LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – What appeared to be a fatal crash on Highway 20 east of Clearlake Oaks on Thursday morning is being investigated as a homicide, according to the California Highway Patrol.
As Lake County News reported earlier this week, firefighters and the CHP responded to an area west of Walker Ridge Road on Highway 20 just after 7 a.m. Thursday on the report of a white van that had gone into a ditch.
Initially the crash did not appear unusual, but since then the investigation has revealed suspicious circumstances, according to CHP Clear Lake Area Office Commander Lt. Randy England.
“It’s a homicide,” England told Lake County News in a Saturday interview.
England identified the man whose body was found in the van as Patrick M. Weber, 41, of Santa Clarita.
England said a passing motorist reported seeing the white Dodge Sprinter van, a large cargo vehicle, in a ditch about two miles west of the Colusa County line and about a mile west of Walker Ridge Road. England said the call came in at 7:07 a.m.
The van had been traveling eastbound when it ran off the highway shoulder, went into a ditch and came to rest up against a tree, England said.
Radio traffic indicated firefighters were dispatched at 7:10 a.m. England said fire personnel arrived ahead of law enforcement and declared Weber deceased.
England said he and Sgt. Steve Krul responded to the scene that morning. While it looked like a case of someone falling asleep and driving off the road, “Something just didn’t seem right,” England said.
An additional report from the CHP said officers observed there were red paint transfer marks to the driver’s side of the vehicle, indicating a possible hit-and-run collision or an intentional act.
Sheriff Brian Martin also went out to the scene, England said. “He’s allocating all of the resources he has,” including a fingerprint specialist.
England also contacted Capt. Greg Baarts, a former commander of the Clear Lake Area office who now is with CHP’s Northern Division, based out of Redding. Baarts provided his Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team – also known as MAIT – to assist.
CHP incident logs about the crash indicated the MAIT team flew into Lampson Airport.
Later on Thursday evening, as the investigation of the scene was continuing, Weber’s body was moved and it was decided to have an autopsy performed immediately, England said.
The damage to the vehicle led to Weber’s cause of death not being immediately apparent. However, when the results of the autopsy came back, England said it was determined that Weber’s injuries were not consistent with a traffic crash, and it turned into a criminal investigation.
To protect the investigation, England said they are not yet releasing the exact cause of Weber’s death. They also are not commenting about what they found inside the van, which reports from the scene said was towed and stored as evidence.
“At this point right now, they’re writing search warrants, just trying to find any information about what he was doing up here, where he’s been, who he’s been contacting,” England said of Weber.
England said Weber’s family has been notified and investigators are working with them now to gather more information.
Investigators remain uncertain about when the incident occurred, the CHP said.
The investigation currently is a joint effort between the CHP Clear Lake Area office, the Northern Division Investigation Service Unit, the Northern Division MAIT and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Investigation Unit.
Anyone with information about the crash, who saw any unusual activity along Highway 20 early Thursday or who has information about Weber and his whereabouts in the days leading up to the incident are urged to call the CHP’s Ukiah Dispatch Center at 707-467-4000. Calls during business hours may be made to the Clear Lake Area CHP office at 707-279-0103.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
CHP investigating Thursday crash as homicide
- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On