On April 24th at about 8:00 am, after a month long investigation, the Sheriff’s office served an
arrest warrant in the 3400 Block of 18th Street, Eureka, regarding 288(a) PC child molestation
and 288.5 PC continuous sexual abuse of a minor. Arrested at the scene was 38 year old Andrew
Jarrod Cunningham.
During the course of the investigation several victims have been identified, and the abuse is
alleged to have occurred over a ten year period. The case is still under investigation and anyone
with information is asked to call Investigator Mark Peterson at (707) 268-3663.
Someday? The Jefferson Center now looks more like this than it used to. Illustration by Julian Berg, via the Jefferson Project.
They’re having a big, giant party at the Jefferson Center this Friday afternoon and evening, with music, snacks and some very special guests. The occasion? It’s what Jeffersonians call the completion of “phase one” of the grand project to breathe new life into Eureka’s long-troubled West Side neighborhood — the official completion of the Jefferson Center project.
Westsider Heidi Benzonelli tells the Outpost that the Jefferson Center — which housed a primary school, once upon a time — now contains a performance venue, an infant-toddler center, a computer lab, a community resource library, native plant gardens, a playground, and bocce and basketball courts. A number of classes and programs operate out of the center, including Early Head Start and Second Chance, an employment-readiness program.
Work will continue on the site, probably forever, but for now, they’re calling the project more or less complete. It’s been a long, tough road for the group of neighbors who got together years ago to save the school site for the community — you can read Ryan Burns’ story about the Jefferson Project’s early days and struggles here — but organizers are now officially declaring victory.
“Phase one”? Benzonelli says that the ultimate goal of neighbors is to freshen up the neighborhood at large. “We’re
really looking at a whole community improvement project that is
spreading like wildfire from the site, now,” she said.
From the Westside Community Improvement Association:
Together, we have reached a great milestone - the completion of
Phase 1 of our Westside Community revitalization project - the
Jefferson Community Center and Park. Thank you to all for your
contributions of time, encouragement, work, and financial support.
This is not just a job well done, Jefferson is a shining example of
what can be done when a community pulls together.
Thanks to everyone’s hard work and in recognition of our
accomplishments, California State Senator Mike McGuire and key
leaders from our chief funding partner, the California Department of
Parks and Recreation and its Office of Grants and Local Services, will
be joining us at a special event to proudly showcase all that we have
done together, as community.
Please join Westside Community Improvement Association and Redwood
Community Action Agency.
This is your invitation to celebrate and hear words of thanks.
Come enjoy some food, music and fun. (no gloves required)!
WHERE: Jefferson Community Center 1000 B Street, Eureka, CA
WHEN: Friday, April 27th (3 - 6pm) walking tour begins at 3pm
Please use the new ‘A’ Street Entrance.
I am personally very proud of what we have accomplished and
grateful to get to be part of this tremendous community effort. I
sincerely hope to see all of you at this special day of recognition.
On April 22, 2018, at about 7:07 p.m., officers with the Eureka Police Department
responded to the 1300 block of Eleventh Street for the report that a dog had been shot by
an unknown suspect.
Upon arrival, Officers located the dog (a brown and white pitbull/mastiff) with what
appeared to be a single gunshot wound. The dog was deceased. Officers checked the area
and were unable to locate any witnesses of the actual shooting, but did locate subjects
that heard what they believed to be a single gunshot. The owner of the dog was located
and responded to the scene.
This is an open investigation being investigated by both Eureka Police Department
officers and our animal control staff. Anyone with information is asked to call the Eureka
Police Department Animal Control at (707) 441-4327.
On April
23, 2018 at 0500 hours, Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Emergency
Communications Center received a 9-1-1 call about a vehicle vs.pedestrian collision on NB101 near Salmon Creek. The call was
transferred to the California Highway Patrol. California Highway
Patrol Officers and Sheriff’s Deputies responded. It was determined
the pedestrian was deceased and the California Highway Patrol
requested a response from the Coroner.
The
Deputy Sheriff/Coroner arrived on scene and began his investigation.
Based on the Deputy Sheriff/Coroner’s observations, he requested a
response from the Criminal Investigations Division. Detectives and an
evidence technician responded. The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office
is investigating this as a suspicious death. A forensic autopsy is
scheduled for Saturday, April 28th. No further information
regarding this incident will be released until after the autopsy is
completed.
The
identity of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of
next of kin. Anyone with information regarding this incident is
encouraged to call the Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the
Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip Line at (707) 268-2539.
Acting on a tip, Special Agents with the Drug Task Force
with assistance from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office and a Humboldt County
District Attorney K-9 Investigator conducted surveillance in the 1600 block of
Broadway in Eureka.
At about 12:30
P.M. Agents spotted 25 year old Rudy Nunez, who they knew to be on Federal
Probation for narcotics distribution. A
Sheriff’s Sergeant detained Rudy based on his probation status and subsequently
conducted a search of his person in accordance with his probation terms.
Nunez was found
to be in possession of 11 ounces of suspected heroin. He was placed under arrest and booked at
Correctional Facility for possession of a narcotic for sale and transportation
of a narcotic.
Anyone with information
related to this investigation or other narcotics related crimes are encouraged
to call the Humboldt County Drug Task Force at 707-444-8095 or the Humboldt
County Sheriff’s Office Tip Line at 707-268-2539.
The cruise ship MS Europaskipped over Humboldt Bay last year, but a new local partnership hopes to entice such vessels to our shores in greater numbers. | Wikimedia.
From the City of Eureka:
The Humboldt Bay Harbor District and the City of Eureka have formed a partnership with the Eureka Visitor Center, Eureka Main Street, and community volunteer Chet Albin to strategically recruit cruise ships to Humboldt Bay. The Tourism Committee of the Greater Eureka Area Chamber of Commerce has also recently joined the team.
The Humboldt Bay Cruise Ship Partnership (HBCSP) consists of jointly-staffed teams that focus on: Infrastructure and Logistics, Cruise Ship Coordination and Marketing, Passenger Fulfillment, and Long-term Strategic Planning. The marketing campaign is well underway, with the tag line “Cruise Humboldt’s Redwood Coast.” Several weeks ago, team members of the partnership attended an international cruise ship trade show in Fort Lauderdale to promote and market Humboldt Bay and our redwood coast. Later this year, team members will attend another cruise ship industry meeting in Seattle to recruit additional ships.
Earlier this month, members of the team traveled to Astoria, Oregon to witness the arrival of a 2,600-passenger cruise ship and to learn from our neighbor to the north. While Astoria’s population consists of less than 10,000 people, the city has had remarkable success in attracting cruise ships over the past several years. While very few ships stopped in Astoria 10 years ago, over 20 ships now stop by the port each year.
In 2018, 25 ships are scheduled to visit Astoria, with a collective total of more than 46,000 passengers. While Humboldt Bay’s channel depth and dock capacity does not quite match Astoria’s, 16 of the 25 ships scheduled for Astoria could easily be accommodated in Humboldt Bay, which shows Humboldt Bay’s great potential. Those 16 ships (and dozens of others) cruise past Humboldt Bay each year without stopping here. The purpose of the Humboldt Bay Cruise Ship Partnership is to begin actively attracting cruise ships to our port.
The partnership is happy to announce that initial efforts are already paying off. One cruise ship is scheduled to arrive in Humboldt Bay in May of 2018, additional bookings are being considered in 2019, and there are efforts underway to increase these numbers. Because cruise ships rely on recommendations from one another, the best way to recruit additional ships in the coming years is to ensure that the passengers and crew of this year’s ship have a phenomenal experience.
The ship is scheduled to arrive on Monday, May 21st at 6 a.m. and multiple efforts are underway to optimize their experience. A dock-side party is being arranged to greet the guests as they de-board, multiple tours are being organized directly with the ship’s tour coordinator, Eureka Main Street is working with businesses to ensure that stores are open and ready, a community clean-up is being arranged, and a request has been issued to NOAA for a day of great weather.
While this first ship is relatively small (approximately 120 passengers) the ships being courted for 2019 are much larger and could each carry over 1,000 passengers. The fact that the first ship in the queue is small provides an opportunity to test our community’s readiness for bigger ships. Volunteers will be a keystone of our success. While much can be done with the collective resources of the Humboldt Bay Harbor District, the City of Eureka, the Eureka Visitor Center, and Eureka Main Street, a significant number of volunteers will be needed in 2019 if the partnership is successful in recruiting bigger ships.
The future looks bright for attracting cruise ships to Humboldt Bay. The economic boost to our region could be significant and many tourism-related businesses could be created. Not only would attracting cruise ships to Humboldt Bay provide direct economic benefits to our region, many people on cruises tend to visit an area again if they enjoyed their experience, which means cruise ships can be an excellent marketing tool for Humboldt’s tourism economy. While there is much to be done, including significant ongoing efforts to ensure our Bay is dredged, the Humboldt Bay Cruise Ship Partnership is on the path to success.
For more information, contact the Eureka Visitor Center at http://www.visiteureka.com/.
On April 22, 2018 at approximately 9:23 am, officers responded to the area of Rohner Park to attempt to locate a male subject who was identified as the suspect from the burglary of the restaurant located in the 700 Block of South Fortuna Blvd that occurred on April 20th.
Officers located the subject in the trails behind the park. Access to the location was made from the 2800 Block of Hillside Drive.
Officers arrested 24 year old Johnathan Edward Greene of Hazelton, IA. He was taken into custody without incident. He was transported to the Humboldt County Correctional Facility where he was booked for the following charges.
PC 459 (Burglary)
PC 594 (b)(2) (Vandalism)
The Fortuna Police Department would like to thank the citizens of Fortuna for their assistance in this investigation.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Fortuna Police Department at 707-725-7550, or call our anonymous crime reporting line at 1-800-78-CRIME or submit a tip online at www.wetip.com.
