Press release from the Humboldt County Drug Task Force:

On February 10th, 2026, Humboldt County Drug Task Force (HCDTF) with the assistance of the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office POP Team, served search warrants on Patrick Oneal Davis (52 years old from Eureka) and two residences associated with Davis. Agents located Davis at the first residence located in the 100 block of West Del Norte Street in Eureka. Davis was detained without incident. Agents located 2.3 grams of methamphetamine, 6.5 grams of fentanyl, and a digital scale. 

The second residence was located in the 3300 block of Cottage Street in Eureka where Agents detained Damon Austin Roberts Jr (22 years old from Eureka) without incident. Agents located 9 ounces of methamphetamine, 22 “M30” pills, 112 “B707” pills, a loaded stolen firearm, 2 digital scales, and approximately $9,705.00 in U.S. Currency.

Davis and Roberts were transported to the Humboldt County Correctional Facility where they were booked on the following charges:

Davis:

• HS11351- Possession of a controlled substance for sales
• HS11377(A)- Possession of a controlled substance 

Roberts:

• HS11378- Possession of a controlled substance
• HS11366- Operating/maintaining a drug house
• HS11370.1(A)- Possession of a controlled substance while armed 
• PC496(A)- Buying/receiving stolen property
• PC148.9(A)- Providing false identification 

Roberts was found to have numerous out-of-county warrants for various charges.

Anyone with information related to this investigation or other narcotics related crimes is encouraged to call the Humboldt County Drug Task Force at 707-267-9976.

PREVIOUSLY

• Sheriff’s Office Investigating Potential Murder-Suicide in Weitchpec

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NOTE: The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office today publicly identified the individuals in the murder- suicide that occurred on Feb. 3, in Weitchpec as 52 -year-old Arthur Gutierrez Gonzales, Jr., and 59-year-old Celinda Jane Gonzales

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This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.

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A member of the Yurok tribe who advocated for better mental health treatment and suicide intervention in rural Northern Californian has died in an apparent murder-suicide. 

Celinda Gonzales was 59. 

In 2020, CalMatters wrote about her work in Humboldt County, where about 2 and a half times as many residents die by suicide per capita as the rest of the state.  

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office said they found two bodies in a home in the Yurok reservation village of Weitchpec on Feb. 3. 

“Based on the preliminary investigation, the incident appears to be consistent with a murder-suicide,” the sheriff’s office said in a press release. 

The sheriff’s office declined to elaborate on the nature of the crime scene or the identities of the people they found. 

The Yurok tribe confirmed Gonzales’s identity in a memorial. 

“She was a beloved friend to many Tribal Councilmembers, staff and community members,” the tribe said in the memorial. “This is a tremendous tragedy for the Tribe.”

Gonzales once had a grant-funded role as a suicide intervention specialist, working with local police and fire departments to recognize potential signs of an intent to self-harm. 

In 2019, the federal funds that paid for her grant position ran out, so she started working on her own. 

Gonzales lost her son, Paul, to suicide, when he was 19. Her 43-year-old brother, Gaylord Lewis Jr., died by suicide five years later, in 2014.

As the pandemic swept through California and rates of anxiety and suicidal ideation skyrocketed, Gonzales was motivated by her own losses to help in Humboldt County, where access to mental health services is already difficult, compounded by the dearth of psychiatrists willing to relocate to rural California. 

A 2016 Humboldt County grand jury investigation found that the county behavioral health board did not adequately serve the county’s residents. 

Gonzales believed that, despite the challenges of the pandemic, her community was resilient. 

“They’ve survived wars, floods, fires and landslides,” she told a CalMatters reporter in 2020. 

The Yurok tribe is offering grief counseling at the village clinic. 

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Nigel Duara joined CalMatters in 2020 as a Los Angeles-based reporter covering poverty and inequality issues for our California Divide collaboration. Previously, he served as a national and climate correspondent.

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PREVIOUSLY

• Dell’Arte Was Excited to Bring Cannifest to Blue Lake. Then City Hall Threatened Legal Action.

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A series of miscommunications from the past six weeks got smoothed over at last night’s Blue Lake City Council meeting as the five-member body directed staff to work with Dell’Arte International and event organizer Stephen Gieder on planning a multi-day Cannifest event downtown in September.

Dell’Arte’s new producing artistic director, Noah Bremer, acknowledged last night that communication with the city “got off on the wrong foot” when the event’s Blue Lake relocation was prematurely announced on social media, sparking concerns among the city’s small staff about logistical issues such as parking, street closures and crowd management. 

Some matters have been clarified since then. Gieder explained that the event will not include any cannabis sales, licensed distribution or on-site consumption areas, and Dell’Arte has proposed hosting it under the organization’s existing conditional use permit. 

Blue Lake City Manager Jennie Short, who was appointed to the job in December, explained in her introduction that some of Dell’Arte’s new leadership was uninformed about the existing permitting situation. The nonprofit theater company was issued a conditional use permit for its annual Baduwa’t Festival. The latest version of that permit is open-ended, with no termination date, so, theoretically, Dell’Arte doesn’t need the city’s permission to host an event on its premises at 131 H Street.

However, Gieder is hoping to host a music, arts and trade festival that extends beyond Dell’Arte’s property to encompass some adjacent city streets. Last night, Short presented the council with an aerial map showing three potential event sizes, two of which incorporate the town square:

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Short explained that the green line represents the largest event size proposed by Gieder. It incorporates both the town square (located in the upper corner) and the Logger Bar (lower corner). 

Short also pointed out the Cannifest is currently scheduled to coincide with Mad River Enduro, a mountain biking event that takes place, in part, on city-owned fields. 

When Gieder addressed the council, he began by apologizing, saying he didn’t intend to catch the city off guard. 

“I didn’t think I needed any permits from the city to have a music event within Dell’Arte’s space,” he said. He noted that Cannifest has been invited back to every place it’s been held thus far, and, getting a bit defensive, he brought up the angry voicemail he received from city staff after announcing the event on social media.

“I didn’t think I was going to get that [kind] of a reaction from the City,” he said.

There was some back-and-forth with Mayor John Sawatzky about who reached out when, but the council soon moved on to asking for specifics about the event. Gieder described it as a “cannabis pride festival” that’s open to all ages, with farmers displaying their cannabis on tables and an evening concert inside Dell’Arte’s school facility. He estimated a maximum crowd size of roughly 1,500 people, including vendors. 

Dell’Arte Board Chair Artemis Pebdani also addressed the council.

“Dell’Arte has not been doing well, man,” she said, referring to the organization’s financial struggles. “We’re hanging by the thinnest thread. And so I’ve come on, and Noah Bremer, the new artistic producing director, has come on to try our best to revive this institution that means so much to us. And a lot of the way that we have decided that we need to do that is to use our one asset, and that asset is our building.”

She acknowledged that there are logistic hurdles to navigate. But she said Dell’Arte really wants Cannifest to happen, and she urged the city to help find solutions. 

During the public comment period, the majority of speakers expressed support for Cannifest and Dell’Arte — and applauded when others did the same. A few residents voiced concerns about parking. Lori Ponte, who lives a block away from the venue, said that while Dell’Arte has always been wonderful, she doesn’t support Cannifest at the site due to parking issues.

On the other hand, fellow neighbor Rebecca Collins said, “I’ll tell you, when the music plays at Dell’Arte when the festival is there, I open my windows and dance in my living room.”

“I know that we can work together to make this happen,” Dell’Arte alum Sarah McKinney said, expressing the dominant sentiment. 

Blue Lake Chamber of Commerce President Justin Good said that while he has some concerns about the event, he’d like to help. 

“If you’ll have us, we’d love to work with you any way we can to make this event beneficial for the community,” he said.

An organizer of the Enduro event said he’s concerned about conflicts with parking and the Mad River Grange. When the matter came back to the council for discussion, Councilmember Elise Scafani noted that parking may be the only way for the city to earn income from the event. She asked whether Cannifest could possibly be held on a different weekend.

“These events in the past have cost the city financially, rather than helped us,” she said. “So we really have to think this completely through. Not just, ‘Do we want to do it? Is it a feel good opportunity?’ But, ‘How are we going to make it work logistically?’”

Councilmember Michelle Lewis-Lusso struck a more optimistic note, saying, “I feel like this is a really great opportunity. … If there is a way, I would be all about, like, ‘Let’s make this happen.’”

Councilmember Kat Napier thanked Dell’Arte’s staff and said, contrary to rumors, Blue Lake’s current city council is not anti-pot. Mayor Sawatzky emphasized the importance of collaboration.

From there, the council started discussing how big an event the city could accommodate, whether or not to allow exterior fencing, the potential implications of blocking off the Logger Bar and other logistical matters. 

None of those issues were resolved over the course of the hearing, but staff said they felt like they had enough direction from the council to move forward. Short, the city manager, said she just didn’t want to make decisions on this level without involving the council. She indicated that Cannifest planning matters will come back before the council down the road.

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As flood recovery continues in King Salmon, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday went over the details of two loan programs — one local, one federal — aimed at helping affected residents, many of whom face tens of thousands of dollars in property damage. 

Just last week, one month after record-breaking floodwaters inundated King Salmon, the Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services (OES) received confirmation that the county had been declared a “disaster area” by the U.S. Small Business Association, and therefore qualified for its disaster loan program. The federal program provides loans up to $2 million for businesses and nonprofits impacted by disaster, and up to $500,000 in funding for homeowners and renters.

Not knowing that the county had already qualified for the SBA’s loan program, First District Supervisor Rex Bohn asked county staff to draw up a proposal for a zero-interest loan program to help impacted residents with their insurance deductibles. 

Bohn | Screenshot

“I didn’t know anything about the SBA loans,” Bohn explained at Tuesday’s meeting. “I was hoping we could do something very seamless — $300,000 or something like that — to cover their deductibles, which are [between] $5,000 and $10,000. … I’m looking at 30 to 40 homes that probably need it. Some have already made the repairs and some have the money to do it, but I thought it would be a gesture [of goodwill] from the county.”

Bohn added that he would “really, really like to look at what we consider emergencies,” apparently referring to the county’s decision-making process in declaring local disasters. 

As previously reported by the Outpost, Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal chose not to declare an emergency in King Salmon because there were “no significant impacts to roads, utilities, public facilities or critical services.” Emergency declarations are “intended for situations where impacts exceed the routine capabilities and resources of the county,” he said. 

According to data from Humboldt Communities Organizing in Active Disaster (COAD), at least 42 households experienced “major flooding” impacts on New Year’s weekend, which, had a local disaster been declared, could have qualified residents for disaster assistance through the state or the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). 

[CLARIFICATION: To qualify for FEMA disaster relief, a presidential disaster declaration must be made. This federal declaration is usually triggered by a request from the governor of an affected state.]

While FEMA may be the most recognizable name in the federal emergency response universe, Danielle Haywood, a spokesperson for the SBA’s Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience, told the board that the SBA is “the number one source of funding post-disaster nationwide.”

Haywood | Screenshot

“We actually provide more funding than even FEMA does,” she said, noting that the program isn’t exclusive to King Salmon. Anyone who was impacted by storms between Jan. 1 and 5 can apply for federal assistance, even folks living in Del Norte, Mendocino, Trinity and Siskiyou counties. “The purpose of our agency is to provide a lifeline that leads to recovery for the communities that are impacted by disaster.” 

The SBA’s program is “truly interest-free” for the first 12 months, with no early repayment penalties, Haywood said. Loan recipients can also use the funds to refinance their homes or to relocate to a new area. 

Asked whether a county-funded program would interfere with the SBA’s work, Haywood said the SBA would not allow “double dipping” from local and state resources. “If somebody was going to pursue sources of funding elsewhere, it would reduce the amount that they could be approved of with us,” she said.

Asked about the turnaround time on a loan application, Haywood said it depends on the person, but it’s usually within a week. 

“It depends solely on the applicant,” she said. “Sometimes people don’t have the documents they need, and that’s what holds up our application side. … I’ve personally seen somebody apply on a Monday and be approved and able to accept their funding by Friday, but that isn’t an every person thing.”

Bohn reiterated that he only brought the item forward to “see if there was an appetite for it,” but felt Haywood and the SBA team had “everything covered.”

At one point in the discussion, County Administrative Officer Elishia Hayes noted that a county-funded loan program would be difficult to implement.

“I do have to just say — because if I don’t, then my staff will probably wring my neck when I go back into the office — administratively, this is not going to be a light lift,” Hayes said. “We saw that in developing a program in Rio Dell for the earthquakes, and this would be a full program development that would need to take place. … This is a slippery slope for your board to implement programs of this magnitude.”

After about an hour of discussion, everyone seemed to agree that implementing a county-funded loan program would be redundant and cumbersome. Bohn noted he wouldn’t be “butthurt” if the board didn’t approve his plan. 

“I know the headline ‘the county doesn’t want to do a zero-interest loan program to help people’ is going to sound bad, but I think we’re just not poised and ready to do it,” said Fourth District Supervisor Natalie Arroyo. “I would prefer to really support and promote the SBA loan program, and give a platform to those who are already doing this work around vulnerability and options, and really lift up the work that they’re doing.”

Going back to Bohn’s previous point about clarifying the criteria around the county’s disaster declaration process, Board Chair Mike Wilson suggested the board set up an ad hoc committee to investigate. Bohn said he wasn’t interested in participating in the ad hoc. 

After some additional discussion, Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell made a motion to form an ad hoc committee with Arroyo and members of Humboldt COAD, Humboldt OES, the sheriff’s office and the CAO’s office to discuss long-term disaster recovery. 

The motion passed in a 5-0 vote.

If you had a chance to earn a few hundred thousand dollars, what would you want to do with it?

That’s a question you’ll probably never have to answer, but it’s a conundrum for the city of Arcata. (If you do, please hit me up; I’m sure I can suggest something.) California’s Housing and Community Development department is funding some $27 million of Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) this year. How much of that money Arcata will apply for isn’t yet determined.

The grants are distributed by the state to rural communities around California to programs that will benefit people making less than about 80% of the area median income. That mandate can be interpreted broadly, and what communities end up doing with the funds varies greatly. Arcata’s used the funds to improve the wastewater treatment facility, lend money to small businesses, and assist building housing projects. 

What projects the city will attempt to fund during this round are unsettled. Arcata is hosting several meetings, open to the public, to brainstorm ideas, one of which was held at the city council meeting last week. Many of the ideas the councilmembers kicked around were focused on improving services for the homeless, like fixing solar panels and damaged units at The Grove or founding a multi-family rehab center. 

Focusing on those projects might be difficult. David Loya, Arcata’s director of Community Development, told the Outpost that because the federal government has stopped prioritizing funding programs for the homeless, many other cities will likely apply for CDB grants for their housing programs. The competition might be tough. Although it’s an important issue for the community, Arcata doesn’t have a history of using CDGB funds for homeless services, Loya said, a factor HCD will consider when reviewing Arcata’s application. 

“The city has never run a program like that,” Loya said. “We can’t demonstrate success at doing it. It would be kind of a heavy lift for us.”

Arcata does, however, have decades of expertise at using those grants for economic development. The city has a robust lending program for businesses that create or retain low-income jobs: It threw a lifeline to around 20 of them during the Covid pandemic and loaned $2.1 million to the Wing Group a decade ago. At the council meeting, Loya mused about helping business owners affected by the Jan. 2 fire or developing the Little Lake site. Arcata’s water meters will eventually need to be replaced as well, though Loya said he thinks it unlikely that that application would be successful.

The CDBG program can fund community-wide projects, like the water meters, because more than 50% of Arcata’s population is low-income. Because the city as a whole benefits, Arcata doesn’t have to ensure that only low-income individuals are using the program. 

Ultimately, where city hall decides to focus its efforts will be up to the council. Anyone can suggest an idea, no matter how outlandish. The next public meetings will be Feb. 17 (in the library conference room at 5 p.m.) and 18 (during the city council meeting). The council will decide what to focus on in mid-March. 

Loren Andrew Lair was born February 11, 1986, to Bud and Toni Lair. He peacefully passed away January 21, 2026, at the age of 39. Loren was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a rare form of brain cancer, at the age of 32. From the beginning, cancer forever took from him the ability to do so many of the things he loved most, but he fought hard to try and beat it.

Loren spent his childhood and most of his adult life in Shelter Cove. From the time he was small, he spent every summer with his grandparents and parents at Mario’s Marina. He would hang out at the fish market and watch the salmon catches being delivered. As soon as he was old enough, he was out on the ocean fishing with anyone willing to take him. In return, he would always help clean the boats after fishing trips. He always kept an eye on which fish he had caught and made sure he got to take them home! At the age of twelve, he got a summer job as a deckhand on a charter boat. He enjoyed every minute of being on the ocean and was proud to help others enjoy it also. 

Loren was also an avid hunter, skilled diver, and grew amazing veggie gardens wherever he lived. He and his Dad were hunting and diving partners and had many adventures together. Loren was in his element in the outdoors. Whether exploring the beaches or hiking the mountains, that was when he was happiest.

Loren and his friends became the original “boat ramp crew” in their teens. Big bonfires, loud country music, and many good times! He worked hard, played hard, and had a heart of gold. He was always the first to help anyone in need, be it family, friends or complete strangers.

Loren graduated from South Fork High School in 2004, joining CDF – (now CalFire) – that summer. He spent 2 seasons fighting fires all over California with his crew. When he decided to leave CDF, he took the skills he learned and applied them to other jobs. He worked trimming and cutting trees, brush clearing, and salmon restoration. He also worked in highway and building construction.

Before he became too ill, Loren was able to take his two daughters, Karissa and Nelayni, on an epic tuna fishing trip with Captain Jared Morris. He wasn’t able to fish, but watched his daughters haul in big tuna one right after another. That is a memory he cherished for the rest of his days! We were all so grateful his daughters were able to spend his last summer with him!

Loren had the full love and support of his family throughout his long fight with cancer. At diagnosis, he was given two months to live without treatment. He fought hard and against all odds made it to seven years! His parents fulfilled their promise to keep him at home until his death. His father, Bud, was his dedicated caregiver, and together they traveled countless miles between home and UCSF for treatment. When the day came that Loren’s body could take no more, his Dad was by his side, caring for his every need for the next eight months.

Loren was always our strong-willed, free spirit. We will always feel that spirit when we watch a sunset over the ocean or walk the beach at low tide. Every time we see a bonfire at the boat ramp we will hear his laughter.

Loren was preceded in death by his grandparents, Mario and Shirley Machi, his Grandma Peggy Burgess, and aunt Rachel Lair. He is survived by his daughters Karissa and Nelayni Lair, parents Bud and Toni Lair, brother Lance Lair and wife Britney, nephew Easton Lair, niece Emerson Lair, aunt Gina Layne, uncle Mike Lair and wife Kathleen, and numerous cousins.

The family would like to thank Heart of the Redwoods Hospice for their kindness, love and support in our time of need. At Loren’s request, his ashes will be spread at sea in Shelter Cove. A celebration of life will be held at a future date. 

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Loren Lair’s family. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.

William Dennis “Billy” Fraser, age 77, passed away on November 2, 2025. He was born on March 27, 1948, in Arcata, and spent his life rooted in the values of hard work, adventure, and family.

Billy was preceded in death by his parents, Bruce and Marie Fraser; his brothers, Kenneth and Robert Fraser; his sister, Marjorie Burgess; his beloved daughter, Sabrina Fraser; and his grandson, Dakota Fraser.

He is survived by his loving wife, DaVita Fraser; his son, Blane Welnack of Texas; and his daughter, Shanna and her husband, Matthew Morrill. He is also survived by his stepchildren, Angel Henderson and Michael Smither of Blue Lake, and Holley Davis of Eureka. Billy leaves behind seven grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, one niece and two nephews.

Known to many simply as “Billy,” he proudly joined the United States Navy in 1965, serving aboard the USS Enterprise. After his military service, Billy built a long and respected career in the logging industry. He worked as a truck driver and tree feller, later operating cranes for North Coast Fabricators. Billy bought his first lumber truck in the late nineties and became an owner-operator, eventually retiring as a logging truck driver for Wayne Bare Trucking. His strong work ethic and mechanical skill were evident in everything he did.

Billy was a man of many passions. He loved building and flying radio-controlled airplanes, gold mining in the Happy Camp area, and proudly became a clamper, embracing the camaraderie and history that came with it. An avid outdoorsman, he found joy in camping, hunting, and fishing, and he especially treasured the many road trips he took with DaVita on their Harley-Davidson. Billy also had a creative and inventive mind, often spending hours in metal fabrication, bringing new ideas and inventions to life.

Above all, Billy will be remembered for his generous spirit, adventurous heart, sense of humor and the love he had for his family and friends. His stories, singing around the campfire, craftsmanship and presence will be deeply missed by all who knew him.

A celebration of life will be held at Blue Lake Community Church on Saturday, March 21, 2026, at 12 p.m., followed by a reception at the Mad River Grange in Blue Lake.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Billy Fraser’s family. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.