Shortly after the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office announced this afternoon that a criminal grand jury had declined to indict anyone in connection with the 2017 stabbing death of David Josiah Lawson, Arcata Police Chief Brian Ahearn told the Journal that his department is committed to continuing its investigation into the 19 year old’s slaying. […]
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Grand Jury Declines to Indict in Lawson Case
The Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office announced this afternoon that a criminal grand jury convened to hear evidence in the stabbing death of David Josiah Lawson has declined to issue any indictments in the case. According to the press release, the criminal grand jury convened Feb. 28 and heard testimony from 25 witnesses, including experts […]
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Hinson Guilty of Manslaughter in SoHum Beating Death
William Lamar Hinson III was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter “with the special allegation that he personally used a deadly weapon” in the 2015 killing Khan Lam in Garberville, according to a press release sent by the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office. Lam, 37, was involved in a physical altercation with a family member in […]
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California, 15 Other States Sue Trump Over ‘Manufactured’ Crisis
Sixteen states, including California, are suing the Trump administration over the border national emergency declaration, filing a complaint Monday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The states are alleging that Trump’s move is “unlawful and unconstitutional” and based on a “manufactured ‘crisis’” despite evidence that unlawful border entries are at a […]
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Brown Commutes Sentences of Two Local Women Convicted of Murder
Among the 131 people who had their criminal sentences commuted by Gov. Jerry Brown on Christmas Eve was Dianna Mae Preston, a Trinidad woman who came to be known as the “vigilante granny” for chasing down and fatally shooting a Eureka man she wrongly believed had molested her granddaughter. Brown set a record for pardons […]
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Before the $4.7 Billion Baby Powder Verdict, There Was One in Humboldt
By now, you’ve probably heard about Reuters’ investigative bombshell showing that Johnson & Johnson knew for decades that its baby powder contained asbestos while the company publicly insisted on the “safety and purity” of its iconic product. If this is news to you, check out the story here, which relies on scores of interviews and […]
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DA: Lawson Review Will Likely Take Another 4-6 Weeks
Humboldt County District Attorney Maggie Fleming says her office will need another month to six weeks to complete its review of the David Josiah Lawson homicide investigation to determine what — if any — charges are appropriate in the case. The Arcata Police Department completed its investigation into Lawson’s April 15, 2017, stabbing death and […]
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Storyteller ‘Carpathian’ Pleads No Contest in Sexual Abuse Case
The man whom many knew as the local storyteller “Carpathian” has pleaded no contest to sexually abusing a child and is facing up to 16 years in prison, according to the Times-Standard. The paper reports that John Beideman, who worked as a Humboldt Superior Court records clerk, is set to be sentenced Dec. 14. The […]
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Judge Recommends Revoking Licenses for Sidelines, Toby & Jack’s
An administrative law judge has recommended that the California Bureau of Alcoholic Beverage Control revoke the liquor licenses for two longtime Arcata bars, Sidelines and Toby & Jack’s. Judge Alberto Roldan’s recommendation, handed off to ABC this morning, comes after a four-day hearing held in late September surrounding allegations of widespread narcotic sales at the […]
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Lawson Case in DA’s Hands, Initial Review Likely to Span Several Weeks
Humboldt County District Attorney Maggie Fleming confirmed this morning that the Arcata Police Department has officially submitted its investigation into the 2017 stabbing death of David Josiah Lawson to her office for review. “We have received all the reports,” Fleming wrote in an email to the Journal, adding that an initial review revealed that there […]
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Update on Courthouse White Powder Incident
The white substance found smeared on the outside of the county court clerk’s office was not identified as a “chemical or biological agent” in initial tests but more will be conducted by an out-of-town lab. One person did come into contact with the powder-like material, prompting “precautionary measures” to be taken, according to a release […]
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Guilty Plea in Teen Girl’s Meth Overdose Death
A Rio Dell man pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter Monday in connection with the death of a 16-year-old girl who died of a methamphetamine overdose while partying at a Eureka hotel in February of 2017, according to the Lost Coast Outpost. Tavin Dee Evans, 20, is expected to be sentenced to three years in county […]