Orlando Joseph Lopez Jr., 28, notified the court that he was waiving his appearance at the Tuesday afternoon sentence modification before Judge Andrew Blum.

In 2012, Lopez and his co-defendant in the case Paul William Braden, now 26, were convicted of first degree murder in the June 2011 killing 4-year-old Skyler Rapp, as well as attempted murder for wounding five others – including the child's mother and her boyfriend – after shooting into a crowd at a gathering at a Clearlake apartment.

The court sentenced Lopez to 311 years in prison, while Braden received 312 years, with that additional year due to a previous felony conviction.

However, because of a 2014 court California Supreme Court decision that now requires that prosecutors give a specific theory of first-degree murder – rather than offering multiple theories as was done in this case – in February the First District Court of Appeal in February ordered that Braden and Lopez should either be retried on the first-degree murder charge or else have their convictions reduced to second-degree murder.

Additionally, the appellate court ordered that two counts of mayhem that the men had been convicted of be stayed.

Retired Judge Doris Shockley of Yolo County had been assigned to the case. Blum said in court on Tuesday that Shockley is no longer taking case assignments and so was not available to preside over the sentence modification.

Braden returned to Lake County and had his sentence modified in October to 248 years, according to District Attorney Don Anderson, who handled the original prosecution and has continued to appear in the appellate-ordered proceedings.

At a court appearance last month, Blum, Hauptman and Anderson discussed the efforts to get Lopez to appear in court.

He had refused to leave his place at Salinas Valley State Prison in Soledad because he did not want to lose his housing or his job there, Hauptman reported.

Blum previously had attempted to order Lopez's appearance, but when Lake County correctional officers responded to Soledad, Lopez had refused to come with them, and state correctional officials said they would only remove him if Blum signed an extraction order.

During Tuesday's hearing, which ran just under 15 minutes, Hauptman said Lopez sent a letter saying he would waive his appearance for that hearing but not in any future proceeding involving the case.

When Blum asked if Hauptman had spoken with Lopez personally, Hauptman said no, that they had only communicated through letters.

Blum said he was prepared to proceed in Lopez's absence, noting that while the modification was not insignificant in terms of time, it probably didn't make much practical difference to Lopez's sentence.

In reducing the first-degree murder conviction to second-degree and staying the mayhem convictions, Blum modified Lopez's sentence to a 22-year determinate sentence plus an indeterminate sentence of 225 years to life.

While the total years appeared to equal 247, Blum cautioned against lumping the determinate and indeterminate sentences together, explaining they're form different sentencing systems.

According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, determinate sentences have a specific length while indeterminate sentences are based on a time range.

Blum said Lopez must serve the determinate sentence of 22 years first before beginning the 225-year indeterminate sentence.

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. – Lakeport Police have taken into custody two female suspects – one of them a juvenile – for a Monday night stabbing in the city's downtown.

Police Chief Brad Rasmussen said a detailed and ongoing investigation by numerous Lakeport Police officers led to the arrest of the two female suspects, both residents of Upper Lake.

At 7:20 p.m. Tuesday Elysia Raylene Sandoval, 20, was located at her residence and arrested, Rasmussen said.

Rasmussen said Sandoval was booked at the Lake County Correctional Facility Wednesday morning on felony charges of assault with a deadly weapon, battery with serious bodily injury and attempted murder.

Jail records show that her bail has been set at $200,000, with her arraignment tentatively set for Friday.

Then, at approximately 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, the second female suspect, a 14-year-old juvenile, was located at her residence and arrested, Rasmussen said.

The juvenile was transported to the Lake County Probation Department and turned over to them
for juvenile booking procedures, according to Rasmussen.

Rasmussen said the investigation revealed that on Monday night the two female subjects were at Library Park, along with a third female identified as a 22-year-old Lakeport resident, consuming
alcoholic beverages.

Shortly after 9 p.m., the 52-year-old male victim walked past the location of the suspects and looked at them, Rasmussen said.

Sandoval took offense and engaged in a verbal exchange with the male, who after a short time continued on his way towards Main Street, according to Rasmussen.

Rasmussen said Sandoval made statements about assaulting the male with a knife and asked the 14-year-old to assist her by retrieving a knife, which the 14-year-old did.

Sandoval then ran after the victim and proceeded to stab him. All three females then left the area on foot, Rasmussen said.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Rasmussen said no further arrests are expected but the investigation remains active and ongoing. He added that additional information on the case won't be released until the investigation is final.

Anyone who may have information on this incident or the activities of these female suspects in Lakeport on Monday evening is asked to contact officers by sending a private message on the department's Facebook page @LakeportPolice, emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , calling 707-263-5491 and asking to talk with an officer or sending an anonymous message from a cellular phone by texting the words TIP LAKEPORT followed by your message to 888777. 

NORTH COAST, Calif. – A reward is being offered for information to help solve the murder of a young Rohnert Park man whose body was found on the Sonoma State University campus last month.

The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office reported that friends and family of 18-year-old Kirk Ryan Kimberly have raised a $4,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person – or persons – responsible for his murder.

On Nov. 2, a Sonoma State employee found Kimberly's body in a shallow grave located in a wooded area on the outskirts of the campus, as Lake County News has reported.

Authorities said Kimberly – who had been reported missing in mid-October – was stabbed multiple times.

The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office said Kimberly's family and friends have started a "youcaring" page at https://www.youcaring.com/kirkkimberlyrewardfund-703305 to raise additional funds towards the reward. The page has a $25,000 goal.

The Sonoma County Alliance also is offering a separate reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Kimberly's killer, or killers, authorities said.

Anyone with information on Kimberly's death is encouraged to call the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office Investigations Unit at 707-565-2185.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The man who authorities say shot four people and killed one of them last week at a Clearlake Oaks home made his first court appearance this week.

Ezequiel Bravo Jr., 24, of Clearlake was arraigned on Monday afternoon, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff.

Investigators said Bravo forced his way into the home of his in-laws, Robert and Stephanie Brown, at the Elem Indian Colony at around 2 a.m. on Dec. 1.

Bravo, who is reported to be estranged from his wife, shot his wife's parents, her aunt Theresa Brown and Theresa Brown's 6-year-old daughter, as Lake County News has reported.

Theresa Brown, 45, died of her injuries. Her family members were hospitalized and are reported to be recovering.

Bravo fled the scene and was arrested several hours later in Clearlake at Pomo Elementary School, authorities said.

Hinchcliff said he charged Bravo with one count of murder, four counts of attempted murder, assault with a firearm and various other charges that include gun use allegations.

If convicted, Bravo is facing life in prison, Hinchcliff said.

Also at Monday's arraignment, Bravo's bail was raised from the initial $1 million at the time of his arrest to $7 million, Hinchcliff said.

Hinchcliff said the District Attorney's Office so far only has bare bones investigative reports from the sheriff's office, as the investigation is still ongoing.

However, based on what the investigation has uncovered so far, Hinchcliff said there are indications that Bravo had previously threatened to harm one of the family members who he ended up shooting at the Brown home early Dec. 1.

While Hinchcliff charged the case, he said District Attorney Don Anderson will personally handle Bravo's prosecution.

Representing Bravo will be Angela Carter, who heads up the county's indigent defense contractor, Hinchcliff said.

Hinchcliff said Bravo is scheduled to return to court for further proceedings on Dec. 13.

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.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Just as people plan for retirement, the California Highway Patrol urges them to plan for changing needs and abilities in their driving as they age.

The CHP joins the American Occupational Therapy Association to recognize Dec. 5 to 9 as Older Driver Safety Awareness Week.
 
The ability to drive safely can be affected by physical, emotional, and mental conditions. If family and friends discuss potential changes before they become an issue, older drivers can be involved in the planning. Proactive, early planning is essential for continued independence and safety on the road.
 
“As we age, most people want to maintain their independence, and that usually means driving,” CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow said. “Discussing how long it is safe to continue driving may be difficult for family and friends, but it is important.”
 
Drivers aged 65 and older made up about 15 percent of the licensed drivers in California in 2014.

Data from the CHP’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System show seniors were involved in 10 percent of the fatal collisions and 8.5 percent of the injury collisions in the state.

Of the 4,299 fatal collisions recorded in California in 2014, slightly more than 10 percent, or 444, involved drivers age 65 and older.
 
The CHP encourages drivers to consider their transportation options as they age. Ride-sharing and ride-hailing services present more alternatives than ever before for people who no longer drive.
 
As part of the CHP’s efforts to help California’s seniors drive safely for as long as they can, the CHP offers a two-hour Age Well, Drive Smart course.

Through this program, seniors can tune up their driving skills, refresh their knowledge of the rules of the road, and learn how to adjust to normal age-related physical and mental changes.

Information about the free classes is available from Area CHP offices or at www.chp.ca.gov .