The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury released a report on the Arcata Police Department’s response to the homicide of Humboldt State University sophomore David Josiah Lawson with recommendations to improve the law enforcement agency. “The most difficult question the civil grand jury had to evaluate was the charge of racial bias within the police response,” […]
Courts
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DA Declines to File Charges in Blue Lake Gas Station Killing
Humboldt County District Attorney Maggie Fleming has declined to prosecute Patriot Gas Station clerk Mark Anthony Nelson Jr. for killing the man who allegedly robbed the business on the night of July 2, according to a press release from the DA’s office. “The employee has stated he acted in self-defense,” the press release states. “No […]
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Gas Station Attendant Arrested for Fatally Shooting Robbery Suspect
Last night in Blue Lake at around 9:45 p.m., an attendant allegedly shot a man who was attempting to rob the Patriot Gas Station, according to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office. The alleged robber — who has yet to be identified — died from a gunshot wound at the scene. The gas station attendant — […]
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Hundreds of Humboldt Cannabis Felonies Reclassified as Misdemeanors
To align cannabis-related convictions of the past with current laws, the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office identified 801 relevant felony cases and re-designated them as misdemeanors, according to a press release from the DA’s office. The health and safety code violations included marijuana possession, cultivation, possession for sale and transportation dating back to 1982, the […]
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Mother Ordered to Stand Trial in Fatal Shooting of Son, T-S and LoCO Report
The Times-Standard and Lost Coast Outpost are reporting that a Superior Court judge has ordered a Eureka woman to stand trial for allegedly fatally shooting her teenage son. Pamela Millsap, 38, is facing charges of voluntary manslaughter and two counts of child abuse. Read the full story here and here.
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Supreme Court Declines to Reconsider Tribes’ Water Rights at Klamath River, T-S Reports
The Times-Standard is reporting the Supreme Court has declined to overturn a court decision guaranteeing that Native tribes near the Klamath River can reserve enough water in the river to protect fish populations and beyond. “The ruling, or affirmation, by the Supreme Court is encouraging,” said Mike Orcutt, the Hoopa Valley Tribe’s fisheries director in […]
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Sexual Assault Hearing Raises Privacy Concerns (UPDATED)
A Humboldt County Superior Court judge ruled today there is sufficient evidence to hold David Bernard Anderson II to stand trial on charges he drugged and raped a 16-year-old girl in 2018, but not that he committed attempted sex trafficking. Deputy District Attorney Stacey Eads is prosecuting the case, with local attorney Michael Acosta representing […]
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Superior Court to Resume In-person Felony Arraignments Next Week
The Humboldt County Superior Court will resume holding arraignments for defendants who are out of custody but facing felony charges beginning June 15. Such appearances have been suspended for weeks in the midst of restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the court has apparently begun sending out appearance notices to […]
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Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury Recommending Humboldt County Correctional Facility Invest More in Conservation (Fire) Camps for Inmates
The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury is recommending that the Humboldt County Correctional Facility and the California State Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation invest more Conservation (fire) Camps – firefighting – to reintegrate more inmates into society after they are released. The detailed report focuses on the goal of reducing recidivism and providing meaningful productive […]
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Superior Court to Allow Judges, Others Not to Wear Masks
Yesterday, the Humboldt County Superior Court issued a new mask policy that allows judges and “individual addressing the Court” not to wear one. While the Court acknowledged that the Humboldt County Public Health Officer has ordered that facial coverings should be worn inside all public buildings, the court’s new order states, “However, the Administration of […]
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Churches, Gun Shops and Irate Brides: Explaining All the Shutdown Lawsuits Against Newsom
Alongside the beach-goers denied, the indignant gun shop owners and the house-bound pastors, Gov. Gavin Newsom now has yet another ticked off challenger to face in court: an extremely disappointed bride-to-be. In the latest filing to challenge the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, Monica Six, an Orange County resident, is suing California’s Democratic governor […]
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Superior Court Announces Sweeping COVID-19 Changes
The Humboldt County Superior Court just announced sweeping changes that will effectively reschedule the bulk of local cases to future dates, while live-streaming essential proceedings open to the public, in effort to keep everyone safe through the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the court is rescheduling all small claims and traffic cases, as well as all civil […]