Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:
On July 6, 2021, at about 2:12 p.m., a Humboldt County Correctional Facility inmate attending a scheduled court hearing inside a courtroom of the Humboldt County Superior Court attempted to escape from custody.
The inmate, 38-year-old Fernando Joel Calderon, fled from the courtroom and into a public waiting area. Humboldt County Sheriff’s Deputies pursued Calderon and intercepted his escape, preventing him from exiting the waiting area. Following a brief struggle, Calderon was taken into custody and transported back to the Correctional Facility.
Calderon was booked on additional charges of attempt to escape jail (PC 4532(a)(1)).
Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:
On July 7, 2021, at about 9:15 a.m., Shaun Patrick McMahon, age 49 of Trinidad, turned himself in to law enforcement at the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Main Station in Eureka. McMahon has been identified as the suspect in the shooting death of Benjamin Scott Thomas.
Thomas arrived injured to the Elk Camp CAL FIRE Station on Bald Hills Road near Orick on June 23, 2021. Thomas succumbed to his injuries on scene. His death was determined to be a homicide. Since this incident, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division has been actively investigating this case and as a result of this investigation, requested a warrant for McMahon’s arrest.
McMahon was arrested and booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of murder (PC 187(a)). He is being held without bail.
This case is still under investigation.
Anyone with information about this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.
The Humboldt County Drug Task Force
(HCDTF) had a busy 4th
of July weekend that resulted in the closure of three long term
investigations, six arrests and the seizure of large quantities of
fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine. These three investigations
were not related.
###
Photos: HCDTF.
On
Friday July 2nd,
2021, the HCDTF with the assistance of the Humboldt County Sheriff’s
Department (HCSO) contacted Kathryn
Tynes (39 years old from
Corning) and Forest Kuntz
(36 years old from Redway) in the parking lot of a business on
Metropolitan Rd. in Fortuna. Agents had been investigating Tynes’ for
several months for transporting large quantities of methamphetamine
from Corning to customers in Humboldt County.
Tynes.
Kuntz.
During
a search of Tynes’ vehicle agents located 4 pounds of methamphetamine,
a digital scale, and a small quantity of heroin. Tynes’ passenger,
Kuntz, was found to have an outstanding warrant from the Eureka
Police Department for robbery. Kuntz was placed under arrest for his
warrant and transported to the Humboldt County Jail. The following
charges are being requested with the Humboldt County District
Attorney’s Office for Tynes’:
H&S
11379(b) Transportation of methamphetamine across non-contiguous
counties
H&S
11378 Possession of methamphetamine for sale
H&S
11379(a) Transportation of methamphetamine for sale
###
On
Saturday July 3rd,
2021, HCDTF agents along with the HCSO made a traffic stop on a
vehicle on northbound Highway 101 in Benbow. Agents had information
that the occupants of the vehicle,
Brian Mariani (48 years old
from Kneeland) and Daniel
Gonzalez (30 years old from
Eureka) were transporting a large quantity of fentanyl into Humboldt
County.
Mariani.
Gonzales.
Agents
served a search warrant on the vehicle and located approx. 3 ounces
of fentanyl, one ounce of heroin, and a smaller quantity of crack
cocaine. Mariani and Gonzalez were booked at the Humboldt County for
the following charges:
H&S
11352(b) Transportation of controlled substances across
non-contiguous counties
H&S
11351 Possession of controlled substances for sale
###
On
Monday July 5th,
2021, HCDTF agents with the assistance of the HCSO made a traffic
stop on a vehicle on northbound Highway 101 in Richardson Grove.
HCDTF agents had been investigating the occupants of this vehicle,
Matthew Williams
(29 years old from Eureka) and Lila
Perry (19 years old from
Arcata) for transporting large quantities of heroin into Humboldt
County. Williams was on active PRCS probation for a previous HCDTF
arrest.
Williams.
Perry.
Agents
served the search warrant on the vehicle and located approx. 6 ounces
of raw heroin (171 grams) and 14 grams of methamphetamine. Williams
and Perry were both transported to the Humboldt County Jail and
booked for the following charges:
H&S
11379(b) Transportation of methamphetamine across non-contiguous
counties
H&S
11352(b) Transportation of controlled substances across
non-contiguous counties
H&S
11351 Possession of controlled substances for sale
H&S
11377 Possession of methamphetamine
182
PC Conspiracy
The
HCDTF would like to thank the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department
for their assistance on all three enforcement stops. Anyone with
information related to this investigation or other narcotics related
crimes are encouraged to call the Humboldt County Drug Task Force at
707-267-9976 or the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Tip Line at
707-268-2539.
On December 18 of last year, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office picked up an aggressive dog wandering a property on Thomas Road in Miranda.
The HCSO traced the caucasian shepherd’s microchip back to a home in Tarzana, Calif., and was later told by Animal Control Officer Angela Hooks with the City of Los Angeles, that the dog “Hades” was linked to a serious biting incident that occurred at the home six days prior.
“Officer Hooks said this is a high profile case as the other owner is a celebrity and the injuries were extensive, 80 stitches in the face and arms,” the HCSO euthanasia report reads.
TMZ reported yesterday that — according to an ongoing lawsuit — the dog bite occurred at the home of celebrity singer Chris Brown.
“Hades” the dog posted to Chris Brown’s official Instagram.
While the HCSO reports do not list Chris Brown as the dog’s official owner, the lawsuit claims that the dog belonged to Brown and that it attacked his housekeeper as she was taking out the garbage.
“She alleges once the attack was over … she was literally lying in a pool of her own blood — when Chris came upon her, and then started directing his team to snatch up the pooches and scram before the cops and paramedics came,” the TMZ article reads.
The cover of Chris Brown’s first album, “Chris Brown.”
According to HCSO reports, the dog was traced back to an unspecified property on Citrus Ridge Drive in Tarzana — the same street where the attack occurred, and where Brown held a public yard sale in 2019.
Hades sedated at the Humboldt County Animal Shelter.
While it’s unclear how the dog made it from Los Angeles to Humboldt County, the dog was euthanized due to its aggressive behavior on Dec. 24, 12 days after the attack.
Shannon Miranda, owner and founder of Miranda’s Rescue animal shelter in Fortuna, told the Outpost that although he would have liked a chance to modify the dog’s behavior, he understands why the HCSO opted to put the dog down.
“[Caucasian shepherds] are bred to keep wolves, bears and mountain lions away, and so a human is nothing to a dog like that,” Miranda said. “For my own knowledge, I’d like to have seen the dog and seen if I could have done something for him. You don’t fix, you modify that behavior. But the dog would always still have the potential to attack.”
Miranda added that owning dog’s is a serious responsibility and that proper training is crucial in preventing these types of attacks.
“I find it very tragic,” he said. “It’s horrible for the person who got attacked and I feel bad for the dog. If people are going to have these breeds, start socializing them and make sure your dogs go through training, because training is key to having any dogs — especially these high drive breeds.”
Arcata residents 21 and older may soon be free to embark on psychedelic trips without trip-to-the-police-department fears thanks to a new nonprofit named Decriminalize Nature Humboldt.
Stemming from a nationwide education campaign called Decriminalize Nature, the two-month-old local advocacy group hopes to push Arcata toward decriminalizing entheogenic plants and fungi. This would include the psychedelic drugs ibogaine (iboga shrub roots), dimethyltryptamine (ayahuasca), mescaline (cactus), psilocybin and psilocyn (magic mushrooms). The group posits that people seeking the medicinal benefits of entheogens should not be punished and that criminalization for using, possessing or sharing these drugs isn’t productive anyway.
Decriminalize Nature Humboldt caught the attention of Arcata City Council Member Sarah Schaefer, who has agreed to introduce a resolution that would decriminalize entheogens within City limits.
Decriminalization is not legalization. If adopted, a resolution would simply establish that the investigation or arrest for cultivating, using or possessing entheogenic plants and fungi would become the lowest priority for the Arcata Police Department. Under current California law, the cultivation and possession of these substances is considered a misdemeanor and offenders can be subject to a fine and/or a jail sentence of up to one year.
(The sale of entheogenic plants and fungi is a felony deemed worthy of prison time. The decriminalization of selling entheogenic plants and fungi is not included in the scope of goals pursued by Decriminalize Nature Humboldt or their parent movement.)
Schaefer — who during her campaign was approached by Arcatans interested in the decriminalization of psilocybin — told the Outpost that a resolution would largely be about “recognizing that this isn’t something that should be demonized.”
There are a lot of arguments for decriminalization. What seems to be the main argument in Arcata is the medicinal uses entheogens may provide for some people struggling with mental illnesses. People who want to use entheogens medicinally shouldn’t have to worry about the law, Shaefer said. “It’s not just people that want to party.”
For instance, administered through guided therapy trials, psilocybin and ayahuasca have been found to help improve moods long-term in patients struggling with severe depression. Other studies show that ibogaine helps kick opioid addiction.
“I feel very dedicated to educating people on the medicinal qualities of these medicines … helping people get the help they need to be happy,” Danielle Daniel, lead organizer of Decriminalize Nature Humboldt, told the Outpost.
Daniel, who recently graduated from HSU with a master’s in sociology, did a senior thesis on 18 people who have taken psilocybin mushrooms long-term. “One of the main things that I found in the research was that even when people would take mushrooms for [recreational purposes] over medicinal, it made people better humans,” Daniel said. “People would stop lying, or they would stop littering, or they would just be more connected to nature, which is awesome. And that is what we need right now — more connection with nature.”
Another argument for decriminalizing entheogens is that the status quo of criminalizing drug users in general is counterproductive, expensive and inequitable.
“Decriminalization of plant and fungi medicines in Arcata is the first step to right the wrong of the failed drug war. Nixon’s war was based on disrupting and arresting members in the civil rights group and anti-war group, not to protect people from substances and those who take them. The decision was based on politics, not science,” Daniel said in a Decriminalize Nature Humboldt press release, which also noted that with a resolution, funds currently used for entheogen-related arrests could be redirected to other areas.
Meanwhile — with medicinal uses in mind — California lawmakers are also looking to smush the war on drugs with Senate Bill 519, which would decriminalize entheogenic plants and fungi as well as other hallucinogens, like LSD and ecstasy, across the state. Oregon is the only state that has decriminalized psychedelics (actually, all drugs, in small quantities), and has legalized entheogens for medical purposes.
California State Senator Scott Wiener, SB 519’s author, argues that the war on drugs has criminalized addiction and has helped create a system of racist mass incarceration. “We’ve been trying to arrest our way and incarcerate our way out of drug use for more than 50 years. It’s been a complete failure. It doesn’t work,” Wiener said in an interview with ABC10.
SB 519 was approved by the California State Senate last month and is now moving its way through the Assembly. Shaefer noted that in addition to immediate local benefits of decriminalization in Arcata, passing the resolution would indicate support for SB 519 as the Assembly moves toward that decision.
Shaefer also mentioned that decriminalizing locally could potentially open doors for researching entheogenic plants and fungi at Humboldt State University.
Oakland became the first city in California to decriminalize entheogens in 2019, and Santa Cruz followed soon after. If the resolution passes in Arcata, Decriminalize Nature Humboldt will look into whether other Humbodlt cities are interested in decriminalization, too.
“It really has to do with the community,” Daniel said. “If I get involved in the community in Eureka and people are receptive, I would love to do that.”
Why might a city not be interested? The main concerns people have about decriminalizing entheogenic plants are addiction risk and underage use, but both of those worries are kind of moot, Daniel said. Though healing, the experience is also exhausting, so most people don’t want to use entheogens every day, Daniel said, plus, most people develop a quick tolerance. On top of that, studies indicate that entheogens are a useful treatment for kicking addictions, not developing them.
And in regard to the underage concern, this resolution would apply only to people over 21.
Some concerns about SB 519 include safety issues, like people accidentally picking and consuming poisonous mushrooms or driving during a trip. State and local decriminalization efforts are aimed to increase access for people seeking the medical benefits of entheogens, but would also allow recreational use, which some legislatures argue is unnecessary. One opponent of SB 519 is the Peace Officers’ Research Association of California, which fears decriminalization in California would increase drug dealing and crime.
Decriminalize Nature Humboldt will be tabling at every Arcata Farmers Market in July, where they will distribute information about entheogens, how to use them medicinally and what decriminalization rather than legalization means. The group has a petition that has so far collected 25 signatures.
On
May 21, 2021, our beloved Sheri Lee Ann Borgelin passed away to be
with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Born in Eureka, on January
12, 1974, she left us much too soon at the age of 47. Raised in Blue
Lake, Sheri attended Blue Lake Elementary School and Arcata High
School. As a young girl Sheri would spend every spare moment with her
horse, Lady. Whether she was riding bareback in the pasture or on the
banks of the Mad River, her happiest times were holding on tight on
the back of her horse.
Sheri
met her husband, David, when she was eleven and he was twelve, while
roller skating at the Blue Lake Roller Rink. They were inseparable
from that point on. Sheri and David went on to share many experiences
that made them grow closer together like, hunting, ocean fishing and
picking daisies in Petrolia (daisies were her favorite) and hunting
and fishing at Ruth Lake, riding roller coasters at Great America,
Orca shows at Marine World, and the simple things like watching a
Yankees game on TV. Sheri and David went on to be married for
twenty five years and have two children, Cortney and Myles.
At
15, Sheri began to help take care of David’s elderly grandparents. It
was at that point she realized her calling. Sheri went on to work as
a healthcare provider for thirty-two years. Being an Alzheimer’s
advocate, she truly loved and cared for the people and the families
she took care of. She shared a deep connection with those she took
care of and always made sure they were cared for with respect and
compassion. Always wanting to do more, she organized events to
benefit Alzheimer’s research.
Sheri enjoyed working out at the gym, some of her favorite classes
included kickboxing and jiu-jitsu. She went to the gym five days a
week for the last ten years. At the beginning of her weight loss
journey she entered a weight loss challenge, taking second place. Her
total loss was one hundred thirty pounds. This was just the
beginning, Sheri was just hitting her stride. She completed the
Foggy Bottoms 5k Milk Run and participated in Walk to End Alzheimer’s
every year for the last ten years. Recently Sheri had started
training in Powerlifting, focusing her attention on the Deadlift. She
was looking forward to traveling and competing in this event. Sheri
loved to take road trips with David in her Tacoma.
Sheri
was an incredible wife and mother. She always put others’ needs ahead
of hers. She never wanted the spotlight or to be the center of
attention, she was perfectly happy being a wife to David and a mother
to Cortney and Myles, she counted those two things as her greatest
achievements.
Sheri
passing is truly devastating. Her shoes can’t be filled. She will
be forever loved and remembered as the perfect wife to her husband
and the perfect mother to her kids. Thank you for the outpouring of
love and prayers from family and friends.
Sheri
was preceded in death by her Grandmother Ethel Parker and father-in-law Frank Borgelin.
Sheri
is survived by her husband David, daughter Cortney, son Myles. niece
Melissa Newton and her children Cody, Maddison, and Kaylee, brother-in-law Jason Beam and his wife Heather, their children Alexis,
Whysper, Jakob, Ivan, Jaxon, BobbieGrace, and Molly, aunt
Ann and uncle Kevin Stolpe, cousins
Dennis, Dalana, Daniel, Darla, Antonio, and Warren, uncle
Mike Borgelin, uncle
Mike Cyphers, cousins
Michael Cyphers, Gary Cyphers and his wife Stephanie and their
families.
A
celebration of life for Sheri will be held at the Fortuna River
Lodge, July 9, 2021 at 3 p.m. Catering
will be provided.
In
lieu of flowers and gifts please make donations to The Walk to End
Alzeimers at act.alz.org.
###
The obituary above was submitted on behalf ofSheri Borgelin’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.
On July 2, 2021 at approximately 1:40 am, the Trinity County Emergency Dispatch Center received a call regarding a stabbing incident at the Rock Slide Bar in Hawkins Bar, Calif. Deputies responded and arrived on scene as the victim was being transported to a Humboldt County area hospital.
During the investigation it was found a male subject had been stabbed numerous times during an altercation. The suspect fled prior to the Deputies arrival and has not been located. The suspect has been identified as Daniel Cummins. Investigators later found he had been picked up hitchhiking along State Route 299 and was dropped off in Willow Creek, CA the morning after the incident.
The last known address for Daniel Cummins is in the area of King Salmon, south of Eureka.
The subject is considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Daniel Cummins are asked to contact the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office at (530) 623-8126.
Suspect: Daniel Cummins, DOB: 08/15/1990, of Ireland.
Descriptions: WMA, 5’8”-6’0” 160-180 pounds, Brown hair, Brown eyes.
Charges: 245PC – Assault with a deadly Weapon
Agencies involved: Trinity County Sheriff’s Office
