County prosecutors have identified the victims of an alleged double murder in Southern Humboldt Aug. 14 as Tiffany Marie Ellebrecht and Jeremy Dieter Kuemmel. Their alleged killer, 24-year-old Ulisses Rodriguez, who was arrested in Chico a week after Ellebrecht and Kuemmel’s bodies were found in a burning vehicle on Briceland Road near Ettersburg Junction, made […]
Courts
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UPDATE: Judge Denies Placement of Convicted Sex Offender in Freshwater
UPDATE: The Times-Standard is reporting that, in the face of a tremendous outpouring of neighborhood concern, Judge John Feeney has denied the proposed placement of Joshua Cooley in a Freshwater neighborhood. Feeney set an Oct. 23 hearing to review Cooley’s placement status. PREVIOUSLY: A Humboldt County Superior Court judge is scheduled to decide Thursday morning […]
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Marci Kitchen Pleads Guilty, Sentencing Set
Just weeks before her trial was set to begin, Marci Kitchen stood in front of Judge Kaleb Cockrum today and pleaded guilty to all the charges she was facing for fatally hitting two teenage girls, including her daughter, while driving drunk then fleeing the scene in 2016. Wearing a black and white brocade dress with […]
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Retired FBI Agent Disputes Claim He Has Nothing More to Offer Lawson Investigation
The retired FBI agent who protesters have been lobbying to have brought back onto the ongoing investigation into the 2017 slaying of a Humboldt State University sophomore is disputing the implication that he declined the city’s invitation to return. Protesters effectively shut down Arcata City Council meetings Wednesday and Thursday, occupying city council chambers and […]
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Marci Kitchen Expected to Plead Guilty Monday
Judge Kaleb Cockrum today set a Monday hearing at which Marci Kitchen is expected to enter a guilty plea to the full set of charges she is facing for the hit-and-run deaths of two teenage girls, one of whom was her daughter. More than two years have passed since Kitchen allegedly was driving drunk and […]
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Judge Finds Animal Cruelty Case Against Rancher Can Proceed to Trial
A Humboldt County Superior Court judge has ruled there is enough evidence for local rancher Raymond Christie to stand trial on charges related to his treatment of animals and the disposal of dead livestock at properties across the region. According to a Times-Standard report, Judge Kaleb Cockrum held Christine to answer Thursday to three felony […]
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Trinidad Woman Pleads No Contest in Toddler Death Case
A Trinidad woman will be sentenced to 10 years in state prison after pleading no contest to allegations that she caused the death of her 18-month-old son last month, according to the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office. Alexandrea Raven Scott, 23, was arrested June 20 in Willits after bringing her 18-month-old son, Chergery Teywoh Lew […]
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County Sues Pharmaceutical Companies
The county of Humboldt filed a federal lawsuit this week against the some of the largest manufacturers and distributors of prescription opioids in the United States, alleging they have recklessly promoted their use while downplaying risks of addiction and overdose, according to a county press release. The release notes that Humboldt County has the second-highest […]
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Lawsuit Challenges 3 California Ballot Measure
A lawsuit filed with the California Supreme Court this week is challenging the placement of a controversial initiative to divide the state into three on the November ballot less than one month after it was signed off on by the Secretary of State’s Office. According to a San Francisco Chronicle article, the Planning and Conservation […]
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Detained Arcata Mom Back With Family
Claudia Portillo is back with family. Seven months after the Arcata mother of four was detained during a routine immigration check-in in San Francisco, the 33 year old was released Tuesday after posting a $12,000 bond. Portillo had been held at federal detention center in Bakersfield where she was transferred in December, one month after […]
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Judge Sets Hearing on Jury Misconduct in Goldberg Murder Trial
The man convicted of killing volunteer Fortuna fireman Tim Smith could receive a new trial after a judge today found the defense had presented enough evidence to call for an evidentiary hearing into jury misconduct, according to news reports. Jon David Goldberg, who was found guilty of second-degree murder in March for fatally shooting Smith […]
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Arcata Rancher Charged on 35 Counts Related to Animal Cruelty Investigation
UPDATE: According to Humboldt County Deputy District Attorney Adrian Kamada, at this morning’s arraignment on animal cruelty charges Raymond Christie waived his right to have a preliminary hearing within 60 days. A court date has been set for Aug. 14 and Christie is not currently in custody. The district attorney is filing a motion to […]