File photo.

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A potential plea deal could be worked out for a 55-year-old man accused of a litany of serious sex crimes against five minors, as a jury trial date approaches.

Ward in a 2024 booking photo. | Image via Humboldt County Correctional Facility.

Eureka’s Darin Ward is charged with 14 felonies including multiple lewd acts upon children, human trafficking of a minor for a commercial sex act, contacting minors for sexual offenses, possessing child pornography and charges for allegedly showing a picture of his penis to children.

Two victims were under the age of 14, according to court records.

He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and allegations.

The possible offer is in its infancy. The terms of the offer were not read into the record during a court appearance today, but attorneys are discussing an offer by Ward’s defense attorney, Andrea Sullivan. The Humboldt County District Attorney’s office is getting input from the victims’ families, Sullivan said in court today.

Ward faces life in prison. He’s accused of violations of California’s one-strike rule, based on the crimes, victim’s ages and the number of victims. One of these allegations alone would bring a mandatory sentence of 25 years to life if he’s convicted.

Ward was held to answer to these charges after a preliminary hearing in November 2024, according to court records, allowing the case against him to proceed.

The next hearing is set for September 16. The jury trial would otherwise be held starting September 21.

Ward previously made local headlines for allegedly threatening government officials in Eureka (though criminal charges were never filed) and driving a bus across the country that declared “TRUMP WON - Follow Me to D.C.” aiming to reach the January 6, 2021 insurrection.

He was arrested on October 2, 2024. The alleged offenses took place from 2018 to 2024, according to court records.

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Jake Combs, Twice Convicted of Murder, Seeks Third Trial 

Jake Combs, who’s twice been convicted for the murder of Southern Humboldt resident Trevor Earley, is seeking a third trial.

His attorney filed a motion for a new trial in August, according to court records. The matter will be discussed on September 23, when Combs is set to be sentenced for his first-degree murder conviction for shooting Earley.

This sentencing was previously delayed to allow time for a separate drugs-in-jail case to wrap up. Last week, attorneys confirmed they were ready for a trial for the drug case.

Combs was initially found guilty of murder in 2023, but an appeals court overturned this conviction due to a judge improperly admitting certain evidence. In the second trial for the same crime earlier this year, he was again found guilty of the same charges by a jury.

Combs, 34, faces a maximum sentence of 50 years to life for Earley’s murder, and 8 years for the drug case.

The District Attorney’s Office previously offered to drop the drug case in exchange for a guilty plea and the 2023 sentence, but Combs did not take the deal.

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New Attorney Appointed in Hoopa Shooting Case Involving Multiple Teenagers

A new defense attorney was appointed last week in proceedings against two teenage co-defendants who are accused of murdering 17-year-old Dylan Moon in Hoopa. The case, which alleges the pair were part of a criminal street gang, will likely be delayed as a result.

Attorney Rebecca Linkous officially declared a conflict in representing William Warren last week, after earlier noting she found a conflict issue when reviewing evidence handed over by the District Attorney’s Office.

She said she would transfer the massive volumes of evidence to Kevin Davenport, who was appointed by the court at a hearing last Wednesday.

This evidence includes “hundreds and hundreds of pages,” and hours upon hours of video and body worn camera footage, she said. This would need a physical handoff.

The next hearing is set for September 30, aimed at scheduling a preliminary hearing and to give time for the new attorney to retrieve and review the evidence.

Murder Defendant Makes Plea for Speedy Trial 

Murder suspect Deunn Antoine Willis, who has been incarcerated since July 2025, spoke in court last week in search of faster proceedings in a case against him.

He spoke out during a scheduling discussion for a preliminary hearing, urging an earlier proposed date. He’s previously made this position clear through attorneys.

Willis is accused of murder for allegedly fatally shooting Fort Bragg’s Joshua Lee McCollister on July 8, 2025 near Blue Lake. He additionally is accused of robbery, along with co-defendant Danielle Durand who remains out on bail.

Both attorneys were ready to set the hearing about a month out.

But Willis raised his hand to address the court. “I’ve been sitting here for months,” he said, pointing out the preliminary hearing had been delayed multiple times. He asked to try for an earlier date.

Judge Kaleb Cockrum remarked it was an odd position, having his attorney over Zoom (as Willis couldn’t speak with his attorney effectively), and acknowledged Willis’ frustration.

But the October 13 date worked with the defense and prosecution, so the hearing was scheduled for next month.