LAKEPORT, Calif. – An issue with a piece of farming equipment led to a fire in a hay field in the Scotts Valley area early Thursday afternoon.

The fire at 6920 Scotts Valley Road was first dispatched just before 12:45 p.m. Thursday, according to Lakeport Fire Chief Doug Hutchison.

A man was picking up bales of hay with a hay wagon to place in his barn when the equipment caught fire, Hutchison said.

Hutchison said he believed the fire’s cause was a mechanical issue with the baling wagon.

Resources that responded included a chief officer, three engines and a water tender from Lakeport Fire, an engine and a water tender from Northshore Fire, and from Cal Fire three engines, one crew, one dozer, one battalion chief and Copter 101 out of Willits, Hutchison said.

Hutchison said firefighters had forward progress stopped within 30 to 40 minutes of arriving on the scene.

He said the wind pushed the fire onto the neighbor’s property. “The copter went to work on that right away with the bucket and that got it stopped,” he said.

Part of the hay field burned, along with some hay and the bale wagon, Hutchison said. Firefighters managed to save some of the bales that hadn’t been picked up.

There were no injuries and no structure damage, he said.

Most of the units had been released by mid-afternoon, while Cal Fire stayed later to button up the scene, Hutchison said.

Cal Fire reported over the radio that total size was about seven acres, with the incident terminated at about 5:20 p.m.

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.

HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – A Hidden Valley Lake was destroyed in a Wednesday afternoon fire.

The fire, in the 19000 block of Mountain Meadow South, was first reported just before 2 p.m., according to Cal Fire Battalion Chief Mike Wink.

Wink said the first units to arrives at the scene found a single-family wood frame home fully involved.

He said no one was at home at that point – the home’s occupants had just left on errands.

South Lake County Fire, Cal Fire, Lake County Fire and Northshore Fire sent a total of 25 firefighting personnel and nine pieces of firefighter apparatus, including engines and water tenders, he said.

Northshore Fire also sent its support team, which helps with logistics, refilling oxygen bottles and doing firefighter rehabilitation, Wink said. Hidden Valley Lake Security also was on scene.

The house was a total loss, Wink said.

“It was burning very aggressively,” he said of the fire.

Firefighters were able to contain the fire to the main structure, preventing it from spreading to houses on either side, Wink said.

Wink said firefighters cleared the scene just before 6 p.m.

There were no injuries reported to any firefighting personnel or the home’s occupants, he said.

Wink said the fire’s cause is under investigation.

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 Superior Court is seeking at least 30 applicants willing to serve as jurors and alternates on the 2018-2019 Lake County Grand Jury panel.

The 19-person grand jury is selected from the different supervisorial districts in proportion to the population of each district.

The grand jury serves as the public’s “watchdog” by investigating and reporting upon the affairs of local government.

The term of service runs from July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019, and may entail from 10 to 20 hours of work per week attending committee and general meetings, responding to citizens’ complaints, performing research, and investigating the operations of governmental agencies and allegations of wrongdoing by public officials or employees.

The court is looking for applicants in good health who are interested in community affairs, are objective and are able to work cooperatively with others.

Experience in researching, interviewing, writing and editing, and/or auditing is desirable and having a general knowledge of the responsibilities and functions of governmental and other public entities is helpful.

A grand juror must be a U.S. citizen, age 18 or older, speak English, be a resident of California and Lake County for at least one year prior to selection, and not hold an elected office or have any felony convictions.

Applications may be obtained at www.lake.courts.ca.gov or by mailing a letter with a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the Grand Jury Coordinator, 255 N. Forbes, Fourth Floor, Lakeport, CA 95453.

Applications are also available at each Superior Court Clerk’s Office, located on the fourth floor of the Lake County Courthouse at 255 N. Forbes in Lakeport or at 7000 A South Center Drive in Clearlake.

Further information may be obtained by calling the grand jury coordinator at 707-263-2374, Extension 2282. Applications must be received by June 29.

Personal interviews will be scheduled prior to final selection. If you are interested, please apply. If you are not interested, but know someone who may be, please let them know of this opportunity.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Get your favorite denim and bling ready and come out to support the community.

The annual “Denim & Diamonds” fundraiser kicks off at Chacewater Winery & Olive Mill at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, June 16.

Hosted by the Rotary Club of Kelseyville Sunrise, the evening will feature dinner and dancing, and both a silent and live auction.

Saw Shop Gallery Bistro will be serving a delicious menu that is sure delight your taste buds.

The Fargo Brothers will play all of your favorite dance tunes to make the evening fun.

Local business and community support has helped raise more than $600,000 over the past decade.

Those funds have been instrumental in funding numerous valuable community projects including dictionaries for third graders, elementary school reading books, sponsorship of the Interact Club at Kelseyville High School, recovery efforts for recent wildland fires and scholarships to graduating seniors.

The Rotary Club of Kelseyville has also completed projects to help Lake Family Resource Center, the Adopt a Fifth Grader program, and other projects with funds raised by the Denim & Diamonds event.

Funds raised by this event will enable the club to continue to fund projects in the community and beyond.

Sponsors for this year’s event include Lake County Tribal Health, Calpine, Chacewater Winery and Olive Mill, UCC Rentals, Boutique Winery, Journeys by Barbara, The Travel Center, Shields Construction, California Exterminators, Richard Knoll Consulting, Beckstoffer Vineyards, Sutter Lakeside Hospital, Lake County Waste Solutions, Lakeview Health Center, Saw Shop Gallery Bistro and Adventist Health Clearlake.

Tickets for this fun evening are $75 per person or tables of eight are available for $600. There are additional sponsorship opportunities for $1,000 and $2,500.

For more information and tickets, call Kim Baldwin at 707-349-7913 or Allison Panella at 707-483-2383.

The Rotary Club of Kelseyville Sunrise chapter is made up of local business, professional and civic leaders.

For membership and other information about the Rotary Club of Kelseyville Sunrise, visit http://www.kelseyvillesunriserotary.org.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Spring and early summer is the peak time for much of California's wildlife to bear their young.

With this in mind, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, or CDFW, is asking well-intentioned members of the public to leave young wildlife alone.

It may be hard to resist scooping up a young wild animal that looks vulnerable and abandoned, but intervention may cause more harm than good.

Young animals removed from their natural environment typically do not survive. Those that do make it may not develop the skills necessary to survive on their own in natural habitat. When this happens, the only alternative is a life of captivity in artificial conditions.

"It is a common mistake to believe a young animal, especially a fawn, has been abandoned when found alone," said Nicole Carion, CDFW's statewide wildlife rehabilitation coordinator. "But even if the mother has not been observed in the area for a long period of time, chances are she is off foraging, or is nearby, waiting for you to leave."

Such behavior is common across many species. A female mountain lion may spend as much as 50 percent of her time away from her kittens.

Fledglings, or young partially feathered birds, found alone and hopping along the ground in the spring or summer, are actually trying to learn to fly. Though it is tempting to pick them up, what they really need is space and time to master flying. The best course of action is not to draw attention to them, advises Carion. You can help by keeping pets away until the bird has left the area.

If a young animal is in distress, or you are unsure, contact a wildlife rehabilitation facility and speak to personnel for advice.

Most wildlife rehabilitators are only allowed to possess small mammals and birds. Although some wildlife rehabilitators are allowed to accept fawns, injured or sick adult deer should be reported directly to CDFW for public safety reasons. Injured, orphaned or sick bears, elk, bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, wild pigs or mountain lions should also be reported to CDFW directly.

Anyone who removes a young animal from the wild is required to notify CDFW or take the animal to a state and federally permitted wildlife rehabilitator within 48 hours. These animals may need specialized care and feeding that is best done by trained wildlife care specialists.

It is important to note that wild animals – even young ones – can cause serious injury with their sharp claws, hooves and teeth, especially when injured and scared. They may also carry ticks, fleas and lice, and can transmit diseases to humans, including rabies and tularemia.

To learn more about how to live and recreate responsibly where wildlife is near, please visit CDFW's Keep Me Wild Web site at www.wildlife.ca.gov/keepmewild.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Authorities have arrested a Lakeport couple who they said have been trafficking teenage girls as prostitutes in the Bay Area.

Sam Lindsey Massette, 37, and his wife Krystina Marie Pickersgill, 27, were arrested Tuesday, according to District Attorney Don Anderson.

Anderson said that early on Tuesday morning investigators with his office served the last of several search warrants into a human trafficking investigation at a residence on 2569 Lagoon Drive in Lakeport. There they arrested Massette and Pickersgill.

The investigation into the case started after the play “Jane Doe in Wonderland” was performed at the Soper-Reese Theater in April, Anderson said.

“Jane Doe in Wonderland” is a play about human trafficking, the way traffickers work and the effects on the victims.

After the play a young woman approached Anderson, who was a speaker at the play, and told him she was a victim of human trafficking, he said.

Anderson said an investigation was launched and it led to the discovery that Massette and Pickersgill were operating a high class human trafficking ring.

The District Attorney’s Office alleges that the couple recruited girls at an early age while they were still in high school.

After the girls turned 18, Massette and Pickersgill are alleged to have taken them to San Francisco where they would be sold as prostitutes, Anderson said.

Anderson alleges that the couple coerced and threatened the girls to perform acts of prostitution.

Massette is being held in the Lake County jail on charges of human trafficking and tax evasion under the penalty of perjury, with a bail of $2,000,000, Anderson said. Pickersgill, who is charged with human trafficking, has bail set at $1,000,000.

They are set for arraignment on these charges on Thursday afternoon in Lake County Superior Court, Anderson said.

Besides the arrests, Anderson said the District Attorney’s Office seized two new Jaguars, two Mitsubishi automobiles and a large sum of cash. It is believed that neither Massette or Pickersgill are involved in an legitimate business or income.

Anderson said human trafficking is the fastest growing crime in the United States and has turned into a multibillion dollar operation throughout the country.

He said that, in Lake County, human trafficking is starting to get a stronghold in the community and in the schools.

This is the third case in which the District Attorney’s Office has made arrests for human trafficking this year. Nicholas Brooks and Timothy Williams are both awaiting trials in separate human trafficking cases, as Lake County News has reported.

“At the District Attorney’s Office, these cases are treated extremely serious,” Anderson said. “We will make every effort to free these victims from those who force them into prostitution against their will and help give them a new start in life.”

He added, “We are requesting any information the public may have regarding human trafficking or if you suspect any child is being recruited for trafficking.”

The Lake County District Attorney’s Office can be reached at 707-263-2251.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The race for Superior Court judge appears set to continue until November and a senior deputy district attorney has become the first woman to win the Lake County district attorney’s job.

While the results from Tuesday’s primary election remain preliminary for another month until the election is certified, the vote counts for the Superior Court judge and district attorney’s races indicate that the top vote-getters have statistically insurmountable leads.

In the Superior Court race, a three-person field formed earlier this year in the run to succeed Judge Stephen Hedstrom, who chose not to seek a fourth term.

On Tuesday, Shanda Harry, a deputy county counsel for the county of Lake, held a steady lead throughout the count of early absentees and 70 county precincts over District Attorney Don Anderson and attorney Andre Ross.

The preliminary vote count, finished early Wednesday morning, showed Harry with 46.1 percent, or 3,541 votes, with Anderson trailing with 42.9 percent or 3,292 votes, and Ross with 10.6 percent or 813 votes. The initial results showed there were 32 write-in votes, accounting for 0.4 percent of the vote.

In order to win the seat outright, Harry would have had to have 50 percent of the vote plus one, thus the need for a runoff with Anderson in November.

In the district attorney’s race, Susan Krones held a commanding lead in the preliminary results, with 59 percent, or 4,339 votes, compared to attorney Steven Brown’s 40.4 percent or 2,972 votes. There also were 45 write-in votes, or 0.6 percent of the overall count.

Based on the preliminary results, Krones, a longtime county prosecutor who also served as a judge advocate general in the US Army, becomes the first woman in Lake County history to be elected to the district attorney’s job.

Lake County Registrar of Voters Diane Fridley is expected to issue a full count of ballots remaining to be counted in the coming days, as she and her staff go about the work of the official canvass that is needed to fully certify the election within 30 days.

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 races for two seats on the Lake County Board of Supervisors remain very close after a night of shifting results.

Based on preliminary vote counts, Bruno Sabatier led Joyce Overton in the race for the District 2 race and EJ Crandell was just edging Denise Loustalot for the District 3 seat.

However, both races come down to differences of dozens of ballots, and with many absentee and provisional ballots still to count, a final verdict will have to wait for the conclusion of the 30-day official canvass.

Also adding to the uncertainty in both races is how the results shifted back and forth throughout the night, which began with initial counts of early absentee ballots.

In those early counts, both Overton and Loustalot established early leads, which they maintained throughout the night.

It wasn’t until the preliminary vote counts in the first of the eight precincts in District 2 were reported that Sabatier started to catch up to Overton, finally surpassing her by just 78 ballots as the final precincts came in.

By the end of the night, the preliminary count had Sabatier with 518 ballots, or 53.7 percent of the vote, to Overton’s 440 votes, or 45.6 percent. There also were six write-in ballots cast, for 0.6 percent of the vote.

Likewise, Loustalot led Crandell by a consistent margin of about 5 percent during the night, with that margin rising to 6 percent with 11 of the 18 precincts reporting.

However, when all 18 precincts were reported to be in, the placements completely flipped, with Crandell coming out with a lead of 50.7 percent to Loustalot’s 48.8 percent.

That preliminary lead comes down to a margin of only 30 votes: Crandell’s ballot count was 826 to Loustalot’s 796.

With both Overton and Loustalot having held strong absentee percentages, the question remains whether that pattern will be repeated in the absentees still to be counted. That, in turn, raises the possibility of the race placements changing again.

As she has done in prior elections, Lake County Registrar of Voters Diane Fridley is expected to issue a report on the number of ballots yet to count.

She will have 30 days to conduct the official canvass and certification that will finalize the primary election’s results.

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. – Lake County’s incumbent superintendent of schools won a second term on Tuesday while several uncontested county races were finalized with the primary vote.

Based on preliminary election results, Brock Falkenberg won reelection to the superintendent of schools job over opponent Patrick Iaccino, the retired Upper Lake schools superintendent.

With 70 of 70 county precincts reporting, along with an initial absentee count, Falkenberg’s preliminary vote count was 70.9 percent, or 4,886 ballots, to Iaccinio’s 28.6 percent, or 1,969 ballots. There also were 40 write-in ballots, accounting for an overall preliminary vote count of 0.6 percent.

The race results will remain preliminary until Lake County Registrar of Voters Diane Fridley finishes the official canvass and certifies the election results, which she has 30 days to do. At that point, the results will become final.

Other county races that were finalized on Tuesday because there were uncontested are for assessor-recorder, county clerk-auditor, sheriff-coroner and treasurer-tax collector.

Richard Ford and Brian Martin were elected to second terms as assessor-recorder and sheriff-coroner, respectively.

Cathy Saderlund, appointed by the Board of Supervisors in October 2011 to fill the seat after a retirement, ran uncontested for the second time in this year’s primary.

Incumbent Treasurer-Tax Collector Barbara Ringen, like Saderlund, also was initially appointed by the Board of Supervisors to her job. Ringen took over the position in November 2013, running for the first time the following year. This is her second uncontested election.

Each of those uncontested candidates received about 98 percent of the vote, with a small number of write-in ballots cast in each of those races, based on the preliminary vote counts.

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. – A general sales tax measure put before Lake County’s voters failed to receive a majority vote while one community’s specific tax for maintenance got resounding support, based on the preliminary vote county from Tuesday’s primary election.

Measure G, the 1.5-percent sales tax measure county leaders said was needed to address a shortfall in funding, received 38.3 percent, or 2,222 votes, in favor of it versus a 61.7-percent no vote that totaled 3,576 ballots, according to preliminary results.

With all 57 precincts reporting, the preliminary results indicated that the measure failed to get the majority it needed to go into effect.

The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously in March to place the measure on the ballot.

Initial estimates expected it would raise $4.5 million a year for 10 years, at which point it would sunset.

County officials held visioning meetings in the five supervisorial districts in January and said that polling of residents in those meetings and in a followup phone poll had indicated majority support for a sales tax measure.

Measure G is the latest in a series of failed sales tax measures that the county has put before voters.

Measure S, a 0.5-percent sales tax for 10 years to benefit the health of Clear Lake, failed in November 2014.

That measure was voted down months after a similar lake tax measure, Measure L, failed in the June 2014 primary. It also would have instituted a 0.5-percent tax.

In November 2012, a half-cent sales tax aimed at helping Clear Lake, Measure E, also was defeated.

It was a different story for another measure on Tuesday’s ballot, Measure F, which preliminary results showed received the needed majority support from residents of the Butler-Keys Community Service District.

Measure F received a 69.2-percent yes vote, which was 18 ballots, versus eight no votes, which accounted for 30.8 percent of the preliminary vote tally.

Measure F institutes a special annual tax of $50 per year per single lot within the Butler-Keys Community Services District for a period of four years, beginning in the 2018-19 fiscal year.

Funds raised from the measure will be used to maintain streets within the community services district. The measure also calls for the district to establish an annual appropriations limit in the amount of $9,250 for four fiscal years.

The election’s results won’t become officials until Lake County Registrar of Voters Diane Fridley finishes the certification process, which she has 30 days to complete.

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 state and federal elected officials who represent Lake County won easy victories in the Tuesday primary, with their elections not final until November.

With 717 of 963 precincts reporting early Wednesday, the results showed that State Sen. Mike McGuire won the primary race over fellow Democrat Veronica Jacobi.

McGuire’s preliminary count was 81,367 ballots, or 75.9 percent of the vote, compared to Jacobi’s 25,892 ballots, or 24.1 percent of the vote.

“Serving as state senator has been the honor of my life,” McGuire said Tuesday night. “I am so grateful to have this opportunity to work day in and day out on behalf of the hard working folks of the North Coast and I can’t say thank you enough to those who have brought us this far.”

He added, “Tomorrow, we’ll be back to work and focused on making even more investments in our kids and public schools, rebuilding stronger from the devastating fire storm, protecting our coast and environment, creating family-sustaining jobs and, together, stopping the Trump administration from reversing years of progress here in the Golden State.”

McGuire, still in his first term, now advances to the Nov. 6 general election.

Lake County’s member of the state Assembly, Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, a Democrat from Winters, is running for her second term uncontested.

She has received 100 percent of the vote so far, with 39,232 votes cast for her. As of early Wednesday, 89.9 percent of precincts – 441 out of 457 – had reported in her race, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.

That conflicts with the preliminary Lake County election tally, which showed Aguiar-Curry with 5,290 votes, or 94.1 percent, with 330 write-in ballots, accounting for 5.9 percent of the vote.

Lake County’s two members of the House of Representatives also appear headed for clear reelection victories.

With 90 percent of precinct reporting, Congressman Mike Thompson, a Democrat from St. Helena who represents the southern half of Lake County, received 79.1 percent of the vote with 66,621 ballots cast for him.

Challenging Thompson in the primary were Anthony Mills, no party preference, 7,843 ballots or 9.3 percent; Nils Palsson, no party preference, 6,884 ballots or 8.2 percent; and Green Party member Jason Kishineff, who received 2,887 votes, or 3.4 percent, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.

Democrat John Garamendi, who represents the northern portion of Lake County, received 53 percent of the vote, or 46,305 ballots cast in his favor, with 90 percent – 414 of 430 – precincts reporting, according to the Secretary of State’s Office’s preliminary count.

Garamendi’s challengers in the primary were Republican Charlie Schaupp and Democrat Kevin Puett.

The preliminary count showed that Schaupp received 37,466 votes, or 42.9 percent, while Puett received 3,662 votes, or 4.2 percent.

With 90 percent of precincts reporting, US Sen. Dianne Feinstein appears headed for a decisive primary victory, receiving 44 percent of the vote in a field crowded with challengers, including several from her own Democratic Party.

One of those challengers, Democrat Kevin De Leon, got the second-highest vote count, with 11.30 percent, according to the early count.

Like the other races, Feinstein’s will continue until the fall general election.

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.