Ukiah Daily Journal from Ukiah, California • Page 1

Community sports digest Page 6 Your Health; AskJDr, Qott Forum Our readers write 4 INSIDE World briefly Page 2 7 50 cents tax included Mendocino County's local newspaper URNAL Tomorrow: Variable clouds, a shower TUESDAY Oct. 25, 2005 Hopland man shot by police By SETH FREEDLAND The Dally Journal A one-time maintenance worker at Pomo Indian Reservation in Hopland was shot and killed by Mendocino County Sheriff's deputies Sunday night, after they attempted to serve him with a warrant on the reservation. At about 10 p.m. the Sheriff's dispatch alerted deputies that Godfrey Luke John, 41 wanted by the county on a felony domestic violence charge was at an apartment by the reservation's offices. When the deputies began to arrest John, he assaulted them with a machete, according to the sheriff's office.

The officers shot him twice with.a Taser gun and once With a rubber projectile gun in an effort to subdue the attacking man, the sheriff's office added. When the non-lethal force proved ineffective, deputies fatally shot John with their handguns. Family members inside the apartment Monday morning disputed the sheriffs report. Despite wishing to withhold full comment until they could --speak to an attorney, family members who 5 Md they were in the room, during the 'shoot-' ing said John did not hold a weapon before his death. Wanda D.

Balderama, tribal chairwoman for the Hopland Band of Pomo Indians, said the tribe had nothing to say until the reports of the incident are completed, which Nick Lucia, public safety chief for the Hopland Tribal Police, estimated would take "a couple Weeks." "It's a tragedy in the community," Balderama said. "Our prayers and thoughts go out to the family." Balderama who referred to the incident as a "homicide" said she was currently negotiating a legal memorandum of understanding between tribal police and the sheriff's office to ensure they "stay on the same page in the future." Lucia said law enforcement relations with Mendocino Amy Daily Journal Godfrey John, 41, was killed In this apartment building on tribal land, shown above, follOWIrtfl a failed if by Mendocino County Sheriff'a Office Sunday nlflht Blood etafne, ahown below, remain on the carpet in the apartment where John was ehot to death, County had a history of "bumps in the road, but in this instance there was Two tribal police officers assisted the county's deputies on Sunday, Lucia said. "It wds helter-skelter last night," he added. The county Issued its first warrant for John on May 10, 2005, after a December 2004 domestic dispute involving an assault with a deadly weapon, the sheriff's office said. A second warrant was issued on May 26 after John failed to appear at a hearing and a third for resisting arrest came out on July 19.

John was employed by the tribe years ago, Balderama said. But after a falling out with a significant other and a custody battle that did not "go in his favor," she said, he Withdrew from the community. John has had 15 criminal court dates since 1997, involving a range of crimes from traffic incidents to the 2004 civil domestic violence charge, court records show. The Mendocino County District Attorney's office will lead investigation into the 'shooting. District Attorney Norm Vroman said his office was "Very much in the investigation," which would "take as long as it would take." He said he did not know of the whereabouts of the machete but all Godfrey Luke John evidence from the crime scene had already been sent to labs as part of the investigation.

The sheriff's office said no deputies were injured in the incident. Additional assistance was provided by the California Highway Patrol and Ukiah Police Department. Seth Freedland can be reached at Board to discuss UVAP today the Dally Journal Today's Board of Supervisors meeting will address the draft Environmental Impact Report for the Ukiah Valley Area Plan during a 1:30 p.m. public comment period and supervisor discussion. The UVAP tentatively adopted by the supervisors in June 2003 will amend the Mendocino County General Plan once finally approved.

Today's public comment period allows residents, various agencies and county officials the opportunity to highlight concerns on the adequacy of the environmental report in evaluating and mitigating impacts of the area plan. The 60-day public review period for the EIR extends until Oct. 26, 2005. The final EIR will respond to all comments from today's session. The Ukiah City Council previously submitted two letters one from city staff, one from the city council containing concerns on the two documents.

The UVAP a total framework for future decisions and actions that affect all development id the unincorporated portion of the Ukiah Valley. All member of the pub- lie are invited to attend comment period today. Humboldt facing housing challenge 'There are some similarities' to Mendocino County By JAMES FAULK the Eureka Tlmee-Standard EUREKA Fresh from a lawsuit that saw Mendocino County scrambling to set its housing element in order, Santa Rosa attorney David Grabill said the situations there and here ate similar. 'There are some similarities," he said in a response to e-mailed questions. Mendocino County's initial housing element designated an area near Willits as the location wafc most of its regional housing tMttd fot multi-family housing coJld be built, Gfabili said.The county knew that that area Was under state-imposed moratorium oil new water hook-ups, and that there ttd possibility of any significant dew development there in the foreseeable future, he said.

"We wrote to state Department of Housing and Community DeVelojxrwnt informing them about the moratorium and HCD told the county to find other sites," Grabill said. The county then changed its process to designate an area in and around the remote coastal town of Gualala as suitable for development of 700-plus units of multi-family housing, he said. "Gualala also had very limited hook-ups, so we took the county's action as a showing of bad faith and filed a he said. "The county thereafter backed off and that the Gualala area could accommodate at most 30 new units of multi-family The situations are similar, Grabill said, because the Humboldt County "housing element's inventory identifies sites for multi-family housing development Which are not, in fact, suitable or available for future housing development, so (Deputy Director) Cathy Creswell gave the county 30 days to get the inventory fixed. We hope the county can meet that deadline." Set HOUSING, Page 16 Cannabis cultivator charged by DA.

By QUINCY CROMER The Dally Journal The owner of Mendo Spiritual Remedies in Laytonville and Hemp Plus Ministry in Ukiah who says' he provides medical marijuana to more than a thousand people in Mendocino County will be in court next week to face charges for cultivation of marijuana. Les Crane, founder and self-proclaimed reverend of the two churches where med- marijuana is available locally, said some 5,000 cannabis plants and his life savings about $6,000 converted into gold were seized by the Mendoclno County Sheriff's Officel'On 'May 16. "They came here because a guy was coming to rob my house. I called them to come and solve the problem and then they found out about the grow. We showed them all the documentation and they left and went and got a search Warrant and came back and searched my church," Crane said.

"I bought those plants for $8 a piece from someone else and they came in arid killed them and took my life savings." According to Crane, he had permission from District Attorney Norm Vroman to grow as much marijuana as possible in a 10-foot by 10- foot space, but the deputies were not satisfied with the documentation, provided for the medical cannabis. "We told them that we had more patients and if they would just wait we could get more patients' notes and they said they didn't care," Crane said. "I was doing everything that Norm Vroman said and now I ani being charged." Mendo Spiritual Remedies serves some 800 people in the Laytonville area and Hemp Plus Ministry, which just opened last month in Ukiah, already has 200 patients, according to Crane. Vroman said he does- ribf remember talking individually with Crane about medical marijuana, but attested if distributors do not produce more than they are legally allowed, law enforcement officials only check to see if the operation is legitimate. "I don't believe I ever told anyone it was legal to grow marijuana unless they have a doctor's recommendation or they have the documentation from someone who has a doctor's recommendation," Vroman said.

Crane said that after his money and property was seized, he filed a lawsuit to get his belongings back, which was when he was served notice that he was being charged with cultivation qf marijuana. "1 am suing them in another court because I want my Set CVLTIVATOR, Page 16.