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PREVIOUSLY

• Eureka Police Officer Placed on Paid Leave After Christmas Eve Arrest for Alleged Drunk Driving

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Eureka Police Chief Brian Stephens issued a lengthy statement today on a former EPD officer whose DUI case was recently dismissed.

James Whitchurch, then a newly-hired police officer for EPD, was arrested by California Highway Patrol officers on December 24, 2025. EPD placed the man on administrative leave.

A DUI case against Whitchurch was filed by prosecutors in April, according to a criminal complaint. He faced misdemeanors for driving under the influence and driving with over .08% Blood Alcohol Content, alongside multiple sentencing enhancements for allegedly driving with multiple young children in the car. 

Redheaded Blackbelt reported this week that the District Attorney’s Office filed a motion and order for dismissal of the case on September 24.

Whitchurch told the outlet that the DMV also set aside the action against his driver’s license.

“I’m grateful that both proceedings have now been resolved,” he said, in a written statement to the Redheaded Blackbelt.

According to District Attorney Stacey Eads, the decision to dismiss the case was based solely on the provability of the charges.

“The assigned [deputy district attorney] determined there was insufficient evidence to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt,” Eads wrote in an email to the Outpost. “The analysis took into consideration evidence available at the time of filing as well as additional information he received from a defense expert following the filing of charges.”

In the statement, Chief Stephens emphasized that EPD did not handle the criminal investigation, which was undertaken by CHP. 

“Beyond providing CHP with documentation of our officers’ initial observations and actions, EPD had no role in the District Attorney’s charging decision or the subsequent decision to dismiss the case,” he wrote. 

He said EPD ended Whitchurch’s employment on January 15 following an internal inquiry that “sustained allegations of policy violations.” Whitchurch was still in his probationary period, Stephens said.

Stephens noted that the OIR Group, Eureka’s independent police auditor, determined that the inquiry into Whitchurch was accurate, fair, and thorough and concurred with EPD’s findings.

“I recognize that incidents involving members of law enforcement can have a significant impact on public trust, particularly when the outcome of a criminal case raises questions within the community,” he wrote. “The people of Eureka deserve to know that allegations involving EPD personnel are not ignored, minimized, or handled without appropriate scrutiny. They deserve confidence that we will take the necessary steps to examine concerns, address policy violations, and hold our personnel accountable.”

Read the full letter here.