PREVIOUSLY: Missing Eureka Man’s Car Found Just Outside City Limits; Search Continues

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The Eureka Police Department continues to search for missing local man Michael Bounds, who was last seen by family on Nov. 27. EPD has released the following update on the case: 

During the investigation and working in collaboration with the family, Criminal Investigations Unit personnel obtained surveillance footage of Bounds at Murphy’s Market in Glendale/Blue Lake area on November 27, at about 3:00PM. The attached images from the surveillance footage shows Bounds current appearance and the clothing he was last seen wearing.

If you have any information, please contacted EPD’s Criminal Investigation Unit at 707-441-4300.

Kim Tanner didn’t expect to become a fraud detective when she filed for disability with the California Employment Development Department.

But in mid-July, $3,161 vanished from her online account with the state’s new debit card contractor, Money Network, according to Tanner’s complaints to government regulators. Someone had gotten access to her online debit card account, added a new bank account and transferred out her money, all without any notifications, she wrote in the complaints.

Tanner said Money Network told her it could take 90 days to investigate, and that she may or may not get a full refund, leaving her short on rent money. She turned to social media and saw similar horror stories on Reddit and Facebook. “My head exploded,” Tanner said. “This was happening to tons of people.”

So she started filing complaints. First with Money Network, its parent company Fiserv and the EDD. Then with a state senator and a half-dozen financial regulators.

“It just went on and on and on,” said Tanner, who got her money back via paper check about a month and a half later, after a federal agency intervened. “This needs to be investigated.”

A CalMatters investigation a year ago exposed how the EDD’s unemployment system crashed during the pandemic, the result of historic job losses, years of missed warning signs and poor contractor performance. As a result, the system at first failed to stop widespread fraud, then cut off access to millions of real people who used it as a crucial lifeline.

Now, even with a new payment contractor in place, concerns about fraud linger for people who rely on unemployment and disability programs run by the EDD. Multiple lawsuits and 74 federal consumer complaints about government debit cards have been filed by Californians against Money Network this year alone. The EDD and the company say the debit card fraud is smaller scale than the varied forms of fraud during the pandemic.

On top of the fraud complaints, a report released Monday by the Legislative Analyst’s Office warns that lawmakers are failing to address a bigger unemployment problem: a “broken” financial model, one that threatens the whole system.

California’s unemployment fund is still $20 billion in debt to the federal government after the state took out loans to cover pandemic benefits, costing taxpayers $1 billion in annual interest — more than the state spends on child welfare. Now, after years of ignoring calls to modernize the state’s 1980s-era unemployment tax code, the system is on track to lose $2 billion a year as it fails to bring in enough revenue to cover unemployment expenses, according to the report.

The Legislative Analyst’s Office, which provides fiscal and policy advice to state lawmakers, says the state needs to bring unemployment taxes in line with other states to cover the deficit.

“This is entirely avoidable,” said LAO policy analyst Chas Alamo.

Caption: First: Kim Tanner at her home in Carlsbad. Last: Kim Tanner scrolls through the “MoneyNetworkFraud” subreddit on her computer. The California Employment Development Department contracted Money Network to handle debit card payments after the agency faced scammers and hackers during the pandemic. Oct. 11, 2024. Photos by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters

The recommendations could force a reckoning for lawmakers caught between business and labor advocates. Business groups have fought tax increases, favoring California’s current lowest-in-the-nation unemployment tax base. Labor groups argue that taxes must go up to stabilize the system. Then, they say, lawmakers should evaluate measures to expand which workers are eligible for unemployment or raise California’s $450-a-week maximum payment, which is also lower than many other states.

What happens next will be one test of how legislative leaders respond to voters’ rebuke of Democratic leadership nationwide, with the Legislature’s Democratic leadership pledging to do more to make California a less expensive place to live.

Meanwhile, the EDD has already secured funding for an unprecedented five-year, $1.2 billion effort called EDDNext to finally modernize the call centers, software and websites that power the state’s job safety net — a more ambitious version of past modernization efforts that crumbled during the pandemic.

Whether or not history will repeat itself is complicated by unanswered questions about what went wrong at the EDD during the pandemic and how the state scrambled to recover.

Former California labor chief Julie Su went on to become acting U.S. labor secretary and one of the longest-unconfirmed presidential nominees in history, thanks in part to criticism over unemployment fraud.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration has denied CalMatters’ repeated requests for internal records from this period, citing an exemption that allows the governor to keep his communications secret if he chooses.

The fraud factor

During the pandemic, a wide range of fraud schemes hit the unemployment system at once. Global hackers used large-scale identity theft. Low-level social media scammers and prison inmates adopted fake names to file for benefits under emergency federal programs that waived normal identity checks. Debit card scammers cloned insecure EDD cards then run by Bank of America and drained the accounts.

Millions of real California workers got caught up in the mess, state audits found. Some saw their EDD accounts flagged as suspicious due to clerical errors, communication failures or faulty fraud software. Laid-off workers saw EDD debit cards overdrawn by thousands of dollars or cut off as the bank and the state scrambled to rein in fraud.

California and other states were partially let off the hook when the federal government agreed to absorb the bulk of the billions lost to fraud in emergency programs. After Bank of America pulled out of the unemployment business last year, the EDD tried to turn the page on debit card fraud by hiring Georgia finance tech company Money Network to take over.

The scope and details of the current fraud that workers allege isn’t clear. State auditors and financial regulators haven’t analyzed it; lawsuits and regulatory complaints only show that money disappeared from workers’ accounts, not how it was taken.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which previously fined Bank of America $100 million over what it called “botched” pandemic unemployment payments, declined to answer questions about new complaints. The bureau’s public records show that Californians have filed 149 complaints against Money Network since 2022, when the company first started running a different state debit card program, with 101 complaints mentioning government cards.

Money Network said in a statement that “only a small percentage of EDD recipients have reported suspected fraud,” and that anyone concerned should “call the number listed on the back of their card.”

The EDD and Money Network also now allow direct deposit, giving people the option of skipping debit cards altogether. Since direct deposit launched in June, about 15% of new applicants have opted for debit cards, the EDD said in a statement. The agency could not immediately say how many of its hundreds of thousands of existing customers still use debit cards.

“Anyone who suspects they are a victim of fraud should take steps to protect themselves and file a fraud report,” the EDD said in a statement.

A flyer for identity theft resources and information sits on top on other various documentation related to Kim Tanner’s financial fraud case on her desk at her home in Carlsbad on Oct. 11, 2024. Photo by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters

Lea Bitton was still reeling from a high-risk pregnancy when it happened to her.

One evening in June, the Orange County resident logged into her Money Network disability account and realized that $4,000 was missing. She relied on the EDD money to cover her family’s costs during parental leave.

Someone Bitton didn’t know had hacked into her account, according to a lawsuit she filed against Money Network. Similar to Tanner’s case in Carlsbad, a new electronic transfer was set up for someone with a different name and bank account, and Bitton was never asked to authorize the change before the money disappeared.

Matthew Loker, Bitton’s attorney, said the fraud appears similar to some EDD debit card fraud cases that he handled during the pandemic.

“It’s deja vu a little bit,” Loker said. “It’s a difficult problem, but it shouldn’t be the consumers who are left holding the bag.”

If fraud occurs once unemployment or disability money has already been transferred from the EDD to Money Network, the state’s contract says that Money Network is responsible for investigating and reimbursing clients if necessary. But some people with EDD Money Network debit cards say that it isn’t always easy to figure out how to start that process.

In Los Angeles, Greg Zekowski filed for unemployment while in between film projects. He hadn’t even used his EDD Money Network debit card yet, he said, when he logged into the online account and saw several unfamiliar charges to Uber and other retailers.

He called Money Network. “Their response was, ‘The problem is EDD,’” Zekowski said.

So he called the EDD: “Their response was, ‘It’s all them.’”

The EDD and its contractors aren’t alone. The state’s food assistance and college financial aid programs are also among the many financial systems facing mounting fraud risks.

One broader challenge is how few financial institutions bid on government benefit projects. The lack of options puts more pressure on agencies working to secure debit cards and other payments, according to a 2023 report by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

“Providers may face minimal competitive pressure from program innovation, new entrants, or customer choice,” the report authors wrote, “which may exacerbate or cause the issues with fees and customer service that benefits recipients face.”

A financial cliff

While the EDD and the people who rely on it play whack-a-mole with fraud, California has big decisions to make about the future of the state’s job safety net.

If the state continues to do nothing, the LAO projected this week, it will have no unemployment reserves and become even more reliant on loans from the federal government to weather future recessions, likely costing taxpayers billions more in interest.

Or the state can bite the bullet, as many others have, and change the way it pays for unemployment.

The offices of the Employment Development Department in Sacramento on Jan. 10, 2022. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

First, the LAO recommends that businesses pay a flat 1.9% unemployment tax while digging out of debt. California companies also currently only pay unemployment taxes on the first $7,000 a worker earns each year. Instead, the LAO recommends taxing employers on workers’ first $46,800 in earnings — higher than some neighbors like Nevada, but lower than Washington, Idaho and Oregon.

“We understand that the scope of the recommendations that we’re putting forward in this report are significant,” said LAO analyst Ann Hollingshead. “This is just an honest reflection of the severity of the underlying problems in the system.”

State lawmakers last revamped unemployment taxes in 1984. And businesses are already voicing opposition to temporary tax hikes to pay down California’s deep federal debt. One bill to recalibrate how the system is paid for — raising unemployment taxes to eventually increase weekly benefits — died in committee this year.

Robert Moutrie, a policy advocate for the California Chamber of Commerce, said that the business group is still reviewing the details of the LAO proposal. In the past, the Chamber has favored tightening unemployment eligibility to reduce benefit payments, labeling any form of tax increases and proposals to expand the unemployment system “job killers.”

Daniela Urban, executive director of the Sacramento Center for Workers’ Rights, said there is broad agreement on how unstable the current situation is but discord on where to go from here. She and other labor advocates say that unemployment is one area where California businesses have long underpaid compared to other states, and that the system has not kept up with non-traditional jobs and increasing costs of living.

“We’re in a huge hole, and that’s not financially acceptable,” Urban said. “But how and when to make those changes I think is what the contention is.”

In addition to the funding hole, the pandemic revealed other problems at EDD. Tech systems buckled: jammed call centers, spotty online accounts and a patchwork behind-the-scenes process for tracking unemployment claims. The agency is currently overhauling these systems with EDDNext.

Last year, the agency hired Salesforce to remake the MyEDD online system that workers use to manage their accounts. It brought in Amazon Web Services to update and integrate EDD phone systems that left as many as 40 million calls a month unanswered during the pandemic.

Early next year, the state will award a contract for the biggest chunk of the project — a new central system for EDD personnel to manage claims, which comes with more than 600 pages of specifications.

“We are making tremendous investments in modernizing EDD and the work is going well,” the agency said in a statement.

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CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

Leandra Earlynn (Masten) Billings was born on December 20, 1950, and began her journey home on November 17, 2024. She was born in the old family house across from the Neighborhood Facilities (NF) in Hoopa and spent considerable time on both the Trinity and Salmon Rivers. Leandra was the eldest of eight children including six brothers who were passionate about hunting and fishing.

To family and friends, Leandra was known as Leeman, LEM, Clem, Mom, sister, and Aunty Beer, but to those she cherished most, she was known as Grandma. She loved having the grandkids up for daily visits or overnight stays. Leandra was always up for an adventure or challenge. She loved being in the mountains, gathering berries or mushrooms, cutting wood, or just going on a cruise. Most of her stories begin with, “I was picking some berries or gathering some mushrooms when I came across this massive buck just standing there!” Most of all, everyone would say that fishing with family or friends on the river was what Leandra loved the most! Whenever the family returned from camping, hunting, or fishing trips, the question that arose the most was, “Who caught the biggest fish?” The answer was consistently: “Leeman!”

Leandra grew up playing in the creeks at her grandparents’ Frank & Maggie Grants home near the Forks of the Salmon River. One day while visiting, she discovered a piece of gold. Throughout her childhood she collected enough to fill a small jar. Leandra frequently shared stories about crossing the swing bridge to reach the family house on the Salmon River. There, she spent her entire adolescent years among her siblings and cousins, sharing stories about the beds lined up against the house, sheltered by the screen-covered porch, where they would sleep below the stars and cool summer breeze. Later as a mother, she took her children to experience the same joy she had had while growing up in such a beautiful, remote area. Being the eldest of a large family, Leandra knew she would be responsible for helping, younger siblings, and cousins. They all say that she was the best babysitter around. She would care for them and teach them essential life practices. For example, when teaching her cousins how to sew, she stuck the needle clean through her finger; Vicki said Leandra was the best seamstress. She also loved being around and helping care for her grandparents in Hoopa. Both she and her sister Terri often stayed with “old gram” (Ada Masten) to help care for her and help her around the house.

Leandra enjoyed her career working at Hoopa Tribal Education. She loved watching tribal member youth choose their career path and later return to give back to their community. One of the best tasks was mentoring students through the summer work program, which was challenging to keep them busy with tedious work. Later, many students shared how much they enjoyed working with Leandra. One student shared that she was so impressed by how prepared Leandra was. She said, “She always had a pistol in her glove box and a full ice chest in the backseat, even at work.” After retiring, Leandra spent most of her time at home up top of Bald Hill, watching wildlife and her grandbabies grow. Her morning routine would be talking on the phone with her cousin Tammy Peters, enjoying a cup of coffee with her daughter, Ruby Rose, or her uncle Wayne, who she appreciated and adored. If she ever needed someone to shuttle her around, he would be there in a heartbeat to chauffeur her around town.

Leandra is preceded in death by her husband, Floyd Billings Jr.; her father, Leonard “Duke” Masten; her uncles, Frank Grant Jr., Reginald Grant, Byron Grant, Delbert Grant, Maurice Grant, Peter Masten Sr., Paul Masten Sr., Cecil Masten, Harold “Gary” Masten, David Masten, her aunts; Josephine Peters, Beryl Lisko, Imogine “Toots” Wolfinburger, Mildred “Millie” Gray, Edith “Edie” Gray, Ada Mae “Bubbles” Lavalle and Marilouise Beeson, her two brothers, Frank Masten Sr and Johnny Lee Masten and her niece, Lila “Lovies” Hall.

Leandra is survived by her mother, Vivienna Masten; her aunts, Melissa “Missie” Morton & Mildred “Millie” Grant; and her uncle, Wayne Grant (Reva). Her sisters, Terri Hall (Rick), Diana Masten and Debbie Baldy; her brothers, Thomas Masten Sr., Leonard Masten (Susan), Henry Masten, Edward Masten, Tyke Billings (Lori), Rick Billings (Laura) Her children, Gina Cote’ (Jeremy), James Rickaby (Kristen), Jacklin Billings, Floyd “Cowboy” Billings III (Amber), Darcy Padilla (Brian), Brian Billings, Ruby Mularky (Michael), her bonus children Adam Martin and David Ruiz Sr., and grandchildren: Ronnie, Lacy, Alex (Cherlyn), Dillion, James, Shasta, David Jr., Darius, Thomas, Trystan, Torin, Turner, Tate, Bryant, Brayden, Darilyn, Brian “Beans,” Michael, Griffith, Vulcan, her Great-Grandchildren, Maddox, Parker, Karson, Oliver, Sasuke, Korra and Eliott.

Leandra brought such warmth and kindness to everyone around her. Her loss leaves us with profound sorrow as we reflect on the generous spirit, thoughtful nature, and infectious humor that made her truly special. The beautiful qualities Leandra shared with us will forever be cherished. We will carry her memory in our hearts forever.

Pallbearers: Rick Hall Jr., Michael “Bro” Beck, Daniel Masten, Thomas Masten Jr., Quincy Masten, Gregory Masten, Edward Masten, Frank Masten, Lyle Baldy, Leroy Baldy, Eric Ferreira and Eric Young

Honorary pallbearers: Wayne Grant Sr., Rick Hall Sr., Thomas Masten Sr., Henry Masten, Elrod Masten, Edward Masten, Tyke Billings, Rick Billings and Mike Orcutt.

Honorary Woman: Tammy Peters, Vivienna Orcutt, Barbara Beck, Crystal Masten-Young, Jessica Masten-Ferreira, Kateri Masten, Shannon Ammon and Shenaya Ammon.

The family of Leandra will host a celebration of life in memory of Leandra on Dec. 8, 2024 at 2 p.m. at the Fire House in Hoopa.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Leandra Billings’ loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.

Veronda Mae Williamson was born on August 16, 1953 in the small town of Dragerton, Utah but spent the majority of her life in Eureka. She was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend, who entered into her everlasting life on October 3, 2024, surrounded by her loving family. Born to Walter and Jacquetta Bennett, Veronda lived a life full of faith, love, and devotion to her family, friends, and her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

She was preceded in everlasting life by her husband, Mike Williamson, with whom she shared a beautiful life filled with love and partnership. She is survived by her two sisters Tina Strombeck and Lynda Pruitt, her cherished children, Michael Williamson and his wife, Heather Williamson, and her daughter, Cyndee Poletski, and her husband, Ken Poletski. Her greatest joy was her role as “Memee” to her four grandchildren, Bradley, Olivia, Caleb and Jaeden, who brought light and laughter to her days.

Veronda had lifelong friends who brought her immense joy and with whom she spent countless hours creating beautiful memories whether it was decorating cakes, sewing, ceramics, decorating for weddings and entertaining in her home. Her friendships were filled with laughter, love, and unwavering support, reflecting her deep commitment to the people she cherished most.

Her life was a testament to her unwavering faith and the love she shared with everyone she met. Veronda knew with certainty that her eternity was secure with Jesus, and her life was a reflection of the grace and peace found in Him.

She will be laid to rest at Oceanview Cemetery. A memorial ceremony to celebrate Veronda’s life will be held on Saturday, December 7, at 1 p.m., at Faith Center Church, 1032 Bay St, Eureka. The family invites all who knew and loved her to join in honoring her remarkable life and rejoicing in the glorious home she now has in Heaven.

In Veronda’s memory, let us carry forward her legacy of love, faith, compassion, and friendship, as we take comfort in the knowledge that she is now living her eternal reward.

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Dozens of Kernen Construction employees filed into the Humboldt County Courthouse this morning, many wearing bright, safety-orange t-shirts and hoodies. They’d arrived en masse — soon overflowing the Board of Supervisors chamber and filling an anteroom — to advocate for their employer, which is facing potential permitting restrictions following a series of community complaints about its operations in Glendale. 

But the hearing on the matter proved to be anticlimactic. Planning and Building Director John Ford announced up front that Kernen had made a settlement offer, and that county staff would be requesting a continuance so they had time to research the matter. 

As we reported last week, neighbors of Kernen’s Glendale property have submitted a series of complaints about alleged permit violations related to the rock aggregate processing onsite. The complaints alleged ‘round-the-clock noise in violation of the permitted hours of operation, as well as light pollution and alleged violations of environmental laws.

The county, meanwhile, says Kernen constructed a water impoundment feature and berm on its northern yard without permits and in violation of County Code.

With a settlement offer on the table, though, the Board of Supervisors postponed a decision on the matter to early next year, scheduling a follow-up hearing for Feb. 4. 

Ford was reluctant to delve into the details of the proposed settlement without first researching the plan’s viability, but he said a key component would involve collaboration between Kernen and the county to replace a culvert on the property, which would hopefully alleviate flooding issues.

Ford also clarified that county staff no longer believes that Kernen has been violating its permitted hours of operation. He said the operations plan specifies that the hours of operation govern only the actual materials processing — the grinding of rock — and not equipment maintenance or other activities taking place there. 

“The only thing that’s potentially a violation of the conditional use permit is monitoring the soils that are moved on and off the site and having a record of where those came from and whether they’ve been tested or not,” Ford said.

After some discussion among the supervisors, the board proceeded to allow public comment. First District Supervisor and Chair Rex Bohn limited each speaker to two minutes apiece, but so many people had come to talk that the public comment period still lasted for roughly an hour. 

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As suggested by the sea of safety orange attire, most of the speakers were employees of Kernen. They spoke about the property’s long and proud history as a source of jobs and industry, from its days as a lumber mill through its recent work to supply aggregate for Caltrans’ Indianola undercrossing project and the Humboldt Bay Trail South. 

Kernen employees also spoke about the company’s economic value to the county and to families who are supported by workers’ wages. Some speakers characterized the neighbors who’ve complained as whiners who don’t appreciate the value of the operation.

“We’re out here trying to make a living,” said a neighbor named Gary Johnston. “We spend our time working while these other people spend their time bitching.”

But the critical neighbors held their ground. Cindy Trobitz-Thomas said her family has lived across from this industrial site for 68 years, mostly in harmony, but Kernen recently expanded its operations into the flood zone and has been stockpiling dirt, debris and aggregate in violation of their permit. She also said the amount of dust, noise and vibration at all hours of day has become untenable.

Several other neighbors concurred, saying the company’s operations have changed over the last year and a half. Glendale resident Linda Miller acknowledged that the company employs many people and provides a needed service but said that’s not enough.

“We only ask that Kernen abide by their permitted operating hours, light and noise restrictions and local, state and federal laws, which they have not always done,” she said, later adding, “There is no one else to blame, here, but the company itself.”

Fellow neighbor Mark Cortright alleged that while Kurt Kernen has “a sense of community,” his business partner, Scott Farley, who has recently taken over operations, has expanded “with zero thoughts [about] the community.”

These speakers were followed by more Kernen employees as well as workers with other companies, who stood in defense of the business. For example, John Nichols, a driver and dispatcher with Nichols Trucking, said, “Let me be clear: This is not just about one company. It’s about the livelihood of all their employees, the economic benefits Kernen brings to our community and the broader impact on local businesses. … If we allow these restrictions on Kernen, we are setting a dangerous precedent that could harm other businesses across the county.”

When the long list of speakers finally wrapped up, Fourth District Supervisor Natalie Arroyo expressed appreciation for the testimony, and she explained that the issue isn’t about the value of Kernen; rather, it concerns possible permit violations and impacts to public trust resources. She and her fellow supervisors said they look forward to a possible negotiated resolution.

Fifth District Supervisor Steve Madrone said some of the issues onsite — such as the undersized culverts — are not the company’s fault, and he described the current situation as “an intersection of opportunity” to resolve those matters.

After some discussion about scheduling conflicts and the amount of time necessary for staff to investigate the matter, the board unanimously passed a motion to continue the matter to Feb. 4, 2025.

North McKay Ranch Subdivision

Earlier in the meeting, the board unanimously approved a development agreement for the North McKay Ranch Subdivision Project, a planned mixed-use development in Cutten that could eventually include 174 multifamily residential units and two commercial parcels supporting 22,000 square feet of commercial space.

The board had already approved the project, back in March of 2023, but Ford explained that approval of the development agreement required a second public reading.

Per the terms of the agreement, project developer Kurt Kramer will assume various obligations, including dedication of some property to the county for open space and trails as well as installation of off-site water storage tanks and sewers. 

“And in exchange for that … the applicant would get a 20-year vested life for this permit,” Ford said.

Remarkably, the folks over at Access Humboldt have already uploaded video of the full meeting, so if you’re so inclined you can watch the two-hour, 51-minute proceedings below:

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Press release from the Eureka Police Department:

On December 2, 2024, at approximately 1:04 a.m., an Officer from the Eureka Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in the Winco parking lot for a traffic violation. Upon contacting the occupants of the vehicle, the Officer learned that one of the occupants was on searchable probation and the other had an active warrant for their arrest. The occupants were detained and the vehicle was searched. During the search of the vehicle, Officers located two handguns, one of which was loaded, over 7 ounces of suspected Methamphetamine, 390 Fentanyl pills, and approximately two pounds of processed marijuana.

Logan Rain Brewerhearst, 21 years old from Eureka, was arrested and booked at the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of possession of methamphetamines with intent to sell, felony possession of a usable amount of a controlled substance while being armed with a loaded and operable firearm, sale (or transportation for sale of methamphetamine, possession for sale of a controlled substance, concealed carry of a firearm on your person or in your vehicle, carrying a loaded firearm by a non-registered person.

Ronald Steven McNair, 21 years old from Eureka was taken into custody and booked on probation violation.

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On Dec. 1 at about 8 a.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a residence on Larson Heights Rd. near Blue Lake regarding a wanted person investigation. Sheriffs’ deputies were looking for Curtis Lawson, age 30, of Blue Lake, who had a felony warrant for his arrest, and he was on active parole for felony assault.

Deputies arrived at the residence, they knocked at the front door and announced their presence. Lawson was then observed running out of the back door toward a wooded area. Deputies were pre-positioned in the wooded area; they ran towards Lawson in the backyard and ordered him to stop. Contact was made between Lawson and the responding deputies, and Lawson refused to comply with a lawful order, and he put his hands on the deputy. Lawson actively resisted the deputies and refused to submit to arrest. The deputies took him to the ground and subsequently secured him in handcuffs. Deputies then conducted a parole search of the space Lawson was using inside the residence’s garage. Lawson’s identification was located near a meth pipe and 4.7g of methamphetamine.

Lawson was subsequently booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on his parole violation arrest warrant and the following charges:

• Obstructing/resisting a public officer—PC 148(a)(1)
• Possession of a controlled substance—HS 11377(a)
• Possession of controlled substance paraphernalia—HS 11364(a)
• Parole revocation—PC 3000.08(f)

Anyone with information about this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.