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 […]
Mike Downey
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Communication Failure Leaves School in Lurch Following Shooting
A shooting in Southern Humboldt last week has left a school district and the sheriff’s office both looking for better lines of communication. The shooting occurred in Redway shortly before 2 p.m. on Dec. 13, and the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office was called to the scene to a report of a gunshot victim lying along […]
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3rd UPDATE: Suspect Killed in McKinleyville Standoff
3rd UPDATE: Multiple news agencies are reporting that the suspect in an armed Mckinleyville standoff that started yesterday morning and continued into the night was killed at about 2:30 a.m. in a shootout with police. According to the reports, an unidentified woman fled the suspect’s apartment, after which he set several fires inside the apartment […]
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Drowning Near Holmes Flat First of the Year
A Fortuna man was this year’s first confirmed drowning victim, according to the Humboldt County Coroner’s Office. Timothy Hatten, 33, was reportedly trying to rescue two children when he succumbed to the current, according to an interview with Hatten’s family on the SoHum blog Redheaded Blackbelt. The children were reportedly pulled from the water by […]
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County Nabs $20 Million for New Transitional Jail Facility
Humboldt County Sheriff Mike Downey announced yesterday that the state has approved a $20 million funding request to build a multi-use addition onto the county jail that officials hope will revolutionize offender rehabilitation locally. The funding will be matched with $1.5 million from the county to build a three-story structure on the gravel lot adjacent […]
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McKinleyville Residents Turn Out to Talk Crime, Pot, Homelessness With Sen. McGuire
Members of the McKinleyville Community Watch group were able to secure a town hall meeting with State Senator Mike McGuire and other local figures such as Sheriff Mike Downey, District Attorney Maggie Fleming and Chief Probation Officer William Damiano last night. McGuire’s presence was due to the request of Supervisor Ryan Sundberg, who said the […]
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Hoopa PD No More
The days of Hoopa having its own police department may be over. Humboldt County Sheriff Mike Downey announced Thursday that he was revoking the power of tribal police officers to enforce state law and suspending a memorandum of understanding that had been in place between the tribe and the county for almost two decades. The […]
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Sheriff’s Office, Grand Jury Butt Heads over Jail Release Transportation
Policies at the Humboldt County jail continue to come under fire from the grand jury, which reported this week that jail staff refuses to inform prisoners being released that they have the right to ask for transportation if they were arrested farther than 25 miles from the jail. In its report, the grand jury says […]
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UPDATED: Supes Consider Post-Consolidation Pay Bump for Sheriff
UPDATE: The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors, after less than 15 minutes of discussion, voted unanimously to approve the pay increase requested for Sheriff Mike Downey to compensate him for the extra duties he’s taking on in the wake of his office consolidating that of the coroner-public administrator. Each member of the board stressed before […]
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UPDATED. CHP: Suspect Attacked Officer with Machete Before Fatal Shooting
Update one: The Humboldt County Coroner’s Office has released the name of the person killed: Hoopa tribal member Richard Fredrick Tis Mil Estrada, 17, of Hoopa. Update two: The California Highway Patrol says the officer involved in this incident, Tim Gray, was discharged from U.C. Davis Medical Center today. ——— It was a surprise machete attack that […]
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UPDATE: “Wild Bill’ Convicted of Deputy Shooting
UPDATE: A jury this afternoon convicted William “Wild Bill” Nelson of the attempted murder of a Humboldt County sheriff’s deputy, according to Assistant District Attorney Kelly Neel. Nelson shot deputy Bang Cao once in the chest as Cao was trying to serve a judge’s order forcing Nelson to move out of his girlfriend’s Shelter Cove […]
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Supes to Discuss Jail Release Policy
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors will look over this year’s grand jury recommendations tomorrow, including the report that called for the end of Humboldt County Jail’s late night release policy. Sheriff Mike Downey said in August that the jail would not comply with the report, and would continue to release people between 10 p.m. […]