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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Authorities in Shasta County this week have had to call for evacuations and declare a local emergency after a decades-old cache of explosives was found at a home.

The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office said 150 to 200 pounds of explosives were discovered earlier this week at a residence at 5747 Happy Valley Road in Anderson.

The homeowners, Steven and Tammy Joseph of Olinda, purchased the property four months ago. The property consists of a home, which is in the process of a remodel, and an outbuilding/barn.

On Tuesday, the Shasta County Multi-Agency Bomb Squad instituted evacuations for the Happy Valley area ahead of destroying approximately 150 pounds of explosives in five separate blasts. The agency said blast noise was reportedly heard as far east as Palo Cedro and south to Cottonwood.

The bomb squad has determined the explosives were manufactured between the 1950s and 1960s and hadn’t been moved for several decades.

For the safety of the public, these explosives will remain in place until a meticulous search of the property, outbuildings and premises by the bomb squad is completed, officials said.

The agency said there is a tentative plan in place to mitigate any potential threat from the decaying explosives by setting fire to the structure rather than to continue to remove them from the premises. The fire will neutralize the explosives rendering them inert.

Authorities said the Josephs were unaware of the presence of the explosives and have been very cooperative throughout this removal process.

On Wednesday, Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko, as the director of Emergency Services, executed a proclamation declaring a local emergency due to the clear and present danger the explosives pose to the public.

This proclamation will be presented to the Shasta County Board of Supervisors on March 6.
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On Tuesday, Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-05), chair of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, offered a resolution to force a vote on the bipartisan H.R. 4240, the Thompson-King Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act, and H.R. 3464, the Background Checks Completion Act of 2017.

H.R. 4240 provides resources to help states strengthen and expand the background checks system and closes a number of gun sale loopholes.

H.R. 3464 prohibits licensed gun dealers from selling guns to buyers without licenses without completing a background check.

“Background checks are proven to keep our schools and our communities safe from dangerous individuals. We all can agree that we should make the system stronger,” said Thompson. “That’s why I offered a resolution to immediately take up my bipartisan legislation to strengthen the background checks systems in states across our nation. It is shameful that this resolution was dismissed without a vote on strengthening background checks, but I will continue to fight for action that will keep our nation safer from gun violence.”

Full text of the resolution can be found here.
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The California Senate has passed a resolution by Sen. Bill Dodd (D-Napa), proclaiming the week of Feb. 26 to March 4 as Eating Disorders Awareness Week.

In the United States, 30 million individuals suffer from clinically significant eating disorders at some time in their life.

“I’ve seen firsthand how painful and difficult these disorders can be,” said Sen. Dodd. “I’ve had a loved one who suffered from an eating disorder. I’ve also seen that recovery is possible. And I can attest to the importance of awareness, understanding and a strong support network for those on the journey towards recovery.”

The resolution was sponsored by the National Eating Disorders Association, Cielo House and State Board of Equalization Member Fiona Ma.

The resolution passed the Senate with unanimous bipartisan support and is coauthored by nearly one dozen senators and members of the Assembly.

“The goal of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week is to shine the spotlight on eating disorders and put life-saving resources into the hands of those in need,” said Claire Mysko, CEO of the National Eating Disorders Association. “It is estimated that over 1.6 million California residents are currently struggling with an eating disorder, which are serious and potentially life-threatening mental illnesses. We are grateful to California Senators Dodd and Wiener for their support in bringing attention to this campaign.”

“Having a healthy body image can be challenging with the images assumed to be ‘normal’ or ‘ideal’ in the media and entertainment industry,” said Ma, who serves on the Board of Equalization. “During Eating Disorders Awareness Week, start the conversation with the individuals in your life about living a healthy lifestyle. Since this is a disease that often hides in plain sight, it’s important to learn the warning signs and know where to go to get help. We need to teach our kids how to have a positive relationship with food, exercise, and their body image.”

“Eating disorders like anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating are misunderstood, stigmatized, and undertreated, and impact both women and men, and people of all races and socioeconomic backgrounds,” said Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), who jointly authored the resolution. “Especially as we see increasing rates of eating disorders among our young people, now is the time for the government to step up and take a more proactive role in prevention and treatment of this critical public health issue.”

"Awareness is the first step towards recovery,” said Sofia E. Keck, co-founder of Cielo House. “As a leader in eating disorder treatment, Cielo House is honored to co-sponsor this resolution to continue our mission of healing together."

The National Eating Disorders Association has resources available on its Web site – https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/ – for those wishing to learn more, get support or help raise awareness.
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The Lakeport Fire Protection District celebrated the conclusion of its volunteer academy on Friday, February 23, 2018, in Lakeport, Calif. Courtesy photo.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Friday the Lakeport Fire Protection District held a graduation ceremony for the five men and two women who completed its latest volunteer firefighter academy.

Graduates are Nathan Barnett, Solano Dominguez, Kia Kohler-Bibby, Isaac Maize, Wyatt Smith, Jesse Oberesser and Lani Bonson, according to Lakeport Fire Chief Doug Hutchison.

The academy, which was free to the participants, was held on weekends over the course of five weeks, Hutchison said.

Hutchison said the academy prepares those who complete it to become probationary volunteer firefighters.

It drills down to the firefighting basics, Hutchison said, with particular emphasis on personal protective equipment, pulling hose, stretching hose lines, securing water supplies, conducting search and rescue operations in structures, wildland firefighting and vehicle crash extrication.

Hutchison said the agency has done such academies in the past, and generally waits until it has a group of volunteers before scheduling them.

With the addition of this new group of seven volunteers, Hutchison said the department now has 22 volunteers, adding that not all of them are active.

Volunteers are important to the small fire agencies around the lake. In Lakeport’s case, they augment personnel including nine full-time line staff, Hutchison and administrative assistant Linda Buckner, one limited term staffer, four part-time firefighters who cover shifts, one part-time paramedic and five-part emergency medical technicians, according to Hutchison.

At times the staff is stretched thin enough that Hutchison said he and Buckner will take out the district’s third ambulance and run calls.

In order to become part-time or full-time paid firefighters, Hutchinson said the academy graduates would have to go to a state-sanctioned firefighter academy such as are available at Santa Rosa Junior College or Butte College in Chico and receive their firefighter 1 certification, which is the minimum entry level requirement for paid staff.

Those interested in volunteering can download an application from the Lakeport Fire Web site at http://www.lakeportfire.com/jobs.asp or drop by the main station at 445 N. Main St., and talk to staff.

Hutchison said prospective volunteers also are invited to visit during the weekly trainings, which take place at 6 p.m. Tuesdays at the main station.

For more information call Lakeport Fire at 707-263-4396.

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.
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Blair Brookes of Kelseyville, Calif., front row, at left, and fellow Cal Poly students who were honored by the State Legislature in Sacramento, Calif., on Monday, February 12, 2018. Courtesy photo.


NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – A Kelseyville High School graduate was among 18 Cal Poly students recognized for their awards and other accomplishments by lawmakers on the floors of the state Assembly and Senate in Sacramento on Monday, Feb. 12.

Blair Brookes, 21, a 2014 Kelseyville High grad, was among the honorees, school officials said.

The students were accompanied to the ceremonies by university President Jeffrey D. Armstrong, who said they were amongst the school’s best and brightest as well as campus leaders.

Each student distinguished him- or herself as an individual or on a team that has received a national industry award or in other high-profile events, including the Tournament of Roses Parade, with its worldwide TV audience of 100 million, and the concrete canoe team that won the national championship.

University officials said the students met with Sen. Bill Monning and received ceremonial resolutions on the floors of the Assembly and Senate.

Brookes was part of Cal Poly’s National Agri-Marketing Association Team that won the the National Agri-Marketing Association’s student marketing competition last April.

The contest challenges students from 40 universities to develop marketing plans for brand-new products. Brookes estimates she and her teammates spent 5,000 hours over six months developing and honing the winning proposal.

Blair Brookes of Kelseyville, Calif. Courtesy photo.

The year 2017 was a busy year for the agribusiness senior who will complete her studies in March and begin work at Dow AgroSciences.

In addition to numerous student competitions and receiving an American FFA Degree in October, she oversaw last year’s Ag Showcase, a career fair for the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences.

The Agribusiness Management/National Agricultural Marketing Association Club expanded the job fair to two days to accommodate a record 100 companies. The club was able to award $20,000 in scholarships from company sponsorships.

As this year’s club president, Brookes co-directed the January event and expects the club will have “at least $30,000” in scholarship funds available.

She is proud to represent Cal Poly in Sacramento because of its Learn by Doing philosophy. “As a student studying agriculture, it is crucial to get hands on experience that you can later apply to your career in industry,” she said. “I am so glad I chose to attend Cal Poly and for all of the experiences I have had. Being selected to represent all of these hard working, talented people is incredibly humbling.”

She added, “I am so grateful to be able to represent an accomplishment that is so much bigger than myself,” said Brookes. “My six additional teammates all are champions. Our win also wouldn’t have been possible without our coach, Dr. Lindsey Higgins. Being selected to represent all of these hard working, talented people is incredibly humbling.”

The group of students also greeted family, friends and alumni at a reception in San Jose on Feb. 11.

Blair Brookes of Kelseyville, Calif., shown here third from the left, was among a group of Cal Poly students honored by the State Legislature in Sacramento, Calif., on Monday, February 12, 2018. Courtesy photo.
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On Monday, Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-05), chair of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, introduced a discharge petition that would force a vote on the bipartisan Thompson-King Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act.

This bill provides resources to help states strengthen and expand the background checks system and closes a number of gun sale loopholes.

Text of the discharge petition can be found by clicking here: http://clerk.house.gov/115/lrc/pd/petitions/DisPet0006.xml.

“Every member of Congress knows that we must take action to prevent gun violence. Though we may not all agree on everything, we agree that we must expand background checks,” said Thompson. “Today, I filed a discharge petition on the bipartisan background checks bill that would strengthen background checks systems in states across our nation. This bill is bipartisan and should have a vote immediately. Each day 30 people die are killed by someone using a gun and we cannot let another day pass without action.”

A discharge petition is procedure that helps to force widely supported pieces of legislation to the floor.

If a majority of members of Congress sign the petition, it is brought to the floor without the approval of the Speaker.

This procedure allows the House to take up bills that are supported by the majority of the country but blocked by Republican leaders.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors emerged from a closed session discussion to vote unanimously to begin litigation to recoup the expenses the county incurred in removing a sunken crane from Clear Lake seven years ago.

The board voted to file suit against Martin Scheel, a former Lakeport City Councilman who before his time on the council had worked as a marine contractor.

During a major storm in November 2010, a crane Scheel was using to build a boat lift in Clearlake Park slipped from its barge and sank in about 50 feet of water. A barge and a push boat also sank and were removed a month later, as Lake County News has reported.

In early 2011 the board voted to have the crane removed, which was completed in August of that year. The crane’s removal cost the county approximately $59,945.07, officials reported.

Officials said Scheel signed the crane over to the county, which recouped $4,039 by selling it for scrap.

The matter became an issue in the 2016 District 4 supervisorial campaign, when Scheel was running to succeed Anthony Farrington.

At that time, the issue of what Scheel owed the county went to the Board of Supervisors, which discussed what action to take over the course of several meetings that summer.

While Farrington had faulted Scheel for not making any payments to the county, it was confirmed at the time that no collection process had been initiated to recoup the costs despite the board having held a nuisance abatement hearing on the crane’s removal and the associated costs in January 2012.

At its meeting on July 19, 2016, the board voted unanimously to approve a contract with Scheel to repay approximately $55,906.07, plus interest, in monthly installments, an agreement secured with a promissory note of $60,312.65.

Failure to pay on the contract’s terms makes the promissory note immediately payable, according to the document.

The reason for the county now taking legal action is that Scheel stopped making payments last year.

Following Tuesday’s meeting, County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson told Lake County News that Scheel’s last payment on the contract was posted in August.

She said Scheel told her that he was short on funds and asked if he could delay payments for a few months and catch up later.

“I told him the board would need to decide if there was to be a change in repayment terms and I offered to agendize that discussion. But I didn't hear back from him,” she said.

Huchingson said Scheel still owes $54,784.05 on the contract, having so far paid $5,528.60 of the amount required by the promissory note.

Before taking the litigation matter to the board, Huchingson said she sent Scheel a certified letter but it was returned unclaimed.

The board went into closed session following the conclusion of its public meeting on Tuesday. When the board came out, Supervisor Tina Scott – who had defeated Scheel in the 2016 election in which the crane was made a campaign issue – moved to initiate litigation, with Supervisor Jeff Smith seconding and the rest of the board voting to support.

Huchingson said she doesn't yet know when the suit will be filed.

Lake County News contacted Scheel on Tuesday afternoon to get his reaction to the board’s action.

At that point, he did not know the board had voted to sue.

When asked for further comment, Scheel declined.

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.
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A Habitat for Humanity home in Lake County, Calif. Courtesy photo.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Habitat for Humanity is still seeking wildfire survivors to be homeowner applicants.

As rebuilding in Lake County continues, funding is still available.

If you are a low-income family who lost your home in one of Lake County’s wildfires or if you were a renter displaced by the fires and still in need of housing, Habitat for Humanity Lake County might be able to assist you.

The Homeownership Program of Habitat for Humanity Lake County is actively seeking qualified candidates.

Applicants will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis and must be income qualified.

Military veterans and other low-income applicants are encouraged to contact us, and family need is always the top consideration.

For a pre-qualification application visit Habitat for Humanity’s Web site at www.lakehabitat.org , call the office at 707-994-1100, or come by 15312 Lakeshore Dr. Clearlake.

Once the pre-application is received, candidates will be contacted by a Habitat for Humanity representative for a family interview and provided with a complete application.
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NORTH COAST, Calif. – The family of a woman who was set on fire in 2001 by her then-boyfriend is gearing up to argue to the state Board of Parole Hearings on Tuesday that the convicted attacker should not be released from prison.

The parole hearing for Gregory Patrick Beck of Mendocino County will take place on Tuesday morning at Soledad Correctional Training Facility, according to Phyllis Kline, whose daughter, Sherry Carlton, was left disabled and disfigured after Beck brutally attacked her in August 2001.

The Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office said Deputy District Attorney Elizabeth Norman will attend and argue that agency’s opposition to Beck’s parole.

This will be the third hearing Kline has attended to speak against her daughter’s attacker. Both she and her ex-husband, Jeffrey Carlton, Sherry Carlton’s father, plan to speak to the board.

Kline called Beck “absolutely evil.”

Beck and Sherry Carlton had been together 12 years when Carlton decided to end the relationship and move out of the home they shared.

“She had so much going for her,” Kline said of her daughter, who she recalled as a loving, beautiful young woman. Carlton was Kline’s only child.

After moving out, Carlton went back to the home where Beck lived to retrieve personal belongings. It was then that Beck attacked Carlton, soaking her with lighter fluid and setting her on fire, and then later trying to stage the scene to make it appear that she had been injured by a barbecue, according to a case history.

At the time of the attack Carlton was 32 years old and had a 12-year-old child with Beck.

Beck was convicted in 2002 of gravely injuring Carlton by means of torture, assault with caustic chemicals and corporal injury on a cohabitant.

The attack left Carlton disfigured, unable to walk, speak or care for herself. “She was trapped inside her uncooperative body. She couldn't talk, she couldn’t move, but she could understand what you were saying,” Kline said.

Carlton spent the years following the disfiguring attack in a Lake County care facility. She had a close relationship with her stepmother, Michelle Carlton, who quit her job as a registered nurse and went to work for the trust that oversaw Sherry Carlton’s care, Kline said.

“I’m just so indebted to her and Jeff,” Kline said of the Carltons.

Kline credited Michelle Carlton with exceptional, loving and compassionate care of her daughter, and also lauded the work of Alicia Lopez for helping keep her daughter as comfortable as she could be.

In March 2011, the Board of Parole Hearings found Beck unsuitable for parole, concluding he had failed to take responsibility for the attack and had shown failures in rehabilitation. At that time the board ordered that he not be eligible for another parole hearing until the passing of 10 years, as Lake County News has reported: http://bit.ly/2ETRqft.

Only seven years have passed, and Beck is making a return to the board.

In the intervening years, Sherry Carlton’s family continued to care for her and try to give her as much quality of life as possible.

On March 18, 2016, the day after her birthday and nearly 15 years after the attack that changed her life, Sherry Carlton died, Kline said.

“I think he should be charged with murder. He basically murdered my daughter, it just took 14 and a half years,” Kline said of Beck.

“What a monster,” she added.

One thing that hasn’t changed since Beck’s last parole hearing is the opposition being shown to his release.

The last time he faced the board, commissioners had noted that they were impressed with the 100 letters and hundreds of signatures on petitions opposing his release.

Carlton’s family is ready again, and this time they have even greater support.

Kline, who lives in Southern California, said she has not only received hundreds of signatures on paper petitions but also, as of Sunday night, her online petition against Beck’s parole had collected 50,399 signatures.

The petition can be found here: https://www.thepetitionsite.com/328/208/588/refuse-parole-to-convicted-torturer-gregory-patrick-beck-cdc-t61119/.

Kline intends to argue that Beck is a dangerous, mentally disturbed, egotistical person who has made threats against other people and hasn’t told the truth about the case in which he attacked Carlton.

“I won’t take it for granted but I think it’s going to be pretty obvious how devious he is,” she said, noting that she thinks he believes he is fooling everyone.

Despite the emotional toll of the hearings, Kline said she’s ready.

“Sherry deserves justice,” she said.

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.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for Lake County due to winter storms expected to bring rain, snow and gusty winds.

The winter storm warning will be in effect from 4 p.m. Wednesday through 10 p.m. Saturday.

Forecasters said a series of cold winter storms will bring periods of heavy snow and gusty winds to the foothills and mountains of interior Northern California this week.

The forecast calls for snow beginning on Wednesday afternoon and continuing through the weekend in parts of the North State.

Foothill locations above 2,000 feet can expect from 8 inches to 2 feet of snow, and from 3 to 7 feet above the 3,500 foot elevation mark, forecasters said.

The specific Lake County forecast calls for chances of showers on Wednesday during daytime and nighttime hours, with chances of snow on Thursday night, on Friday and again on Saturday night.

Conditions are forecast to clear on Sunday and Monday before chances of showers are again predicted on Monday night and on Tuesday.

Daytime temperatures over the next several days are expected to be in the high 40s and the nighttime lows in the high 20s, according to the forecast.

Winds are forecast on Wednesday and Thursday, with gusts peaking at close to 20 miles per hour on Wednesday night and 30 miles per hour on Thursday night, forecasters said.

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.
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California Highway Patrol Commissioner Warren Stanley takes his oath of office from Gov. Jerry Brown as his family looks on during a ceremony in Sacramento, Calif., on Monday, February 26, 2018. Photo by CHP Senior Photographer Joe McHugh.

With his mother and five of his 11 siblings by his side, California Highway Patrol Commissioner Warren Stanley was sworn in on Monday morning by Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr.

Stanley, 56, of Sacramento is the 15th CHP commissioner.

He was appointed commissioner by Gov. Brown on Feb. 9 after serving as acting commissioner since 2017.

Commissioner Stanley has been employed with the CHP since 1982 and is one of the distinguished few to have held every position from officer to commissioner.

Commissioner Stanley is the first black American in the history of the CHP to hold the rank of commissioner and oversees the largest state law enforcement agency in the nation, a department with more than 11,000 employees.

California Highway Patrol Commissioner Warren Stanley and Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday, February 26, 2018. Photo by CHP Senior Photographer Joe McHugh.
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A young black bear shot and killed by Middletown resident Matthew Outen in 2017. Courtesy photo.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – A Middletown man has reached a plea agreement in a case involving his fatal shooting last year of a black bear.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff said Matthew Charles Outen was sentenced on Feb. 13 for the April 2017 incident.

Hinchcliff, who oversees prosecution for fish and wildlife violations in Lake County, originally charged Outen with negligent discharge of a firearm, threatening a witness, discharging a firearm within 150 yards of a residence, killing a bear out of season and not having a hunting license or bear tag.

On Jan. 8, Outen pleaded guilty to a felony violation of negligent discharge of a firearm and a misdemeanor violation of illegally killing a bear when the hunting season for bear was not open, Hinchcliff said.

Outen’s attorney, Angela Carter, said the case’s outcome was the result of a negotiated settlement with the District Attorney’s Office.

“If we had proceeded to trial, Mr. Outen was risking five years in prison,” said Carter. “In light of that significant risk, he decided to enter into a plea bargain.”

On April 3, 2017, California Department of Fish and Wildlife wardens Ryan Stephenson, Timothy Little and Mike Pascoe received a report that a bear was in the creek near Wardlaw Street bridge in Middletown, and that someone had shot and killed it, Hinchcliff said.

Hinchcliff said the wardens responded and found the bear lying dead in the creek.

According to investigation reports, when the wardens interviewed Outen, he claimed he heard there was a bear in the creek and rushed home to find the bear behind his house in the creek.

Outen then grabbed a .380 semi-automatic handgun and began trying to “shoo” the bear away, Hinchcliff said.

In speaking to the wardens Outen claimed that he fired four shots at the bear as it was coming toward him, three of which missed and one that killed the bear. When asked why he shot the bear, Outen claimed “instinct kicked in,” Hinchcliff said.

Hinchcliff said Outen stated his interaction with the bear lasted approximately 30 minutes. However, when wardens interviewed another individual who was with Outen when the bear was shot, that witness advised the bear had not attempted to charge Outen.

Wardens determined that the bear was shot in the back of the neck while facing away from Outen, contradicting Outen’s claim that the bear was coming toward him when he shot it. Hinchcliff said the wardens also determined Outen had fired shots in the direction of houses, roads and several people who were watching the bear.

One witness stated they yelled at Outen not to shoot because the bear was in between the witnesses and Outen, Hinchcliff said.

Hinchcliff said the witness also reported the bear was not acting aggressive at any time, and appeared to be attempting to hide in some brush and was facing away from Outen when Outen began shooting at it.

The witness also reported that Outen made threats to beat anyone who said anything to the cops, according to Hinchcliff’s report.

Hinchcliff said several other witnesses stated that they had been watching the bear play in the creek and did not believe the bear was being a nuisance or presented any danger.

Deputy District Attorney Rachel Abelson prosecuted the case, Hinchcliff said.

On Feb. 13 Judge Andrew Blum sentenced Outen, placing him three years’ formal felony probation, sentencing him to 90 days jail and ordering him to pay a fine of $1,940, Hinchcliff said.

Hinchcliff said the handgun Outen used to kill the bear was ordered forfeited, he is subject to search and seizure, and he is prohibited from owning or possessing any firearm as a result of the felony conviction.

Carter said Outen actually will only serve half of the 90 days in jail because he will receive credit for good behavior and work time. She said serving half time is common for defendants in criminal cases.

She added that Outen will serve his time in the Lake County Jail where his family can visit him.

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