On May 30, 2023 at approximately
7:15 a.m., Officers from the Eureka Police Department (EPD) were
dispatched to the 100 block of 4th
Street on a report of a missing person, Nikki Michelle Alcaraz, who
had been spotted at this location on May 29, 2023.
It
has been reported that Nikki Alcaraz had been on a road trip from
Tennessee to California with her boyfriend, Steven Stratton. On May
9, 2023, an alleged domestic violence act occurred between Alcaraz
and Stratton in New Mexico. The investigating agency released both
Alcaraz and Stratton after investigating the incident. Several days
later, both Alcaraz and Stratton left the area together and had not
been seen since. This led to a missing person report being filed on
Alcaraz in New Mexico.
EPD
officers investigated the sighting in Eureka and were able to confirm
that both Alcaraz and Stratton were still together and had been at
the location.
On
May 30, 2023 at approximately 2:25 p.m., a citizen phoned EPD and
advised they had seen the vehicle associated with Alcaraz and
Stratton traveling south on Broadway. Officers were dispatched to
the vicinity and located the vehicle parked at Pacific Plaza. Both
Alcaraz and Stratton were contacted inside the vehicle. Alcaraz and
Stratton cooperated with officers. Alcaraz told officers that she
was okay and didn’t need any assistance. A check on Stratton
revealed he had an outstanding warrant for his arrest out of
Tennessee with full extradition. Stratton’s warrant was for
failure to appear on a theft related offense. Stratton was taken
into custody without incident and transported and booked at the
Humboldt County Correctional Facility.
Alcaraz
was provided information on local resources and released from the
scene. The reporting agency in New Mexico was notified of the
contact with Alcaraz.
UPDATE, JUNE 7: Cassandra Ilene Miller has been located safe in Folsom, CA, by the California Highway Patrol.
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Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office needs the public’s help to locate missing person Cassandra (Cassy) Ilene Miller, age 33, of Loleta.
Miller was reported missing by a family member on May 17, 2023. She was last seen on May 10 at about 4 p.m. in the area of U.S. Highway 101 Southbound near exit 694, Loleta Drive.
Cassandra Miller is described as an American Indian female, approximately 5 feet 4 inches tall, 210 pounds, with dirty-blonde hair, blue eyes and no teeth. She was last seen wearing a black Bear River Rancheria sweatshirt.
Miller is known to live a transient lifestyle and frequents the Loleta area. She suffers from medical conditions which may put her at increased risk.
Anyone with information for the Sheriff’s Office regarding Miller’s possible whereabouts should call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251, reference case number 202302289.
A red-footed booby spotted near Trinidad | Photo: Don Galusha
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While fishing in the Pacific Ocean just outside of Trinidad, local resident Don Galusha captured a pic of a tropical seabird that is extremely rare to our area – a red-footed booby!
The photo, emailed to the Outpost on Monday by Galusha’s friend Shannon Donohue, was taken on May 25, about five miles northwest of Trinidad Head. “I knew it was something rare,” Donohue told the Outpost, adding that she had posted the image to ebird.org to confirm the species.
Rob Fowler, a local birder and birding guide, confirmed the booby’s identity with the Outpost today and said that it is very rare to see this species – usually found in tropical waters – in our area. Fowler added that this is only the second recorded red-footed booby sighting in Humboldt County, with the first being near Sue-Meg State Park in November, 2021.
We can only speculate as to why the booby ended up this far from its usual territory. Red-footed boobies do not migrate, but they are strong flyers and have been known to travel long distances in search of food. Whatever it is that landed our friend near Trinidad, we wish it well. Booby on, little friend!
You freaked out for the FOREST MOON FESTIVAL yet? Or are you playing it cool like a Jedi force bro headed into battle?
Whichever the case, this is your reminder that if all goes well Humboldt and Del Norte County will be overrun with Star Wars nerds this weekend, hopefully spending their galactic credits in local shops and eateries and watering holes. They’re coming to celebrate all things STAR WARS, but they can’t use that name for this weekend’s events due to what I assume is some sort of licensing issue.
Anyway! There is a great big list of events taking place all over the region at this link. Above is the artwork, featuring an idyllic scene of a family gazing awefully up at the Death Star right before it blasts their planet to smithereens. And below is a message from the Humboldt-Del Norte Film Commission, sponsors of the festival, in which among other things they urge you to use the hashtag #ForestMoonFeels23 in all your socials, because it is 2023 and you are at the Forest Moon Festival and those things together give you the “feels.”
Press release from the Humboldt-Del Norte Film Commission:
On June 2nd
and 3rd
of 2023, the Humboldt-Del Norte Film Commission is hosting the
inaugural
Forest Moon Festival, sponsored by Humboldt and Del Norte Counties.
Star Wars Fans, this is the summer event you are looking for.
It will commemorate the 40th
Anniversary of Star
Wars: Return of the Jedi,
the Star Wars film that featured Humboldt and Del Norte Counties as
the locations for the forest moon of Endor, the final battleground
between the Rebel Alliance and Galactic Empire.
The Forest Moon
Festival will span across the two counties. Epic events have been
created for the whole family to enjoy. The Film Commission hosted
events will take place at The Mateel Community Center in Southern
Humboldt, Beachfront Park in Crescent City, Sequoia Park in Eureka,
and Cal Poly Humboldt in Arcata. Other exciting activities that are
happening across the Redwood region include Lucasfilm approved
costumers (Rebels, Storm Troopers, and more) appearances, rebel
training courses, nature walks with state parks, and afterparties to
name a few. Costumes are encouraged throughout the weekend. Please
make sure to visit the website regarding costume policy and other
safety tips.
For
more information on this event (including map and schedule of events,
to be released later) you can visit the websitewww.forestmoonfestival.org.
Any business that wishes to participate should visit and follow the
directions on the vendor page of the website to be included in the
promotional material. Be sure to follow the Forest Moon Festival
Facebook page and Instagram @forestmoonfestival to get all the latest
updates and announcements. Make sure to share your fun on social
media by using #forestmoonfeels23.
Go Lumberjacks! | Photos submitted by the Cal Poly Humboldt Athletics Department
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Press release from Cal Poly Humboldt Athletics:
Cal Poly Humboldt Women’s Rowing ended their season holding an NCAA Division II Rowing National Championship trophy with a confetti filled sky from Cooper River Park in New Jersey. For the third time in program history, the Lumberjacks were crowned National Champions. Humboldt has won titles in 2012, 2014, and now 2023. Humboldt swept the day in very impressive fashion, winning both the Fours Grand Final (12 points) and Eights Grand Final (18 points) to earn a perfect 30 points. It is the third time in the last four regattas that the winning team has finished with a perfect score.
“I could not be more proud of our Women’s Rowing team,” said President Jackson of Cal Poly Humboldt. “A great coaching staff led our outstanding student-athletes to the National Championship! The Cal Poly Humboldt campus, alumni, and friends applaud this outcome, a true legacy in Athletics.”
The ‘Jacks knew going into the day that they had their work cut out for them as they had to take down their rival in powerhouse University of Central Oklahoma, who also won both of their heats on Friday. UCO won three straight national championships from 2018-2021 (no champion was named in 2020). Although UCO has had a lot of recent success, the Lumberjacks proved they were the better team today. Kicking the day off was the Fours Grand Final at 11:12 AM EST. The Humboldt V4+ lineup consisted of: Emily Daniels (Coxswain), Sarah Lorenzini (1), Kylie Mosley (2), Chloe Pieper-Wasem (3), and Gwendolyn Sutton (4).
After placing third at the GNAC Championships just a couple weeks ago, Humboldt knew they had some adjustments to make before the NCAA Championships. With all GNAC schools in the Fours Grand Final, it was a rematch of the GNAC Championships with UCO, Seattle Pacific and Western Washington. Head coach Matt Weise praised both of his assistant coaches in Ashley Donnell and Patrick Hyland for their efforts in preparing the Varsity 4+ crew accordingly.
The Humboldt V4 boat trailed UCO almost the entire race in a very tight race, but in the final sprint the ‘Jacks pulled away to take a near six-second victory in the Fours Grand Final. They finished with a time of 8:06.762.
The dominance of this crew continued as they went the entire year without falling to a Division II opponent, and nothing changed for them on Saturday. Although the ‘Jacks started less than one second behind UCO at the first 500m mark, they increased their stroke rate and completely took over the race.
Humboldt cruised to victory in the Eights Grand Final, finishing with a time of 7:15.143. UCO crossed the finish line in second place and almost five seconds behind the Lumberjacks.
Head coach Matt Weise took over the program in July of 2020 and didn’t have a season in his first year due to the pandemic. In two years as the leader, Weise has shifted the tides of the rowing program. Earning GNAC Coach of the Year just last week, Weise created a National Championship roster and led the ‘Jacks to their first title since 2014.
“This group kept their heads today, they executed the plan and didn’t change anything or try to do too much on a bigger stage,” said Weise. “We talk about doing all the work all the time. The dark mornings, the cold rain, it’s all paid off. I’m really proud of what they accomplished today and proud of our great coaching staff as well.”
Weise also spoke to his appreciation of the support that the team has received this season and what it means to him, stating, “This result is a team effort. We have had nothing but support for the entire team, staff, administration, and community members. For me personally, it is an unbelievable feeling as a coach. I have been a coach nearly 30 years and this is the first National Championship I’ve been apart of. Today was spectacular, it was inspiring.”
The ‘Jacks have checked a number of boxes this year including: the 2023 NCAA Division II Rowing National Championship, a GNAC Varsity 8+ title, Runner-Up at the GNAC Championships, 2023 Coach of the Year in Matt Weise, 2023 Rower of the Year in Dana Foley, 2023 Coxswain of the Year in Sonja Scollon, three First-Team All-GNAC selections (Molly Urtz, Alyssa Paynton, Malia Seeley), and 12 rowers being named to the GNAC All-Academic team (A student-athlete must be of sophomore athletic eligibility or greater, must be in their second season competing at the nominating institution, must be on the roster for the full season and must have a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or greater).
Cal Poly Humboldt now has six NCAA championships in school history. Women’s Rowing holds three titles (2012, 2014, 2023), Softball holds two titles (1999, 2008), and Cross Country has one title (1980).
The Cal Poly Humboldt Women’s Rowing team returns to Arcata on Sunday at 3:00 PM. We encourage anyone who wishes to greet the National Champions to show up and celebrate this great accomplishment at the airport. For more information on Cal Poly Humboldt Women’s Rowing, please visit humboldtathletics.com and follow us on all social media platforms.
Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:
Robert Leroy Ellis Booking Photo | Humboldt County Correctional Facility
On May 27, 2023, at about 3:45 p.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a residence on the 3100 block of Patrick’s Point Drive in Trinidad for the report of a burglary in progress.
According to the homeowner, an unknown male suspect was captured on surveillance video burglarizing the residence while no one was home. Deputies arrived in the area and located items associated with the suspect identifying him as 46-year-old Robert Leroy Ellis, and items stolen from the home stashed nearby. Deputies recovered the stolen items and began searching the area for Ellis.
During their search, deputies located a stolen vehicle parked along the roadway nearby. This vehicle was later confirmed to be associated with Ellis. While continuing the investigation, a Sheriff’s deputy observed Ellis walking on the 100 block of Main Street. The deputy attempted to detain Ellis, who began to flee. Ellis was taken into custody after a short foot pursuit and struggle. During a search of Ellis and his belongings incident to arrest, deputies located the keys to the stolen vehicle and drug paraphernalia.
Ellis was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of burglary (PC 459/461(a)), grand theft (PC 487), possession of stolen property (PC 496(a)), false identification to a peace officer (PC 148.9(a)), resisting arrest (PC 148(a)(1)), possession of a controlled substance paraphernalia (HS 11364(a)), possession of a stolen vehicle (PC 496d(a)) and violation of probation (PC 1203.2(a)(2)), in addition to a warrant 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.
