This from North Coast Journal intern Scottie Lee Meyers:

Newly appointed County Supervisor Rex Bohn said Thursday that his only child’s arrest on kidnapping, assault and other charges shouldn’t interfere with his political duties, and he stressed that he has faith in the system.

“I have full faith in the legal system and law enforcement,” Bohn said in a phone interview with the Journal. “Family is what we’re all about, and I’ll stand by son. Am I happy? No. Is he my son? Yes. That’s first and foremost.”

Bohn’s son Trevor could not be reached immediately for comment. Officers confiscated his phone before he was released on bail last night, his father said. Rex Bohn didn’t bail his son out and doesn’t know yet what arrangements he’s going to make for an attorney.

“He’s a 27-year-old who lives in his own house.”

Bohn was elected in June to represent the county’s First Supervsiorial District but was appointed last month to begin his term early in the wake of Jimmy Smith’s resignation. Bohn has said he is still working on learning the job and recently expressed interest in getting a clearer explanation of the county’s general plan update because it is so complicated and he is new to the board.

Still, he said the arrest should have no impact on his job.

“I know it doesn’t affect county business. This is a family matter, but I understand people are going to talk.”

Trevor Bohn was one of four men arrested in Fortuna yesterday morning and booked on suspicion of burglary, felony child abuse, kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon and false imprisonment, according to Fortuna Police. Police say the four broke into an apartment, assaulted adults and children inside with bear pepper spray and tried to kidnap one of them in a dispute over stolen marijuana.

“I am certainly pleased there were no guns involved,” Rex Bohn said.

The full press release, posted yesterday on the Fortuna police website, is also below:

On September 19, 2012 at about 10:00 am, officers with the Fortuna Police Department responded to an apartment complex located in the 100 block of 12th Street for a report of a strong odor of pepper spray about the complex.

Upon arrival, officers contacted several subjects who reported that they had just been assaulted by a group of male subjects who had fled the complex in two vehicles.

Moments later, officer located and stopped the involved vehicles and contacted the occupants who were all later arrested.

During the investigation, victims reported that the subjects had forced entry into an apartment and forcibly held two subjects in a bedroom while demanding marijuana that they had allegedly stolen. The suspects then allegedly discharged a canister of bear pepper spray at numerous occupants within the residence including minor children. The subjects then attempted to forcibly remove one of the victims from the apartment.

As a result of the incident a total of ten victims experienced symptoms associated with the pepper spray. City Ambulance responded and transported three adults and two minor children to the hospital where they were treated for moderate injuries.

The following subjects were arrested:

Gregory Stephens (age 36) of Eureka, Wyatt Williamson (age 26) of Eureka, Trevor Bohn (age 27) of Eureka, and James Michael Oneil (age 58) of Loleta.

All four subjects were transported to the Humboldt County Correctional Facility and booked on the following charges:

Penal Code Section 459 (Burglary)
Penal Code Section 236 (False Imprisonment)
Penal Code Section 273 (Felony Child Abuse)
Penal Code Section 207 (Kidnapping)
Penal Code Section 245 (Assault with a Deadly Weapon)

This investigation is ongoing and the department is asking anyone with information to contact the department or to remain anonymous, contact the department WeTip Hotline at
1-800-78-CRIME.

Carrie Peyton Dahlberg was editor of the North Coast Journal from June 2011 to November 2013.

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24 Comments

  1. This type of crime is usually called referred to by the media as a home invasion. I haven’t read a single article calling it that. Seems that young Bohn is already getting soft treatment.

  2. Rex Bohn’s son was arrest yesterday for assault with bear pepper spray in Fortuna. It’s in the Times Standard. Wow. I wonder how he feels about the cops and the law on this one. I think this would be a very interesting follow up story the NCJ should do.

  3. I’m guessing the Sheriffs sent in their same squad that slapped Ryan Sundberg on the wrist when he drove home while running for supervisor with a blood alcohol level of more than twice the legal limit. When you’re a politico or related to one in this county you don’t get arrested but cited and given a summons. That’s the essence of the Humboldt County Good Ol’ Boys System.

  4. Rex’s response is in keeping with Rex, for those who have the pleasure of knowing him.

    Honesty is one of Rex Bohn’s attributes.

    His response is at I would expect: honest, direct and respectful of the police and the process that will proceed.

    Rex replaced an honest and hard-working supervisor in Jimmy Smith. It is nice to see Rex continuing a tradition of openness and honesty in a profession that often lacks each.

  5. Re: surprised citizen
    Penal Code Section 459 (Burglary)
    Penal Code Section 236 (False Imprisonment)
    Penal Code Section 273 (Felony Child Abuse)
    Penal Code Section 207 (Kidnapping)
    Penal Code Section 245 (Assault with a Deadly Weapon)

    Doesnt seem like light treatment…

    I am impressed with Rex for not making excuses for his son; other politicians surely would have tried to justify or defend the son’s actions…besides, since when does a person’s family members’ actions directly represent a person’s morals and/or integrity?

    Rex is new to his position, and his capability has yet to be proven or disproven. As for me, I hope he makes us citizens proud, and I have open minded faith that he will…

  6. correction: sorry, not re: surprised citizen, but rather RE: “steve”. Doesn’t seem like he is getting ‘soft treatment’, but I could be wrong…

  7. The T-S update this morning says that the cops found a total of three pistols in the two cars that the suspects drove to and from the apartment.

    Personally, I think it’s to their credit that they didn’t use those in their repo attempt. The fact that they brought them along is unlikely to help their case, though.

  8. “I am certainly pleased there were no guns involved,”

    Add a new charge to the list: Possessing a firearm in the commission of a felony.

    3 pistols were seized after the search of the vehicles. Funny that Rex would mention specifically that he was glad no guns were involved. What a poor attempt at damage control!

  9. It’s to their credit they didn’t use the guns found in their car???? What???? This was a crime, No Guns — it wasn’t just growing, transporting, or selling illegal stuff, it was a HOME INVASION. A “repo attempt”? It was burglary, assault and battery, felony child endangerment, etc. as charged.
    I don’t care whether T-Bohn was Rex’s son or not, or how Rex responded to this — I’m just astounded at someone calling this a “repo attempt.”
    You think the victims should say, “Thank you for not shooting”??

  10. “I am impressed with Rex for not making excuses for his son.”

    That goes for lots of us.
    As for the less charitable commenters here, I hope that I do not know you.

  11. @ Grouchy, if the “victims” in this case are really the tweakers and thieves they’re portrayed to be on other comment boards, yeah, they probably should feel pretty lucky. I hate tweakers. If there weren’t minor children in the house I doubt anyone would really care about this story at all.

  12. If I were Rex I would question my son a little more cause the fortuna home isn’t the only one the four suspects went and acted out of place there was multiple one of which there was also children at and guns were shot off through a fence

  13. His response is hilarious.“He’s a 27-year-old who lives in his own house.” Where do you think the money came from… Couldn’t be the pot money…. lol

  14. The only real innocent person in all this is Rex.
    The visceral responce to this says more about his critics than about Rex.

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