Charges may be filed in two high-profile cases

People have been askin' and today's Eureka Reporter has answers of sorts - Charges may be filed in two high-profile cases
Criminal charges may be filed as soon as next week against two North Coast residents identified in high-profile cases, the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office said.

Misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter charges against Miranda resident Diane Johnson, the 58-year-old woman who lost control of her vehicle on U.S. Highway 101 in late April and fatally collided with Supervisor Roger Rodoni’s vehicle, were recommended by the California Highway Patrol in early June.

In a separate case, forgery and embezzlement charges against former Arcata Chamber of Commerce Interim Director Kerri Malloy were recommended by the Arcata Police Department in early June in connection to $8,000 of the Chamber’s operating budget that was allegedly embezzled.

“Certainly the decision is ours,” District Attorney Paul Gallegos said. “Maybe we’ll have a decision by next week.”

There's that word. That tell. That word "Certainly." "Certainly, we..."

The Malloy case isn’t as pressing a priority as other cases, Gallegos said, because he hasn’t been arrested. “Because of the holiday and sick leave, we’re shy on people and are trying to get the essentials done now,” he said. “And certainly it’s very common for us to reach out and contact the victims ahead of charging, to make sure they get what they want out of the case.”

Regarding the Johnson case, Gallegos said Wednesday that he hadn’t read the CHP’s report that’s been forwarded to his office, but that he intends to.

“We understand everyone involved wants closure and we understand that the suspect wants closure,” he said. “Everyone wants a decision including us, it’s a delicate situation.”

Johnson lost control of her 1997 Buick while driving southbound on U.S. Highway 101 when she crossed the grass median and collided with Rodoni’s 1999 Ford pickup truck, the CHP previously reported.

An autopsy of Roger Rodoni’s body showed that he died from blunt force head injuries and was declared dead at the scene despite medical personnel’s attempts to save him, the Humboldt County Coroner’s Office previously reported.

Johnson wasn’t tested for drugs or alcohol, as officers concluded she didn’t show any outward signs of intoxication, CHP Capt. Robert Del Mese said. Inspections of both vehicles conducted later showed nothing was mechanically wrong with Rodoni or Johnson’s vehicle, Del Mese said.

“The law requires us to drive safely,” Gallegos said. “I would like to get some time to talk to Johanna and the family and get input from them.”

To be fair, there are other more pressing cases, as has been discussed in some threads below, and the investigations here can take time. I'd say the slight dragging here is not as serious as some of the other problems facing Gallegos.