Lake County Sheriff’s Deputies Recover Stolen UTV and $20,000 in Copper Wire, Four Arrested
LAKEPORT, CA – A multi-agency investigation involving patrol deputies, specialized units, and automated license plate reader technology led to the arrest of four individuals in connection with burglaries at a local elementary school and a utility facility.
On September 13, 2026, Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to Upper Lake Elementary School following reports that a utility terrain vehicle (UTV) and other property were stolen during the early morning hours of September 12 and 13. Reviewing surveillance footage, deputies identified a suspect vehicle associated with 50-year-old Curtis Rogers II and 25-year-old Curtis Rogers III, both of Clearlake Oaks.
Several hours later, deputies located the stolen UTV abandoned in a field near Tule Lake Road in Upper Lake with damage to its door and ignition. Investigators subsequently entered the suspect vehicle’s details into the Flock Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) system.
Concurrently, deputies were investigating burglaries and copper wire thefts that occurred between September 11 and September 14 at PG&E yards on Hill Road in Lakeport.
On September 15, FLOCK alerts tracked the suspect vehicle traveling between Lakeport and Nice. Images taken 20 minutes apart showed the truck bed initially empty and then carrying material under a blue tarp. Deputies traced the truck to a residence on 20th Street in Lakeport, where they discovered several hundred pounds of stripped copper wire in the truck bed and adjacent trash containers.
At the scene, deputies contacted Rogers III, Joshua Murray, 45, of Lucerne, and Tammy Smith, 51, of Clearlake Oaks. A PG&E employee identified the copper wire as property stolen from their facility, valuing it at approximately $20,000, and identified a second vehicle at the location that was also linked to Rogers III and observed during the PG&E thefts.
Sheriff’s Office Community Oriented Policing and Targeted Restoration (COPTR) Unit and Major Crimes Unit (MCU) personnel executed search warrants at residences on Lakeview Terrace in Nice and 2nd Street in Upper Lake. Deputies located Rogers II at the Nice residence. The searches yielded additional stolen property from Upper Lake Elementary School, evidence from the PG&E wire theft, wire coating debris, and a utility knife used to strip the copper.
Deputies arrested the four suspects and booked them into custody:
Curtis Rogers II: Charged with receiving stolen property and conspiracy to commit a crime.
Curtis Rogers III: Charged with receiving stolen property, conspiracy to commit a crime, and violation of Post Release Community Supervision (PRCS).
Joshua Murray: Charged with receiving stolen property, conspiracy to commit a crime, and violation of PRCS.
Tammy Smith: Charged with receiving stolen property and conspiracy to commit a crime.
