Strange, quirky news made Petaluma headlines in 2016

Charred hoverboards, plans for a cat cafe and swarm of bees all popped up in Petaluma this year. Petaluma High School finally launched a science experiment into space. The Washoe House was confirmed to be haunted, maybe.

These are some of the strange, quirky and downright weird stories that graced the pages of the Argus-Courier in 2016. Some of the high- or lowlights:

Crash leads to gun dispute

After hearing a series of violent collisions outside his home in January, Petaluma resident Joe Clayworth looked out of his second-story window in time to witness a large truck drive over the hood of a parked Corvette before colliding with the fence of his South McDowell Boulevard house. Clayworth ran outside with a pistol and confronted the driver, holding him at gunpoint while neighbors called the police.

Clayworth said he felt his actions had helped keep the suspected drunk driver from further endangering his family, or from leaving to cause more damage or harm. Yet the 36-year-old was detained at the scene by the Petaluma Police Department, who confiscated his Glock 19 semi-automatic pistol.

Hoverboard fire damages home

A hoverboard plugged into an electrical outlet to recharge burst into flames at a west side home in January

No one was injured in the fire, which started when the hoverboard, which was purchased online and was being charged in a bedroom, caught fire.

The residents were elsewhere in the Bixby Court home at the time, Petaluma fire Battalion Chief Mike Medeiros said.

Medeiros said the homeowner told firefighters he heard an explosion downstairs and found his daughter’s hoverboard plugged in and continuing to burn and explode, sending embers and portions of the device throughout the bedroom and hallway.

Speed record attempt

Petaluman Michael Turner in January said he was aiming to set a new world record for speed with a hand-crafted race car.

Turner was working with fellow Petaluma resident Greg Leno to build a car that’s the first of its kind in its class, with features that the builders hoped will help it break speed records at the Bonneville Speedway near Wendover, Utah.

Three-wheeled DUI

Sparks shooting from a car traveling with just three tires from Rohnert Park to Petaluma lit up Highway 101 before dawn one February morning.

In southern Petaluma, officers stopped and arrested the woman behind the wheel, Alyson Ice, 21, of Santa Rosa, suspecting her of being under the influence of alcohol, prescription drugs and marijuana, CHP Officer Jon Sloat said.

Officers stopped the woman on Lakeville Highway at about 5:30 a.m. They believed she was very impaired as she didn’t know where she was, what time it was or which way on the highway she’d been heading.

The woman told officers she thought she’d been pulled over in Cotati, that it was 11 p.m. and that she had been driving north where she planned to visit a friend in Larkfield in northern Santa Rosa.

Ice’s white Hyundai sedan was missing a tire on the front driver’s side and the car had been rolling on its disintegrating rim, which was worn almost to the brake rotor, Sloat said.

Fire sensor pitch raises alarm

Reports of a group using free steak dinner events as a way to market pricey smoke detectors in Petaluma attracted the concern of the city’s fire department in February, who expressed worry that consumers at those presentations may falsely conclude that other modern alarms available at a fraction of the cost are inadequate.

Quotes reported to be as high as $1,000 per smoke alarm, while effective “dual-sensor” modern alarms cost around $30, Petaluma Fire Inspector Corinne Barclay said.

The company, Santa Rosa-based Fire Safety Excellence, challenged the department’s criticism, claiming that their approach puts safety first and customizes packages of products for a homeowner’s needs and financial situation.

Meat market crash

An extremely intoxicated driver in February slammed his truck into the front of Thistle Meats on Petaluma Boulevard North, taking out load-bearing beams, windows and masonry.

No one was injured, including the driver. A preliminary test showed driver Jason Lopez, 22, had a blood-alcohol level of 0.2 percent, police said.

A city building inspector arrived that morning and red-tagged the 141-year-old building, meaning it was not safe for customers to enter. But Best and her staff still showed up for work and, after an initial cleanup, resumed selling locally-sourced meat out the back door.

Toilet to tank

The California Energy Commission announced in March it was awarding Petaluma $3 million to build a natural gas automotive fueling station at the Ellis Creek Water Recycling Facility.

The work will increase capacity while allowing the plant to take high-strength waste from local industry. Adding the ability to treat high-strength waste will allow the plant to produce enough methane gas to replace an anticipated 117,000 gallons of diesel fuel annually.

Space launch

In April, a group of Petaluma teens watched as the scientific experiment they had spent multiple semesters developing was launched into the cosmos on a SpaceX rocket carrying cargo to deliver to the International Space Station.

A year earlier, students watched in horror as their experiment, which was to test the feasibility of growing algae in micro-gravity as a potential source for biofuel, was destroyed when the SpaceX rocket carrying it exploded after its launch from Cape Canaveral, Fla.

Injured dog may have been thrown from car

A young emaciated and battered dog found in April in Petaluma along Highway 101 may have been thrown from a vehicle, according to a Petaluma animal official.

The pit bull or pit bull mix received emergency medical attention at Brandner Veterinary Hospital in Petaluma for a broken front leg, broken pelvis and busted canine tooth.

Her injuries seem to indicate she was thrown or fell from a moving vehicle, said Jeff Charter, executive director of the Petaluma Animal Shelter.

DUI suspect hits parked cars

A 29-year-old Petaluma man was arrested in June on suspicion of driving while intoxicated after his pickup truck struck four parked cars and a motorcycle on a residential street in west Petaluma.

Evert Gonzalez-Garcia was seen by witnesses running into a house near 6th and E streets after his silver Dodge pickup struck the vehicles and came to rest atop a parked Harley-Davidson motorcycle, according to Petaluma Police.

Gonzalez-Garcia submitted to a breath test that registered his blood alcohol level at .138 percent.

U-Haul used in heist

A U-Haul truck, loaded with five motorcycles stolen in a brazen heist in Petaluma, fled law enforcement in a long-distance chase in June.

Petaluma officers responded to the K&B Motorsports on Petaluma Boulevard North after a caller reported seeing the truck back up to the business and drive off.

The observer saw windows of the business were shattered, and believed the truck was loaded with merchandise, according to police.

Fire station break in

A man smashed through the downtown fire station’s glass front door and aggressively confronted the firefighters inside in July.

The suspect, 27-year-old Armando Arenas-Altamirano, made his way to the building’s break room, where he began attempting to barricade the doors with furniture. The suspect began throwing chairs at personnel.

Police arrested Arenas-Altamirano, a Petaluma resident that night on charges of felony vandalism, use or being under the influence of a controlled substance, possession of controlled substance paraphernalia and violation of probation.

Bees downtown

In August, a colony of bees took up residence in the Masonic hall clock tower off Western Avenue. Beekeeper Chris Conrad was called in to remove the hive, using a vacuum-like device that doesn’t harm the bees.

The approximately 50,000-strong colony at Western and Petaluma Boulevard had made the unusual decision to build its hive on a highly exposed edifice at one of the city’s most recognizable intersections.

Cat cafe

Two women in August launched a quest to make Petaluma the first city in the North Bay to feature a “cat cafe,” an establishment that would be part of a trend that’s coupling cat and coffee lovers with adoptable felines.

The feline enthusiasts last week started a crowd-funding campaign to raise at least $35,000 to open “Catfeinated,” a cafe and co-working space in Petaluma that would house cats from local shelters.

The café is envisioned to serve as a hub for adoptions as well as a space for a feline-friendly community to congregate.

Show deemed anti-gay canceled

The company operating Petaluma’s Mystic Theatre in August canceled the scheduled performance of a popular reggae artist after hearing from critics who claimed his messages promote violence against LGBT people.

Ineffable Music Group canceled the planned Sept. 27 show by the artist Sizzla. The company committed to the cancellation on the same day that the condemnation of Sizzla from the region’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community came to light.

Farmer Olympics

The Farmer Olympics in September brought people who support locally produced food together with those who grow and raise it at the Petaluma fairgrounds.

Games such as seed matching, food lexicon trivia, corn husking, butter churning and competitive drip irrigation building were just a few of the hands-on activities at this year’s event.

Coffee odor

A loud if small chorus of Petaluma residents raised a stink in September about the roasting coffee coming from the Mountanos Family Coffee and Tea facility on Commerce Street, off North McDowell Boulevard.

The calls prompted the city of Petaluma to ask the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to investigate whether the roastery violated air quality regulations. No violations were reported.

Dead carp

A kayaker in September discovered 50 dead carp in a tributary of the Petaluma River.

Examinations of a die-off of common carp centered on the confluence of Capri Creek and the Petaluma River have found a culprit occasional low dissolved oxygen levels measured in waters around the confluence, as well as the recession of tidally-influenced waters that occasionally strand fish along the shore.

Manure spreader accident

Petaluma firefighters in October helped free a man whose foot became stuck in a manure spreader. Firefighters were called to a farm on Lakeville Highway just south of Petaluma, where they found the man with his right foot caught in the manure spreader.

Paramedics treated the patient while Lakeville firefighters cut the metal bracing and pried the metal away from the man’s foot, freeing him. The man, who was not identified, was transported to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

Confederate flag dust up

Three young white men carried variations of the Confederate flag on the sidelines of the Petaluma Veterans Day Parade in November.

The Confederate flags carried by the men were a striking exception in an otherwise all-American display, and drew strong condemnation from many, including Rep. Jared Huffman.

Decoy packages

To thwart package thefts, Petaluma police in December used fake parcels containing GPS-enabled tracking devices.

Purchased through a grant, the $200 devices are small enough to be placed discreetly within packages or with big-ticket items like laptops and bicycles.