CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The prospect of giving birth and learning to care for a newborn baby can be a joyful but daunting experience, and one for which not every expectant mom is prepared.

For uncertain new moms who can use education, support and encouragement, St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake offers the “Bright Start” program.

Bright Start provides coordinated care and education to eligible low-income pregnant women, according to Kari Donley, the nurse who serves as Bright Start coordinator and educator.

Donley said 97 percent of the women who come to the Bright Start program are from Clearlake.

What makes the existence of Bright Start – a state-approved comprehensive perinatal services program – critical is that for a large segment of the newborn in Clearlake there is the likelihood of:

– Being born poor. Approximately 36.4 percent of Clearlake residents live below the poverty line – more than double state poverty level of 15.3 percent and well above the overall 24 percent poverty rate for all of Lake County – with 52.7 percent of children under age 18 in Clearlake living below the poverty line, according to the most recent data available for 2008-2012 by the American Community Survey.

– Being born into an area that is disadvantaged in health care.

– Being born – often to a single mother – in an area known to have a high incidence of substance (drug, alcohol and tobacco) abuse.

The problem, asserted Donley, is too many expectant women – often those who use drug substances – don't take advantage of the program's many services or don't even know it exists.

“We typically don't see a lot of moms who use substances,” Donley said. “They'll show up at the hospital to have their babies. So getting these moms in here early in their pregnancy is our goal.”

For good reason. Prenatal substance use has been associated with potentially deleterious and even long-term effects on exposed children.

On a more positive note, there are many expectant mothers such as Dawn Gaddy who are wise enough to avail themselves of this six-year-old service.

Has Bright Start really helped her with the birth and care of Jakob, her 6-month-old son?

“Absolutely,” said Gaddy, who with Jakob and her mother, Patricia Stone, were present for a reporter's interview in Donley's office in the Clearlake Family Health Center.

Gaddy, 29, gave birth to her first child on Sept. 17 of last year.

“It's helped me take care of him and take care of myself before Jakob was born,” Gaddy added. “They even offered to help educate me on how to breastfeed him.”

Donley beamed.

“Dawn is one of our rare moms,” she said, “because she takes advantage of the whole program.”

Bright Start is a St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake-based program. It is indeed comprehensive.

“Beginning with prenatal we take (expectant mothers) through the various stages of pregnancy up to the delivery and childbirth package,” Donley explained. “We follow up providing care and support for mothers during the postpartum period.

“We offer the program to every new (low-income) mom in Clearlake that comes in. We have a constant caseload of about 120 women,” Donley said.

Taken from the top, the Bright Start process for expectant mothers begins when they come into the hospital’s Clearlake Family Health Center.

For prenatal care, they will be counseled by one of two doctors or one of two midwives.

“We provide transportation if there's a need,” said Donley.

She said the program can provide vouchers for high-risk pregnant women who need to go to, for instance, University of California San Francisco Medical Center. “That's a fairly new program we've had for just a couple of months.”

The bedrock of the program is a document that welcomes pregnant women to Bright Start and spells out the program's goals, which are to decrease the incidence of low birth weight; improve the outcome of every pregnancy; give every baby a healthy start in life; and lower health care costs by preventing catastrophic and chronic illness in infants and children.

The document also lists Bright Start's plethora of services, beginning with the fetal development stage and ending two months after childbirth.

Expectant mothers can create their own program by picking and choosing from this document what they want to learn.

As an incentive for coming into the program, Bright Start provides five “Baby Bucks” for each visit by an expectant mom to spend at its recently established baby store.

“Women are able to gather what they need for themselves or their baby while they're pregnant at the baby store and it helps them build their nursery,” said Donley.

For more information, contact the Clearlake Family Health Center at 707-995-4500.

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

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A special program offered by the Lake County Office of Education is giving veterans and internees the opportunity to receive long-overdue high school diplomas.

Many people in were unable to graduate with their high school class due to military service in World War II (Dec. 7, 1941-Dec. 31, 1946), the Korean War (June 25, 1950-Jan. 31, 1955), or the Vietnam War (Feb. 28, 1961-May 7, 1975), or because they were interned in WWII relocation centers for Japanese Americans, the Lake County Office of Education reported.

These individuals may now receive their high school diplomas from the Lake County Office of Education Operation Recognition program.  

The program was offered for the first time in 2013. Last June, three veterans received their high school diplomas: Vietnam veterans Michael Dondero and James Sparks Jr., and Korean War veteran Lee Woodberry Sr.

Family members may apply for diplomas on behalf of qualifying persons who are deceased. The diploma recipient or the surviving family member must be current or former residents of Lake County.

“We are honored to offer the Operation Recognition program to recognize those who sacrificed for our country. This program is entirely free, and we hope many individuals and families will take advantage of the opportunity,” said Brock Falkenberg, senior director of Human Resources at Lake County Office of Education.

Form DD214 (or equivalent) or documentation of internment is required.

For assistance in locating discharge papers, contact the Lake County Veterans Service Office at 707-263-2384, 285 N. Main St., Lakeport.

Applications must be received by April 1, 2014, to qualify for the spring 2014 diploma awards ceremony, which includes a reception for honorees and family members.

For an application, visit www.lakecoe.org and type “Operation Recognition” in the search option, or contact Lake County Office of Education Human Resources at 707-262-4151.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – When it comes to local home values, there's good news going into 2014, according to the Lake County Association of Realtors.

The association said the median sales price of single family residences in Lake County rose nearly 25 percent when compared to like sales in 2012.

“One of the most notable trends in 2013 was the continued reduction in distressed sales,” said LCAOR president Rick White. “We also saw a reduction in cash-only financed sales, which has been the most common financing used in distressed sales, especially with the bank owned properties.”

The number of sales was reduced by 9.4 percent countywide, but the median sales price rose from $120,000 to $149,250, according to sales statistics taken from the California Regional Multiple Listing Service.

On the financing side, cash-only sales made up 34.9 percent of the transactions and conventional and FHA loans combined to make up nearly 39 percent of the financing, according to the association's report.

The association said inventory levels have continued to decline throughout the year, reaching a peak of 8.5 months of inventory in February 2013 and a low of 3.9 months in December 2013. An industry guideline defines six months of inventory as a “normal” amount.  

The median days on market for selling properties was practically the same for 2013 and 2012, the association said, with 75 days being the figure for 2013 and 74 days in 2012.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – As weather and water experts are predicting the worst statewide drought in recent history, there are many things to consider before planting a garden.  

Lake County Special Districts understands that food is a basic necessity, just as water is, and believes that with some proper planning, determination and willingness to exert a little extra effort, people can continue to grow food despite the possibility of a severe water shortage.

Special Districts will host two workshops on planning and planting a garden in the midst of a severe drought.

Master Gardeners from the University of California Cooperative Extension will conduct these workshops. Topics covered will include:

• How to make your existing garden more drought tolerant;
• What you must know if you are planning a new garden (complete with recommended plant list);
• What you want out of your garden and how you can achieve it with less water.

Those in attendance will receive a phone number for the permanent Master Gardener help-line to have gardening questions answered 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, throughout the entire year.

These workshops are open to the public and will be held as follows:

• Saturday, Feb. 22, 10 a.m., Lakeport Senior Center, 527 Konocti Ave.
• Sunday, Feb. 23, 10 a.m., Finley Grange No. 680, 1510 Big Valley Road.

The drought is a serious concern for the entire county. Special Districts has established a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/lakecountyspecialdistricts for general drought-related updates and information.  

Anyone with questions about these or other drought-related meetings and workshops can call Jan Coppinger at Special Districts, 707-263-0119.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – A Ukiah man who in February 2013 attempted to kill a Mendocino County Sheriff's deputy has received a sentence of 183 years to life.

On Monday Mendocino County Superior Court Judge John Behnke handed down the state prison sentence to 43-year-old Walter Kristopher Miller.

Mendocino County District Attorney David Eyster prosecuted Miller, who was convicted of attempting to shoot Deputy Darren Brewster on Feb. 25, 2013, as Lake County News has reported.

Miller and an accomplice, Christopher Skaggs, confronted Brewster during a late-night traffic stop in Ukiah, according to the law enforcement report on the incident.

After the initial stop, Skaggs and Miller fled, with Miller leaning out of the window at one point and shooting several times at Brewster's patrol car, sheriff's officials said.

Skaggs would be taken into custody the day after the incident, with Miller surrendering following a negotiation with a law enforcement team at a Ukiah hotel two days after the shooting and chase.

The Mendocino County District Attorney's Office said a jury convicted Miller of the attempted murder of Brewster, two separate residential burglaries, threatening a witness by threat of force and felon in possession of a firearm.

Miller is a former Sonoma County resident who has a lengthy prior criminal record that includes 11 prior felony convictions and at least three prior prison commitments, which meant that California's Three Strikes law came into play to enhance his final sentence, according to Eyster's office.

Last month, Skaggs received a 13-year prison sentence after he reached a plea agreement with Eyster's office in which an attempted murder charge was dropped but he was required to plead guilty to first-degree burglary.

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. – This week four cats are ready and waiting for new homes at Lake County Animal Care and Control.

The cats – two males and two females – are all about 9 months old, and include two Siamese mixes, a calico and a feline with black and white markings.

In addition to spaying or neutering, cats that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are microchipped before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.

If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets there, hoping you'll choose them.

The following cats at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (other cats pictured on the animal control Web site that are not listed here are still “on hold”).

Domestic short hair mix

This female domestic short hair mix is 9 months old.

She has a short coat with calico markings and has not been spayed.

She's in cat room kennel No. 3a, ID No. 38970.

Female seal point-flame point

This female domestic short hair mix is 9 months old.

She has seal point and flame point markings, and blue eyes. She has not yet been spayed.

She's in cat room kennel No. 3b, ID No. 38971.

Male Siamese mix

This male domestic short hair mix is 9 months old.

He has blue eyes and a coat with seal point markings. He hasn't yet been neutered.

He's in cat room kennel No. 41a, ID No. 38968.

Male domestic short hair mix

This male domestic short hair mix is 9 months old.

He has green eyes, a black and white coat, and has not yet been neutered.

Find him in cat room kennel No. 41b, ID No. 38969.

Adoptable cats also can be seen at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Cats_and_Kittens.htm or at www.petfinder.com .

Please note: Cats listed at the shelter's Web page that are said to be “on hold” are not yet cleared for adoption.

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. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – California's flu season has claimed one local victim, with state officials reporting that the majority of those who have died from flu this season were not vaccinated against the illness.

As of last Friday, the California Department of Public Health said 202 Californians had died of influenza this flu season – which began last fall – including one Lake County resident.

Lake County Health Officer Dr. Karen Tait confirmed the local flu death that was reported by California Department of Public Health officials.

Tait said she was limited in the details she could divulge about the flu victim, who was a woman in the age range of 30 to 40 years.

“The patient did have health risk factors for severe complications of influenza,” she said.

Tait also wouldn't provide the date of the woman's death, noting that “it was around the time that appeared to be the peak of this flu season, assuming that the recent decline in reported cases continues.”

Regarding whether the woman had been vaccinated, Tait said her agency didn't have definite vaccination information on the case.

Statewide, the majority of individuals who have died of the flu this year had not been vaccinated, according to the California Department of Public Health.

Corey Egel, a California Department of Public Health spokesman, told Lake County News that of the 202 reported and confirmed flu deaths in California during the current flu season, approximately 84 percent were not vaccinated and approximately 16 percent were vaccinated.

“While it is better to get vaccinated than skip it, the protection is not 100 percent,” said Tait.

In addition to the one local flu death, Tait said there have been three other confirmed influenza cases from Lake County in individuals under age 64 who required intensive care. She said those individuals were unvaccinated.   

There also was a fourth person who had the flu who was hospitalized and received special monitoring, but the monitoring was not related to the influenza illness, making it not a technically reportable case, Tait said.

She said Public Health also was aware of one additional person who was hospitalized with the flu, but the case was not technically because the patient was older than age 65.

“There may be others but, again, we might not hear about them all,” Tait said, noting that only reports of deaths are mandated by law.

Lake County Public Health has requested reports of intensive care hospitalizations from local hospitals, but those aren't legally required, she said.

Based on data from past years, Tait said there was one death and three ICU hospitalizations in Lake County during the 2009-10 pandemic, no deaths or ICU hospitalizations for people under age 65 for the years 2010 and 2011, and no deaths and two hospitalizations – both in patients between the ages of 30 and 40 years – in 2012.

Lake County Public Health still has flu vaccine available for people of all ages, Tait said.

Lake County Public Health, located at 922 Bevins Court in Lakeport, offers vaccinations for $2 each from 9 to 11 a.m. Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesdays and 2 to 4 p.m. Thursdays.

Tait suggested calling 707-263-1090 or 800-794-9291 first to assure availability and confirm the hours of the clinic before coming in.     

A flu vaccine finder is available at http://www.flu.gov/about_the_flu/seasonal/index.html .

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.

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – The service of a search warrant on Feb. 7 has resulted in the arrest of a Clearlake Oaks man, and the seizure of two firearms and approximately 1.5 ounces of methamphetamine.

Detectives arrested 31-year-old Robert Russell McDarment during the warrant service, which occurred last Friday night, according to Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

On Jan. 31 narcotics detectives secured a search warrant for McDarment's person, home and vehicle, serving it last Friday at 9:45 p.m., Brooks said.

Brooks said detectives entered the residence, located in the 13000 block of Marina Village in Clearlake Oaks, and detained McDarment without incident.

Detectives said they also contacted five children living at the residence, all of whom were under 10 years of age, Brooks said.

After making entry into the residence, narcotics detectives located a large surveillance monitor in the master bedroom. Brooks said the monitor was displaying live footage from four different externally mounted cameras.

In the bedroom there also was a scanner that was actively monitoring radio traffic from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Brooks said.

McDarment denied having any illegal drugs, contraband or weapons inside the residence, according to Brooks' report.

During a search of the master bedroom, detectives located a plastic bag containing a white semi-translucent substance inside a dresser drawer. Brooks said the substance was immediately recognized as being methamphetamine and had a gross weight of 20.1 grams.

Narcotics detectives estimated that the drawer was approximately 3 feet from the floor level, making the contents very accessible to the children, Brooks said.

At McDarment’s request, detectives color-tested a portion of the substance in his presence. Brooks said the chemicals turned purple, giving a presumptive positive for methamphetamine.

McDarment later told detectives that he had added methylsulfonylmethane, or MSM, to the methamphetamine, Brooks said. MSM is a dietary supplement commonly added as a cutting agent in order to increase the seller's yield.

Brooks said McDarment also told detectives that he would heat the MSM with a torch, which causes it to crystallize, giving it a closer resemblance to crystal methamphetamine.

Detectives located a floor-mounted safe in the master bedroom. At first McDarment denied knowing the combination or the safe's contents, Brooks said.

However, Brooks said that once detectives started to pry the door open, McDarment admitted that the safe contained additional methamphetamine, scales, two firearms and ammunition for the firearms. He said he was selling drugs to pay the bills.

Detectives opened the safe and located two revolvers, one of which was loaded. They also located a plastic bag containing an additional 24.1 grams of methamphetamine, a digital gram scale, a digital ounce scale, 46.3 grams of processed marijuana, a glass meth pipe and two 10 milligram hydrocodone pills, all of which were seized as evidence, according to Brooks.

The total weight of the methamphetamine was 44.2 grams or approximately 1.56 ounces, Brooks said.

McDarment was arrested for possession of a controlled substance for sale, possession of a controlled substance while armed, being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition by a prohibited person and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, Brooks said.

McDarment was transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked. His bail was set at $25,000, and jail records indicated he later posted the required percentage of bail and was released.

Due to the fact that McDarment stored a large quantity of methamphetamine in a drawer easily accessible to his children, narcotics detectives are requesting the Lake County District Attorney's Office review this investigation for the added charge of child endangerment, Brooks said.

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

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Marta Fuller's little corner of the world is Lake County. For the better part of four decades now she has brightened that corner with her commitment to children's oral health.

When not doing that, she is joining in making the environment more melodious as principle (second) violin in the Lake County Symphony Orchestra.

Her husband, Wally, also has a presence in the county's art scene as general manager of the Soper-Reese Community Theater in Lakeport.

Like the kids who have grown up with good dental habits first introduced to them by Fuller, children's oral hygiene has grown up around this dedicated and socially attuned organizer, educator and grant writer, who is a registered nurse.

In December, she was honored by the Lakeport Unified School Board for her efforts.

“I have been working in the dental field in one form or another for about 35 years. Public Health Services has been my contract home for that entire time,” Fuller said during a session for early primary students at Burns Valley School in Clearlake. “They have been very supportive of all of our efforts to improve oral health in Lake County.”

She added, “Lake County Office of Education's Healthy Start program is my right arm. Their school site staff organizes and sets up screenings, education, varnishes and sealants. Lakeside Health Center has been a partner since they opened their doors and started providing dental services.”

Said Dr. Doug Lewis, who has been a partner of that system for a decade and has a clinic in Ukiah: “Lake has a very advanced system ... one of the better ones I've seen. We have the cooperation of Public Health, they are working with the schools and (Fuller) is doing dental health education in the schools.

The long-term objective, said Fuller, is to bring the best dental disease prevention services and information to all Lake County residents.

The effort, which has focused on preventative medicine, has been moderately successful; Lake County's oral hygiene program is regarded as one of the better ones in the state.

“The goal is to prevent decay before it starts,” Fuller said. “This year we are working with a federal HRSA (Health Resources and Services Administration) grant. We guarantee that we will apply sealants to students in at least eight schools, plus we will be doing migrant education summer school.”

There has been a gradual evolution in Lake County's dental health, said Lewis, “but the real challenge is getting it out to the public ... It's really more of a social issue and an economic concern, but it also gets down to demographics. People are spread out.

“The county's low economic profile also poses a higher risk for the kids. A lot of parents are doing the best they can, but some of them need more help. That's why were doing what we're trying to do,” Lewis said.

On this particular day Lewis has set up a dental chair in the Healthy Start office space at Burns Valley, administering dental sealants to a small number of students while their classmates crowded around the chair and watched.

Lewis is regarded as a champion for education and preventive dental services providing sealants at no cost to school children for over a decade.

“He is in partnership with us and has taken our Lake County model and duplicated the program in Mendocino County and has created a successful school prevention program there, too,” said Fuller.

Fuller was one of the coordinators who managed to stay afloat in 2009 when the state of California stepped out of what had been created as the first statewide Children's Dental Disease Prevention Program and operated for 30 years by defunding it.

“There are folks still working to bring back funding for this (still legislated) amazing program,” she said.

These include the Lake County Oral Health Access Council (OHAC), local dentists, dental clinic directors and other oral health stakeholders in the county.

“We are, as a group, members of the statewide OHAC in Sacramento, which has been another major supporter,” Fuller said. “First 5 Lake has been a huge supporter and partner as well. They have funded an oral health project since the commission first started funding projects and have become oral health champions for kids 0-5 in a big way.

“That covers the major partners, except to say that all the schools deserve kudos for letting us come in and teach oral health education and provide screenings and preventive agents and services for so many years,” she said.

OK, second violin in the Lake County Symphony Orchestra, but in bringing oral health education to the county's schools Marta Fuller is second-fiddle to no one.

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

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – After a weekend of much-needed rain, the forecast indicates more rain is ahead this week.

Based on 24-hour reports put together by the National Weather Service office in Sacramento, Lake County received a large amount of rain from the end of last week through Monday.

The most rain reported in Lake County was in Whispering Pines on Cobb, where 8.84 inches of rain was recorded between Thursday and Monday, according to the National Weather Service.

The following monitoring station totals are for Thursday through Monday morning.

• Clearlake (1,349 feet elevation): 3.52”
• Cow Mountain Ridge (3,355 feet elevation): 4.99”
• Gravelly Valley Airport (two miles southwest): 5.92”
• Hidden Valley Lake (one mile southeast): 2.15”
• Hidden Valley Lake (two miles east northeast): 2.46”
• Hidden Valley Lake (eight miles east northeast): 2.68”
• Hidden Valley Lake (four miles north): 4.05”
• High Glade Lookout (4,807 feet): 4.65”
• Kelseyville (two miles west southwest of Kelseyville, 1,607 feet elevation): 1.84”
• Konocti (2,163 feet elevation): 3.73”
• Lakeport (one mile south southwest of Lakeport at 1,381 feet elevation): 1.21”
• Lakeport (1,390 feet elevation): 4.19”
• Nice (three miles west southwest of Nice, 1,437 feet elevation): 4.55”
• Whispering Pines (2,700 feet): 8.84”
• Wilbur Springs (one miles south southeast, 2,085 feet): 4.34”
• Witter Springs (nine miles north northeast, 3,740 feet elevation): 5.97”

While the county got some sunshine and a chance to start drying out on Monday, this week's forecast indicates rain is set to return.

The National Weather Service says there are chances of light to moderate rain lasting from Tuesday evening through next Sunday and Monday.

In other weather news, the Sierra Nevada near Yosemite had about 7 inches of snow over the weekend, which is helping bolster the state's snowpack.

On Monday, the California Department of Water Resources reported that the snowpack's statewide percent of normal had risen to 29 percent from 15 percent last Thursday.

Meteorologist Scott Mace contributed to this report.

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. – The Lake County Department of Water Resources on Monday announced a seasonal closure of all off-road trails in the Highland Springs Recreation Area to bicycles and horses in an effort to prevent trail deterioration and soil erosion during the rainy months.

While this closure prohibits equestrian and bicycle uses of the off-road trails, the trails remain open to hiking, Water Resources said.

Throughout the closure, equestrians and bicyclists still will have access to and use of the main roads within the park, the department added.

In previous years, heavy wet-season trail use damaged some of the trails. This seasonal closure to horses and bicycles is designed to prevent further damage to and deterioration of the trails and to minimize soil erosion throughout the park.

A recent grant from the American Quarter Horse Association and the Tractor Supply Co. has funded trail repair work by the Lake County Horse Council, in cooperation with the Department of Water Resources and Highland Springs Trails Volunteers.

Work this year will include a gate for wet season closure of a section of trail that has a history of severe damage, Water Resources reported.

Managed by the Department of Water Resources, the Highland Springs Recreation Area comprises more than 3,200 acres of watershed area with approximately 30 miles of single-track trails.

For more information about the closure and repair work, contact the Lake County Department of Water Resources at 707-263-2344.

For information about the Lake County Horse Council, visit www.lakecountyhorsecouncil.com .

For more information about trails, maps, closures, as well as volunteering opportunities with the Highland Springs Trails Volunteers, visit www.highlandspringstrailsvolunteers.com .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Five poachers were recently sentenced in Lake County for illegally spotlighting and killing deer.

Alfonso Ochoa of Petaluma, Alfonso Magana-Torres of Gardena, Jaime Rodriguez of Lennox, Jose Alberto Rodriguez of Inglewood and Arturo Villanueva-Gomez of Fairfield were sentenced in the case, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff, who files and supervises the prosecution of fish and wildlife crimes in Lake County.

Hinchcliff said the incident for which the men were prosecuted occurred last summer.

On Aug. 24, 2013, local California Fish and Wildlife wardens Lt. Loren Freeman, Doug Willson, Mike Pascoe and Tim Little were involved in a nighttime investigation and surveillance operation in an effort to catch poachers during the early A Zone deer hunting season in Lake County, Hinchcliff said.

Assisting the wardens was a Department of Fish and Wildlife aircraft looking for illegal spotlighting activity that the aircraft could then report to wardens on the ground, he said.

It is illegal to use any artificial light while in possession of a firearm to look for game animals, or to kill a game animal after hours of darkness. “Spotlighting” is a common illegal method used by poachers to kill wildlife illegally, Hinchcliff explained.

On Aug. 24 at approximately 12:35 a.m. the operators of the aircraft contacted the wardens on the ground and advised they had spotted a vehicle spotlighting on Twin Valley Road near Lucerne, according to Hinchcliff.

A short time later wardens on the ground were advised that, using night vision capabilities, they had seen the occupants shoot two animals, get out of the vehicle and go to the dead animals, then get back into the vehicle and leave the area without retrieving the animals they had killed. Hinchcliff said the vehicle's occupants continued using the spotlight as they drove around some more.

The wardens on the ground responded and at 2 a.m. detained the suspect vehicle, which contained five occupants: Ochoa, Magana-Torres, Jaime Rodriguez, Jose Alberto Rodriguez and Villanueva-Gomez. Inside the vehicle wardens located several firearms – including a loaded rifle – and a spotlight plugged into a cigarette lighter, Hinchcliff said.

Wardens then searched the area where the animals were shot, and found two doe deer which had been shot and  left to waste. Hinchcliff said it is illegal to kill does during the deer season, only bucks can be taken. It is also illegal to kill a game animal and leave it to waste.   

On Oct. 2, Hinchcliff filed charges against all five suspects that included conspiracy, spotlighting, wanton waste of game and other related counts.

On Dec. 10, Ochoa and Alfonso Magana-Torres entered no contest pleas to spotlighting and wanton waste of game. They were each ordered by Judge Andrew Blum to pay $1,155 in fines, sentenced to three years probation – including no hunting and no firearm possession for three years – and ordered to forfeit a Remington .308 rifle and Browning 9 millimeter handgun for destruction, Hinchcliff said. In addition Ochoa was ordered to serve 30 days in jail.

Also on Dec. 10, Arturo Gomez entered a no contest plea to spotlighting and was sentenced to three years probation, no hunting for three years, ordered to pay a fines of $1,155 and forfeit a Remington 30-06 rifle for destruction, according to Hinchcliff.

Hinchcliff said that on Jan. 14, Jose Alberto Rodriguez entered a no contest plea to spotlighting and was sentenced to three years probation, no hunting for three years and ordered to pay a fine of $1,155 fine and forfeit a 30-06 rifle, Hinchcliff said.

On Feb. 4, Jaime Rodriguez entered a no contest plea to spotlighting and was sentenced to three years probation and three years no hunting. Hinchcliff said Rodriguez also was ordered to pay a fine of $1,155 and to forfeit for destruction a .357 Rossi handgun and backpack.

Hinchcliff praised the local Fish and Wildlife wardens for their outstanding efforts to combat poaching and other fish and wildlife related crimes in Lake County.

“It has long been said by people with intimate knowledge of Lake County’s wardens and their efforts and abilities that we are lucky to have some of the best game wardens in the state of California. This case was just further proof of the dedication our local wardens have when it comes to preservation of our fish and wildlife resources,” he said.

Hinchcliff also offered praise for local judges who are willing to impose sentences on violators that send a message that poaching will not be tolerated, and that the cost to poachers when they are caught will be significant.

“Without the cooperation of local judges we cannot obtain sentences that significantly punish violators and deter would be violators,” said Hinchcliff. “Our local judges continue to demonstrate that they care about our local fish and wildlife resources.”