Eureka Police Department press release:
On 6/30/13 at 5:25 p.m. Eureka Police officers responded to an injury hit and run collision on Wabash at Broadway.
A motorcycle driven by Darrel Doyne Tintsman, 72, of Eureka, was traveling eastbound on Wabash when he collided with a maroon sedan traveling westbound on Wabash. The female driver in the sedan attempted to make a left turn in front of the motorcycle.
Tintsman sustained moderate injuries to his lower body and was subsequently flown out of the area for medical treatment.
The female driver fled the scene after the collision.
Eureka Police officers attempted to identify the female driver of the maroon sedan with negative results. On 7/21/13 a friend of the female driver contacted Eureka Police and spoke with Traffic Officer Greg Hill.
The caller identified the female driver as Rachel Louise Huntley, 43, of Eureka. Huntley had confessed to the caller that she had been the driver of the vehicle that collided with the motorcycle on Wabash at Broadway.
The caller stated that Huntley’s vehicle was located on Huntoon near D Street. Officer Hill responded to the location and recovered the vehicle, which was impounded and towed for evidence. Officer Hill observed damage to the sedan that was consistent with the collision.
Officer Hill later contacted Huntley at a residence in the 2500 block of C Street. Huntley confessed to driving the sedan that collided with the motorcycle.
Huntley was placed under arrest for CVC 20001 (a) Hit and Run with Injuries. She was transported to the Humboldt County Correctional Facility where she was processed and released on her own recognizance due to jail overcrowding.
The Eureka Police Department would like to acknowledge the assistance of the victim’s son in identifying the suspect driver.