Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal said officers had been using de-escalation techniques for 15 minutes with an armed suspect on Mad River Road this morning when he brandished the firearm and was fatally shot. Flanked by local California Highway Patrol command staff and Arcata Police Chief Brian Ahearn, and standing before a small group of […]
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Tonight’s Still A Mystery Episode to Feature Josiah Lawson Case
The unsolved fatal stabbing of Humboldt State University student David Josiah Lawson will be featured on Still A Mystery, an Investigation Discovery television program that looks at a single crime in each episode “where unanswered questions still remain.” More than three years have passed since Lawson, a 19-year-old sophomore studying criminal justice, was killed on […]
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One Found Dead After Arcata Apartment Fire
One person was found dead after in an apartment fire that broke out in Arcata before dawn this morning, according to Police Chief Brian Ahearn. “Arcata Fire located one body inside of a ground floor unit,” Ahearn said. “The person was deceased.” The cause of the fire, which broke out just before 5:30 a.m. in […]
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APD: Driver Sought in Suspected ‘Intentional Assault’ for Hitting Victim with Car
The Arcata Police Department is searching for a driver who is believed to have been intentionally struck another man with a vehicle around 2:30 p.m. today in a case of assault with a deadly weapon, Arcata Police Chief Brian Ahearn said. The victim was driving his vehicle with his adult son in the car when […]
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My Conversation with Richard Ehle
As a reporter, there are moments you remember with incredible clarity. Sometimes it’s because the moments are monumental, like when a source called in 2007 to tell me a criminal grand jury had just indicted two Eureka police commanders on manslaughter charges. Other times, it’s because they pull at your heart strings, like when I […]
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91 Year Old Killed in Arcata Dog Attack
A 91-year-old man was killed in a dog attack in Arcata on June 25, according to the Humboldt County Coroner’s Office. According to a press release, Donald Steele sustained fatal injuries consistent with a dog attack. His manner of death has been deemed “accidental.” The dog that allegedly attacked Steele was taken into the custody […]
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Police Investigate School Threat, Deem it Not Credible
Police investigated a suspicious note found on the Arcata High School Campus yesterday that contained a “threat of violence” but determined it not to be credible. According to an Arcata Police Department press release issued this evening, the note threatened that the unspecified violent act would be carried out tomorrow, May 24. Police and the […]
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Parents of Man Killed by Police File Wrongful Death Claim
The parents of a 26-year-old man shot and killed by Arcata and Humboldt State University police in September have filed a claim for damages with the city, alleging negligence, wrongful death and “conspiracy to cover up.” Ervin Eugene Sweat Jr. allegedly opened fire on police officers, wounding one, with a stolen .40 caliber handgun in […]
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UPDATE: Police Chief Says Missing HSU Student Apparently Died from Fall
2nd UPDATE: An autopsy conducted Monday, Dec. 11 concluded that Henry’s death was due to fatal injuries consistent with a fall. The death was found to be self-inflicted. UPDATE: The body of 22-year-old Erin Elizabeth Henry was found at the bottom of Elephant Rock, just south of the Westhaven exit on U.S. Highway 101, according to […]
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Police Chief on Shooting: Suspect Was Wanted, Officer Lucky to be Alive
Twenty-six-year-old Ervin Eugene Sweat Jr. was wanted on a pair of warrants and facing imminent arrest when he stepped out of a Ford truck and opened fire on police officers, initiating the gunfire exchange that killed him, Arcata Police Chief Tom Chapman said at a press conference this afternoon. According to Chapman, Sweat fired at […]
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Officer Wounded, Suspect Killed in Arcata Plaza Shooting
A shootout in front of bar row on the Arcata Plaza around 2 a.m. left a Humboldt State University police officer wounded and a suspect dead. The officer’s injuries are considered serious but not life threatening. According to an Arcata Police Department press release, an APD officer was with the UPD officer investigating a report […]
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What Now?
David Josiah Lawson’s mother’s grief is audible as she speaks with her Jamaican accent. But so is her pride. She’s in KHSU’s studio talking to a radio DJ just a few days after her 19-year-old son was fatally stabbed at a house party. She explains her son’s childhood love of green-apple Jolly Rancher candies and […]