The Eel River at Fernbridge this morning | Photo courtesy USGS.
The atmospheric river currently passing over California’s North Coast is expected to deliver enough rain to crest the banks of the Eel River in Fernbridge tonight.
Meteorologists with Eureka’s National Weather Service Office report that the river is expected to rise above the monitor stage of 14 feet today, before swelling to 19.8 feet by this evening.
Rainfall total from the past 24 hours | NWS.
The flood stage for this area is 20 feet. Meteorologists do not expect the river to rise above flood stage, but if it does, the NWS reports that significant flooding will ensue.
“Impacts at 20 feet: Expect significant flooding of the western portions of Cannibal Island Road, Camp Weott Road, CockRobin Island Road, Salt River, Old River, and all adjacent low lying areas,” the NWS River Statement reads. “Flooding in these areas is exaggerated when crest timing is coincident with high tides and strong onshore winds, and for longer duration events. Livestock in low lying areas of the Eel Delta are at risk due to rising river levels. Owners of livestock should consider taking appropriate action to protect livestock.”
River levels are forecast to dwindle significantly after today, with the Eel dropping to 7 feet by Monday evening.
A break in the rain is forecast for Sunday and Monday. More rain is possible Tuesday.
The newest section of Eureka’s Waterfront Trail. Photo: Andrew Goff.
Eureka has more and more green space, more and more trail, and more and more people using those public amenities all the time. And now the Eureka Police Department is looking to expand its presence in those places.
Today the EPD announced that it is looking to start the hiring process for a new ranger, who will be permanently tasked with patrolling the parks and trails full time.
On top of that — according to Eureka Police Chief Steve Watson — the department will also assign one of its current officers to the same beat on a rotational basis, sort of after the fashion of the department’s Old Town beat cop.
Watson said that the moves are a natural outgrowth of the city’s expanding network of public spaces, and of the public’s increased use of them.
“We’re investing
in the parks and the trail system,” he told the Outpost this afternoon. “There’s a need
to take these public open spaces and making sure that they are safe
an enjoyable for everyone.”
Watson said that the city has started the hiring process for the full-time, permanent ranger now, even though the funding is at the moment contingent upon the Board of Supervisors awarding Measure Z monies to the program. The county’s Measure Z advisory committee has recommended the project, but the Board will have the final say. It is expected to vote on the matter in early June.
Still, Watson is cautiously confident, and given how long it takes for a prospective officer to go through background checks and the like, he said it makes sense to start the process now. “If for some
reason we get halfway into this process and they decide not to fund
it, we’ll reevaluate and figure out where to go next,” he said.
The new officer, if everything goes according to plan, will be a sworn officer, and must have P.O.S.T. certification. Interested? Full details at this PDF link.
Lygle Dillon (left) and his family. Photos from his GoFundMe page.
The Briceland Volunteer Fire Department is holding a fundraiser after one of its firefighters suffered a serious spinal cord injury in South America nearly two months ago.
Local volunteer firefighter Lygle Dillon was severely injured in a car crash while doing business in Colombia on February 14, and he’s still there receiving treatment, BVFD firefighter Kristal Gray told the Outpost.
The scene of the crash.
“As a department, we decided to host an event to raise money for the family,” Gray said.
A GoFundMe set up after the crash has since raised more than $20,000, but those close to the situation say his medical bills continue to pile up.
“His attempt to reach the steering wheel from the back seat didn’t prevent the accident, but it most likely saved him from major head injury or death,” the GoFundMe page reads. “Unfortunately he did sustain major spinal trauma. On [February 15], he underwent an operation to correct an extreme spinal deviation, and post-surgery, has regained some lower body movement.”
As a result of the crash, the lifelong Southern Humboldt resident reportedly plans to undergo expensive stem-cell therapy, which the GoFundMe page says is not covered by insurance.
Dillon’s spine.
“Lygle’s family is pursuing every course of action likely to produce a positive outcome, including stem cell therapy,” the GoFundMe page reads. “We have made contact with a premier stem cell surgeon who is willing to bring his team in to perform the procedure at cost. While this generous offer makes it a lot more attainable, it will still run over $20,000 and will not be covered by insurance. Of course the initial spinal surgery was also expensive, so the funds raised through GoFundMe will assist in the currently accruing medical expenses, cost of the upcoming surgery, and the expectation of a prolonged regimen of physical therapy.”
California Department of Fish and Wildlife press release:
California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) officers have made another arrest this week in their ongoing battle against a rising poaching trend on the north coast of northern California with international connections.
CDFW arrested Taehun Kim, 52, and Taeyun Kim, 46, both of Korea, and Liu Fengxia, 37, of China for poaching over 2,300 Dudleya succulent plants near Trinidad in Humboldt County. Charges include illegal take of the plants and felony conspiracy, among others.
Poachers profit financially from the illegal take of Dudleya by stripping plants from sea cliffs and shipping them overseas to other countries, including Korea, China and Japan, where they are prized by some for decorative purposes. On April 4, wildlife officers intercepted and seized 1,334 of the plants in boxes on their way to be shipped overseas. An additional 1,000 Dudleya were found in the suspects’ hotel room during the service of the search warrant. The overseas market value of the plants is between $40 to $50 per plant, resulting in a conservative value estimate of over $90,000.
The removal of Dudleya can result in environmental degradation of habitat and a destabilization of bluffs and cliffs on the coastline. Illegal harvesting is also alarming because California hosts a number of Dudleya species and subspecies that are rare or at risk of extinction. CDFW enforcement initially identified this trend earlier this year, in part, after determining that a man was shipping Dudleya out of a Mendocino post office to China.
In recent months near Point Arena, Mendocino County, wildlife officers cited three individuals for a series of misdemeanor violations including illegal take and trespassing. The charges were elevated by the Mendocino District Attorney to felony conspiracy and grand theft, based upon the value of stolen plants.
On Jan. 29, one man was apprehended with approximately 50 succulents, and on March 6, two men were cited after being apprehended with 1,400 succulents. The individual in the January incident pleaded guilty to the illegal take of plants and received a sentence that included three years of probation, a $5,000 fine and 240 hours of community service. The March case is pending.
“We have seen a remarkable amount of concern over this from botanists and the public alike,” said David Bess, CDFW Deputy Director and Chief of Law Enforcement. “A public tip started this investigation and ultimately uncovered an international conspiracy to poach Dudleya succulents and ship them overseas for profit. A critical part of the Department’s mission is to protect and manage California’s diverse fish, wildlife and plant resources, and the habitats upon which they depend, for their ecological values and for their use and enjoyment by the public.”
Law enforcement personnel from the U.S. Postal Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and East Bay Regional Parks, in addition to representatives of the California Native Plant Society (CNPS), U.C. Santa Cruz Botany Department and local citizens, assisted with the investigation. CDFW personnel have replanted the seized succulents in the areas where taken whenever possible with assistance from CNPS and U.C. Santa Cruz botany experts.
Anyone who believes they are witness to unlawful poaching or pollution activity is encouraged to call CalTIP, CDFW’s confidential secret witness program, at (888) 334-2258 or send a text to tip411. Both methods allow the public to provide wildlife officers with factual information to assist with investigations. Callers may remain anonymous, if desired, and a reward can result from successful capture and prosecution.
There had been a warrant out for Williams’ arrest since last summer following a late-night shooting at the corner of 12th and C Streets in Arcata that left a 17-year-old male with a gunshot wound in his thigh. The victim was treated and released from Mad River Hospital
Williams was considered armed and dangerous but after an extensive search from multiple law enforcement agencies including the U.S. Marshall’s Service he apparently decided to give himself up peacefully.
“He called last night and said he wanted to turn himself in,” Fortuna Police Sgt. Jason Kadle told this Outpost this afternoon.
Williams was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility at 1:13 this morning on a warrant for the following charges:
Attempted murder
maliciously shooting from a vehicle at a person
assault with a firearm on a person
two counts of intentionally discharging a firearm causing great bodily
inflicting great bodily injury in commission of a felony, and
using a firearm in commission of a felony.
Williams’ bail is set at $1.5 Million.
Here’s a press release from the Arcata Police Department:
In July of 2017, the Arcata Police Department responded to the report of a shooting at a house party in the 200 Blk of 12th Street. The incident resulted in one subject being shot in the leg. Investigators identified Elijah Stonebear Williams, 20, of Fortuna as the suspect in the shooting.
Over the past months, investigators, assisted by the Fortuna Police Department, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, the Humboldt County Drug Task Force and the U.S. Marshal’s Service, have worked toward locating Williams. Numerous search warrants were served and dozens of locations explored in an attempt to locate Williams.
On 04/05/2018, following the search of a residence in Arcata where Williams had been recently staying, Williams surrendered to officers from the Fortuna Police Department.
Williams was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of Attempted Murder.
Ten days after his 17th birthday,
Joe Daniel Olivo III allegedly stabbed 14-year-old Jesus Romero
Garcia to death in an act of gang revenge.
Now Judge John Feeney must decide
whether Olivo III, now 20, should remain in Juvenile Court or be
transferred to adult court, where a conviction for gang-related
first-degree murder means life in prison.
In Juvenile Court, the same
conviction would likely result in him being released from a state
facility six months before he turns 23.
Joe Olivo III.
During a two-day “transfer”
hearing on the issue, defense attorney Andrea Sullivan argued Olivo
III acted under orders from his father, Joe Daniel Olivo II, a member
of the Mexican Mafia prison gang. Olivo II and gang member Mario
Nunez were present when Garcia was stabbed.
“If my client did not participate
he would have died,” Sullivan said. “His father would have killed
him.”
But Deputy District Attorney Brent
Kling said the killing was just a milestone in Olivo III’s
“entrenched” gang lifestyle, a lifestyle he chose. Olivo III told
no-one he feared his father or was being controlled by him, Kling
said.
Garcia was stabbed to death on Dec.
17, 2014, while hiding out in a Eureka apartment. He had made the
fatal mistake of telling people that Olivo III requested protective
custody while in Juvenile Hall, and he feared the repercussions. He
was found on a lawn on 15th Street, gasping his last breath. He had
lain there all night in the rain.
Garcia’s alleged killer was born
in jail on Dec. 7, 1997, in San Luis Obispo County. It’s unclear
when the family moved to Humboldt. But according to testimony during
the hearing, there were 10 referrals to child welfare services for
possible child abuse — eight when Olivo III was a toddler and two
when he was a teen. He claims he was “jumped” into a gang at the
unheard-of age of 6 or 7. He was 14 when first placed on probation in
Humboldt County, and he has been in probation most of the time since.
Juvenile Probation Officer Patrina
Fennell testified Olivo was first placed on an informal contract with
probation in April 2012. Because of misbehavior the contract was
revoked. He was placed on probation, but violated it in April 2013
after “absconding” from his mother’s home. He was released back
to his mother, this time wearing an ankle monitor.
In a couple of months “he cut off
the ankle monitor,” Fennell said. “He just couldn’t handle
being in the house anymore.”
Caught and placed back in Juvenile
Hall, Olivo III escaped.
“He scaled a fence and then ran,”
Fennell recalled.
A few weeks later he etched gang
graffiti on his cell door: “Oceano Sureno 13’’ and
“Southside Till We Die and Heaven We Go.”
A gang expert testified during the
hearing that Oceano 13 is a San Luis Obispo chapter of the Sureno
gang. Southside is a general reference to Southern California gangs.
Olivo III was transferred to a wing
of Juvenile Hall known as the regional facility, which provides more
intensive services. He graduated from there and completed at least
part of the “New Horizons” program, which provided anger
management classes, life-skills classes and counseling.
Olivo III kept a picture of his
father in his room, and was looking forward to his dad being released
from Pelican Bay State Prison. He seemed proud of his dad’s
muscular appearance.
In March 2014 Olivo II was paroled
to Eureka. Not much good happened after that.
Probation Officer Barbara Boerger
testified Olivo III left his mother’s home and started staying with
his girlfriend. One night he was found in a motel room with his dad.
On March 14, 2014, he was caught on video stealing butane canisters
from a local gas station mini-mart.
About this time Olivo III’s mother
decided to move out of the area. Boerger said Olivo III had problems
with local kids affiliated with rival gangs, and he was eager to
leave so he “wouldn’t be running into old friends or foes.”
“He was going to live with his
grandmother, go to school, work in a business, get on a new path,”
Boerger recalled.
At the time, she was optimistic
about his chances.
“I thought he had a high potential
for success,” she said. “He had skills. I had seen him make good
decisions.”
In the summer of 2014 the family
moved to Sacramento. But Olivo III ended up near San Luis Obispo with
his paternal grandparents when his mother signed over guardianship
because she couldn’t handle him anymore.
Olivo III is a handsome young man
with a wide and ready smile. He even grinned at the probation
officers who came to court to testify for the prosecution.
One of those was Probation Officer
Jennifer Frame, who took over Olivo III’s case in San Luis Obispo
in May 2014. He violated probation in July, October and November. He
kept testing positive for meth and marijuana, Frame testified. He was
usually in possession of gang-related art. (By all accounts Olivo III
is a talented artist who does intricate work.) He was photographed at
school making a gang sign. He tried to buy a gun from another gang
member. He was ordered to stay away from another probationer, “Rose,”
but instead got her pregnant.
Olivo III now has a young son. His
name wasn’t mentioned during the hearing.
Frame said Olivo III was ordered
several times to get counseling and participate in a drug and alcohol
program. He attended one counseling session and never went back, she
said. He ended up, after months of refusing orders, being involved in
drug treatment “for 20 days.”
It was Frame who Olivo III told that
he had been jumped into a gang at age 6 or 7.
“I could have gone free but I
didn’t want to,” he reportedly said. When Frame asked why he kept
breaking the law, he said “This is my life and the life that I
chose.” He was 16 at the time.
It’s a mystery how Olivo III could
have been initiated into a gang at age 6 or 7. One gang expert
testified that being jumped in involves either being beaten up by a
group of people or doing some “work” for the gang.
Probation Officer Tony Verdugo, an
expert on Southern California gangs, testified he had never heard of
a child so young joining a gang.
“But based on my knowledge of the
Olivo family, it would not surprise me.”
Both Frame and Verdugo said the
Olivo name is infamous in their area.
In December 2014 Olivo III told
someone “the Jefe” (his father) was going to bring him to Eureka.
After the fatal stabbing, Olivo III
returned to San Luis Obispo. He was arrested at a Boys and Girls Club
there in February 2016, after the Eureka Police Department completed
its investigation of Garcia’s murder and issued warrants for both
Olivos and Nunez. Olivo II and Nunez were already in state prison on
other charges when arrested.
Olivo III has now been in Humboldt
County Correctional Facility for a little more than two years, and he
apparently has done very well. According to testimony he has taken
advantage of every program available and has never failed to miss a
presentation by a motivational speaker. He dreams of working with
kids who grew up as he did.
At least two people from the jail
are so fond of him, they volunteered to testify in his behalf. They
call him Baby Olivo.
Jail volunteer Laura Montagna
described Olivo as a “wonderful artist,” and she brought to
court a drawing he did about a month ago. The drawing includes a
cross and the words “Father forgive me for I have sinned.” A man
sitting on a cot holds a crucifix in his hand. The Grim Reaper is
there, and an hourglass.
“The cross has some writing in
it,” Montagna said, and she asked to read it in court. Olivo III
had written a poem about all the things he is grateful for. “Grateful
for life, grateful for rebirth, grateful to live, and to live
joyously on the Earth,” among many others.
Defense attorney Sullivan asked
Montagna for her thoughts on Olivo. Does she have a high
opinion?
“Yes,” she said. “I wanted
these papers to be seen. I think this young man has worked very hard.
He has an amazing plan to make the world a better place for kids in
his situation.”
Then, prosecutor Kling began his
cross-examination.
“Do you have any experience with
gang undertones or gang symbols in artwork?”
“No.”
Kling proceeded to point out the
number 13 in Roman numerals. The man in the sketch has three dots in
a triangular pattern tattooed on his elbow, identical to the three
dots on Olivo III’s elbow. There is a reference to “Sito,”
apparently short for Osito, which is one of his gang nicknames. In
addition to “Father forgive me for I have sinned,” Olivo III also
penned the phrases “Fuck the police” and “No regrets.”
Montagna looked chagrined, and
Sullivan asked whether Olivo’s gang association changes her
opinion of him.
“Nope,” she said, “because I
know he’s a good person who didn’t get a fair shake in the
beginning.”
Another witness from the jail was
programs coordinator Vanessa Vrtiak, who said Olivo has
participated “in everything I’ve ever done.”
That includes motivation-enhancement
therapy, moral recognition therapy and art therapy.
“Has he had any behavior
problems?” Sullivan asked.
“Absolutely not,” Vrtiak said.
“He’s incredibly empathetic and loving, vulnerable, open,
compassionate, a leader in the groups.”
Vrtiak said Olivo had told her
he was raised in a home where he was exposed to a lot of drugs,
alcohol and violence.
“He was encouraged to be violent
and careless.”
Olivo described his father, the
man he once was proud of, as “an active gang member for a long
time, and that he’s violent and and has been very disruptive to our
community.”
Kling asked Vrtiak whether it might
change her mind if she knew Olivo III is charged with first-degree
murder.
“Absolutely not.”
“Do you know that Osito is his
gang name?”
“I imagine it’s because he looks
like a bear.”
“Who else have you testified for?”
“This is the first one, because I
believe adamantly that he deserves the right to be a father, to come
back to our community and be rehabilitated.”
Sullivan’s defense is that Olivo
III was forced to participate in Garcia’s killing by his father,
and she asked every witness about what he’d said about his dad. One
witness was John Hinely, a criminal defense attorney who spent 14
years as a correctional officer in California state prisons. Most of
that time he was gathering intelligence on gangs.
In gang culture, Hinely said, the
father is dominant and the son submissive.
Sullivan asked what would have
happened if Olivo III hadn’t participated in Garcia’s slaying.
“He would have been murdered.”
“Couldn’t he have just opted
out?”
“Not unless he wanted to die.”
As to Olivo III’s claim that he
was jumped into a gang when he was as young as 6, Hinely said he
wouldn’t have dared lie about that.
“That’s a death sentence,” he
said. “You don’t (falsely) claim membership.”
During cross-examination, Kling
pointed out that as early as 2013, Olivo III was creating artwork
featuring “Oceano” and “Southside till we die.”
“Does that mean he’s a Sureno
until death?”
“Yes.”
Kling asked about the piece of art
done in the jail just a month ago, depicting the Sureno tattoo on the
man’s elbow.
“Would it be in somebody’s best
interest to create art like this if they were not affiliated with the
Sureno gang?”
“No.”
Hinely went on to say the drawing
needs to be viewed in “totality.” There are some gang features,
he said, but “No regrets,” for example, portrays an individual
“who is now recognizing that he is sitting in prison for the rest
of his life.”
Most witnesses said, somewhat
tentatively, that it’s possible Olivo III could succeed if released
from custody in as little as 18 months.
Dr. Michael Ramirez, the clinical
psychologist who evaluated Olivo III in late 2017, said the prognosis
is “guarded to good,” depending on whether Olivo III takes
advantage of extensive social services and counseling, including in
anger management and parenting. Ramirez also stated in his report,
however, that Olivo III might be good at “bluffing or outwitting”
those in charge of him, and he also is highly inclined to escape.
During closing arguments, Sullivan
pleaded with Judge Feeney not to “lock him up and throw away the
key.”
“The idea that my client wasn’t
under the influence of his father is laughable,” Sullivan said. At
the time of the crime Olivo III was “closer to 16 than 18,” and
his brain was still developing. As to being jumped into a gang as a
young child, “he had no choice.”
Olivo III wept as his attorney said
he should be given a chance to succeed. He used his orange jumpsuit
to dab the tears.
“Don’t punish him for the sins
of his mother and the sins of his father,’’ Sullivan said. “We
have to draw a line. Children are different from adults. He was
cultivated into a gang life.”
Sullivan reiterated that if her
client had not participated in the deadly knifing, “his father
would have killed him.”
But Kling argued that if Garcia’s
“up close and personal” killing had happened just 350 days later,
there would be no question about Olivo III being tried in adult
court.
And it’s absurd, Kling said, to
claim Olivo II “was the driving force behind his criminal
behavior.”
The entire time Olivo III was
rampantly breaking the law in San Luis Obispo, Kling said, his father
was in Pelican Bay State Prison. Yet he continued to flout authority.
He accumulated three probation violations in Humboldt and four in San
Luis Obispo.
“He continued to associate with
gang members,” Kling said. “He tried to buy a gun from a gang
member.”
Kling pointed out that Olivo III has
not been diagnosed with major psychological problems and in fact is
“a smart, intelligent capable human being who is capable of
choosing between right and wrong.”
Probation departments in both
counties “went to great lengths” in providing Olivo III with
counseling and services, the prosecutor said. Yet he continued to
pursue a life of crime. He quoted Olivo III’s statements that “I
have could have gone free” and “This is the life I chose.”
“What we have here is a series of
choices that he continued to make,” Kling said. “He’s a
20-year-old man who has constantly claimed membership, loyalty and
participation in a street gang … Mr. Olivo III has engaged in adult
behavior, has continued to make adult choices and should be tried in
adult court.”
Kling pointed out that if convicted in Juvenile
Court, he’d be incarcerated for 18 months before the state loses
jurisdiction.
“He cannot be rehabilitated in
such a short time,” Kling argued. “He’s had successes, but all
in an adult facility.”
A little after 10 p.m. Thursday night a sedan crashed through the Broadway-facing wall of Don’s Rent-All. The driver sustained minor injuries.
Despite the intrusion, Don’s Rent-All employee Denise Edwards tells the Outpost that the business is open for all your rental needs today and that only a small amount of inventory was damaged.
“Were good! Just putting the pieces back together,” Edwards said.
