Morning briefing on the Monument and Knob fires from the incident management team.

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

Evacuation warnings and orders remain in effect for the Willow Creek area as fire crews work to contain the Knob Fire.

CURRENT SITUATION

The Knob Fire originated Sunday, Aug. 29, 2021 between 4:00 and 5:00 pm. It is burning in timber, brush and grass. The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is leading fire suppression efforts. According to California Incident Management Team 5, as of 9 a.m. September 3, the Knob Fire is approximately 2,798 acres and 52% contained. More information about the USFS response to the Knob Fire and current acreage/containment estimates can be found here: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7750/

According to the Pacific Gas and Electric Company, approximately 640 Humboldt County customers are without power as of 8 a.m. September 3.. See outage map: https://pgealerts.alerts.pge.com/outages/map/

Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies continue to patrol the mandatory evacuation zones and liaise with the fire Incident Management Team to ensure the safety of residents. 

Residents in the current evacuation warning zone are encouraged to conduct fire mitigation efforts on your property, including creating defensible space. Defensible space is the buffer you create between a building on your property and the grass, trees, shrubs or any wildland area that surround it. This space is needed to slow or stop the spread of wildfire and it helps protect your home from catching fire—either from embers, direct flame contact or radiant heat. Proper defensible space also provides firefighters a safe area to work in, to defend your home. 

Some things residents can, and are encouraged to do in and outside evacuation warning zones, include:

• Remove all dead plants, grass and weeds (vegetation).

• Remove dead or dry leaves and pine needles from your yard, roof and rain gutters.

• Remove branches that hang over your roof and keep dead branches 10 feet away from your chimney.

• Trim trees to keep branches a minimum of 10 feet from other trees.

• Relocate wood piles.

• Remove or prune flammable plants and shrubs near windows.

• Remove vegetation and items that could catch fire from around and under decks, balconies and stairs.

• Create a separation between trees, shrubs and items that could catch fire, such as patio furniture, wood piles, swing sets, etc.

Learn more about creating defensible space on your property at: https://www.readyforwildfire.org/prepare-for-wildfire/get-ready/defensible-space/

The Sheriff’s Office would like to remind members of the public that re-entry into Evacuation Order zones is prohibited by law. Community members wanting to help in the neighborhood defense effort are encouraged assist in hardening homes and properties outside the evacuation order zone. 

 

EVACUATION INFORMATION

EVACUATION ORDERS remain in effect for:

• Areas east of Brushy Mountain Lookout Road/Forest Route 6N08A to Highway 299, south of Victor Creek to Butterfly Creek Road.

• Areas east of Brushy Mountain Lookout Road/Forest Route 6N08A to the Trinity River, south of Butterfly Creek Road to the end of Forest Route 6N20.

An EVACUATION WARNING remains in effect for:

•  Areas east of Boise Creek to the Humboldt/Trinity County Line, south of the Trinity River to Victor Creek. 

A map of evacuation zones is available at tinyurl.com/humcoevacmap

CURRENT ROAD CONDITIONS

The following road closures are in effect related to the Knob Fire:

• China Creek Road at Hodgson Road;

• Burwood Drive;

• Gypo Lane;

• Friday Ridge Road;

• Panther Road;

• Butterfly Creek Road.

The above routes are closed to entering traffic, but may be used by residents to leave the area in compliance with the evacuation orders.

State Route 299 is currently open to one-way controlled traffic in the fire area. Road conditions are subject to change based upon fire activity and public safety. Residents are encouraged to visit http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/ to check for state highway closures. 

RESOURCES FOR THE COMMUNITY

An Evacuation Center remains open at the McKinleyville Seventh Day Adventist Church, located at 1200 Central Avenue, McKinleyville, for evacuees. Resources available at this location include:

• Overnight sheltering;

• Restrooms;

• Water;

• Red Cross services.

Large animal sheltering is available at the Hoopa Rodeo Grounds, located on Pine Creek Road in Hoopa.

Domestic pet sheltering is available at the following Red Cross Evacuation Centers:

• McKinleyville Seventh Day Adventist | 1200 Central Avenue, McKinleyville, CA

• Firemen’s Pavilion | 9 Park St., Fortuna, CA

Voting Information for Wildfire Evacuees: 

https://humboldtgov.org/2946/38197/Press-Releases-Notices-Recall2021 

SIGN UP FOR HUMBOLDT ALERT

County residents are encouraged to sign up for county emergency notifications via Humboldt Alert at humboldtgov.org/alerts. Residents must opt-in to receive evacuation notifications via phone or email. 

If having trouble signing up for Humboldt Alert online, please contact the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services at 707-268-2500

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Additional updates will be issued via press release as needed. 

For more information regarding the Knob Fire, current impact and evacuation areas, please go to humboldtsheriff.org, visit @HumCoOES on Facebook and Twitter, or call 707-268-2500.

Rita Leone Falleri Garcia was born May 11, 1949 in Eureka to Dorothy Lucille Renfroe Falleri and Bruno Giordano Falleri. She passed away in her sleep on August 1, 2021.

In 1979 she married the love of her life, Gerard Garcia, who had emigrated from Cuba at the age of 12. They had one child, Mario.

Rita attended Eureka schools where she was an excellent student and enjoyed running and swimming, and she graduated from HSU with a degree in education and a teaching credential. Her most rewarding job was working with children in the Manila recreation program.

Rita was very energetic and capable and had many interests, including talking; discussing politics; listening to gospel, ‘60s music and blues; reading; following true crime stories on TV; swimming at local rivers; having picnics at Freshwater Park and other meals with friends and relatives; going to the casino; giving rides to friends; clipping and using coupons; and hunting for bargains and then thinking of someone to whom she could gift the items. She was a lifelong Democrat and was especially concerned about poverty and injustice. She was energetic in collecting and distributing items to the homeless. She was very fond of animals, particularly her dogs and cats. She had an extraordinary love of children. Her main joy in life was bonding with people.

She loved the elders in her family, especially her grandmother Alice Lambert Renfroe and her aunt Alice Forson. She spent many years happily being an unofficial and unpaid caregiver to her friend and partner Tim Toney; to her aunt and uncle John and Camille Ford; to her mother Dorothy Falleri; to her cousin Janine Waters; and of course to her husband Gerard, who was ill for 10 years before his untimely death at the age of 49.

All her life she made many friends, some of whom were close to her until the very end of her life. So many people loved her because her greatest joy in life was to find someone whom she could help either materially or by giving moral support. People may say that no good deed goes unpunished, but the people who got to know Rita valued her not only for her goodness to them but for her kindness to others, and they did good deeds for her in return.

Through young adulthood and beyond, Rita had close ties with Iney R.; Denise B.; Doll; Joellen; Kathy F.; Christy C.; Debbie S.; John E.; and especially Bev P. And Leo P. and Janice H., and her cousins Lynn P. and Janine W. , all five of whom were forever friends. In her middle and later years, she also became close to Maria W.; Debbie T.; Danielle M.; and Dave H. and also the children Dawn M.; Charity W.; Elsa M.; sisters Tawnya, Devyn, Heidi and Kim H.; and her beloved Billie P.; Jennie W.; Savannah C. and Olivia.

Rita had many health issues and was only able to survive many months after heart surgery due to the care given by her local doctors and by the staff at IHSS, Hospice, St. Joseph’s‘ Hospital and Stanford Medical Center. and especially caregiver Nell. Maria W.; Janice H.; Dave H.; Bev P.; Danielle M.; and Lynn P. figuratively drew straws to see who would drive her to Stanford for her heart surgery and Lynn P. won. Were it not for Debbie T.’s staying 24/7 with Rita for weeks when Rita was discharged from the hospital, having to be in a nursing home was a real possibility, although other friends such as Maria W. offered to open their homes to her. Fortunately, she was happy and had a good quality of life at home until her demise due to the myriad types of loving support she received from Bev P.; Billie P.; Curtis N.; Janice H.; Dave H.; Danielle M.; Maria W.; Charity W.; Elsa D.; Debbie T.; Lynn and John P.; Cat; Christy K.; and Roxie P. , In addition to her family of friends, Rita is survived by many biological relatives, including her cousin Lynn Pettlon and her husband John; sister Rene Nesty and her husband Greg; and Rita’s son Mario Garcia.

Due to COVID-19, a gathering celebrating Rita’s life will be held at a later date.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Rita Garcia’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.

Marilyn P. Orr, 71 of Fortuna, died of natural causes at a local rehabilitation center on August 14, 2021.

She was born in 1949 in Springfield, Illinois, the daughter of Arthur and Dolores Wright Orr. She was preceded in death by her life partner, Raymond Jahnke.

When a child she moved with her parents to California and grew up in the south bay area of Los Angeles County, graduating from Redondo Union High School. On her prom night she was in an automobile accident that made her disabled for the rest of her life. After extensive physical and speech therapy she was able to finish high school the following year. Two of her dreams in youth were to see Elvis in concert and travel to Paris, which through sheer determination she was able to do soon after her rehabilitation.

She continued her education with studies in social work and when able, was a caregiver for at risk youth. She was a long-time resident of Fortuna, enjoying the mild climate and easy living off the main road. She will be remembered for her perpetually positive outlook on life and the love and concern shown towards others. Marilyn is survived by her pound puppy, Chico and her brother, Jon W. Orr of Kent, Wash.

Interment will be at Sunrise Cemetery on September 11, 2021 at 2 p.m. Those who knew and loved Marilyn are invited for an informal gathering at that time.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Marilyn Orr’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.

Ronald Grover Sanderson (aka) Ronnie/Turtle was born on December 30, 1957 to Violet Zicosh and Jack Sanderson in San Francisco. He moved to Orleans when he was six years old and his family stayed with Ferris’ through the ‘64 flood. Ronnie attended and graduated from Hoopa High School. He then went on to do construction, working as a carpenter and also working on building and repairing bridges up and down the river.

Ronald met Cindy in the summer of 1983, where they fell in love. Later they had their first child, a baby girl who he absolutely adored — he carried her around the house constantly, never letting her cry. Then, three years later, they had their son, their baby boy, his Sanderson son to carry on his name. The baby of the family, Perry, was very close with his father throughout his adult life. Ronnie helped raise Cindy’s two children for 12 years, Sara and Awok Julio, He loved all his children very much. Ronnie had an incredibly special place in his heart for his grandchildren. He had a very extremely strong bond with his granddaughters War-yes and Maylene. They loved him so very much. He did everything for them, from school drop-offs to homework to fixing their bikes, making them homemade basketball hoops, taking them fishing, or to whatever else they needed. He was an extremely proud grandpa and loved all of his grandchildren very much.

Ronnie was a diehard Raiders fan, always decked out in fan gear! He loved watching football and went to a few Raiders games with Robert Starritt and Awok Julio where they made great memories to last a lifetime.

Fishing was one of Ronnie’s all-time favorite things to do, also cruising with some of his favorite music blasting.

Ronnie is survived by his Children Sierra & Perry Sanderson, grandchildren, War-yes, Maylene & Creation Grover, Masin, Natalia, Perry Dale Jr. Sanderson and Emma Mabry, Step daughter Sara Hass, Great Nieces, Lucette and Angelina Sanderson, His sister Kate Sanderson, and many cousins that he loved very much.

Ronnie is preceded in death by his father Jack Sanderson, Mother Violet Zicosh, Grandfather Grover Sanderson, Brothers, Jack and Randy Sanderson, Step-son Julio Henderson, Niece Sadie Sanderson.

Pallbearers: Terrance McCovey Sr., Barry McCovey Jr., Loren (Long Gone) McCovey, Robert Starritt, Masin Sanderson, Loyde Woodman, Kurt Hillman.

Honorary Palbearers: Moses Cliff Hurly, Jaimie Melondy, Victor Starritt, Custer Jackson, Archie Super, Matt Douglas, Frank Woodman, Gunner Erickson, Dennis Donahue, Ulysses Mcglaughlin, Phillip Coleman, Gene White, Littleman Tripp, Corky Vanpelt, Tahn Blake, Mawah’che Blake, Kenek Turner, Shawn Turner, Stanley McCovey , Joseph (Hurkie) McCovey, Kevin Latham, Martin Cervantes, Boozer Hostler Jr., Jeff Peters, Willy Harrison, Loren Offield, Cart McCovey, Chiefy McCovey, Waymond Starritt , Ben Saxon, Butchie Reed, Nels Nelson, Darrell Obie, Ross Colegrove, Dean Powell, Greg Perry, Gooby Perry, Eugene Coleman, JayJay Reed, Jason Reed.

We are sorry if we have forgotten to mention anyone during this challenging time, please forgive us and know that Turtle loved you!

Services for Ronnie will be held at DNR (the old Karuk Council building) on Saturday September 4, 2021 at 12 p.m. Ronnie will be laid to rest at the Karuk Cemetery on Old School Road. A reception will be held back at the DNR building directly after.

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Unidentified coal companies appear to be behind a new backdoor effort to acquire the North Coast Railroad Authority’s right-of-way between Eureka and Willits and rehabilitate the defunct railroad, all so they can export coal to Asian markets via the Port of Humboldt Bay.

State Senator Mike McGuire calls this development “one of the largest environmental threats to hit the North Coast in decades.”

On Aug. 16, a mysterious, newly formed corporation called North Coast Railroad Company, LLC, filed a pleading with the Surface Transportation Board. Ostensibly a proposal to submit an “Offer of Financial Assistance” to rebuild the line, the filing makes a number of surprising claims. 

For one, the 14-page filing, submitted by a pair of Chicago attorneys, says NCRCo. is “capitalized to the tune of $1.2 billion” and has “thoroughly-developed plans” to acquire and rehabilitate the dilapidated rail line between Humboldt Bay and Willits. Once complete, the company says, this newly reconstructed railroad will move “high-volume shipments” between the San Francisco Bay Area and Humboldt Bay.

The document does not disclose what these “high-volume shipments” might contain. Nor does it identify anyone involved with the corporation.

The pleading prompted an incredulous response from the North Coast Rail Authority (NCRA), the state agency that spent 30 20 years trying to resuscitate that same stretch of railroad but is now, under McGuire’s leadership, working to develop the Great Redwood Trail, a multi-use pathway extending 320 miles along the agency’s right-of-way.

NCRCo., the opaque corporate entity, appears to be trying to derail this rails-to-trail effort by submitting a last-minute “Offer of Financial Assistance” (OFA) to rebuild the line. Federal law holds that the Surface Transportation Board must give priority to maintaining or restoring a rail line wherever possible.

The NCRA says it’s just not possible on this stretch of railroad, which runs through the geologically unstable Eel River basin. In an Aug. 20 letter replying to NCRCo.’s Chicago attorneys, NCRA counsel Charles Montagne says the company and its so-called plans appear to be “a hoax or some sort of ruse.” 

The company was incorporated in Wyoming on Aug. 6, just 10 days before its filing with the STB. The “organizer” was identified as InciFile.Com LLC, a Texas-based corporation whose accreditation with the Better Business Bureau has been revoked. The only address listed for NCRCo. is a Wyoming office suite that’s home to some 250 LLCs, according to Montagne’s research.

“In short,” he says in his letter, “there is no indication in NCRCo.’s organizational filings … that NCRCo. has any assets, rail plans, personnel, or existence, other than as a legal fiction.”

Reached by phone on Thursday, Montagne said no one from NCRCo. has responded to his letter.

Is this indeed all just a ruse, as Montagne suggests?

Rep. Jared Huffman doesn’t think so. In a conversation with the Outpost on Wednesday, the congressman said he’d spent the previous 24 hours “basically nonstop on this,” investigating who’s behind the effort and what they’re after. The answer, he said, is coal companies in league with the Crow Tribe in Montana. 

McGuire said the same thing. “The people behind this toxic coal train have been operating in secret, meeting with local officials here on the North Coast,” he said. “They’ve been operating anonymously through the LLC in Wyoming, and they are intentionally hiding behind these corporate laws that hide individuals behind these types of toxic operations.”

The Crow Tribe’s 2.2 million-acre reservation in Southern Montana is home to billions of tons of coal deposits in the Powder River Basin. The tribe has signed numerous agreements with coal mining companies from Wyoming, Utah and Montana.

“They’ve always been all about coal,” Huffman said. “They are out of step with many of their fellow tribes, and it’s just sort of this Faustian deal that they cut.”

There were rumors that the Wiyot Tribe was involved as well, but Huffman said he’d spoken with Tribal Administrator Michelle Vassel earlier on Wednesday and gotten assurances that they’re not involved.

“She told me unequivocally they are not supporting this,” Huffman said. “They will not be part of it. But what I don’t know is whether they were part of some initial exploration of this.”

In an emailed statement to the Outpost, Vassel said, “We have not received a proposal or accepted a proposal related to coal. I am not sure how the Tribe’s name became part of this discussion but I have had a number of phone calls about it.”

First District Supervisor Rex Bohn said he met with some of the interested parties. About six months ago, he had dinner with a group of people who said they were interested in restoring the rail line. The group included Utah State Senator David Hinkins.

“They had some Native Americans they were partnering up with,” Bohn said. “I know that they met with the Wiyots quite a bit. They were talking about just opening the rail line. … They thought it’s usable. They had some freight ideas that they could get out of here.”

Asked if they identified what type of freight they intended to ship, Bohn said, “They held it pretty close to the chest, I thought. Rightly so.”

Told that McGuire and Huffman had identified the interested parties as coal companies, Bohn said, “They did talk about clean coal cars, you know, completely covered, completely domed and everything.” 

Asked what he thought of the proposal at the time, Bohn said he kept an open mind. “You want to listen to everybody because you don’t want to kick anybody out,” he said. “You want to see if it will have any basis to it whatsoever.”

A phone message and email to Senator Hinkins were not returned. Nor was an email to the Crow Tribe.

NCRCo.’s filling with the Surface Transportation Board is defiant about the company’s secrecy. “NCRCo need not disclose the precise merits of its plan or the continuing public need for rail service on the Line until tendering its [Offer of Financial Assistance],” it says.

The company disputes the NCRA’s estimated costs for rehabilitating the line and says, “It would be premature to conclude that the Line could not be restored and become economically viable. Such arguments only establish that the current owners of the Line [NCRA] lack the funds and will to take an entrepreneurial risk on the Line as NCRCo would do … .”

Huffman is skeptical.

“It is hard for me to imagine anyone so naive as to think that this could ever succeed,” he said. “I mean, I truly think that you will see time travel and teleporting before you will see a coal train exporting out of the Port of Eureka. … But I’m not going to take that for granted. This is one of those do-whatever-it-takes-to-kill-it priorities and believe me, the wheels are already in motion.”

McGuire said he and his colleagues in the Senate plan to introduce legislation that would ban state investments into any rail infrastructure associated with coal.

“We’re going to introduce this bill here in the coming days,” McGuire said. “We fully expect full-throated litigation from multiple sources to be able to block this.”

Like Huffman, McGuire expressed doubts about the viability of this endeavor, but he also pointed out how serious the threat is.

“This toxic train would run along the Russian River and the Eel River, which is the main source of drinking water for just under 1 million residents,” he said. “It’s also home to some of the most sensitive ecosystems on Earth, along with endangered species.”

California banned coal-fired power plants for good reason, he added. ”Coal is the dirtiest and most damaging source of energy out there, and it’s also the No. 1 cause of global warming. It’s the No. 1 contributor to our climate crisis. And I’m here to promise you, right now, that no matter how many billions this anonymous corporation may have to throw at this project, it’s not going to happen. The Great Redwood Trail is going to win the day. The Great Redwood Trail is going to continue to move forward.”

Mitch Stogner, executive director of the NCRA, called NCRCo.’s ploy “absurd.”

“According to our best estimates, the cost to restore the line would exceed $2.4 billion and [the line] would remain unreliable due to the regular slides and washouts, especially along the environmentally sensitive Eel River Canyon,” Stogner said. “And of course that does not include whatever billions it would cost to upgrade the Humboldt Bay Harbor to transport coal. All of this is widely known, and exactly the reason the state of California has directed us to focus on the Great Redwood Trail — a mission our board is working hard on. We suggest this LLC stop the secrecy and do their homework.”

McGuire agreed that the costs are prohibitive, but in the same breath he said he’s not taking any chances. “It is not going to happen — and I will tell you, we are going to fight them like hell every step of the way.”

Others are lining up to fight, too. 

“When I heard that this was a credible thing, I obviously wanted to activate every possible avenue of opposition,” Huffman said. The congressman reached out to the board of SMART, the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit, which owns the southern section of rail line running from San Francisco Bay north to the Sonoma-Mendocino County border. 

“I think you can absolutely guarantee vigorous opposition from the SMART board,” Huffman said.

Local environmental groups are also up in arms. Alicia Hamann, executive director of Friends of the Eel River, said, “Coal trains running through the Eel River canyon to Humboldt Bay would poison the river, the bay, and the entire region. It would devastate the progress that FOER and so many others have made in restoring Eel River salmon and steelhead.” Noting the environmental cost of fossil fuels, she added, “Humboldt County should have no part in that.”

“Regardless of who is behind this, we’ll fight at every turn to keep coal trains from coming to Humboldt Bay,” said Jennifer Kalt, executive director of Humboldt Baykeeper. “The pollution from mile-long trains coming through Eureka and Arcata would be horrendous. And burning coal will worsen the climate crisis and add to the mercury contaminating our fish.”

Tom Wheeler, executive director of EPIC, was more blunt. “Fuck coal trains,” he said. “We are going to fight this with everything we’ve got.”

If NCRCo. ends up submitting an Offer of Financial Assistance, as the company has indicated it will, the Surface Transportation Board is charged with performing due diligence on the financial plans. If the company clears that hurdle, it will still face bureaucratic and legal obstacles, such access to SMART’s portion of the rail line and the legislation being prepared by McGuire and others.

But public opposition may play a key role, too.

“This community is going to have to rally,” McGuire said. 

He noted that the North Coast has been the center of some of the largest environmental battles in the nation, from Redwood Summer to a rally against Big Oil to protect the coast from offshore oil drilling.

“And now is the time to be able to put the nail in the coffin of coal once and for all … ,” he said. “We know that we’re going to be successful but it’s going to take all of us working together here in the weeks and months to come.”

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From the Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services: 

Humboldt County OES will be holding a virtual press conference/Q&A today, Sept. 2, at 2:30 p.m.

EOC Director Ryan Derby and Supervisor Steve Madrone will give updates regarding the county’s response to the Knob Fire and will be answering questions.

You can submit questions to oes@co.humboldt.ca.us.

The video will be streamed on the Sheriff’s Facebook Page  as well as on YouTube.

A recording will be available to watch and download following the broadcast.

The preliminary hearing for triple-murder suspect Mauricio Eduardo Johnson has been postponed to give the District Attorney’s Office more time to discuss a defense offer for Johnson to admit to murder and weapons charges.

Johnson.

Outside the courtroom today, Deputy District Attorney Roger Rees said defense attorney Andrea Sullivan proposes that Johnson plead guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of personal use of a firearm and be sentenced to 150 years to life. However, he would be eligible for parole.

Johnson, 19, is currently charged with the special circumstance of killing multiple people, with a conviction meaning life in prison without possibility of parole.

About 20 people — family members and friends of the victims — were in Judge Christopher Wilson’s courtroom this morning. Rees told the judge he has met with all concerned people and has held a follow-up meeting with all but one person.

Rees had planned to ask today for a two-week continuance, but he requested 30 days because wildfires are making it difficult for some people to travel to Eureka.

Sullivan appeared today via Zoom, saying she didn’t object to the 30-delay as long as Johnson didn’t mind. Johnson was in the courtroom and agreed to the continuance.

Johnson is charged with the Feb. 10 murders of Margarett Lee Moon and her fiance Nikki Dion Metcalf, both 40, and Moon’s 16-old-daughter Shelly Moon. All were shot dead inside their home on Bear River Rancheria. According to one person who spoke with Johnson afterward, he shot Shelly Moon because “he didn’t want any witnesses.”

Johnson was arrested the following day as he drove through Utah. He spent three months there fighting transfer to California but was returned to Humboldt County in May after Gov. Gavin Newsome signed a warrant for his extradition.

If the prosecution doesn’t accept the defense offer, Johnson will have a preliminary hearing that is expected to take a full day. The next hearing in the case is set for Sept. 30.

Sullivan has been attempting from the start to have the special circumstance dismissed. When Johnson was jailed in Utah, Sullivan said he would agree to be extradited if that charge was dropped. So far it remains.