Humboldt County Sherrif William Honsal, Arcata Police Chief Brian Ahearn and Eureka Police Chief Steve Watson have released statements regarding the arrest and death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Floyd died after a white officer Derek Chauvin of the Minneapolis Police Department knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes during an arrest. […]
Steve Watson
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UDPATE: EPD Believes Fatal Shooting was Self-defense
UPDATE: According to a press release from the Eureka Police Department, the fatal shooting this morning appeared to have been an act of self defense. See the full press release copied below our original post. PREVIOUSLY: This morning about 2:45 a.m., two people were shot in the 1300 block of West Avenue near 14th Street […]
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Recruitment and Retention
Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal says he became more concerned about his office’s already pressed recruitment and retention efforts when he heard that Mendocino County supervisors were giving their deputies a significant raise. Not that he begrudged the nearly 30-percent increase Mendocino’s deputies will be receiving over three years under a new contract approved in […]
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‘Tarnished’
It was about 1 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 22, 2014, and then Eureka Police Sgt. Brian Stephens was in the briefing room at the department’s headquarters on C Street when one of his officers approached, saying he needed to notify him — his supervisor — of an off-duty incident the week before. What followed was […]
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‘Badly Tainted’
Mendocino County District Attorney David Eyster has grave concerns about the Willits Police Department’s hiring of Jacob Jones, having learned of sustained allegations of the officer’s dishonesty during his tenure with the Eureka Police Department. In a scathing, incredulous 2,400-word letter to Willits Police Chief Scott Warnock, Eyster expresses dismay at Jones’ hiring despite the […]
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EPD Identifies Juvenile Responsible for Hate Group Fliers, Says no Immediate Threat of Violence
UPDATE: The Eureka Police Department has issued a press release with some additional information, which can be found here. PREVIOUSLY: The Eureka Police Department has identified a male juvenile believed to be responsible for posting white supremacist recruiting fliers around town, interviewed him and determined there doesn’t appear to be an immediate physical threat to […]
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EPD Investigating White Supremacist Group’s Local Recruiting Efforts
UPDATE: The Eureka Police Department has issued a press release, which you can read here. PREVIOUSLY: The Eureka Police Department is investigating an apparent militaristic white supremacist group that is recruiting locally, both through social media and fliers posted around the county. A flier with an image of an assault rifle was found posted in […]
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‘In the Face of Evil:’ EPD Honors Sharral McDonald with Service Award
On the first anniversary of her death, the Eureka Police Department honored Sharral “Sherry” McDonald this morning for putting herself between a friend and the armed felon trying to kidnap her. “Detectives assigned to the investigation noted that Sharral could have easily fled to safety at any time but, instead, became a shield to protect […]
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‘Everyone is Welcome’: Charmaine Lawson on Why She Organized a Eureka MLK March
When Charmaine Lawson, the mother of a slain Humboldt State University student, read that the Eureka Women’s March was cancelled amid concerns that it had been “overwhelmingly white,” she was surprised. Organizers cancelled the march Dec. 28, released a statement saying their committee needed more diversity to proceed. They are now planning a new march […]
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UPDATE: EPD IDs Victim of Sunday’s Fatal Shooting
UPDATE: The Eureka Police Department has identified the victim of Sunday’s fatal shooting as Fortuna resident Sharral Lynne McDonald. She was 60. According to the press release, the suspected shooter Ronald Allen Crossland, 52, who was later found dead in Fortuna of what police are describing as an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, knew McDonald, but […]
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Eureka City Council to Cast Crucial Waterfront Votes
The Eureka City Council is slated to meet Tuesday evening with a very long list of resolutions, ordinances and reports to discuss, many of which will immediately impact Eureka’s waterfront. On the consent calendar, the council is expected to approve without discussion an item that would bridge the last remaining gap in Waterfront Drive, between […]
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Eureka Mayor Slams County, Legal Cannabis
The Eureka City Council unanimously approved several hot-button issues on Tuesday night despite an unprecedented amount of pushback from Mayor Frank Jager and a smatter of spirited public comment. The first item to be pulled from the consent calendar for discussion, and the least controversial, was the official swearing-in of Police Chief Steve Watson. City […]