College names new director
HIT: Marymount California University selected educator and longtime county resident Michelle Scully as the executive director of its Lakeside Campus in Lucerne, effective July 1.
Lakeport, M”town events see crowd
HIT: Thousands converged on the Lake County Fairgrounds and southern Middletown last weekend for the Lake County Spring Fair and Middletown Days, respectively.
County royalty ready for state
HIT: Miss Lake County Laura Pankratz and Miss Lake County Outstanding Teen Julie Ann Mather are preparing for the state preliminaries next week leading up to the Miss California State Finals next weekend.
Helicopter could honor vets
HIT: The county supervisors Tuesday supported submitting an application to the U.S. Army Donations Program for a helicopter to be displayed at the Kelseyville County Park on State Street to honor veterans of operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
MISS: Concerns exist that the chopper could face the threat of vandalism and could increase liability for the county government.
Attorney hits large paycheck
MISS: A judge Tuesday ordered the Lake County Sheriff”s Office to pay for Lake County News” $110,000-plus attorney fees stemming from a media access lawsuit.
MISS: It”s unfortunate the case even arose ? that the sheriff cut off Lake County News” direct access to press releases and that the news website”s often selective and skewed reporting contributed to the sheriff”s decision.
LCSO gets cup of Joe
HIT: The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to allow the sheriff”s office to purchase as much as $6,250 worth of coffee this year for employees, witnesses, victims, suspects and department guests.
Ex-deputy in trouble ? again
MISS: Former sheriff”s deputy Eric V. Mendonca was arrested Monday on charges he allegedly sold his prescription pain pills since at least 2010.
MISS: Authorities allege he obtained more than 17,500 pills between March 2009 and last February, with almost 7,000 coming in 2012 alone.
MISS: Mendonca, along with three other men, were arrested last December after a federal investigation into a reported robbery attempt in which men posed as cops. Charges against Mendonca in that case were ultimately dropped in April.
2011 fight case still awaits trial
MISS: A judge Tuesday denied a motion to reopen the preliminary hearing in the case of an alleged 2011 Hells Angels fight entangled with the fallout of allegations that Sheriff Frank Rivero lied after a 2008 on-duty shooting.
MISS: The case, which has dragged on for more than two years, is set to go to trial in October.
Tribal chair”s trial faces third delay
MISS: The theft trial of Tracey I. Avila, tribal chair of the Robinson Rancheria Pomo Indians, seems as if it might never get underway. The proceedings were postponed for the third time last week ? with the latest delay occurring five days before the trial was set to start.
Kids stumble onto pipe bomb
MISS: A group of children found an explosive device in the backyard of a 45th Avenue in Clearlake last weekend. Officials reported safely detonating the pipe bomb after evacuating residents.
Pair nabbed in decoy operation
MISS: Clearlake Police made two arrests last week during an operation designed to deter and detect crimes involving the sale and furnishing of alcohol to minors.
HIT: City police and state authorities are working to address the issue of adults providing alcohol to minors.
Water theft leads to pot find
MISS: Reports of trespassing and possible water theft forced deputies out to a Middletown property on which they allegedly found more than 17,000 marijuana plants.
HIT: All the plants were eradicated and a Windsor man was arrested for allegedly being behind the operation.
MISS: The suspect reportedly told authorities he thought he bought the right to use the rural property to grow marijuana, but he didn”t realize the person he paid wasn”t the landowner.
