LAKEPORT
Arson suspect enters not guilty plea to all counts and held to answer to charges
A suspected arsonist connected to the Lakeport Chamber of Commerce Visitor’s Center fire was in custody and present at the Lake County Superior Court in Lakeport.
During a recent hearing the defendant, Cameron Benjamin Bates, entered a not guilty plea to all counts and denied the special allegations.
The matter has been set for a settlement/trial readiness conference on Dec. 15 with the master calendar call hearing set for Jan. 12, 2024. The jury trial has been set for Jan. 18, 2024.
The defendant has been ordered to appear on all dates.
Last month during the preliminary hearing it appeared to Judge Andrew S Blum that the felony violations have been committed and there is sufficient cause to believe that the defendant is guilty thereof.
He was ordered to answer to the charges.
Also last month, the defendant entered a not guilty plea to all counts and he denied the special allegations and a preliminary hearing was scheduled.
The defendant is facing charges of Arson: structure/forest land, possession of a controlled substance, possession of controlled substance paraphernalia and possession of nitrous oxide.
The charges stem from an incident in October when a fire broke out in Lakeport. People eating lunch in the picnic area of the Lake County Chamber of Commerce reported seeing smoke on the hill between the Chamber and the Lake County Agriculture Department.
Laura McAndrews Sammel, Chamber CEO, was at the Chamber building at the time and stated that a few of the visitors said they saw a man walking away from the fire.
McAndrews Sammel quickly called 911 to report the fire and alleged arsonist.
There had been a quarter of an acre burned. Fire District units from Lakeport, North Shore and Kelseyville all responded to the scene. According to McAndrews Sammel, the fire was extinguished within one half hour.
Both Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Lake County Police Departments arrived on scene to contend with the alleged arsonist. Law enforcement staff detained the person witnessed departing the scene of the fire.
An investigation immediately ensued and evidence revealed that Cameron Benjamin Bates of Clearlake was suspected of setting the fire.
The defendant is also being charged with a violation of probation , which relates to previous charges of grand theft (convicted 10/18/23) and a probation violation. This case is trailing the arson case and is scheduled with the arson hearing next week.
The defendant remains in custody with bail set at $59,0000 bail.
—Lori Armstrong
WASHINGTON
Thompson, Huffman introduce bill to rename Trail in honor of late Senator Dianne Feinstein
This week, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) and Rep. Jared Huffman (CA-02) introduced the Senator Dianne Feinstein Memorial Trail Act to designate a trail in the Headwaters Forest Reserve in honor of the late Senator Dianne Feinstein.
“Senator Dianne Feinstein was a tremendous public servant and dedicated champion of California. She put every ounce of her being into serving the people of California, and she leaves behind a legacy unlike any other,” said Thompson. “Lake Tahoe, Joshua Tree National Park, Death Valley Nation Park, and the Headwaters Forest Reserve are examples of her dedication to protecting California. Senator Feinstein was directly responsible for the agreement that led to the United States purchasing the land from Pacific Lumber that became the Headwaters Forest Reserve. Throughout her time in public office, she was a steadfast advocate for protecting our beautiful state, and this bill is a testament to her outstanding efforts to ensure that future Californians will be able to share in the beauty. Her commitment to our state and our country will be remembered for generations to come, and I am proud to introduce legislation to memorialize her name in the Headwaters Forest Reserve.”
“Dianne Feinstein leaves a profound and enduring legacy – from gun violence prevention to reproductive and human rights, to protecting treasured lands,” said Huffman. “The breadth of her contributions to our state is unmatched, and among them is Northern California’s Headwaters Forest Reserve. Our bill will commemorate her through a memorial trail in the headwaters, which thanks to her will be preserved for future generations.”
Senator Feinstein was the chief architect of the 1999 agreement that led to the creation of the Headwaters Forest Preserve after facilitating the sale of the land from Pacific Lumber to the United States Government.
She fought to protect millions of acres of California deserts and worked to safeguard the Pacific coast from oil drilling. She worked to pass the California Desert Protection Act of 1994, which created Death Valley National Park, Joshua Tree National Park and Mojave National Preserve. She also was shepherded the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act of 2000 through Congress. The law created a fund for environmental improvements to Lake Tahoe, protecting it for generations to come.
The bill would rename the Elk River Trail in the Headwaters Forest Reserve to the Senator Dianne Feinstein Memorial Trail.
—Submitted
