A father and son pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to their roles in a fatal Hoopa shooting in March of 2015 that left one man dead and two others wounded in a dispute over a marijuana deal. Hoopa resident Daniel Peter Colegrove, 73, died after being transported to a hospital in Redding. Under the […]
Kimberly Wear
Kimberly Wear is the assistant editor of the North Coast Journal.
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Appeals Court Reinstates Lawsuit in Fatal Fortuna Police Shooting
A wrongful death suit filed by the parents of a Fortuna man was reinstated by a federal appeals court panel Tuesday in an opinion that calls into question the credibility of statements by police officers involved in the 2012 fatal shooting. Jacob Newmaker was fatally shot on March 16, 2012, by Fortuna Police Department Officer […]
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UPDATED: Jury: Officer, McClain Both Negligent in Police Shooting
The last night of Thomas “Tommy” McClain’s life began with a night out on the town to celebrate his cousin’s birthday. It ended with the 22-year-old lying mortally wounded in his front yard after being shot three times by a Eureka police officer. While members of a federal civil jury found Officer Stephen Linfoot did […]
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Expert Opinions Collide in EPD Shooting Trial
Attorneys rested their cases today in a federal wrongful death trial after presenting testimony from law enforcement experts who gave conflicting views on whether a Eureka police officer’s fatal shooting of Thomas “Tommy” McClain was justified. A trio of police officers had McClain at gunpoint outside of his Allard Avenue home in the early morning […]
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McClain Witness: ‘There Was No Reason to Shoot’
Thomas “Tommy” McClain was walking toward Eureka police officers with his hands raised above waist level while navigating a barrage of conflicting commands when he was fatally shot, according to witness testimony today. Nichole Mottern, the wife of McClain’s cousin, who was standing in front of the Allard Avenue home the three shared that night, […]
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‘It Needed to be Done,’ EPD Officer Testifies in Wrongful Death Trial
The Eureka police officer who fatally shot Thomas “Tommy” McClain testified Tuesday that he stood by his actions and believed he had no choice but to shoot when the 22-year-old reached for what he believed was a gun in his waistband. “I was scared that the gun was going to come out and he was […]
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EPD Wrongful Death Trial Begins
Eureka Police Officer Stephen Linfoot testified today that he was one of three officers shouting commands with guns drawn in the seconds before he opened fire on Thomas McClain, continuing to shoot as the 22-year-old began falling over and after he hit the ground. “He was reaching for the gun and that’s when I shot, […]
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Former Trinidad Resident Robert Durst Pleads Not Guilty to Murder
Sometime in the mid-1990s, a quirky man with a mysterious past and proclivity for tall tales arrived in Trinidad, buying a home with sweeping ocean views in the small, secluded fishing village. From this far-flung location — seemingly as removed as possible from his life as the scion of New York’s real estate elite — […]
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Last Stand on Gang Murder Charge
Nearly two years have passed since 14-year-old Jesus Garcia-Romero was found gasping for breath on the lawn of a Eureka home on a cold and rainy morning one week before Christmas. Soaking wet and suffering from three stab wounds to the stomach, Garcia-Romero died a short time later at nearby St. Joseph Hospital. After a […]
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2nd UPDATE: Allison, Arcata Incumbents Secure Wins in Final Report
3rd UPDATE: The final election night reported has been posted with 100 percent of Humboldt County precincts reporting, and not much has changed with local contested city council races. Austin Allison has bested John Fullerton in Eureka’s 4th Ward, the Arcata incumbents have held their seats, incumbent Ferndale Mayor Don Hindley has won himself another […]
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Update: No Injuries in Hoopa Officer-Involved Shooting
UPDATE: No one was injured during an officer-involved shooting in Hoopa after a sheriff’s deputy shot at a suspect who reportedly fired at law enforcement several times from his residence during an early morning stand off yesterday. Eric Michael Matilton, 31, is facing charges of assault with a deadly weapon, willful discharge of a firearm in […]
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Bye Bye, Bird Count
Retired Humboldt State University professor John Hewston heard the birding call early in life. Raised in rural corners of Washington state, a young Hewston was more likely to be looking for birds under bushes than tending a fishing line like his fellow elementary school students. He did the same walking home from school, writing down […]