News

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office arrested a prominent local foster parent yesterday on suspicion of committing lewd acts against a minor.

In response to a Journal inquiry seeking more information about the circumstances of the arrest, sheriff’s office spokesperson Samantha Karges said William Scott Peugh, 46, was arrested at 4:30 yesterday afternoon on suspicion of a violation of penal code section 288 (c)(1) as the result of an ongoing investigation. Karges said she is unable to release additional information at this time.

County spokesperson Cati Gallardo said Child Welfare Services and law enforcement are taking “the necessary steps to ensure all children in the home are in a safe environment and provided with necessary services and care." She declined to answer whether foster children were living in Peughs’ home at the time of the alleged crime or are believed to be a victim in the case.

“As with any case involving criminal allegations involving minors, the safety of the children is and will always be the county’s top priority,” Gallardo said.

Peugh and his wife, Heather, have served as foster parents since 2012, taking dozens of children into their homes, sometimes four or five at a time. The family has been featured in county videos and social media posts aimed to recruiting additional foster families locally. In 2019, the family was featured in a North Coast Journal article about an increasing local need for foster families, with Heather saying at the time that they’d taken in 31 children over the previous six years.