On the night of April 26, 2006, Russell Perdock, then a Senior Deputy Sheriff for Lake County ran his speeding power boat up and over the slow moving sailboat, Beats Workin' II, killing Willows resident Lynn Thornton and injuring the remaining crew.
Perdock, though proven to have been drinking alcoholic beverages throughout the day prior to the wreck was never charged with a crime thanks to his connections to Lake County Governmental officials. Instead, Bismarck Dinius, one of the persons on-board the slow moving sailboat at the time Deputy Perdock collided with it  was charged by the Lake County District Attorney. Dinius was finally acquitted by a jury trial after loosing his job and spending his savings to defend himself.  Perdock was eventually fired more than a year later by the Sheriff's Office and the district attorney who prosecuted Dinius — and refused to prosecute Perdock — Jon E. Hopkins, was not re-elected.
Since this has all come to pass, Lake County has still not pressed needed legal actions against Russell Perdock, but has instead appointed him to The Lake County Fire Protection District board of Directors.
Local politics in this area needs to be brought into the 21st century and Russell Perdock needs to be brought in front of a jury to face charges in the death of Lynn Thornton.