The Humboldt County Drug Task Force, working with the Fortuna Police Department, seized 12 pounds of methamphetamine June 20 after serving search warrants on a home and storage unit in the city following a months-long investigation. Fortuna resident Heriberto Posos Cantu, 37, was arrested on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance for the purpose […]
Fortuna Police Department
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Fortuna Police Investigating Apparent Murder-Suicide
The Fortuna Police Department is investigating an apparent murder-suicide that left two men dead in a residence on the 2300 block of Newburg Road yesterday afternoon. Police were called to the scene after a “suspected homicide,” with an adult male suspect reportedly armed and barricaded inside the residence, according to a press release. Officers responded […]
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Eureka High Volunteer Coach Arrested for Alleged Child Sex Abuse
A volunteer coach for the Eureka High School boys basketball team was arrested by the Fortuna Police Department Wednesday on suspicion of a series of charges involving the sexual abuse of a child under 14. Eureka City Schools sent out a news release today stating the district was aware of Nathan Thomas Hentley’s arrest. He […]
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UPDATE: Police Arrest Teen Suspect in Fortuna High Shooting Threat
UPDATE: An investigative team, including Fortuna and Eureka detectives, arrested a 16-year-old girl in connection with a threat made via social media that a shooting would take place at Fortuna High School Thursday afternoon and another threat made against Eel River Community School. According to the Fortuna Police Department, the team “developed information” that identified […]
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Fortuna High Teacher Charged with Four Felonies in Molestation Case
The Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office has filed an eight-count criminal complaint against Fortuna Union High School teacher Gary Landergen, charging him with four felonies and four misdemeanors based on allegations that he sexually assaulted three 15-year-old girls over a four-day span this year. Landergen, who teaches math and coaches athletics at Fortuna High School, […]
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Former Fortuna Police Chief Dobberstein Dead at 53
Recently retired Police Chief William Dobberstein was found dead in his Fortuna home Saturday night of an apparent suicide. He was 53. Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal said his department is investigating Dobberstein’s death with an autopsy scheduled later this week, but said the preliminary report is the death appears to have been a suicide. […]
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Former Middle School Teaching Assistant Arrested for Alleged Sexual Abuse of a Child
This morning the Fortuna Police Department arrested former Toddy Thomas Middle School teaching assistant Matthew Oliver Gibson of McKinleyville on suspicion of sexual abusing a child. According to a press release, Gibson was a teaching assistant in the 2017-2018 school year and helping with the after-school program at the Fortuna school when he allegedly sexually abused a […]
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Fortuna Selects New Police Chief Formerly Featured on the Colbert Show
The city of Fortuna, whose police department’s top job was held most recently by former county Sheriff Mike Downey, announced yesterday the hiring of Sgt. Casey Day, a 19 year veteran of the Anderson Police Department in Shasta County. According to the city’s press release, Day is a former United States Marine with a master’s […]
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Fortuna’s Chief Dobberstein to Retire
The city of Fortuna announced today that Police Chief William Dobberstein will be retiring next month. Dobberstein, who started with the city’s force in 1994, has been at the department’s helm since 2011. According to a release, Dobberstein was “instrumental in the department adding a drug task force agent, school resource officer, two police detectives,” […]
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Bone Positively ID’d as Belonging to Missing Woman
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office confirmed today that a human femur found near the mouth of the Eel River in June is that of Sheila Franks, who went missing in early 2014. The positive identification — first reported by Redheaded Blackbelt — came earlier this month from the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Forensic Services […]
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Canine Unit Sniffs Out 2 Pounds of Meth in Fortuna
A detective with the Fortuna Police Department uncovered 2 pounds of methamphetamine Wednesday during a routine traffic stop on Riverwalk Drive, according to a press release. Detective Brian Taylor was on patrol when he watched a driver commit a traffic violation and pulled him over, at which time he “noticed the smell of marijuana coming […]
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THIRD UPDATE: Fortuna High Lockdown Lifted, Individual Detained
THIRD UPDATE: This morning’s school lockdowns in Fortuna were prompted by reports from parents that their children had received “a concerning image” that was being circulated on the social media app SnapChat. The message showed a picture of an assault rifle with the words “getting ready for school.” According to a Fortuna Police Department release, […]