KUKI News

Two homes were destroyed in a fire that broke out yesterday morning in Lake County. Firefighters were alerted to the firen the 16000 block of Buckhorn Road of Hidden Valley Lake at 5:43 a.m. South Lake Fire and Cal Fire Battalion Chief Mike Wink says the first units on scene found a fully involved structure and several vehicles on fire, with a neighboring home also catching fire. The fire also spread to the nearby vegetation, with multiple spot fires developing in the general area. Power lines were also down.
Fire crews spent 7 hours working to extinguish the blaze. There were no injuries and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Two people from Redwood Valley were convicted of felonies this week for embezzlement. The Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office reports that 46-year-old Deborah Ann Sears, former office manager at Deep Valley Security in Ukiah, plead no contest to three felony counts. Sears stole over $37,000 from her employer in 2014; over $79,000 in 2015; and over $63,000 in 2016. Her husband, Jason Eagle Sears plead no contest to being an accessory after the fact.

Work near the corner of Low Gap Road and Brush in Ukiah is being done at night. Improvements to the intersection include sidewalks, dedicated left-hand turn lanes, and storm drain improvement. Brush Street is closed between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.until the work is complete. Blocks or lanes of North State Street and Low Gap may be closed during thos times as well.

Investigators have determined what the piece of equipment is that blew through the roof of a building in Willits following an explosion. MCSO says the lid of a cylinder used to extract cannabis oil was found outside a suspected cannabis lab.

Clear Lake High School will have their homecoming parade in downtown Lakeport later today and street closures will begin at 3:30PM. Here’s more from the press release from the Lakeport Police Department:

At approximately 4:10 PM, Clear Lake High School will have their homecoming parade in downtown Lakeport. The parade route will travel south on Main Street between 7th Street and Martin Street.

Starting at approximately 3:30 PM, street closures will begin on Main Street between 9th Street and C Streets. Closures will be in place until the parade ends at approximately 4:45 PM.

Motorists are advised to use alternate routes.

The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office has identified the homicide victim found along Covelo Road on the morning of September 13th, as 19-year-old Ramon Naranjo of San Jose. An autopsy conducted Friday confirmed Naranjo was killed, though his cause of death has not been released. Sheriff Tom Allman said this week it’s likely Naranjo’s death was related to marijuana.

A Clearlake man has pleaded not guilty to felony animal cruelty and a charge of being under the influence of a controlled substance. Last Tuesday, 40-year-old James Harley Miranda was arrested after his dog was found dead along Highway 53 in Clearlake. The cause of the dog’s death has still not been determined.

A homeowner who caught a Fort Bragg man stealing from his home, put the suspect under citizens arrest. The theft occurred at a home in the 29000 block of Highway 20. The homeowner 42-year-old Jeremy James, arrived at his home at around 4PM on Tuesday to find 31-year-old Joseph Arthur Hull burglarizing it. James called police and held Hull under citizens arrest until they arrived.

CHP reports that a Lucerne man sufferd major injuries after being hit by a vehicle while crossing Highway 20 in his wheelchair. Police say the driver, 46-year-old Consuelo Rocha, of Ukiah, did not see the man who was outside of the crosswalk.

Cross Development presented its latest building design plan for a Dollar General store in Middletown at a town hall meeting last week. The new plans call for reducing the store size, proposed to be located at 20900 Highway 29, to less than 8,000 square feet. This plan would not require a major use permit