Juan Ferrer’s plea deal in the stabbing death of an Arcata man continues to be a huge issue in the campaign to become Humboldt County’s next district attorney. Arnie Klein, a former prosecutor and one of four candidates vying for the seat being vacated by Paul Gallegos, issued a press release Thursday stating he’s been […]
Courts
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Firpo Responds to Plea Deal Critics
The Elan Firpo for District Attorney campaign issued a press release Saturday in response to criticism the candidate has received for a plea agreement she reached in a fatal Arcata stabbing case. “Some decisions are not universally popular,” Firpo states in the release. “It is the job of the District Attorney’s office to make tough […]
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Updated: Questions Follow Pleas in Stabbing Case
It looks like the Humboldt County district attorney’s race is hitting stride. In case you missed it, a 35-year-old Arcata man may spend as little as two years in county jail for the stabbing death of an Abruzzi chef late last year and it is becoming somewhat of a campaign issue. Douglas Anderson-Jordet was found […]
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Huffman Urges Obama to Reclassify Marijuana
North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, joined 17 of his cohorts today in sending a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to reschedule marijuana under the Controlled Substance Act. Currently, marijuana is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance under the act, putting it in the same category under federal law as heroin, […]
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Biologist Pleads Guilty in Yurok Embezzlement Case
A local biologist pleaded guilty today to a single federal count of conspiring to embezzle funds from an Indian tribal organization stemming from the bilking of nearly $1 million in federal funds from the Yurok Tribe over a three-year period beginning in 2007, tribal spokesman Matt Mais confirmed. According to court documents, Mad River Biologists […]
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Court *Might* Start Charging for Records and Other Services
Be prepared to pony up for court records. When the Journal went into the court records office last week, an employee warned, somewhat admonishingly, that asking for a criminal case file without a case number would cost $15 in the future. “That’s new,” we thought. For years, court records employees have seemed happy to look […]
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Caltrans and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Caltrans recently had what amounted to a very bad day. Specifically, Jan. 30, when Caltrans lost a major appellate court ruling on perhaps its highest profile North Coast project and was the subject of a scathing state report. First, the California Court of Appeals overturned a trial court decision and ruled that Caltrans must re-evaluate […]
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UPDATE(S): Deal Struck in Crabs Manager Marijuana Case
SECOND UPDATE: A press release on the Crabs website says Nutter had been considering leaving the team for two years, and made the decision now to be with his family. From the release: Nutter explained that after a discussion with his family, he decided after 23 years with the Crabs organization that this was a […]
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4th Amendment Rights and SCOTUS SWAG
When the United States Supreme Court took up the only criminal case on its calendar this year, a local attorney was at counsel table. Arcata attorney Jeffrey Schwartz — husband to the North Coast Journal’s Media Maven, Marcy Burstiner — didn’t argue the petitioner’s case, but was asked to sit in and advise by appellate […]
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Updated: Feds Investigate Loleta Elementary
The federal government is launching an investigation into allegations that the Loleta Elementary School District has discriminated against Native American students. The Americans Civil Liberties Union of Northern California received a letter this week from the United States Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights informing it that the office has officially launched an investigation […]
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Bullock Will Stand Trial for Murder of Eric Freed
A Humboldt County judge ruled today there was enough evidence to hold Gary Lee Bullock to answer for the torture and murder of St. Bernard’s Pastor Eric Freed on New Year’s Day. Bullock will be held to answer for vehicle theft and attempted arson charges as well, stemming from an alleged attempt to burn Freed’s […]
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Former Yurok Official Sentenced in Embezzlement Case
Former Yurok Tribe Forestry Director Roland Raymond was sentenced to serve three years in federal prison today for his role in an embezzlement scheme that bilked nearly $1 million in federal funds from the tribe. Raymond, 50, faced a maximum of five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a single count of conspiring […]