LAKE COUNTY >> More arrests have been made in Western Lake County as police continue a heavy patrol in areas that have been evacuated due to the Mendocino Complex Fires.
At approximately 9:45 a.m. August 2, officers saw a male running across Highway 20 near Mendenhall Avenue in Upper Lake.
The officers recognized the male as Peter Karl Saari, 55, and had warned him earlier in the day about being in the evacuation area. Saari told officers he had not stayed at his residence as he was told because he was going to get water.
Saari was arrested as an unauthorized person in an evacuation area and released with a citation after being escorted from the evacuation area.
At 11:40 a.m., officers observed a male riding a motorcycle on Scotts Valley Road. Officers stopped the male who was identified as Sheldon Hugh Fairlee, 18, who had been warned the prior day about riding his motorcycle in the evacuation area. Fairlee told officers he was going to his grandmother’s house to take a shower. Fairlee was arrested and booked into custody for being an unauthorized person in an evacuation area.
At 8:10 p.m. officers observed a male prowling in the backyard of a residence in the 4500 block of Highway 20 in Nice. Officers contacted the male, Michael Joseph Santos, 36, of Nice.
Santos told officers he was walking to Lucerne and was staying off the main roadways to avoid law enforcement. Santos had a duffle bag containing tools and a pair of binoculars. Officers could not determine if the items were stolen. Santos was arrested and booked into custody for being an unauthorized person in an evacuation area and prowling.
While being transported to the jail, Santos told officers he had a syringe containing methamphetamine in his shoe. Santos was also charged with possession of a controlled substance.
Later that night, deputies observed a white Ford Expedition drive into the parking lot of the Power Mart in Lower Lake. Deputies recognized the driver of the vehicle as Mark Andrew Nielsen, 30, of Nice and the passenger as Javier Marcos Rosalesperaza, 20, of Lakeport. Deputies also knew that Nielsen was on Post Community Release Supervision and his driver license was suspended.
Deputies contacted Nielsen and Rosalesperaza and noticed they were acting extremely nervous. Deputies noticed there was a police red/blue light on the dash of the vehicle. Deputies searched the vehicle finding a police style baton. They also observed that the police light was velcroed to the dash. Deputies located a police duty belt and bright yellow police style traffic vest in the back of the vehicle. Bolt cutters, a pry bar, flashlights, and binoculars were also located in the vehicle.
A wallet with bank cards and ID of a third person was located in the back of the vehicle. When asked about the wallet, Nielsen told deputies his daughter had found it months ago. Nielsen said he had the police light for years and had just found it. He could not explain why he had it on his dash and he could not explain why he had the baton. Nielsen denied being involved in thefts. Rosalesperaza told deputies he was just getting a ride from Nielsen and did not see the tools or police light on the dash.
Nielsen was arrested and booked into custody for possession of burglary tools, police impersonation, possession of stolen property, and driving on a suspended license. Rosalesperaza was arrested and booked into custody for possession of burglary tools and police impersonation.
