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Man charged in stoning incident on Upper Sacramento
By Earl Bolender, Mt. Shasta News
11/28/02
Misdemeanor battery charges have been filed against a Castella man for allegedly throwing rocks at an angler who was fishing the Upper Sacramento River in September.
Shasta County Senior Assistant District Attorney Howard Welch said the charges were filed last week against Robert Earl Edsall, 56, stemming from an incident on September 19th in which he reportedly threw rocks at Bill Lynch, 60, of Sonoma.
"We have filed misdemeanor charges against Mr. Edsall for throwing rocks at Mr. Lynch," Welch said.
Welch said a conviction for misdemeanor battery carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail.
Lynch, editor and CEO of the Sonoma Index-Tribune, was fly fishing on the Upper Sacramento River near a riverside cabin he and his wife, Dottie, had rented in Castella.
Lynch said he was wading about 10 feet from shore and casting into a large pool when he heard a noise. Turning, Lynch said he saw Edsall and Teddy Ray Lee, 48, also of Castella, shouting at him from the patio of Lee's home, telling him he was on private property and to get off.
Welch said because of a discrepancy in the role Lee played in the incident, no charges have been brought against the property owner.
Lynch said he told the two men he was in the water, fishing and was not trespassing on anyone's property.
Lynch reported that the two men began throwing rocks at him. He said several of the rocks hit him in the chest and shoulder area and that one knocked off his glasses.
According to a Shasta County Sheriff's report, Edsall told deputies that he had thrown large stones near Lynch because he was trespassing. He reportedly said he threw the rocks at least 10 feet away from Lynch, stating that he was trying to scare him away.
According to the sheriff's report, he later told deputies that he threw a handful of gravel into the water, not intending to hit Lynch, but that he may have.
Lynch said he used his mobile two-way radio to call his wife, who was at the cabin, asking her to call the sheriff.
The incident was initially responded to by Siskiyou County sheriff's deputy Jim Randall of the Dunsmuir sheriff's substation because of the close proximity of Castella to Siskiyou County. Randall was able to contact both Edsall and Lee and filled out a report of the incident.
The report was forwarded to the Shasta County Sheriff's Department for possible further action.
State law provides for public right of ways on navigable waterways, including the Upper Sacramento River. This right of way is within the mean high water marks of the river, which parallel and extend into the river.
By Earl Bolender, Mt. Shasta News
11/28/02
Misdemeanor battery charges have been filed against a Castella man for allegedly throwing rocks at an angler who was fishing the Upper Sacramento River in September.
Shasta County Senior Assistant District Attorney Howard Welch said the charges were filed last week against Robert Earl Edsall, 56, stemming from an incident on September 19th in which he reportedly threw rocks at Bill Lynch, 60, of Sonoma.
"We have filed misdemeanor charges against Mr. Edsall for throwing rocks at Mr. Lynch," Welch said.
Welch said a conviction for misdemeanor battery carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail.
Lynch, editor and CEO of the Sonoma Index-Tribune, was fly fishing on the Upper Sacramento River near a riverside cabin he and his wife, Dottie, had rented in Castella.
Lynch said he was wading about 10 feet from shore and casting into a large pool when he heard a noise. Turning, Lynch said he saw Edsall and Teddy Ray Lee, 48, also of Castella, shouting at him from the patio of Lee's home, telling him he was on private property and to get off.
Welch said because of a discrepancy in the role Lee played in the incident, no charges have been brought against the property owner.
Lynch said he told the two men he was in the water, fishing and was not trespassing on anyone's property.
Lynch reported that the two men began throwing rocks at him. He said several of the rocks hit him in the chest and shoulder area and that one knocked off his glasses.
According to a Shasta County Sheriff's report, Edsall told deputies that he had thrown large stones near Lynch because he was trespassing. He reportedly said he threw the rocks at least 10 feet away from Lynch, stating that he was trying to scare him away.
According to the sheriff's report, he later told deputies that he threw a handful of gravel into the water, not intending to hit Lynch, but that he may have.
Lynch said he used his mobile two-way radio to call his wife, who was at the cabin, asking her to call the sheriff.
The incident was initially responded to by Siskiyou County sheriff's deputy Jim Randall of the Dunsmuir sheriff's substation because of the close proximity of Castella to Siskiyou County. Randall was able to contact both Edsall and Lee and filled out a report of the incident.
The report was forwarded to the Shasta County Sheriff's Department for possible further action.
State law provides for public right of ways on navigable waterways, including the Upper Sacramento River. This right of way is within the mean high water marks of the river, which parallel and extend into the river.
