Today a Humboldt County jury classified Scott Dean Eden, who spent time in and out of prison for two different sexually motivated crimes, as a sexually violent predator under the Sexually Violent Predator Act. According to the Humboldt County District Attorney’s press release, in 1990 Eden was found guilty of abducting a woman from a […]
Grand Jury
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NCJ Preview: Grand Jury Reports, Powers Creek Produce and Flocking Up
The Grand Jury reports are in — what does that mean? We’re talking with Access Humboldt about how this team of volunteers acts as a kind of watchdog over everything in our county from criminal investigations to mental health care. And if you’ve ever thought about getting into the small-scale produce racket or raising your […]
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Civil Grand Jury Finds SoHum School District Lacks Vision, Plan Amid Budget Crisis
The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury released a report yesterday detailing the hefty challenges facing Southern Humboldt Unified School District, from mountain budget shortfalls to a lack of stable leadership. The report, prompted by an apparent laundry list of complaints from families and staff in the district, details how declining enrollment, the formation of a […]
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The Jury’s In
By their very nature, Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury reports generally make for pretty dry reading. Not only are they products of deep-dive investigations into the inner workings of the bureaucracies of government, but they are also the work product of 19 citizens who must be in agreement not just about what an investigation found […]
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Transitional Housing Project Moves Forward, Grand Jury Report Underscores Need
Local philanthropist Betty Chinn plans to erect a small transitional housing village out of modular trailers donated by PG&E that have been lying dormant for months on the city-owned Crowley property on the south end of town. PG&E donated the 11 trailers — which it had been using as administrative offices at the Humboldt Bay […]
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Protests Follow Grand Jury’s Decision Not to Indict Suspect in Lawson Case
Red hats, scarfs and sweaters enveloped the exterior of the Humboldt County Courthouse and “Justice for Josiah” and “I stand with Charmaine Lawson” signs sat on the steps on March 15, as Lawson began to speak. “We’re not going to stop fighting, this doesn’t end,” she said. “Thursday’s decision doesn’t end. (District Attorney) Maggie Fleming, […]
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Attorney: Zoellner Thanks Jurors, Hopes Police Will Seek ‘Truth’ in Lawson Investigation
After a criminal grand jury targeting him opted not to issue an indictment, a McKinleyville man suspected in the stabbing death of David Josiah Lawson hopes the jury’s decision “will allow law enforcement to investigate the case from a new perspective and seek the truth,” according to a press release from his attorney. “Kyle Zoellner […]
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APD Chief Vows to Keep Investigating Lawson Case Despite Grand Jury’s Refusal to Indict
Shortly after the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office announced this afternoon that a criminal grand jury had declined to indict anyone in connection with the 2017 stabbing death of David Josiah Lawson, Arcata Police Chief Brian Ahearn told the Journal that his department is committed to continuing its investigation into the 19 year old’s slaying. […]
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Grand Jury Declines to Indict in Lawson Case
The Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office announced this afternoon that a criminal grand jury convened to hear evidence in the stabbing death of David Josiah Lawson has declined to issue any indictments in the case. According to the press release, the criminal grand jury convened Feb. 28 and heard testimony from 25 witnesses, including experts […]
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The Humboldt County Grand Jury Wants You (to Serve)
The Humboldt Chapter of the California Grand Jury Association is currently seeking applicants for the next year of service. The county Grand Jury does lengthy investigations of different issues related to local government. Reports on these investigations, which usually come out in May or June, are archived on the county’s website under dry titles like […]
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Grand Jury Blasts County Procurement Process
On Wednesday the Humboldt County civil grand jury came out with another startling report: The county is not adequately tracking how millions of dollars in contracts are being spent. The report alleges a lack of accountability, lack of transparency, lack of consistent terminology and a lack of oversight. Over the last decade, an increasing number […]
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County and City of Eureka Meet Tomorrow to Discuss Long-Awaited Report
It has taken months for the respective orbits of the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors and the Eureka City Council to align, but tomorrow they will finally sit down to discuss the estimated 844 people who sleep unsheltered in Humboldt County. The majority of those people are in Eureka, which has borne the brunt of […]