Cara Banducci (age 30) of Eureka died yesterday afternoon of injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident in the early morning hours of Thursday.  Michael Campbell (age 41), a former Humboldt County deputy sheriff, was allegedly driving with Miss Banducci on the back of his motorcycle on Waterfront Drive in Eureka when for an unknown reason he lost control of the vehicle.  Banducci was airlifted to the UC Davis Medical Center before succumbing. Campbell was arrested on suspicion of felony DUI and of driving without a valid license and booked into the Humboldt County Jail.

Lt. Steve Knight, the Public Information Officer of the Humboldt Co. Sheriff’s Office said that he did not know why Campbell’s license was not valid. He said that Campbell had no previous bookings in Humboldt County for DUI or anything else.

Lynette Mullen, Community Education and Outreach Coordinator at Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office, says that because Banducci worked for the DA’s office in the past, “We have asked the Attorney General’s office to step in…We have not heard back.”

Anyone who may have witnessed the collision is asked to call either Senior Traffic Officer Gary Whitmer (707) 441-4232 or Traffic Officer Tim Jones (707) 441-4109 of the Eureka Police Dept.