From staff reports
LAKEPORT ? A transient parolee has been charged with seven felony counts after allegedly burglarizing a cabin on May 24 and kidnapping two women at gunpoint in the Lake Pillsbury area. Two additional suspected accomplices are still at large.
On May 24, according to a press release from the Lake County Sheriffs Office (LCSO), they received a 911 call from a woman who said she and a friend had interrupted a burglary at their cabin on Pack Saddle Trail Road, in the Lake Pillsbury area of Lake County.
The two female victims were driving approximately 20 minutes ahead of their husbands in separate vehicles. When the two female victims arrived at their cabin, they noticed the front door wide open.
Upon entering, it was apparent that someone had ransacked and burglarized the cabin. Then they realized they had probably interrupted the burglary.
Afraid for their safety, one of the female victims started to load a rifle that had been removed from the cabin”s closet by the intruder. According to the women, the suspect, Ricky Lee Johnson, allegedly jumped down from the cabin”s loft area holding a high-powered rifle. The female victim attempted to shoot the suspect, but hadn”t yet loaded her rifle.
She then grabbed the suspect”s rifle and attempted to take it away from him, but the suspect gained control over the two female victims and forced the women at gunpoint to walk down to a creek away from the cabin.
The suspect then let the two female victims go fleeing on foot. Within several minutes the two female victims” husbands arrived at the cabin. After listening to their wives, they attempted to locate the suspect, but could not.
Several LCSO deputies and detectives responded, including U.S. Forest Service peace officers.
The LCSO also attempted to utilize a helicopter to search for the suspect, but Sonoma County”s Henry-One and the California Highway Patrol”s helicopter were unavailable.
However, REACH 6 agreed to provide its services due to the seriousness of the crime. A search of the area was conducted from the air, but no suspects were located. Approximately $10,000 worth of property was taken from the cabin, which included firearms.
Two days later, one of the female victims was walking through a more remote part of her property when she came across a makeshift camp which had some items that had been reported as stolen from her cabin in it, including a backpack containing a wallet. The wallet held a California Identification Card of Johnson ? so she called the LCSO, who responded.
While driving to the location of the makeshift camp they approached the intersection of Elk Mountain Road and Rice Fork, passing a white male adult who was walking by himself. The female victim and her husband stopped their truck ? and the woman jumped out yelling, “That”s him! That”s the guy!” pointing at the male subject. Deputies took the suspect into custody without incident.
Johnson admitted kidnapping the two females at gunpoint during the burglary of their cabin. Through a records check, deputies learned that Johnson had just gotten out of prison and was a parolee at large. Deputies went to the makeshift camp and recovered a small amount of the stolen property.
LCSO detectives extensively interviewed Johnson who reveled the identity of two other suspects involved in the burglary ? Tommy Nace and Kay Melinda Ramseyer ? both of Upper Lake. Additionally, detectives learned of a residence in Upper Lake where some of the stolen property currently was located. Detectives obtained a search warrant serving it during the night and a substantial amount of the stolen property was recovered at this location.
Also located during the search of the Upper Lake property was a storage shed receipt with the name of one of the suspects printed on it. Detectives wrote a second search warrant for the storage shed and recovered approximately 95 percent of all the property reported as stolen.
Johnson was transported to the Sheriff”s Detention Facility in Lakeport.
Tommy Nace and Kay Melinda Ramseyer are still outstanding suspects that LCSO is waiting to arrest. If anyone has information regarding their location, please call the Lake County Sheriff”s Department, 263-2331.
The Lake County Sheriff”s Department would like to express its appreciation to the crew of REACH 6 and the U.S. Forest Service for their services; their assistance was invaluable.
