Just weeks before her trial was set to begin, Marci Kitchen stood in front of Judge Kaleb Cockrum on Monday and pleaded guilty to fatally hitting two teenage girls, including her daughter, while driving drunk in 2016 and fleeing the scene of the crash. Wearing a black and white brocade-style dress with a suit jacket, […]
Humboldt County Superior Court
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3rd UPDATE: Killoran Cruises to Judgeship
3rd UPDATE: In the final election night tally, Lawrence Killoran cruised to becoming Humboldt County’s next superior court judge, taking 65.97 percent of the vote to Lathe Gill’s 33.64 percent, with 17,143 ballots counted in the race. Killoran will take over the seat being vacated by retiring Judge Dale Reinholtsen at the end of the […]
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Gov. Makes Fourth HumCo Judicial Appointment in Past 12 Months
For the first time in recent memory, the Humboldt County Superior Court bench is back at full strength. Gov. Jerry Brown has announced he will appoint Timothy Canning, the 59-year-old court commissioner from Arcata, to the seat vacated by the retirement of Judge John T. Feeney earlier this year. Canning, a Democrat, according to the […]
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Two Local Attorneys Vie for Humboldt’s First Contested Judgeship in Decades
On June 5, Humboldt County will see its first contested judicial election in 20 years, when voters will choose either Lathe Gill or Lawrence Killoran to fill the seat retiring Judge Dale Reinholtsen has held for 21 years. The election is a crucial one, as judges wield tremendous power over the citizenry of Humboldt County. […]
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Another One Leaves the Bench: Judge Feeney to Retire
Judge John T. Feeney today announced he is retiring effective Feb. 28 after more than 20 years on the bench in Humboldt County. Over the years, Feeney has presided over some of the region’s most notorious cases, including the 2016 murder trial of Gary Lee Bullock, who was convicted in the brutal torture death of […]
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Kelly Neel Tapped as Next Superior Court Judge
There’s a new judge in town. Gov. Jerry Brown just announced that he appointed Deputy Public Defender Kelly Neel to the Humboldt County Superior Court judgeship being vacated by Judge Timothy Cissna, who is retiring next month after nearly two decades on the bench. “I’m just speechless,” Neel said when reached by the Journal. “I […]
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Gov Taps Elvine-Kreis as Humboldt’s Next Judge
Humboldt County will soon have a new superior court judge. Gov. Jerry Brown announced this afternoon that he has appointed Conflict Counsel Greg Elvine-Kreis to the judicial seat vacated by Bruce Watson’s retirement in January of 2016. While Watson’s term ended at the beginning of this year, Elvine-Kreis’ will run until January of 2019, meaning […]
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Supes Evaluate Public Defender as His Office Sends Another Blistering Letter
UPDATE: The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors issued a press release after emerging from closed session today, reaffirming its support for embattled Public Defender David Marcus. “During this meeting, Mr. Marcus reaffirmed his commitment to carrying out the mission of the Public Defender’s Office, which is to provide aggressive, competent and ethical representation to indigent […]
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Journal News Editor Wins Freedom of Information Award
The Society of Professional Journalists Northern California officially announced yesterday that Thadeus Greenson, the Journal‘s news editor, won a James Madison Freedom of Information Award. It’s an award Caroline Titus of the Ferndale Enterprise took home in 2016, and the Journal‘s then staff writer and editor Hank Sims and Emily Gurnon won in 2005. Greenson […]
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AG: No Criminal Charges Against HumCo Judges
The California Attorney General’s Office has decided not to pursue criminal charges against a pair of Humboldt County Superior Court judges accused of submitting false affidavits to the state in order to receive their salaries. The office’s review of the case — conducted at the request of Humboldt County District Attorney Maggie Fleming — spanned […]
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Public Defender to Retire, Judgeship Not Likely
After a decade on the job, Humboldt County Public Defender Kevin Robinson has informed the Board of Supervisors that he will be retiring in January. In a short letter sent to the board last week, Robinson says his last day heading the Public Defender’s Office will be Jan. 20 and offers to assist with training […]
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Former HCSO Sgt. Jason Daniels Found Not Guilty
Humboldt County District Attorney Maggie Fleming has confirmed that a jury found former Sherrif’s Office Sgt. Jason Daniels not guilty of two counts of sexual assault this afternoon. The trial, which lasted six days, stems from accusations dating back to 2013, when the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office arrested Daniels on allegations that he sexually assaulted […]