Two men arrested after body found near rural Lake County road

Two men were booked into the Lake County Jail early Sunday in connection to the death of a Lucerne man whose body was discovered on the side of a rural road the prior morning.

Daniel Wayne Ford, 49, of Lakeport, and Michael Sean Shaffer, 35, of Upper Lake, were arrested on suspicion of homicide, kidnapping, robbery and carjacking, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. The men were arrested a few hours after a passerby spotted the body of Nicky Smith, 70, about 7:30 a.m. Saturday in the 4500 block of Scotts Valley Road, about 7 miles northeast of Lakeport, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Witnesses told investigators Smith was driving in the area before his death.

However, his green 2012 Toyota Tundra, with the license plate NASTOSR, remained missing as of Sunday morning, Lake County Sheriff’s Lt. Corey Paulich said.

Smith’s injuries “indicated something suspicious had occurred,” Paulich said in an email Sunday.

Investigators found blood at what they suspect was a second crime scene, near Eickhoff and Scotts Valley roads, about a half-mile from where Smith’s body was discovered.

Detectives identified Ford and Shaffer as suspects after speaking to witnesses, according to Paulich.

Citing an ongoing investigation, he declined to provide further detail on Smith’s injuries or comment on a possible motive, timeline or whether the men knew each other. Investigators were still conducting interviews as of Sunday morning.

Investigators also are searching for Darlene Geneva Anderson, a 53-year-old Lucerne woman who may have information about the homicide, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Shaffer, who was on probation, was arrested during a traffic stop in Nice about 8 p.m. Saturday. When questioned about Smith’s death, he denied knowing or being involved, the Sheriff’s Office said. Ford was arrested about two hours later at the Running Creek Casino in Upper Lake.

Ford, who was on parole, declined to speak to detectives.

Both men are being held in jail on $1 million bail and have an initial court date scheduled for Tuesday, Lake County Jail inmate logs show.

Anyone with information on Anderson’s whereabouts should call dispatchers at 707-263-2690.