Eureka Police Dept. Press Release:

On 4/01/13, at about 11:12 AM, a uniformed Eureka Police Department officer on patrol observed a white 1987 Oldsmobile sedan traveling southbound on the 1400 block of Broadway, Eureka. The officer noticed the Oldsmobile’s windshield was shattered and he decided to stop the vehicle for the violation.

The officer conducted a traffic enforcement stop on the vehicle on the 1500 block of Broadway. When he asked the occupants for identification, the front passenger, Richard Burse Firebaugh (AKA: Richard Green), stated he thought he had a bench warrant because he had missed a court date. A local wants/warrants check on Firebaugh confirmed he had a misdemeanor warrant for his arrest.

The officer placed Firebaugh under arrest for his warrant. During a subsequent search of Firebaugh’s person and belongings, the officer located 8 individual small baggies containing crystal methamphetamine (approximately 4.4 grams total gross weight), two digital gram scales, 100 small clear plastic baggies (drug sales packaging materials), drug use paraphernalia (two meth pipes), and a suspicious set of keys. The keys had been filed down making their ridges smooth. The officer suspected these were “shave keys” commonly used for committing auto burglaries or stealing cars.

Inside Firebaugh’s leather jacket, which had been resting on the floorboard at his feet, the officer found a loaded Smith & Wesson .38 revolver. The revolver’s registered owner was subsequently contacted and asked if he knew the present whereabouts of his handgun. The owner, who resides in McKinleyville, confirmed he had recently reported it as stolen to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.

In addition to his warrant, Firebaugh (age 28 of Fortuna) was arrested on multiple fresh charges and transported to the Humboldt County Correctional Facility where he was booked for possession of a controlled substance for sale, possession of stolen property, possession of a controlled substance while armed with a loaded firearm, possession of a firearm with intent to commit a felony, possession of a concealed firearm by a passenger in a vehicle, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of burglary tools.