Man arrested Christmas night for driving pickup into Lakeport store
- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
LAKEPORT, Calif. – A man who was ruled insane in a case involving an attack on his grandmother and treated at a state mental hospital was back in custody on Christmas night after police said he drove his pickup into a downtown Lakeport store.
The Lakeport Police Department arrested Jason Kaluna Fugit, 46, of Nice for intentionally driving his Chevy Silverado pickup through the front of Campos Casuals, located on North Main Street between Third and Fourth streets.
Police said Fugit was taken into custody for felony burglary, vandalism and reckless driving. Damage to the building is estimated to be at least $100,000.
The incident occurred shortly before 7 p.m. Lakeport Fire Protection District firefighters were dispatched to the scene at that time, but cleared the scene a short time later due to there being no injuries.
Lakeport Police Officer Tyler Trouette told Lake County News that he arrived on scene to find Fugit in front of the store and the pickup still inside.
Trouette took Fugit into custody. Fugit sat in the back of a patrol car while the initial investigation was under way and when his disabled pickup – with major front end damage – was pulled backward out of the store with a tow truck cable.
At that time, Fugit hadn’t been interviewed. Trouette said Fugit didn’t appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol but hadn’t yet been tested for intoxication.
More charges could be added as the investigation progresses, Trouette said.
Troutte said it appeared that Fugit had lined up his pickup and then accelerated, driving through the front of the store and continuing all the way to the back, smashing merchandise and displays, and scattering glass everywhere.
“I don’t know what his motives are at this point,” said Trouette.
A support post in the store was knocked down, there was a crack in the ceiling and a wall was pushed in, but Trouette said he hadn’t identified structure damage.
The main damage, Trouette said, was to the glass front entry, counters and the store’s inventory; the merchandise is primarily clothing, shoes and accessories.
Lakeport Public Works staff was called to the scene to clean the smashed glass and debris from the sidewalk and street. One of the store’s owners was on scene to secure the smashed glass storefront.
Fugit has a criminal history that includes drug arrests and, most notably, the attempted killing of his grandmother in Lucerne in 2005.
At the time, Fugit was charged with attempted murder, kidnapping and robbery for the attack on his grandmother, who authorities said he tried to kill because he thought she was involved in treasonous acts along with the government, which he believed was persecuting him, as Lake County News reported: http://bit.ly/2lamQWh.
Fugit later pleaded guilty to elder abuse and in May 2008 was sentenced to eight years. At that time he was sent to the Napa State Hospital for treatment after he was found at trial to have been insane at the time of the attack on his grandmother.
More recently, Fugit has become a familiar figure in downtown Lakeport.
For several months he has regularly parked his pickup in the downtown – including on Main Street near the Courthouse Museum, just a block over from Campos Casuals – with large cardboard signs mounted on his vehicle complaining of a conspiracy involving the FBI and the government to persecute him.
He also has walked around the park and stood at the street corner with similar signs, the messages written in dark marker, attempting to get the attention of motorists and passersby.
Early Tuesday morning Fugit was booked into the Lake County Jail. His bail is set at $500,000 for the first-degree burglary charge.
He’s tentatively set to appear in Lake County Superior Court for arraignment on Wednesday, according to his booking sheet.
John Jensen contributed to this report.
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.