Eureka Police Department press release: 

On November 29, 2022 at about 10:37 p.m., an officer with the Eureka Police Department conducted a traffic stop on the 3000 block of Broadway for a traffic violation. The driver of the vehicle was identified as Carolyn Marie Baker, 46 years old of Carlotta. During the traffic stop, the officer utilized his K-9 partner “Yeti”, to conduct a narcotics detection sweep. The K-9 alerted to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle.

During a search of the vehicle, officers located approximately 36 grams of Fentanyl, 1 gram of methamphetamine, scales, packaging material and additional drug paraphernalia.

Baker was arrested for possession of controlled substances for sales and possession of illegal narcotics.

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In case you somehow haven’t noticed, it’s been cold outside! And it is going to be that way for a bit. As we enter the darkest, coldest and wettest months of the year, now is a good time to think about donating warm items (you know that coat that you never wear that’s just taking up space in your closet?) to people who need it. 

Many of our local nonprofits dedicated to helping the unhoused community are looking for donations of tents, sleeping bags, blankets, coats, hats, gloves, socks and anything that will help keep people warm and dry during the winter season. So, whether you’re in need of warmth, or looking to donate, here are a few of the local places that can help. 

Betty Kwan Chinn Foundation

As always, Betty and her staff are busy providing food, clothing and shelter to Humboldt’s homeless. With the recent drop in temperatures, the foundation has been gathering extra gear to help open up extra shelter for the winter. Chinn has already added 10 beds to the Blue Angel Village for the winter, and she is also working to open up a tent shelter for another 20 or 25 people. 

Chinn said that the tent shelter is on someone’s private property (she did not want to disclose the location yet) and will hold tents with cots inside. The tents were donated to Chinn by Proper Wellness, a cannabis dispensary in Eureka and Rio Dell. Chinn said that when Proper Wellness first offered to help, she had no idea what type of business it was. When she learned it was a cannabis business, she was pretty surprised, but she is thankful for the generosity. She also received a bunch of sleeping bags from a private donor and received a bunch of cots – some from a private donor and some from Public Health. 

As far as what she still needs, Chinn said that blankets would be the most helpful donation right now. Blankets can be new or used, but must be clean and in good condition. You can drop off donations at the Betty Kwan Chinn Day Center during open hours – Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you need more information, or are in need of shelter, call the center at 707-407-3833. 

 [During] the winter time and holiday time people are very depressed,”  Chinn told the Outpost over the phone on Tuesday. “This winter is so bad. So I’m going to open another shelter that people can go to.” 

Arcata House Partnership 

Arcata House recently wrapped up its official Cold Weather Care Drive, but the nonprofit is still accepting donations of new items. Florence Carroll, Arcata House’s administrative specialist, told the outpost that the organization can only accept new items right now because of its COVID protocols. 

The nonprofit is currently accepting tarps, tents, sleeping bags, blankets, socks, scarves, mittens, hand warmers, rain ponchos, coats and sweaters. Arcata House is preparing for its extreme weather shelter, something the nonprofit opens during the chilliest nights of the year. Items donated will go to people in the shelter and also be handed out during Arcata House’s outreach to local homeless folks. You can schedule a donation by emailing admin@arcatahouse.org or by calling 707-822-4528. 

Carroll added that, for those living outdoors who are in need of gear, Arcata House will be giving out the warm items it has already collected at The Annex – 501 9th St, next to the Arcata Transit Center – on Saturday, Dec. 3.   Wednesday, Dec. 7. 

Humboldt Area Center for Harm Reduction (HACHR) 

As another nonprofit organization that works closely with Humboldt’s unhoused population, HACHR knows how dire conditions can be for people living outside in the winter. That is why HACHR is holding its annual Anything Warm Drive to gather items that can be distributed to those who need it. 

As during all its previous drives, HACHR really is looking for anything and everything warm, including hats, gloves, coats, socks, boots and other warm clothing. You can also donate items to help keep people dry, including raincoats, tents and tarps. HACHR will distribute the items to folks during its outreach trips. 

Jasmine Guerra, executive director of HACHR, told the Outpost that HACHR is still working with local businesses and other nonprofit organizations to place donation boxes around the community. Currently there’s a donation bin at Outer Space in Arcata, but their hours are a bit sporadic. There will be more bins out by the end of next week, Guerra said, adding that HACHR will post updates about this on their social media. 

In the meantime, if you can’t make it Outer Space, the best way to donate is to reach out to HACHR to coordinate a drop-off at the office in Valley West. Email admin@hachr707 to setup up a time to donate. You can also email if your business or nonprofit is interested in hosting a donation box. The donation drive will continue through February. 

Donations must be new or lightly used, in good condition, clean and free of stains or odors. Guerra also wanted to add that if you’re not sure what to donate, socks and boots are very useful because it’s really important to help keep people’s feet dry and warm during the winter. 

“I woke up this morning and had frost on my windows and I didn’t want to get out of bed because it was so cold,” Guerra told the Outpost on Tuesday. “So you can only imagine what it’s like for people living outside, out in the elements. Anything that helps people keep warm is so helpful.” 

Eureka Rescue Mission 

Another nonprofit that works tirelessly to feed, clothe and shelter the homeless, Eureka Rescue Mission, is nearly always willing to accept donations of clothing, blankets and other crucial gear for people who are struggling. 

A member of the staff told the Outpost that the Mission is currently looking for blankets, socks and men’s clothing – including winter coats, sweatshirts, sweatpants, long underwear and shoes. The Mission does not require you to make an appointment to donate, and you can drop items off donations at 110 Second Street in Eureka anytime between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. 

If you call when you arrive, someone can usually come out and meet you to collect the items. Eureka Rescue Mission can be reached at 707-443-4551.

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If you don’t have any clothing or gear to donate and don’t feel like buying anything, all of the mentioned nonprofits also enthusiastically accept monetary donations to help with their efforts. Here are the donation links: Betty Chinn, Arcata House Partnership, HACHR, Eureka Rescue Mission. 

Also, all of these nonprofits are registered on Amazon Smile. That means that if you use Amazon to buy anything this holiday season, you can select any of these organizations as your charity and Amazon will donate 0.5% of your purchases to that organization. It may be small, but if you’re gonna shop on Amazon anyway, it couldn’t hurt! 

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CORRECTION: The Arcata House Partnership will be holding its pop-up at the Annex on Wednesday, Dec. 7 between 1 and 3 p.m., not Saturday. Please don’t go to the Annex on Saturday, because it will be closed! The Outpost regrets the error. 

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The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors returned to its windowless courthouse chambers on Tuesday for the first time since Election Day. The extended break came thanks to a couple of holiday-impacted weeks, and while Tuesday’s agenda was relatively light — at least compared to the all-day sessions typical of their recent proceedings — the supes wrangled with such hefty matters as offshore wind development, homelessness, cell tower regulations and more.

As per usual, the board began (following the obligatory recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance) by approving a slate of consent calendar items in one fell swoop. Among them was an item appointing American AgCredit Vice President Walt Geist and Eureka Broadcasting Company General Manager Brian Papstein to the Headwaters Fund board of directors and another item formally suspending Measure S cannabis cultivation taxes for next year. (See here for background.)

Offshore wind

A resolution supporting sustainable offshore wind development had been listed on the consent calendar, but it was pulled for discussion.

Next Tuesday the federal Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management (BOEM) is set to auction off leases for development of offshore wind energy projects in five lease areas off the California coast, two of which are in the Humboldt Wind Energy Area, 21 miles off our local shoreline.

“It is evident that there is a significant local need and desire to ensure that the offshore wind industry is developed in a sustainable and inclusive way,” Deputy County Administrative Officer Sean Quincey said in a presentation to the board. 

County staff has been working with local stakeholders for years now, Quincey said, and in recent months they’ve ramped up engagement with community partners, local governments, tribes, state and federal agencies, potential project developers and local businesses in hopes of maximizing community benefits. 

Broadly speaking, the resolution (which you can download by clicking here) aims to formalize a path forward while incorporating feedback the county has received from various stakeholders.

Quincey emphasized that there will be many more opportunities for the public to participate in the process, and Fifth District Supervisor Steve Madrone underscored the importance of reaching out to local tribes early and often.

“And trades,” Madrone added, “you know, workforce development. I mean, I think we’re all hopeful that this might really put a big surge into some really good, high-paying, quality jobs for our community.”

Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson described the resolution as a message to potential bidders looking to develop projects off our coast, one that says, “This community is firmly planted in our defense of this space” and our values while also “leaning into the potential” such development represents.

During the public comment period, fisherman Ken Bates, who represents both the Humboldt Fisheries Marketing Association and the nonprofit California Fishermen’s Resiliency Association, thanked staff for incorporating some of his industry’s recommendations in the ordinance, though he also said he could spend a couple of hours discussing the potential impacts of wind energy developments may have on local fisheries. 

Jeff Hunerlach, district representative for Operating Engineers Local No. 3, said he would have liked to give input on behalf of the 20,000 union members in the county. He said there should be more concrete provisions in the resolution supporting local labor agreements and California-approved apprenticeships.

“It’s a partnership, guys, and we just want to be, you know, in the mix,” he said.

Bryna Lipper, CEO of the Humboldt Area Foundation, said offshore wind energy development represents a “once-in-a-multi-generation opportunity” for economic and infrastructure development, as well as “being a part of national and global climate resilience transformation.”

The county’s economic development director, Scott Adair, reiterated that “robust” stakeholder engagement is ongoing. 

The board approved the resolution unanimously.

Next year’s board chair is …

Fifth District Supervisor Steve Madrone | Screenshot

Madrone! 

Each year around this time the board decides who’s going to serve as chair and vice chair for the upcoming year. The chair is charged with running the meetings in an orderly fashion, calling on fellow supes when they’d like to speak, organizing the public comment sessions and serving as a conduit for board-staff communication.

Wilson began this year’s discussion by noting that, typically, the board takes turns, rotating the chairperson duties numerically by district rep.

Wilson himself was in line to serve in that role this year but begged off due to various responsibilities, including having a kid still living at home and the complications to daily life wrought by the COVID pandemic. Fourth District Supervisor Virginia Bass stepped in to serve in his stead.

Today Wilson suggested going back to the regular order of operations, which puts Madrone in line to be chair for 2023 and First District Supervisor Rex Bohn slated for vice-chair (a role that carries no formal responsibilities beyond stepping in when the chair is absent). A motion was made and passed unanimously.

Grand Jury responses

Later in the meeting, Public Information Specialist Cati Gallardo revisited three of the six reports produced this year by the Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury. She presented draft board responses to the reports’ findings and recommendations, as required by law. 

First, she addressed the report titled “Distrust, Disagreements, Dysfunction,” which offered a scathing analysis of the county’s fiscal management chaos, laying most of the blame at the feet of former Auditor-Controller Karen Paz Dominguez while also noting poor inter-department communication among county staff. 

The proposed responses say the board agrees with most of the report’s findings while partially agreeing with two others. Of the report’s 18 recommendations, the draft responses say all but three either have been implemented or will be. The other three cannot, according to the responses, and Gallardo explained that the board’s authority is limited since the auditor-controller is elected independently. (Click the link above to read the detailed responses.)

The next report discussed, titled “Custody, Corrections and Other County Facilities,” outlined the Civil Grand Jury’s findings after inspecting the physical conditions and management of the county’s one state prison facility (the Eel River Conservation Camp) and various county correctional facilities, including the juvenile hall, the animal shelter, the Sempervirens Psychiatric Health Facility and the jail. 

The report found significant concerns, including deferred maintenance, substandard facilities and the overwhelming impacts of mental health and substance use disorders.

The proposed responses (again, click to download) say the board agrees or partially agrees with all but one of the 30 findings — one which concluded that Sempervirens “does not provide enough space or services to reduce the strain on the Humboldt County Correctional Facility and ensure mental health patients receive appropriate placement and care.”

The proposed response says that while additional space is needed, “without Sempervirens, the correctional facility and other facilities would be more heavily impacted than their current situations.”

Lastly, Gallardo addressed the report titled “Collaborative Community Quest,” which followed up on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the county and the state following a judgement against the county’s Child Welfare Services Division and the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office for violations of the California’s Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (CANRA). The MOU requires collaboration with the area’s eight federally recognized tribes.

The proposed responses say the board agrees with the three relevant findings and will implement one of the two recommendations. The one they won’t implement called for the board’s authorization to create an independent Office of Tribal Affairs before January 1. The proposed response says that idea has merit but “would need to be evaluated at a broader level and include discussion with all department heads, the Board, and local Tribal representatives.”

During the public comment period, Civil Grand Jury member and Foreperson Jim Glover said he appreciates the hard work staff put into the responses, but he chastised the county for being five months late in submitting its responses to these three reports. 

Glover said such a delay is “unacceptable by state statute” and “renders useless some of the work and deadlines that we proposed.”

Quincey stepped to the public lectern to take responsibility and apologize for the delay, noting the heavy workload staff has had due to COVID, the American Rescue Plan and offshore wind development. He said staff will make sure such a delay doesn’t occur in the future.

The board voted unanimously to approve the proposed responses.

Homelessness

Following a brief break, the board heard a report about the fourth and latest round of funding available through the state’s Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) Program.

Robert Ward, the housing and assistance coordinator with the county Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), told the board that the county expects to get around $4.3 million this round.

“We can use these funds for street outreach, interim housing [and/or] permanent housing,” Ward said, adding that applications were due at the end of the day.

Ward’s introduction of the item was brief, but the supervisors — particularly Madrone and Bohn — wanted to dive deeper and scrutinize the county’s approach to addressing the intractable, seemingly never-ending challenge of solving homelessness.

“How much housing have we created through the first three rounds [of funding]?” Bohn asked. 

“You know,” Ward replied, “a lot of these funds have been used for programs that provide rental assistance and case management services to help people locate housing that already exists in the community and to be able to afford it. So it’s not necessarily being used to create new units [so much] as it is to make housing affordable to people who otherwise would remain on the streets.”

He added that some of the funds have gone toward the Providence Mother Bernard House, which will offer roughly 50 units of permanent supportive housing for homeless and chronically homeless people. Construction is scheduled to be completed in the spring.

Madrone asked about the county’s methodology for conducting its Point-In-Time county, an every-other-year tally of homeless people required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Madrone wanted to know if it’s possible to get a more accurate count, but Ward said HUD rules and on-the-ground realities make it challenging. 

“There’s just no way that we’re going to be able to see everyone,” he said. “Many people are carefully hidden outdoors.”

Bohn said the county seems to be spending a lot of money to collect data but hasn’t seen the kinds of results the community needs.

“We’re going to have to do something,” he said. “I counted, I think, 19 people this morning, sleeping in businesses’ doorways … . And I know it’s a mental health issue. I know it’s a big issue. We’re throwing a lot of money at it and and the frustration part for me — it’s not for lack of effort on your part. We’re just getting a lot of people getting very frustrated that things aren’t getting any better. And and we need to put our heads together.”

Proposed ideas include everything from parking lots designated for camping to tiny homes, motel conversions and apartment developments. Bohn said he’d “almost like” to take money from a Point-in-Time grant and use it to build new housing instead.

DHHS Director Connie Beck appeared via Zoom to say that’s not feasible. 

“Without that data, we would not get money,” she said. State and federal grants are based off the homeless counts in each regional Continuum of Care. Beck said money has been used to fund services because that’s what it was earmarked for.

“I just want to just make sure that we’re all understanding that this is one piece of a really big, awful puzzle that we’re working on,” she said.

Ward added that the point of outreach isn’t so much to collect data as it is to engage with people and connect them with case-management services. 

Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell said there are few options for homeless people in the county’s unincorporated areas, including SoHum. 

She said she appreciates all the hard work being done, “but it doesn’t seem to get anywhere, and the obstacles seem to be huge, such as, you know, trying to find housing down there or even a cold weather shelter in the Southern Humboldt area.

Ward noted that the county funds a shelter program in SoHum through the Redwoods Rural Health Center, but Bushnell said its few rooms have been occupied for quite some time.

“The whole community is wondering what we’re doing about this larger issue,” Madrone said, “because we’re all impacted by it, especially those that are without a house.”

Madrone suggested that while there’s money for services and lots of people stepping up to help, the biggest impediment to solving homelessness locally might be community attitudes. 

“Nobody wants anything near them —the NIMByism and the rest of it,” he said, referring to sanctioned camping areas, safe parking lots and other potential measures. ” And when we as a society continue to do that, I would submit that this problem is not going to get solved anytime soon in any way.”

Madrone suggested that community leaders should engage with the local community through the media in an effort to change attitudes.

“[M]aybe we can try and have that discussion with our community about how we increase our tolerance for not perfect [solutions], because there is no perfect, but what might be the steps to get us to a better place.”

Ward said that, since the county now has three shelter crisis ordinances in place, the county government can bypass various state regulations, including building code compliance, to set up housing solutions on county-owned properties.

“The way to really move it forward is probably for the county to lease a property for that purpose,” he said.

The board unanimously approved a motion to have staff apply for the latest round of funding.

The conversation had been robust, but the award for lengthiest deliberations of the day goes to …

Wireless Telecommunications Facility Ordinances

Photo by Julian on Unsplash

And what’s more, this was a continuation of an item already discussed at the board’s November 1 meeting. 

Planning and Building Director John Ford explained that the county needs to pass two separate ordinances pertaining to development of wireless telecommunications facilities, aka cell towers — one for the county’s unincorporated coastal areas and another for its inland areas.

“The design of these ordinances is intended to provide incentives for wireless carriers to … design low-visual-impact facilities,” Ford said. When they do, he explained, they get the benefit of a less-intensive permitting process. The uglier and more environmentally impactful the cell tower, the more scrutiny it will be subjected to, is the idea.

Staff had prepared a range of alternatives for the two ordinances, and the range of possible actions was fairly narrow, much to the frustration of several supervisors, particularly Madrone, who repeatedly voiced frustration about the federal government’s preemption of local regulations that might, say, limit the proliferation of 5G networks.

“There is a lot of concern in the community about the bandwidth, the microwave energy coming in from [5G towers],” he said. “… The [federal] government tries to say, ‘No, you don’t get to have a say in this, something that may very well be affecting people’s health.’ I frankly don’t know what to believe. There’s a tremendous amount of information out there and so I’m somewhat skeptical, I will say, about the safety of all of this.”

The board debated how restrictive to be with the two ordinances, taking straw votes as they worked through the various alternatives, which addressed such matters a tower height, blinking lights and proximity to neighboring residences. 

One exchange got a bit testy. Wilson and Bushnell were debating whether to require a permit hearing for installation of new cell towers on existing telecom sites located on land zoned agricultural exclusive or timber production zones.

Wilson wanted the more restrictive option and quipped, “if you [Bushnell] want less protections for your constituents in your district, then then by all means.”

A minute or so later Bushnell said Wilson’s comment offended her. “My thoughts always go to my constituents and their concerns,” she said.

During the public comment period, a number of people voiced concerns about the safety of 5G technology, which is regulated by the federal government. The Food and Drug Administration has stated that, based on the totality of scientific evidence, 5G technology falls within the acceptable exposure range covered by existing radio frequency exposure limits, set by the Federal Communications Commission.

Former Arcata City Councilmember Paul Pitino expressed concern about “sensitive receptors” such as daycare facilities, schools, hospitals and nursing homes.

A Eureka resident who identified herself only as Katie claimed that FCC limits were based on military tests conducted on hungry monkeys, and one test caused the monkeys’ faces to melt off. (The Outpost could not find evidence of such a result.)

Arcata resident Laurie Birdsall urged the board to protect the community from both the alleged health risks and and the visual blight of 5G cell towers.

“I would just like to advocate: Don’t make us fight for it,” she said. “It’s your job to fight for us. It’s your job to fight for us. We don’t want to be the sitting ducks. We don’t want to be the experiment.”

Ford responded shortly thereafter. “I do appreciate the concern that’s being expressed,” he said. “I do appreciate the desire. But from a regulatory standpoint, it’s really important to be clear about what we are regulating and where we’re preempted.”

Ford reiterated that local governments are precluded from regulating radio frequency, and he didn’t want to give local residents false hope by requiring hearings that might address such matters.

“Really, in my job, that’s one of the hardest things to deal with, is public expectation that can’t be satisfied,” he said. “And that’s just painful.”

Ultimately, the board wound up adopting the two ordinances, choosing options that require a zoning clearance certificate and design approval for all small wireless facilities within 300 feet of a residence.

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On Nov. 30, 2022, at about 8:13 a.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies on patrol in the McKinleyville area located a transient encampment along the Mad River, near Mill Creek. While conducting a patrol check of the encampment, deputies observed 38-year-old Rob Oneil Harvey, who was wanted as the suspect of an elder abuse investigation last month in McKinleyville. Upon seeing deputies, Harvey attempted to flee by wading into the river, but was quickly apprehended.

Harvey was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of causing injury to an elder adult (PC 368(b)(1)), in addition to warrant charges of possession of a controlled substance (HS 11378), possession of a controlled substance for sales (HS 11351), maintaining a drug house (HS 11366), driving without a license (VC 12500(a)), failure to provide evidence of vehicle registration (VC 4000(a)(1)), failure to provide evidence of vehicle insurance (VC 16028(a)) and providing false vehicle registration (VC 4463).

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 Nov. 29, 2022, at about 4:59 a.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies on patrol in the McKinleyville area observed a vehicle associated with a felony warrant suspect.

Deputies conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle in the area of School Road and Washington Avenue, and contacted three individuals inside. One of the passengers of the vehicle was confirmed to be the felony warrant suspect, 24-year-old Andrew James Lamberson Jr. During a search of Lamberson and the vehicle incident to arrest, deputies located over 8 grams of methamphetamine and a high-capacity magazine containing live rounds of ammunition.

A second passenger of the vehicle, 35-year-old Amanda Michele Brown, was also found to have an outstanding misdemeanor warrant. Brown was cited and released for her warrant.

The driver of the vehicle was released at the scene.

Lamberson was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of prohibited person in possession of ammunition (PC 30305(a)), possession of a controlled substance (HS 11377(a)) and violation of probation (PC 1203.2(a)(2)), in addition to warrant charges of Post Release Community Supervision (PRCS) Revocation (PC 3455(a)), driving under the influence of alcohol (VC 23152(a) & 23152(b)), driving with a blood alcohol level .15 or over (VC 23578), driving privilege suspended/revoked (VC 14601.5(a)) and driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol (VC 23152(g)).

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 Nov. 29, 2022, at about 2:05 p.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies on patrol in the Blue Lake area conducted an investigation of an occupied vehicle outside a business on the 1400 block of Glendale Drive.

Deputies located two adult females passed out inside the vehicle. Upon contacting the women, deputies learned that the driver, 30-year-old Halli Lee Pole, had multiple warrants for her arrest. During a search of Pole and the vehicle incident to arrest, deputies located approximately 21 grams of fentanyl, .7 grams of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and items consistent with the sale of controlled substances.

Pole was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of possession of a narcotic controlled substance (HS 11350(a)), possession of a controlled substance (HS 11377(a)), possession of a controlled substance paraphernalia (HS 11364(a)) and violation of probation (PC 1203.2(a)), in addition to warrant charges of vehicle theft (VC 10851(a)), possession of a controlled substance (HS 11377(a)), possession of a narcotic controlled substance (HS 11350(a)), driving with a suspended license (VC 14601.1(a)), property theft (PC 484(a)), check fraud (PC 476) and bringing drugs/alcohol into a prison (PC 4573.4).

The second female was released at the scene.

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.

Humboldt Bay Fire release: 

At 8:18 a.m. on Tuesday, November 29, 2022, Humboldt Bay Fire units, including 3 engines, a ladder truck, a water tender and two duty chiefs, were dispatched to a reported structure fire in a residence at the 7500 block of Elk River Court in Eureka. The first responding engine reported seeing smoke in the area, and set up for a long hose lay.

The bridge on Elk River Court is deemed a “do not cross bridge” by Humboldt Bay Fire so no apparatus were able to make it directly to the residence. This delayed access and water supply to the fire. Once the first responding engine crew made their way to the residence on foot they reported a working structure fire with smoke showing from one of the corners of the structure. During this time a second alarm was requested and two additional engines and two additional water tenders were dispatched to scene, along with two additional engines to cover HBF jurisdiction. The first two arriving units stretched 1,500 feet of hose to the fire, and set up water supply operations for additional units arriving on scene. The closest hydrant was over a mile away.

It was reported by a neighbor that there were no occupants in the home at the time of the fire, but there were three dogs inside the residence. The crews assigned fire attack were able to make entry and confirm a primary all clear of the structure and quickly controlled the fire. All three dogs were recovered from the residence but unfortunately succumbed to smoke inhalation due to fire conditions PG&E was notified and disconnected power to the transformer supplying power to the two residences at the end of the court.

After approximately 45 minutes since the first unit arrived a secondary all clear was received. With the fire knocked down, HBF units began overhaul operations. At this time Smoke Alarms Save Lives. cover crews began to be released at approximately 10a.m. Red cross was contacted and provided resources for the displaced family. After crews completed fire operations, PG&E was alerted that utilities could be restored to the unaffected residence nearby.

Damage was estimated to be approximately $100,000 to the residence and $50,000 in contents. There were no injuries to civilian or fire personnel on scene. Humboldt Bay Fire would like to thank its allied partners for their assistance with coverage and operations during this incident. Samoa Fire District, Blue Lake Fire, Fieldbrook Fire, Fortuna Fire, and Arcata Fire District. Also, we would like to thank PG&E, Red Cross, and City Ambulance.