Press
release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:
In
late March of this year, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Major
Crimes Division received information from the National Center for
Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding a subject in the
Humboldt County area suspected of possessing more than 50 images
depicting child pornography.
Sampanes.
Through
a lengthy investigation, the suspect was identified as Brandon Markus
Allen Sampanes, age 31, of McKinleyville. During the course of
the investigation, it was discovered that Sampanes was in possession
of additional images and videos depicting child pornography.
On
May 11, 2023, at about 7:00 a.m., Investigators with the Humboldt
County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Division served a Search
Warrant and Arrest Warrant at a residence in the 1100 block of
Killdeer Rd. in McKinleyville. Sampanes was arrested without
incident. Based upon statements and evidence located during
service of the Search Warrant, Investigators confirmed that Sampanes
was the person in possession of the child pornography.
Sampanes
was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on felony
charges of Possession of Child Pornography (PC 311.11(c)(1)). The
case is being submitted to the Humboldt County District Attorney’s
Office for prosecution.
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:
HHUMBOLDT COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
INFORMATION
WANTED
DO YOU RECOGNIZE THIS SUSPECT?
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office is seeking information about an individual in relation to an ongoing investigation into the robbery of a bank in Hoopa that occurred last week.
Anyone with information regarding the suspect’s identity or location 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, and reference HCSO Case# 202302071.
Self-taught Humboldt documentarian Ray Olson is back with another edition of his inspirational travel series “Humboldt Outdoors.”
In the first installment of this multi-part series, Olson takes us to the headwaters of Jolly Giant Creek, located in the Arcata Community Forest, and follows the stream across the campus of Cal Poly Humboldt. From there, the creek flows under downtown to the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary and ends at Humboldt Bay – spanning a distance of almost four miles.
Olson links up with a couple of friends on his adventure – licensed drone cinematographer Jake Stoll and former Arcata Environmental Services Director Mark Andre.
“I think what makes this creek interesting is a lot of its history and it being a water source for the city,” Andre tells Olson. “It links together two of Arcata’s biggest open space areas – the community forest and the [Arcata Marsh and] Wildlife Sanctuary at Humboldt Bay. It’s part of this community’s identity.”
Watch the full video to learn more about Jolly Giant Creek, the Arcata Community Forest’s complex network of trails and the value of having not one, but FIVE trout streams within the Arcata City Limits.
On May 11, 2023, at approximately 12:25 a.m., the Eureka Police Department (EPD)
received a report of an argument followed by the sounds of gunshots in the 1800 block
of California Street. Our dispatch center received a call from the victim in this
investigation who stated a suspect had fired a handgun at them, while they were engaged
in a verbal altercation, shooting out the back window of their vehicle. No one was
injured during this incident. This was not a random act of violence and was targeted
only at the victim.
After the shooting, the victim began following the suspect and provided vital information
about the suspect’s vehicle and direction of travel. A county-wide “be on the look out”
was issued for the suspect and vehicle.
At approximately 12:39 a.m., a Humboldt County Sheriff’s Deputy located the vehicle in
the Cutten area and attempted an enforcement stop. The vehicle failed to yield and a
pursuit of the vehicle ensued. The pursuit traveled back through Eureka and concluded
near Broadway and McCullens Avenue, when the suspect’s vehicle became disabled.
The suspect was taken into custody without any further incident.
The suspect was identified as James Clayton Atkins, 39 years old, from San Francisco,
California. Atkins was transported and booked at the Humboldt County Correctional
Facility on two (2) counts of Attempted Murder. This is an ongoing investigation and
additional charges are expected to be filed against Atkins.
After receiving a call at around 7 p.m Wednesday night about a domestic disturbance at the apartments on Courtyard Circle in Arcata, the Arcata Police Department responded to find an individual who was having a mental health crisis and threatening to kill himself.
This morning Lt. Todd Dokweiler of the APD gave the Outpost an update on the situation, saying that the individual has stabilized and that APD is “periodically checking in” on the individual. In addition to APD officers, a representative from Humboldt County Mental Health responded to the scene Wednesday night, Dokweiler said. No one entered the residence, but after talking to the individual through the window until about 1 a.m., responders determined that the individual had stabilized, and that the best course of action would be to leave the scene.
Residents in the area were not evacuated, Dokweiler said, but were made aware of the situation and advised to leave the area if they felt it was necessary. Neighbors and the property manager have also been advised to contact APD if there are any additional disturbances. Responders are also in touch with the individual’s family, Dokweiler said.
At one point, there was a report of the individual wielding a kitchen knife, but there were no firearms reported, and there were no reported injuries of the individual or anyone else. Once it is deemed appropriate, the individual will ultimately be taken into custody for further evaluation, Dokweiler said.
On May 10, 2023, Jesse Chakchak Widmark was arrested and booked into the
Humboldt County Correctional Facility. This arrest resulted from his involvement in
the April 18th critical incident that occurred at the intersection of Harris and Dolbeer
Streets in Eureka.
Jesse Widmark was arrested for the following charges:
Attempted Murder of A Peace Officer, Brandishing a Firearm in the Presence of a Peace
Officer, Felony Obstruct/Resist a Peace Officer, Robbery, Assault with a Deadly
Weapon Other than a Firearm and Child Endangerment.
Brandon Widmark, the second suspect in this investigation, is still receiving medical
treatment and will booked upon his discharge from treatment.
Benvenuti a tutti! Today on San Marino Conversations, we are honored to welcome Paolo Rondelli, the enclave’s first ambassador to the United States!
Rondelli has lived a fascinating life, as his Wikipedia page indicates — just for instance, for six months last year he served as one of two S.M.’s Captains Regent, becoming the first and only openly gay head of state in the modern era — and today he’s here to tell the Outpost’s John Kennedy O’Connor (on assignment) about the diplomatic life, San Marino’s role on the international stage, and whether or not he regrets getting out of dodge before President Donald Trump made the scene.
Video above, rough machine transcript below.
###
JOHN KENNEDY O’CONNOR:
Well, welcome to another San Marino Conversation — not a Humboldt conversation today — and I’m very pleased to say that we’re joined today by Paolo Rondelli. Did I get that right? Because I have a terrible Italian accent.
PAOLO RONDELLI:
No, no, no, that’s perfect.
O’CONNOR:
And Paolo used to be the ambassador for San Marino to the United States. Right. Which I think is fascinating, the idea that this very small micro-state has such a wonderful representation in the international scene. How does this come about?
RONDELLI:
Well, first of all, I have to underline the fact that I was the first ambassador to the U.S. So, one of my duties was also to open an embassy, a chancery in Washington, D.C. So, it was something very big for a small country, but for each country, but for a small country it’s a little bit more. So, it was absolutely great. What year was that?
O’CONNOR:
What year was that?
RONDELLI:
2007. So I started with my tenure in 2007, presenting my letter of credence to President Bush. So I spent the last year and a half under his presidency and then I spent eight more years as ambassador to the US with the Obama administration. So I finished my tenure October 31st, 2016. So just four days before the election, the presidential elections to move in Paris as permanent representative to UNESCO for UN environment. So this wonderful agency talking about cultures, scientific issues and things like that. But well, Washington DC was a wonderful period, was really a wonderful period because it was a way to build something up, was the beginning of the relationship between our two countries and on a level of diplomatic representation until that year, until 2007, we were on a consular level only. So we started and was a big adventure to me. So it was really beautiful.
O’CONNOR:
Great. Now why was the US chosen to be one of the initial embassies for Samaritan? Because there aren’t very many, are there, around the world?
RONDELLI:
No, first of all, we have an embassy in Rome, we have more than one embassy in Rome because we have Italy, Holy See and Food and Agriculture Organization and all the international organizations. So we have more than one embassy, we have two ambassadors in Rome. That is since decades. After that we opened UN in New York and some others. At present we have very few stable embassies, so full-time open embassies. Obviously US and UN in New York. Vienna. I have met the ambassador in Austria. Elena. Yes. She is great. Then we have Brussels for the EU. Yes, exactly. Brussels has been open for many years.
O’CONNOR:
That’s an interesting relationship because San Marino is not in the EU technically, but in effect you are.
RONDELLI:
It’s a little bit more complex. So we are not part of the European Union but we have an agreement, a cooperation agreement since 1991 and on an economical level and on some specific items like food and agriculture. So then we are part of the Schengen territory.
O’CONNOR:
But you also use the euro.
RONDELLI:
We use the euro since the very beginning due to an agreement, a specific agreement. And we have our own euros so we are able to produce euros too. But we are not EU members. We are under a negotiation of a treaty for not a full adhesion but a kind of association agreement. So we will remain a third part but with some specific duties and some specific obligations, specific I think points in favor.
O’CONNOR:
Now your role in the US, I’m fascinated, I mean the US is one of the largest countries in the world, one of the top 10. Here’s San Marino which I believe is the fourth smallest, is that correct? Or the fourth smallest in Europe?
RONDELLI:
The third.
O’CONNOR:
The third, there you go. What is the role, I mean, how do you interact with this monolithic government and this monolith of the United Nations? Although I know that wasn’t your role, but they’re being combined now.
RONDELLI:
Obviously, being an ambassador of a small country and being our representation there, it’s more than very big embassies like United Kingdom or France with a lot of diplomats. I was at the very beginning the only one, the only diplomat in the US, so you have to walk a lot, buy a certain number of shoes because you have to walk a lot, knock a lot of doors and trying to introduce yourself, to introduce your country that no one knows, but it’s quite important to be on the scene. I remember I had a wonderful professional relationship with a colleague, she was the ambassador of Liechtenstein, another micro-state in Europe, so we were facing more or less the same problems. When you are alone in the Soviet countries, obviously your government has to give you some specific mandates on some specific issues because you can’t face all the arguments. The week is just seven days or more.
O’CONNOR:
I just need to ask, was it disappointing not to be part of the Trump administration? Or did you think, thank goodness I got out before it was too late?
RONDELLI:
Obviously, as an ambassador…
O’CONNOR:
You have no opinion.
RONDELLI:
No opinion. But I was happy to move to Paris after nine years and a half in the US. So I moved to Paris for three years as ambassador and permanent representative to UNESCO. It was really nice, Paris too. So obviously I have part of my family based in New York so I’m still quite often in the US. I have friends there so I’m traveling and I touched also the Trump administration.
O’CONNOR:
Paolo, it’s been lovely to meet you. It’s really interesting to know about how this tiny country interacts with the wider world. It’s really genuinely fascinating. Thank you for joining us in San Marino for a San Marino Conversation. And thank you for joining us and hopefully join us for more San Marino Conversations this week. Bye-bye.
