LAKE COUNTY— During a recent preliminary hearing, a Lucerne man who was arrested in June for suspicion of shooting his roommate in self-defense appeared at the Lake County Superior Court, entering a no contest plea. Michael Lawrence Finnegan, 53, pled no contest to Count 2, which is an assault with a semiautomatic rifle on person.
According to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, deputies arrived at the location for a report of a male who had been shot by his roommate. When they arrived, Finnegan was found outside the residence and the victim, a 51-year-old man, inside with a wound to
the chest. The victim told deputies that he had been shot by Finnegan and was then transported to an out-of-county hospital for treatment. He is expected to recover from his injury, LCSO said. Finnegan told deputies he shot the roommate with a .22 caliber pistol “because he felt like he was being attacked.” The 53-year-old explained to authorities that the victim had been “very hostile” during the last week and threatened to kick Finnegan out of the home. The victim continuously barged into his room, according to Finnegan, which then led to the shooting after the roommate allegedly lunged at him. Finnegan remains in custody with bail set at $175,000.
The parties entered into a sentencing agreement and on the motion of the People (Lake County District Attorney’s Office), the Court ordered Count 1 (Assault with Firearm on Person) and Count 3 (Battery with Serious Bodily Injury) be dismissed in the interest of justice and pursuant to the negotiated disposition.
The matter has been referred to the Lake County Probation Department for the preparation of a sentencing report and recommendation and firearms determination. The Court orally advised the defendant of the firearms admonishment.
The Sentencing Hearing has been set for January 14, 2019 at 1:30 p.m. in Department 2 and the defendant is ordered to be present.
Meza Convicted of Vehicular Manslaughter – to Serve 17 Years in State Prison
Raymondo Valero Meza, 57, of Chico, was in custody appearing for his sentencing hearing after being convicted in September of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.
The Court read and considered the Lake County Probation Officer’s Report and Recommendation and the report was ordered filed and received into evidence.
The victim’s family had traveled all over the State to be present at the sentencing hearing and victim impact statements were presented to the Court.
Probation was denied and the Court made the finding that the defendant has a history of substance abuse. Due to the defendant having admitted to a prior strike allegation, the court doubled the jail term from 6 years to 12 years.
Pursuant to PC667(a)(1) – any person convicted of a serious felony who has previously been convicted of a serious felony will face a 5-year enhancement for each such prior conviction on charges brought and tried separately. The terms of the present offense and each enhancement shall run consecutively and the defendant is to serve an additional 5 years in State Prison. The total term imposed is 17 years.
The charges were a result of a vehicle accident in November 2016 when a woman died, and two others suffered major injuries in a head-on collision on Highway 20.
Meza was reportedly driving eastbound on Highway 20 at a high rate of speed in a 1990 Chevrolet pickup. At the same time the victim, 45-year-old Erika Denise Kleit from Weed, was approaching the opposite direction in a 2016 Honda Civic.
Just after 12:15 p.m., near milestone marker 37, Meza’s vehicle crossed double yellow lines directly in the path of the car and smashed into the Honda head-on.
During a media statement, CHP officer Greg Buchholz noted the incident happened so quickly that “the Honda driver was unable to avoid the collision.”
Neither Meza nor his passenger were wearing safety belts and both suffered significant injuries and were transported to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.
The victim, who was wearing a safety belt, died at the scene due to the severity of her injuries.
According to Buchholz, alcohol or drugs appear to be a factor in the accident.
Meza had not been in immediate custody while undergoing treatment during the investigation, but on May 10, 2017, he was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail on a felony arrest warrant.
The defendant was ordered to pay Restitution Fees totaling $10,200, a Court Operation Assessment of $40 and a Criminal Conviction Assessment of $3. Restitution is reserved for the family of the victim.
The defendant was awarded a total of 1,108 days of credit for time served and conduct credits.
The Court denied the defendant’s request for a delay in transportation to State Prison. The defendant was remanded to custody of the Lake County Sheriff to be delivered to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
