Police make second arrest in Dec. 3 attack on Clearlake man
- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Police have arrested a second suspect in a Dec. 3 attack that left a Clearlake man with serious injuries, including major head trauma.
The Clearlake Police Department reported that Charles Kenneth Drake, 25, of Clearlake was contacted and taken into custody on Tuesday in connection to the attack on 29-year-old Nicholas Vining, also known as “Caveman.”
Drake’s arrest follows by three weeks the arrest of the first suspect identified and arrested in the case, Paul John Mendez Jr., 28, of Clearlake.
On Dec. 31 police arrested Mendez, a registered sex offender and parolee who also admitted to attacking Vining, as Lake County News has reported.
Vining was reported to have been attacked sometime on the afternoon of Dec. 3, but police said the incident wasn’t reported to them until the following day.
Social media posts by family and friends stated that Vining had been beaten and robbed, and his hair and beard were cut off with a knife. He then made his way to his mother’s home, and from there was transported to the hospital.
Later, Vining was flown out of county to UCSF Medical Center, where police said he was placed into a medically induced coma.
Originally, the attack was reported to have occurred in the 6800 block of Old Highway 53, with claims on social media attributing it to students at Clearlake Creativity School.
However, by the time of the Mendez arrest, police detectives had concluded that the location and the allegations of involvement by students were inaccurate.
That’s because by late last month Vining’s condition improved to the point where detectives could interview him, which gave them more key information in the case.
The Clearlake Police Department reported that Drake’s arrest on Tuesday was a result of the continuing investigation led by Det. Ryan Peterson.
Police said they obtained information that Drake was one of the people who attacked Vining. Peterson, with the assistance of the Clearlake Police Patrol Bureau, then contacted Drake.
Drake admitted to his involvement in attacking Vining, including cutting Vining’s hair and beard with a knife and taking his shoes, police said.
Drake was booked into the Lake County Jail on Tuesday afternoon on probable cause for the felony violations of assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy, false imprisonment and robbery. His bail has been set at $100,000, and he’s due to be arraigned on Thursday, according to jail booking records.
Jail records show that Mendez has remained in custody since his Dec. 31 arrest. His bail is set at $225,000.
In the meantime, a report on a GoFundMe page that is raising money for Vining’s care stated that he remains in a post acute care facility “and has had a couple of setbacks” that sent him back to the emergency room. While he is doing well, “he has a long way to go,” the latest update, posted on Sunday, said.
Police believe that still other individuals may have been involved or witnessed the attack on Vining and so the investigation is still ongoing.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Det. Peterson at 707-994-8251, Extension 320.
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.