Alana Minkler

1 week ago | pressdemocrat.com | Alana Minkler

A man was killed Thursday night when the ATV he was riding plunged off a steep private road on Cooley Ranch, north of Lake Sonoma, officials said. Firefighters from the Northern Sonoma County Fire Protection District’s Geyserville unit were dispatched to the crash site around 9:40 p.m., according to fire Capt. Joe Stewart. They arrived about 50 minutes later and found the vehicle down an embankment with the man, its only occupant, already dead.

2 weeks ago | pressdemocrat.com | Alana Minkler

A man died in an RV fire close to downtown Santa Rosa Sunday morning, according to officials. Around 11:42 a.m., the Santa Rosa Fire Department was called to an RV on Ridgway Avenue and Central Avenue. When they arrived the fire was “well involved,” said Battalion Chief Jason Jenkins. Inside, firefighters found an unresponsive man. First responders performed CPR on him, but they were unable to revive him. They were able to extinguish the flames within 10 minutes.

2 weeks ago | pressdemocrat.com | Alana Minkler

Authorities are warning Sonoma County barn owners to stay alert after a man approached a barn during a child’s riding lesson and made sexually suggestive comments, according to the ranch owner. Charlisse “Charlie” Weintraub, who runs a small ranch outside Santa Rosa, said she was in the middle of the session with a 7-year-old girl around 2:30 p.m. April 3 when the man drove onto her property and approached the barn. At first, she said, she thought he might be a neighbor.

3 weeks ago | pressdemocrat.com | Alana Minkler

Easter Sunday is set to start with a bang — or at least a scramble — as The Promise Center hosts a 55,000-egg hunt at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa alongside a family-focused church service. Billed as a celebration of “Jesus, joy and new beginnings,” the April 20 event is expected to draw hundreds of families. Gates open at 9 a.m., with the service beginning an hour later. The egg hunt will follow.

1 month ago | pressdemocrat.com | Alana Minkler

A Sonoma County sheriff’s deputy and another driver were hospitalized Thursday night after a crash in west Santa Rosa that happened as the deputy was responding to a vehicle with lights and sirens on. The collision took place just before 11 p.m. at Highway 116 and Stony Point Road, according to California Highway Patrol Officer David deRutte. The deputy, heading east in a marked patrol car, entered the intersection against a red light and struck a northbound Honda Accord that had the right of way.