Lake County man gets prison in killing of neighbor he thought was child molester

A Lake County man was sentenced Wednesday to 32-years-to-life in prison for killing a neighbor he mistook for a convicted child molester.

Ivan Oliver, 34, was convicted two weeks ago by a jury of first-degree murder for stabbing Michael Dodele 65 times at a Lakeport mobile home park.

He also was found guilty of a special allegation of using information from the Megan's Law website to commit a felony. A confusing entry led Oliver to believe Dodele was a convicted child molester. Dodele, 67, was listed for being a serial rapist of adult women. He'd served more than 20 years in prison for his crimes and had been released just a month before he was killed.

Oliver had previously been convicted of stabbing a security guard who confronted him after he and some friends left a restaurant without paying.

At trial, Oliver testified he killed Dodele in self-defense. Oliver said he believed Dodele may have touched his son and that Dodele tried to stab him after he confronted him.

Oliver claimed he grabbed the knife and, out of fear, began blindly stabbing Dodele.

Lake County Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff said Oliver will be eligible for parole when he's 61 years old but he's likely to spend the rest of his life in prison.

"Between his prior history and the brutality involved, I don't ever expect him to get released," he said.

(You can reach Staff Writer Glenda Anderson at 462-6473 or Glenda.anderson@pressdemocrat.com.)