HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE ? A day-long search for suspects allegedly involved in a home invasion robbery ended just after 5 p.m. Thursday when positive identification was obtained on the second suspect. Both men believed to be involved in the incident were taken into custody on multiple felony charges.
The first suspect, identified as Charles William Burk, 30, of Santa Rosa, was apprehended around 2 p.m. The second suspect was detained at 4:26 p.m. and taken into custody following positive identification by the victims in the case. The second man has been identified as Malcolm Safa Brown, 40, of Graton.
According to a press release issued by Captain James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff”s Department, the incident initiated around 7:20 a.m. on Noble Ranch Road in Lower Lake when Burk and a second man, later identified as Brown, attempted to invade the home of Burk”s adopted parents. Burk reportedly assaulted his father, Donald Merrill, 52, and his brother Donald Merrill Jr., 22.
During the assault Burk somehow acquired a rifle from the home and tried to shoot his father. Merrill Sr. was able to overpower Burk and recover the weapon while Merrill Jr. fought with the other suspect. After members of the Merrill family were able to ward off the physical attack of both men, the suspects fled the home in a white pickup truck.
A sheriff”s deputy who had been responding to the scene northbound on Spruce Grove Road encountered the suspects” vehicle as it traveled southbound. In an apparent act of deadly force to obstruct the deputy”s response, the truck sped up, veered into the deputy”s path and intentionally rammed the patrol car. The suspects” truck continued south on Spruce Grove Road while the deputy”s vehicle was disabled. Although he was a bit shaken, the deputy reportedly was not injured.
About five minutes later, Brian Moynihan, 34, reported that the suspects” vehicle had rammed the gate leading to his property on Spruce Grove Road near Hidden Valley Lake and crashed head-on into a tree in his yard. Upon arrival, deputies found the suspects” truck abandoned and still running.
Moynihan reported that after hearing the truck crash into the tree, at least one suspect started pounding on his back door and tried to force it open. Moynihan said he physically held the door closed and when the attempt to break in ceased he opened the door and chased one of the suspects off of his property.
Additional law enforcement, including sheriff”s detectives and patrol units from the Clearlake Police Department and the California Highway Patrol responded the area to assist.
As additional units arrived, it was determined that both suspects ran either into the brush north of Hidden Valley Lake or into the Hidden Valley Lake subdivision.
As a search perimeter was established, the sheriff”s SWAT team was called out and helicopter from the Sonoma County Sheriff”s Department was also requested for response. Residents within a three-mile radius around the area of the abandoned truck were notified via telephonic message concerning the suspects and search activities.
“The sheriff”s department did a great job telling everybody about the danger,” Dee Harbison, HVL resident said. “I didn”t get the call because I was on the phone but my brother got a call about the incident and the search for the guys. My grandmother”s home health nurse also called and told us about it and told us to lock our doors.”
The search for the two suspects lasted throughout the morning and into the afternoon. Around 1:30 p.m. a deputy spotted a man vaguely matching Burk”s description on Greenridge Road.
The man, however, was wearing different clothing. When he was stopped, it was discovered that he was wearing multiple pairs of pants and the identity that he provided could not be verified.
When another deputy arrived to assist with the detention, the man reportedly took off running and was lost behind some houses on Stonegate Road.
Additional deputies responded and during about a 10 minute search, several Stonegate residents reported sightings of the man.
Around 2 p.m. residents of a home on Stonegate reported noticing that a water bowl on their deck had been moved. They advised that there was room for someone to crawl underneath their deck.
Following up on the report, deputies were able to locate the man hiding beneath the exterior deck of the house. Despite no further means of escape, the man refused to come and a Taser was reportedly used to gain his compliance.
He was then taken into custody and identified as Burk.
Telephonic public safety alerts to Hidden Valley Lake residents continued throughout the afternoon and at about 4 p.m., deputies responded to several reports of another suspicious suspect walking through properties on Foothill Court and Spyglass Road. CHP responded to the area and following an approximate 20 minute search of the area, officers located and detained the man in a field near State Route 29 and Arabian Lane. When deputies arrived the man was identified as Brown and subsequently confirmed to be the second suspect sought.
According to Bauman”s report, Burk later divulged that after crashing the truck and running into Hidden Valley as deputies surrounded the area, he had broken into a residence on Raven Hill Road.
Once inside the house, he shaved his head to alter his appearance and changed into clothing taken from the residence before setting out on foot again to evade capture.
Burk is also the one believed to be responsible for attempting to break into Moynihan”s residence. After crashing the truck, the suspects had reportedly ran in different directions.
Both Burk and Brown were booked on felony charges of attempted murder, attempted robbery, burglary and assault with intent to inflict great bodily injury.
Burk faces additional felony charges of assault by use of a firearm against his father and felony assault on a peace officer for intentionally ramming the deputy”s patrol car. Both suspects are being held at the Lake County Jail on $500,000 bail.
Donald Merrill Sr. and Donald Merrill Jr. both sustained minor to moderate injuries as a result of the attack. Both were treated and released from St. Helena Hospital ? Clearlake. Robbery was the apparent motive for the home invasion and both suspects reportedly appeared to be under the influence of methamphetamine at the time of their capture.
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com or call her directly at 994-6444, ext. 11.
