LAKEPORT — A man held in connection with a south county murder was in court Tuesday.
James Wade Roberts, 45, of Clearlake, was arraigned Tuesday in Superior Court Judge Richard Martin”s Lakeport courtroom.
The incident for which Roberts faced arraignment occurred just after midnight on Sunday, when officers were dispatched to an address on Mullen Avenue where the body of Ruth Donaldson, 63, was discovered.
Police collected evidence at the Mullen Avenue residence and took witness statements which indicated that Donaldson, who had resided at the residence with Roberts, had been the victim of a homicide.
On Tuesday Roberts was charged with one count of murder and five prior strikes, which include a robbery and four charges of assault with a deadly weapon.
District Attorney Gary Luck said Tuesday the deadly weapon involved in the previous strikes was a firearm.
Luck reported that the assault charges came from incidents that occurred in Sonoma County.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Jon Hopkins added that Roberts was sentenced in 1992 on the four assault charges; however, it is unclear if Roberts actually served time for those crimes.
As of press time Tuesday, Sonoma County District Attorney Stephen Passalacqua had not responded to the Record-Bee”s inquiry in regard to those charges.
The robbery charge on Roberts” record came from a 1980 incident in Butte County, confirmed by Butte County Superior Court Clerk Elise Denerand.
Roberts did not enter a plea Tuesday. Attorney Douglas Rhodes has been appointed to represent Roberts, according to Luck, and Roberts” next court appearance is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 20, in Department 4, with Judge Richard Freeborn filling in while Judge Steve Hedstrom is gone on vacation.
Roberts” bail is set at a million dollars.
Contact Cynthia Davis at cdavis@record-bee.com.
