CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Several people were arrested late last week during a Clearlake Police operation targeting illegal alcohol use.
On Friday, March 15, Clearlake Police officers conducted Alcohol Beverage Control enforcement operations in the city of Clearlake, according to Lt. Tim Celli.
Celli said this enforcement was made possible through a $5,000 Alcohol Beverage Control Grant that the police department received in February. The funds will be used for overtime pay to conduct these operations.
Celli said the grant primarily is used to conduct shoulder tap-type operations in which a minor decoy will approach an adult suspect and request an adult to purchase an alcoholic beverage for them. Once the suspect provides alcohol to the minor decoy, the crime is complete.
Often during these operations, officers will discover other violations of law which have resulted in arrests for crimes other than furnishing alcoholic beverages to minors, according to Celli.
During the March 15 operations police arrested seven individuals for various reasons, Celli said.
Thomas Nordahl was booked into the Lake County Jail for agreeing to and arranging a narcotics deal with an undercover officer, Celli said. Although Nordahl did not actually furnish the undercover operative with narcotics, Nordahl made a deal and accepted money for narcotics, a violation of 11382 HS.
In addition, Celli said Nordahl, who is on state parole, was discovered to be in possession of a glass smoking pipe often used for smoking methamphetamine.
Other arrests include Chelsea Dawson, who was booked into the Lake County Jail for possession of a methamphetamine pipe; Mark Rodriguez, arrested for being under the influence of a controlled substance; Marcus Davis, arrested for a felony warrant; Laura Sarver, arrested and cited for furnishing an alcoholic beverage to a minor decoy; Dino Tarolli, arrested and cited for furnishing an alcoholic beverage to a minor decoy; and Earl Duty, cited and arrested for furnishing an alcoholic beverage to a minor decoy, Celli reported.
Several more of these operations are scheduled throughout the spring and into the beginning of summer with grant funding through June, Celli said.