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• (VIDEO) Suspect’s Erratic Behavior Prompts Big Police Response After Slow-Speed Chase in Eureka

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Eureka Police Department press release:

On January 13, at about 1705 hours, two single-unit Patrol Officers with the Eureka Police Department observed a Corvette traveling on the 600 block of F Street; the driver was erratically reviving the Corvette’s engine. Upon further investigation, the Corvette’s registration was discovered to be expired.

The Corvette turned off onto a side street and then began traveling south on E Street. When the Patrol Officers attempted a traffic stop on the Corvette for the above violations, the driver refused to stop, and continued south on E Street for over a quarter of a mile. When the Corvette stopped for stop signs, the driver would erratically and loudly rev the engine and then continue south on E Street. Multiple Patrol Officers, including Command Staff and three K9 Units who had just finished training nearby, responded to assist.

The driver of the Corvette, later identified as Judah Demeire, 51 years old of Eureka, stopped on E Street near Humboldt. After stopping, Demeire backed the Corvette into the front of a Patrol Unit. Boxed in by Patrol Units, the Corvette came to a stop. However, Demeire refused to comply with Officers; he remained inside the vehicle, made erratic and concealed movements, opened and closed his window, and yelled nonsensically.

The CSET MIST Officer (Mental Health Officer) who arrived on-scene, attempted to negotiate with Demeire in order to gain his voluntary compliance. However, Demeire refused to de- escalate and/or comply.

Due to his non-compliance, Officers introduced OC spray into the Corvette. This was effective and Demeire exited. However, while exiting, Demeire was again non-compliant with officers and was ultimately forced to the ground and placed under arrest.

After being medically cleared at a nearby hospital, Demeire was booked into HCCF for VC 2800.1(a), PC 148(a)(1), and PC 647(f). This case is still under review for PC 245(a)(1) – Assault with a Deadly Weapon, and PC 69 – Resisting an Officer with Force or Fear.

The helicopters doing laps next to Highway 101 this last week aren’t CIA black-ops, foreign agents, or a bored billionaire flexing their aerial domination on cowering commuters. The Outpost has officially confirmed that they are, as many online have proposed, helicopters doing work for PG&E.

The helicopters, two Bell 407s owned by PJ Helicopters in Red Bluff, have been patrolling a transmission line and replacing insulating materials, as well as assisting with pole replacements. 

According to spokesperson Megan McFarland, PG&E uses helicopters to limit impact on wildlife and wetlands. 

Today is the last day PG&E is using the helicopters. 

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On Jan. 12 at about 2:15 p.m., a Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputy on patrol in the Samoa area attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle that failed to yield at a stop sign and had expired registration.

The deputy activated his emergency lighting while behind the vehicle near New Navy Base Rd. and Cookhouse Rd.; the driver, later identified as Marcus Wade Smith, 34, of Fortuna, accelerated through the intersection, failing to yield at another posted stop sign. Smith continued northbound on Highway 255 with speeds varying from 60-85 mph in the 55 mph zone. 

The deputy kept lights and siren activated throughout the pursuit of Smith, which ended after 3.8 miles when Smith yielded at the Mad River Slough Bridge. Smith was detained without further incident. The Emergency Communications Dispatch Center confirmed that Smith had a felony warrant and was on felony probation.

During a search of Smith incident to arrest, deputies located multiple credit cards and identification cards belonging to multiple other people.

Smith was then booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility for the following charges:

• Flight from traffic officer—VC 2800.1(a)
• Violation of probation—PC 1203.2(a)(2)

Smith was also booked for violation of probation. 

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.

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On Jan. 11 at about 2:45 p.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies investigated a vehicle on Lucky Star Ct. in McKinleyville, as the driver of the vehicle—Robert Huntzinger, 43, of McKinleyville—was on summary probation for unlawful possession of a controlled substance (HS 11350(a)) with a search clause.

Deputies confirmed Huntzinger’s probation status with the Emergency Communications Dispatch Center and learned that his probation terms included that he must obey all laws. Deputies observed Huntzinger to have a knife on him, so he was detained for the deputies’ safety as it was not yet known if he had other weapons in his possession.

Huntzinger was searched pursuant to his probation terms; deputies located aluminum foil containing fentanyl and a large amount of cash in his pockets. A search of his vehicle revealed additional cash, baggies containing fentanyl, two cell phones, a digital scale, and other drug paraphernalia. 

Huntzinger was then taken into custody and booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility for the following charges:

• Possession for sale of a controlled substance—HS 11351
• Transportation/sale of a controlled substance—HS 11352(a)
• Violation of probation—PC 1203.2(a)(2)
• Possession of controlled substance paraphernalia—HS 11364
• Possession of a controlled substance—HS 11350

The total amount of cash Huntzinger was carrying was more than $2,200. The fentanyl was weighed, totaling 28.34g. 

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.

Rural school districts — already beset with financial struggles — are furiously scrambling to save a century-old funding source that Republican lawmakers last month eliminated from the federal budget.

The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act, which has been approved almost continuously since 1908, is intended to compensate rural counties that have large swaths of non-taxable national forest land. Last year, the bill brought nearly $40 million to 39 California counties, funding everything from after-school programs to school roof repairs.

The money is a lifeline for rural districts that, because of lower enrollment, receive less money from the state than their urban and suburban counterparts yet tend to have large numbers of high-needs students and higher costs, such as providing bus service to remote areas.

In December, amid the flurry of last-minute budget negotiations, the bill died in the House after House Speaker Mike Johnson did not put it forward for a vote. The bill’s original sponsors hope to reintroduce it in the next few weeks in a last-ditch effort to get it passed before the final budget deadline in March.

It’s a longshot, but school officials are renewing their fight because the loss of those funds could have deep repercussions for rural school districts.

“It might not seem like much, but it’s real money for us,” said Allan Carver, superintendent of schools for Siskiyou County, which last year received $4.3 million from Secure Rural Schools. “If it was to go away, there would be a hole in our budget that would have an undeniable impact on children.”

GOP promises to cut federal spending

Republican Congressional leaders did not respond to interview requests from CalMatters. But in budget hearings, they have vowed to reduce government spending, including education funding. President-elect Donald Trump has also proposed eliminating the U.S. Department of Education and making other cuts to schools. His advisor, Elon Musk — whom Trump recently named head of a yet-to-be-created Department of Government Efficiency — has been outspoken in his desire to cut federal programs.

That’s been frustrating for rural residents, many of whom supported Trump in November and feel Secure Rural Schools is neither a partisan issue nor a government handout.

“This is not a ‘gift’ of Congress,” said Lonnie Hunt, a retired judge from rural Texas who’s head of the National Forest Counties and Schools Coalition. “It’s a pact made more than 100 years ago between the government and local communities. If the federal government had not made this deal, they’d never have been able to create the National Forest Service.”

“Yet somehow it’s been lost in the politics,” Hunt added. “It’s a shame that rural America is being victimized here. And I’m pointing fingers in all directions, not just one side.”

Mold and layoffs in Trinity County

Secure Rural Schools dates from the creation of the National Forest Service in the early 20th century, when the federal government set aside millions of acres of land for logging. Because that land was removed from the local tax rolls, nearby communities were left with budget shortfalls — and few options to make up the cash. To compensate, the federal government agreed to share a portion of timber profits with those areas. When the logging industry started to decline in the 1990s, the government started augmenting the payments through the modern version of Secure Rural Schools.

The money goes to counties that have National Forest Service land, where it’s divided between schools and public works. California, with nearly 21 million acres of national forest, receives far more than any other state. And within California, Trinity County receives the second-highest amount – $3.5 million last year.

Located in the mountains of northwest California, Trinity County spans 3,208 square miles and is more than twice the size of Rhode Island. About 80% of it is owned by the federal government, which means it has limited ability to raise money through local tax measures. Due in part to the decline in logging, it’s also one of the poorest counties in the state, with a poverty rate of more than 20%, compared to 12% statewide.

Trinity Alps Unified, the largest district in the county, received about $600,000 from Secure Rural Schools last year, about 5% of its overall budget. That money was crucial for paying for things like teachers’ aides, art and music programs, field trips and after-school programs, Superintendent Jaime Green said.

Local residents know all too well what could happen without Secure Rural Schools. In 2016, the only other time in recent memory the bill didn’t pass, Trinity County school districts didn’t have money to make basic repairs to school buildings, leading to dangerous outbreaks of toxic mold at numerous campuses. Students’ and teachers’ lives were disrupted by school closures, and the state had to spend more than $50 million to help districts rebuild.

This time, Green is warning that the district may have to eliminate seven jobs, leading to bigger class sizes and fewer enrichment programs. He worries that the students who need the most help will suffer the worst impacts.

“We’re an impoverished county, and the only way to reverse that pattern of poverty is through education,” Green said. “Cutting funding hurts kids. We have to be realistic about that.”

Keeping the pressure on

Green and other rural superintendents have traveled to Washington, D.C. almost a dozen times in the past year or so to lobby for Secure Rural Schools. Their work paid off, at least in the Senate, where the bill passed unanimously.

Green and his colleagues plan to keep the pressure on through emails and phone calls to Republican leadership, in hopes of convincing them to support rural schools even as they face pressure from Musk and Trump to slash federal spending.

Sonoma County Supervisor James Gore, president of the National Association of Counties, has also been persistently lobbying for Secure Rural Schools. He said there’s usually some last-minute wrangling before the bill passes, but this year “was vastly different.”

“Every time it comes up, all the cowboy hats show up” to advocate for the bill in Washington, D.C., he said. “This year we had a lot of momentum and we thought we’d get it over the hump. It was a gut punch when it didn’t go through. We were shocked, to be honest.”

Rural areas’ lack of population and money often means that politicians overlook residents’ needs in those areas, Gore said. Likewise, few people outside of rural areas would hear about the impact if programs are cut, he said. None of the House Republican leaders, including Johnson, party leader Rep. Steve Scalise and House Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer, represents areas that receive Secure Rural Schools funding. None of the three responded to requests for comment.

“It’s a catastrophe that no one knows about,” said Gore, referring to the bill’s failure. “But we have an absolute responsibility to these small towns, who are the stewards of these largely unmanned federal lands.”

The last Secure Rural Schools payment was in April. Even if Congress returns to funding the bill next year, even one missed year of payments may leave an impact, superintendents said. Children will have fallen behind academically and teachers will have lost their jobs. In small communities where jobs are scarce, layoffs can have a disproportionate impact, sometimes leading to families moving out of the area entirely.

“In the past, we’d go through the motions but we always got it solved by the buzzer,” Hunt said. “This year we’re past the buzzer and we’re in OT. But we won’t quit.”

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

With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of Bruce Cheney at the age of 72. Bruce passed in Willow Creek. Bruce grew up in Philadelphia before moving to the West Coast in the 1980s. In Philadelphia growing up he was known as a bit of a boy scout, who shared fond memories with siblings canoeing, fishing, swimming, and riding bikes around the neighborhood with friends. He landed in Humboldt in the 1980s and told stories of how he traveled until he found trees he liked. He was a decorated Army veteran who served in Vietnam. Bruce was a retired welder/fabricator from Johnson Industries.

Bruce is preceded in death by his parents, Oliver Frank Cheney and Marjorie Cheney, as well as his forever love, Vicki Acosta. He is survived by his siblings: Phillip Cheney, Carol Vollman, Judy Moy, Jill Thomas, and Suzanne Duffy; his stepdaughter, Melissa Sanchez; his stepson, Carlos Acosta; and many grandchildren who already miss him dearly. He is also survived by his brothers- and sisters-in-law Jack and Leilani Deaver, Dan and Autumn Deaver, and Diana Carpenter; and numerous amazing nieces and nephews spanning from the East Coast to the West Coast.

Bruce became apart of the Deaver/Acosta family when he met and fell in love with Vicki Acosta. They had many happy years together and eventually landed in the community of Willow Creek where they enjoyed life. Bruce was a master storyteller. He was a tinkerer and fixed everything he laid his hands on. He never met a stranger, and his vibrant personality, quick wit and stories made him a beloved presence wherever he went. His ability to make others smile was a gift that will be deeply missed by all who knew him.

He was a member of the VFW in Willow Creek, where he could be found making pancakes for monthly breakfasts, supporting other veterans, telling stories, having drinks and building community. The VFW Post 9561 is a gathering spot that I will never forget or stop visiting. The support that the VFW Post 9561 has given will always hold a special place in our hearts.

Rest in peace, Bruce. You are loved beyond measure and your humor and warmth will be deeply missed but never forgotten.

A celebration of Bruce’s life will be held on Saturday, January 18 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., at VFW Post 9561, 20 Gower Ln., Willow Creek. Sunday will be a pancake breakfast from 8 a.m.-11 a.m.

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Shortly after 5 p.m. on Monday, the Eureka Police Department sent at least nine units to E Street, just south of the intersection with Humboldt Street, in response to a “slow-speed pursuit” following a traffic violation. The driver of a late-model black Corvette had barricaded himself in his car, blasting music from the car stereo while acting erratically, according to EPD spokesperson Laura Montagna.

E Street was closed to through traffic as numerous armed officers and the K-9 unit closed in on the vehicle, with officers shouting commands to the man inside. At one point, an officer deployed pepper spray toward the suspect, who was detained shortly thereafter. The man was belligerent, shouting curses and insults at the officers as he was loaded into a patrol vehicle. 

After a few of the cop cars had left the scene, an officer told one bystander that the suspect had been taken to St. Joseph Hospital to be medically cleared. 

The officers who remained on the scene searched the Corvette. Montagna said that after being released from the hospital, the suspect will be booked for misdemeanor failure to yield and resisting arrest. There will be more information on this incident tomorrow.