LAKE COUNTY — In August of last year Alan Leroy Ashmore, 62, the man accused of killing two people and the attempted murder of three others including a California Highway Patrol Officer in an Oct. 2017 shooting spree, pled not guilty by reason of insanity.
The Jury Trial/Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity had been set for January 16, 2019, but due to a continuance motion filed the Jan. 16 trial has been vacated. The Court, pursuant to the request of the People order this matter be continued to the following dates : Settlement Conference set for March 5th with a Master Calendar Call March 22. The Jury Trial has been rescheduled for March 27 at 8:15 a.m. in Department 4.
Ashmore was in custody and appeared at the Lake County Superior Court for the recent hearing.
The doctors’ reports of Dr. Kasti and Dr. Taylor, which contain the evaluation of Ashmore’s mental capacity, were received in court during a hearing last year and the matter was set for trial.
The Clearlake Oaks man was held to answer on the homicides of his father Douglas Ashmore and Richard Braden and the attempted murders of CHP Officer Steven Patrick, Harold Noell, and Mauro Lopez.
The defendant remains in custody and is ordered to be present on all dates.
Preliminary Hearing set in Mendez case
Paul John Mendez, 28, of Clearlake, was in custody and recently appeared at the Lake County Superior Court in Lakeport, entering a plea of not guilty on all counts. Mendez has been charged with battery with serious bodily injury, robbery and assault with a deadly weapon (not a firearm) with likely gross bodily injury.
The charges stem from an incident last December when Mendez was arrested by the Clearlake Police Department’s Investigations Bureau on probable cause for the attack of Nicholas Vining.
Due to his severe injuries, Vining had been transported to UCSF Medical Center where he was placed into a medically induced coma. Vining’s condition has since improved and a detective was able to interview him.
Through the investigation, Paul Mendez was identified as one of the subjects who assaulted Vining. According to the CPD, Mendez is a known subject to law enforcement, is on active California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation parole for sexual battery and is a registered sex offender with ankle monitoring.
Mendez’s parole officer was contacted by investigators and she provided them with Mendez’s location. He was located walking along Highway 20 in Clearlake Oaks, where he was placed under arrest, according to booking information from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. Mendez was interviewed by investigators and admitted to the assault of Vining. Mendez was booked into the Lake County Jail on probable cause for the violations of assault with a deadly weapon, felony battery, robbery and a parole violation. Due to the parole violation, Mendez was being held without bond.
The Court appointed Defense Attorney Edward Savin to represent the defendant while the issue of bail is not argued at this time with bail set in the amount of $225,000.
A preliminary hearing has been set for this week along with the issue of bail.
It is believed that other subjects may have been involved or witnessed Vining’s attack and the investigation is still ongoing. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Detective Ryan Peterson at 707-994-8251 ext. 320.
