Thursday, January 28, 2010

Bumper stickers and money

Humboldt County signs on to Klamath dams agreement

So, you see all those "UnDam The Klamath" bumper stickers? You know those enviro orgs you support? NEC? Baykeeper? How many fundraisers did they have? How much of your money did they take? Where did that money go? And why are they now actively working against the agreement?

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Jerry George, missing Update: Arrest made in case

Update 6/28/2019

Will the handling of convicted murderer Jacob Steele's jury trial work in his favor today?

This afternoon, there is a Franklin hearing/resentencing scheduled for Jacob Charles Steele. He was convicted of second degree murder of Jerry George in 2012. As of today, Steele is not eligible for parole until 2034....


McKinleyville man missing since Thursday

Murder arrest made in case missing McKinleyville man Jerry George
A resident of the home where missing McKinleyville man Jerry George was last seen was arrested Monday on suspicion of murder.

The Humboldt County Sheriff's Office said investigators and members of the Eureka Police Department's Problem Oriented Policing Unit arrested Jacob Charles Steele, 21, at his father's Union Street home in Eureka after obtaining a $1 million warrant for his arrest.

”They were friends who spent time together,” said Humboldt County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Brenda Godsey. “They knew each other a couple of years.”

George, 29, was last seen at Steele's Reasor Road home in McKinleyville on Jan. 21. George's girlfriend reported him missing the next day.

”During the nearly two-month investigation, Sheriff's detectives discovered evidence that led them to believe Mr. George was the victim of a homicide,” stated a Sheriff's Office press release. “Detectives conducted dozens of interviews and served several search warrants.”

One of the warrants was served on Steele's residence. Officials said Steele told deputies that George left his Reasor Road apartment the night of his disappearance and he hadn't seen George since.

Investigators also searched private property near Fieldbrook in February.

Officials said at the time they were following up on a tip when they used all-terrain vehicles to access a wooded private property off Murray Road, about a mile from the Murray Road and Central Avenue intersection.

Steele was booked in to the Humboldt County jail on suspicion of murder. He's expected to be arraigned Wednesday.
When asked if any more arrests were expected, Godsey said, “The investigation is ongoing.”

George's body has not been found.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

"Ellie Light" - like Salzman on steroids w/UPDATES

Obama has suspicious number of letter-writing fans named 'Ellie Light' cleveland.com
Ellie Light sure gets around.

In recent weeks, Light has published virtually identical “Letters to the Editor” in support of President Barack Obama in more than a dozen newspapers. Every letter claimed a different residence for Light that happened to be in the newspaper’s circulation area.

“It’s time for Americans to realize that governing is hard work, and that a president can’t just wave a magic wand and fix everything,” said a letter from alleged Philadelphian Ellie Light, that was published in the Jan. 19 edition of The Philadelphia Daily News.

A letter from Light in the Jan. 20 edition of the San Francisco Examiner concluded with an identical sentence, but with an address for Light all the way across the country in Daly City, California.

President Barack Obama has both detractors and fans. A curious number of his fans are named Ellie Light.

Variations of Light’s letter ran in Ohio’s Mansfield News Journal on Jan. 13, with Light claiming an address in Mansfield; in New Mexico’s Ruidoso News on Jan. 12, claiming an address in Three Rivers; in South Carolina’s The Sun News on Jan. 18, claiming an address in Myrtle Beach; and in the Daily News Leader of Staunton, Virginia on Jan. 15, claiming an address in Waynesboro. Her publications list includes other papers in Ohio, West Virginia, Maine, Michigan, Iowa, Pennsylvania and California, all claiming separate addresses.

Light – who e-mailed an identical missive to this reporter on Jan. 16 without listing a hometown – would not answer e-mailed questions about the address discrepancies in newspapers that ran her letter, or her identity, although she did say she wasn’t a former co-worker of this reporter’s who had a similar name.

“I do not write as a representative of any organization,” she said in an e-mail. “The letter I wrote was motivated by surprise and wonderment at the absence of any media support for our President, who won a record-breaking election by a landslide less than 18 months ago, and now, seems to be abandoned by all, supposedly for the infantile reason that he couldn’t make all of Bush’s errors disappear in one day.”

University of Missouri journalism professor Tom Rosenstiel, co-author of a textbook on journalistic values titled “The Elements of Journalism,” reacted with surprise and wonderment upon learning of Light’s widespread publication under multiple addresses.

He said newspapers might be able to avoid similar situations in the future by requesting street addresses and home telephone numbers from would-be correspondents, and verifying that those addresses and phone numbers exist.

"Just because it is inconvenient for us in the news business to find out who people are doesn’t mean it isn’t important anymore,” Rosenstiel said. “It is not OK for people to have multiple identities. This is something that people in the news business and in the business of printing “letters to the editor” need to be aware of.”

The Plain Dealer asks letter writers for a phone number for verification purposes.

Letters were titled:
Soapbox: Obama told us solutions will take time
Fixing inherited problems
America’s problems will take time to fix
No magic wand to fix everything
Happy talk vs. truth
Obama faces hard choices
President can't fix everything overnight
Obama never promised quick solutions
Obama never said he had a magic wand
President Obama said fixing our problems wouldn't be easy
Solutions take time

And so the meme is spread. Question is - who is behind this?
UPDATE: - Looks like the guys at Hillbuzz have cracked the code!
Question of the Day: Who is Ellie Light?

Ellie Light: Who is She and What Does She Want?
Ellie Light: Obama Astroturfer? Or Very, Very, Very Energetic But Independent Letter Writer? With Houses All Over the Nation?

UPDATE(S): Ellie Jeanne Light
62 publications in 29 states and the District of Columbia, 3 national publications and a Yahoo link.
2 foreign publications.

Claims residence in Long Beach, CA; Waynesboro, VA; Hunstville, AL; Salinas, CA; Daly City, CA; San Felipe, CA; Santa Cruz, CA; Grass Valley, CA; Gustine, CA; Willits, CA; Vallejo, CA; San Lyuis Obispo, CA; Myrtle Beach, SC; Greenwich, CT; Bridgeport, CT; Barberville, FL; Gainesville, GA; - - you get the idea, complete list at the link.

The sleuths are uncovering even more.
Still More Astroturfing: Gloria Elle and Jan Chen Write the Same Letter; UPDATED: Two More Pairings Found

Ryan Sundberg


Sundberg Is In - The Journal
The Sundberg campaign’s kickoff party will be held on Saturday, Jan. 30, from 3-6 p.m. at McKinleyville’s Azalea Hall. Sundberg emphasized that it will be a family-friendly event, with refreshments and kids’ activities free to the public.

Sundberg in - heraldo
Sundberg kicks off fifth district campaign
TS comments
Sundberg official in 5th. 4 running for Humboldt County Assessor's seat? More Humboldt County political bits. Samoa Softball

http://www.sundbergforsupervisor.org/

Autopsy set for Sunday in Bradshaw case

Autopsy set for Sunday in Bradshaw case
An autopsy on the remains believed to be those of a missing McKinleyville woman has been scheduled for Sunday, and her husband's manslaughter plea agreement hinges on the results, according to court records....

Robin Bradshaw was arrested June 12 and charged with murder. But in December, Robin Bradshaw entered into a plea agreement, pleading to one count of voluntary manslaughter upon a sudden quarrel or in the heat of passion; and one count of making a false insurance claim. As a condition of the plea, Robin Bradshaw agreed to disclose the location of his wife's body....

Under the plea deal, Robin Bradshaw faces a 12-year prison sentence.

A court transcript from Dec. 17 indicates that Robin Bradshaw's plea is contingent on forensic evidence uncovered during the autopsy matching the story he gave to authorities.

”This is a conditional plea,” said Robin Bradshaw's attorney, Peter Martin, according to the transcript. “The condition is as follows: Mr. Bradshaw will lead police to Mrs. Bradshaw's remains. A forensic examination will be performed on the remains. If forensic evidence establishes that Mrs. Bradshaw did not die in the manner described ... by the defendant to polygraph examiner Jim Dawson, it will be considered a breach of the plea bargain, and the people may petition the court to vacate the plea agreement.”

UPDATE"
Bradshaw positively identified; full autopsy report pending more test results
Human remains unearthed from a wooded area near McKinleyville earlier this month have been positively identified as those of Monica Bradshaw.

Humboldt County Coroner Dave Parris said that the forensic pathologist, Dr. Mark Super, who performed an autopsy on Monica Bradshaw last weekend, has ordered more tests and likely won't offer his full report for some weeks. Parris said that Super is being cautious and thorough, knowing his findings have major implications for Monica Bradshaw's husband, Robin Bradshaw, who is charged with killing her.

...Reached on Friday, Monica Bradshaw's sister, Caroline Sheffield, said she and her brother are relieved their sibling's body was recovered, and can now be laid to rest.

”We're immensely grateful that her body's been recovered, because my brother and I both had some very strong feelings about leaving her out there alone in the dirt,” Sheffield said. “We knew she was out there somewhere, but it's kind of like being discarded. That bothered us a great deal.”

Sheffield said she's disappointed that Robin Bradshaw is not facing more time in prison, but understands why the Humboldt County District Attorney's Office entered into the deal.

”It's better that he serves some time than none,” Sheffield said. “In this world, you take what you can get, and it's important that he be put away.”

While Sheffield said she was somewhat disappointed that the District Attorney's Office wasn't in better contact with her, she said the detectives who worked the case and Parris have been great.

”(Humboldt County Sheriff's Office) Detective Rich Schlesiger has been wonderful in keeping us informed every step of the way, and I think he's gone above and beyond,” she said. “He has been extraordinarily kind and helpful. He's very gentle and very caring.”

Humboldt County District Attorney Paul Gallegos said if Super's report indicates a manner of death different from what Robin Bradshaw has told authorities, he will fairly and impartially look at the evidence before making a decision on how to proceed.

”We'd probably be seeking to have the plea taken back and to start fresh (with the case),” Gallegos said....

128 days

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Nancy Garrido's Bail Set at $20M

PLACERVILLE, Calif. (AP) - A judge has set bail at $20 million for the woman accused of kidnapping and raping Jaycee Dugard and holding her captive for 18 years.

In setting the high bail amount, El Dorado Superior Court Judge Douglas Phimister said Thursday that he considered Nancy Garrido to be a ``danger to the community and also a flight risk.''

The Paykeeper candidate for 5th District announces


Cleary announces bid for 5th District supervisorial race

The sad thing in this race is he might actually make a good Supervisor. He'll certainly be a good candidate. But he is surrounded by some of the worst people for this County. The kind who want something in return for their support.

In other Paykeeper News, The Journal reports:
Nichols Out, Glass In as NEC Prez
Glass said the power transition took place last night. It will be his third stint as president of the board for the Arcata environmental institution but his first since being elected to Eureka City Council. Glass said he doesn’t foresee any conflicts of interest arising from his dual roles, especially since the nec dropped out of a lawsuit challenging the environmental impact report for the proposed Balloon Track project on Eureka’s waterfront.... and Glass said pulling the agency (NEC) out of debt took some drastic measures, many of which weren’t especially popular with members and supporters....

Local Political Crazyness! Samoa Softball

130 days

Granted, losing the election in June won't mean he's out immediately, that won't happen until january. But you are 130 days away from fixing the Humboldt County DA's Office.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Gallegos wins a RAPE case, YAY!! Whoo Hoo!!!~

#9724; Jasnosz convicted of 31 rape counts
Anonymous has left a new comment:
I'm sure Rose will post this article shortly: http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_14206255
Actually, I added it as an update to the prior post on the jury going for deliberations,
But if you are wanting to hear some cheering for Paul, have at it.

There ya go. However, I suggest you click on the "rape" label in the sidebar, or run a search for the word "rape" here.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Mendosa in as Arcata city manager

unclear how the city was going to proceed in filling the position of police chief

If you don't have a generator....might be time to get one

From the mailbox: ADVISORY: Currently, the strong El Nino is reaching its peak in the Eastern Pacific, and now finally appears to be exerting an influence on our weather. The strong jet has been apparent for quite some time out over the open water, but the persistent block had prevented it from reaching the coast. Now that the block has dissolved completely, a 200+ kt jet is barreling towards us.

Multiple large and powerful storm systems are expected to slam into CA from the west and northwest over the coming two weeks, all riding this extremely powerful jet stream directly into the state. The jet will itself provide tremendous dynamic lift, in addition to directing numerous disturbances right at the state and supplying them with an ample oceanic moisture source. The jet will be at quite a low latitude over much of the Pacific, so these storms will be quite cold, at least initially. Very heavy rainfall and strong to potentially very strong winds will impact the lower elevations beginning late Sunday and continuing through at least the following Sunday. This will be the case for the entire state, from (and south of) the Mexican border all the way up to Oregon. Above 3000-4000 feet, precipitation will be all snow, and since temperatures will be unusually cold for a precipitation event of this magnitude, a truly prodigious amount of snowfall is likely to occur in the mountains, possibly measured in the tens of feet in the Sierra after it's all said and done. But there's a big and rather threatening caveat to that (discussed below).Individual storm events are going to be hard to time for at least few more days, since this jet is just about as powerful as they come (on this planet, anyway). Between this Sunday and the following Sunday, I expect categorical statewide rainfall totals in excess of 3-4 inches. That is likely to be a huge underestimate for most areas. Much of NorCal is likely to see 5-10 inches in the lowlands, with 10-20 inches in orographically-favored areas. Most of SoCal will see 3-6 inches at lower elevations, with perhaps triple that amount in favored areas.

This is where things get even more interesting, though. The models are virtually unanimous in "reloading" the powerful jet stream and forming an additional persistent kink 2000-3000 miles to our southwest after next Sunday. This is a truly ominous pattern, because it implies the potential for a strong Pineapple-type connection to develop. Indeed, the 12z GFS now shows copious warm rains falling between days 12 and 16 across the entire state. Normally, such as scenario out beyond day seven would be dubious at best. Since the models are in such truly remarkable agreement, however, and because of the extremely high potential impact of such an event, it's worth mentioning now. Since there will be a massive volume of freshly-fallen snow (even at relatively low elevations between 3000-5000 feet), even a moderately warm storm event would cause very serious flooding. This situation will have to monitored closely. Even if the tropical connection does not develop, expected rains in the coming 7-10 days will likely be sufficient to cause flooding in and of themselves (even in spite of dry antecedent conditions).

In addition to very heavy precipitation, powerful winds may result from very steep pressure gradients associated with the large and deep low pressure centers expected to begin approaching the coast by early next week. Though it's not clear at the moment just how powerful these winds may be, there is certainly the potential for a widespread damaging wind event at some point, and the high Sierra peaks are likely to see gusts in the 100-200 mph range (since the 200kt jet at 200-300 mb will essentially run directly into the mountains at some point). The details of this will have to be hashed out as the event(s) draw closer.

In short, the next 2-3 weeks (at least) are likely to be more active across California than any other 2-3 week period in recent memory. The potential exists for a dangerous flood scenario to arise at some point during this interval, especially with the possibility of a heavy rain-on-snow event during late week 2. In some parts of Southern California, a whole season's worth of rain could fall over the course of 5-10 days. This is likely to be a rather memorable event. Stay tuned.
(NASA - I am looking for the link)
El Nino is coming: “This event has the potential to approach or rival the January/February 1998 El Nino event in Central CA and the January 1995 time frame for Southern California”
Strong storms predicted to bring 10-20 feet of snow to the Sierra during the next two weeks
Are You Ready? - Emergency Planning and Checklists
◼ FYI Costco sells Emergency Food Kits
storm surfing

UPDATE: ◼ Big storms to set in Sunday

The real deal? Or Chicken Little? Better safe than sorry. Stock up.

13TH ANNUAL ARCATA EYE BALL

13TH ANNUAL ARCATA EYE BALL –
MUSIC, DRAMA AND MAGIC
SUNDAY, JAN. 24 AT 6 P.M.
AT THE ARCATA THEATER LOUNGE

The Arcata Eye presents the 13th Annual Arcata Eye Ball Sunday, Jan. 24 at 6 p.m. at the Arcata Theater Lounge. Headlining the 2010 Eye Ball are Mike Keneally and Bryan Beller, former players with Frank Zappa, Dweezil Zappa, Steve Vai and Dethklok. Michael Fields and Dell’Arte will perform dramatized interpretations of items from the Arcata Eye’s world-famous Police Log. The event is also a birthday party for Shantaram the Magician, who will perform acts of wizardry and confoundment. A fundraising auction for the newspaper will be conducted by the Eureka Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Emcee for the gala affair will be Rick St. Charles.

Admission is $10, $8 for Arcata Eye subscribers (with subscription label).
Tickets are available at arcatatheater.com. The Works in Arcata and Eureka and at the Arcata Eye in Jacoby’s Storehouse.

More information is available at arcataeye.com and the ◼ Arcata Eye Ball Facebook page, at (707) 826-7000 and at news@arcataeye.com.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Kevin Hoover (707) 826-7000

Paul Alan Jasnosz Rape trial - convicted of 31 rape counts

Rape trial for stepfather goes to jury for deliberation
The trial of a stepfather who allegedly molested his own stepdaughters went to the jury for deliberations Thursday.
Humboldt County District Attorney Paul Gallegos confirmed deliberations have started in the trial of Paul Alan Jasnosz, 43.
Jasnosz is facing 45 counts, including 31 counts of forcible rape, making criminal threats and false imprisonment.

The trial started early last month.

Gallegos said in a Thursday interview that he appreciated the fact that the victims testified.

”We know it's really tough,” Gallegos said.

According to a complaint issued by the Humboldt County District Attorney's Office, the two stepdaughters, now in their 20s, were 6 and 7 years old when the molestation allegedly began.

Jasnosz was arrested Oct. 5, 2008. Jury continues deliberation today.


Update: ◼ Jasnosz convicted of 31 rape counts
The man accused of repeatedly raping his stepdaughters and wife was found guilty of 44 felony counts Friday.
A five-woman, seven-man jury returned the verdicts against Paul Alan Jasnosz after two days of deliberating. Each verdict was read individually, and all but one came back as a felony. The 45th count was reduced to a count of misdemeanor battery.

Jasnosz was found guilty of 31 counts of forcible rape, six counts of oral copulation of a minor, two counts of assault with a firearm, two counts of making criminal threats with the use of a firearm, two counts of false imprisonment with use of a firearm and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The Humboldt County District Attorney's Office said he faces a minimum possible prison sentence of 380 years. He's scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 16.

Before the verdicts were read, Jasnosz began reading a statement, but Judge Marilyn Miles quickly ordered him to stop.
”I ask that you not interrupt, or I'll have you removed,” Miles said.

Jasnosz eventually stopped and the verdicts were then read, which took about an hour.

While guilty verdict after guilty verdict was being handed down, Jasnosz whispered to his attorney and scanned the crowd, stopping and slightly shaking his head while looking at one woman in particular.

After a few instances of this, Humboldt County Sheriff's Office Detective Troy Garey, who was an investigator in the case, stood up in the crowd to block the line of sight between Jasnosz and the woman.

”It's been a long trial,” said Jasnosz' attorney Jonathan McCrone after the hearing.

In the hallway afterward, District Attorney Paul Gallegos hugged the woman who had attracted Jasnosz' attention during the proceedings.

”The family are the true heroes,” he said later
Gallegos reiterated that all sentencing decisions are up to the judge.

Burgess sentenced to 30 years in Sanders murder

Burgess sentenced to 30 years in Sanders killing
Another person believed to have taken part in the killing of Ezra Sanders outside his McKinleyville home last February has been sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Deputy District Attorney Ben McLaughlin confirmed that Jeffrey Alan Burgess, 39, of Eureka, was sentenced Tuesday.
Burgess agreed to the 30-year sentence after he pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery with special allegations that include acting in concert with two or more persons and personally discharging a firearm during the commission of a felony last month.

Last summer, Ruben Anthony Peredia, 32, of Eureka, and Lukus Larry Mace, 31, of Orleans, entered guilty pleas to voluntary manslaughter. Peredia was sentenced to 13 years and four months in prison. Mace made a plea agreement to testify against his codefendants, and, after all the cases are finished, he will be sentenced to six years in prison.

A fourth suspect, Tracey Joleen Williams, 35, of Eureka, has a trial confirmation hearing scheduled for Feb. 24.

Saturday, January 09, 2010

6.5, power out.

ANOTHER PLEA DEAL

Bradshaw agreed to give location of body in plea deal
Robin Stuart Bradshaw entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors last month, agreeing to disclose the location of his wife's body and plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter, court records show.

According to court documents, Robin Bradshaw entered his guilty plea Dec. 17, pleading to a single count of voluntary manslaughter upon a sudden quarrel or the heat of passion and making a false insurance claim. He faces a 12-year prison sentence. As a condition of the plea, Robin Bradshaw was to disclose the location of his wife's body.

District Attorney Paul Gallegos said his office decided to enter into the agreement because it was important o Monica Bradshaw's family that her body be recovered, adding that his office discussed the deal with her family.

Further, Gallegos said, in order to get a jury to convict Robin Bradshaw of murder, prosecutors would have had to prove that Monica Bradshaw had, in fact, died, and that Robin Bradshaw killed her unlawfully and with malice aforethought.

”That's what turns an unlawful homicide into murder as opposed to manslaughter,” Gallegos said. “Based on what we knew, we believed that if we were able to establish an unlawful killing and then tried to show malice through circumstantial evidence, we would be confronted with direct evidence that there was no malice -- that this was either self-defense or in the heat of passion, i.e., manslaughter.”

Gallegos said his office felt the “reasonable best case scenario” if the case went to trial with the evidence prosecutors had, and without a body, was a manslaughter conviction....

A declaration in support of an arrest warrant in the case prepared by Sheriff's Detective Rich Schlesiger also states that two people close to Robin Bradshaw told authorities that he made confessions to them about the crime, and that he said it was an act of self-defense.

One of the individuals told investigators that Robin Bradshaw said his wife attacked him with a crowbar. Robin Bradshaw reportedly then told the person that he was able to wrestle the crowbar away from his wife, and then hit her over the head with it, causing her to fall into the bathtub. According to the affidavit, Robin Bradshaw reportedly said he then hit his wife twice more, once in the head and once in the shoulder.

The person further told investigators, according to the affidavit, that Robin Bradshaw confessed to first burying his wife in a shallow grave in the backyard of his home, only to later dig her body up and bury it on an undeveloped Danco subdivision off of Fieldbrook Road in McKinleyville, which matches the description of where authorities found the body Thursday.

Reached Friday morning, Parris said his team had already set to work on trying to positively identify the body as Monica Bradshaw, but said removing the surrounding dirt from the body would be a painstaking affair.

”It's a delicate job,” Parris said, adding that a group of forensic anthropologists would use small brushes and other tools to slowly remove the hundred or so pounds of dirt from around the body. “We'll get right down to using tooth brushes if necessary.”

Parris said the body was found deep enough in the soil that it was very well-preserved, considering it had been in the ground for nearly 18 months.

”When you get down that deep, it prevents a lot of outside sources from (affecting) the body,” Parris said. “The body is totally intact, which is very unusual. I'm quite amazed.”

Authorities believe they have found the body of missing McKinleyville woman

***

PREVIOUSLY:
DA's office (Paul Gallegos) still undecided in Bradshaw case; Gallegos to talk to pathologist next week May 28, 2010
Bradshaw sentencing postponed, Gallegos "weighing" decision May 5, 2010
...Humboldt County District Attorney Paul Gallegos received Super's report last week, but has yet to decide how to proceed with the case. At Tuesday's hearing, Bradshaw's attorney, Peter Martin, said Gallegos had contacted him asking that the sentencing hearing be postponed.

”He wants more time, I believe, to review the medical report and to request supporting materials from the medical examiner,” Martin said....

”It's going to be something Paul's going to have to think about.” April 27, 2010
-- Bradshaw autopsy report with Humboldt County DA; indicates blunt force trauma as cause of death
Autopsy report coming in Bradshaw case; plea agreement hinges on results for McKinleyville man accused of wife's murder APRIL 24, 2010
Bradshaw positively identified; full autopsy report pending more test results FEBRUARY 01, 2010
Autopsy set for Sunday in Bradshaw case JANUARY 23, 2010
ANOTHER PLEA DEAL - Bradshaw agreed to give location of body in plea deal JANUARY 09, 2010
Robin Stuart Bradshaw entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors last month, agreeing to disclose the location of his wife's body and plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter, court records show.
Authorities believe they have found the body of missing McKinleyville woman JANUARY 08, 2010
The person further told investigators, according to the affidavit, that Robin Bradshaw confessed to first burying his wife in a shallow grave in the backyard of his home, only to later dig her body up and bury it on an undeveloped Danco subdivision off of Fieldbrook Road in McKinleyville.
Hearing for McKinleyville murder case continued NOVEMBER 05, 2009
Bradshaw Prelim continued to Nov. 5 SEPTEMBER 30, 2009
Prelim for Robin Stuart Bradshaw JULY 07, 2009
Bradshaw pleads not guilty to murdering wife June 16, 2009
Robin Stuart Bradshaw, arrested JUNE 16, 2009
Second search warrant issued in missing woman case - and a request to seal documents January 29, 2009
Monica Bradshaw: MISSING January 27, 2009

Friday, January 08, 2010

From the Mailbox... Cleary is in

Greetings All! Patrick Cleary is running for 5th District Supervisor. He will be formally announcing soon. Many of you know him and what a qualified person he is. Call me if you have any questions. - Adelene Jones

Hold onto your hats, it's another "open coalition"

Salzman's pushing a new name, a new disguise?: COMMUNITY CREATED HUMBOLDT (CCH) is an ongoing series of gathering providing a forum for the diverse people of Humboldt to discuss how we can - together- create a healthy, prosperous and thriving future. CCH is an open coalition of community members, businesses, non-profits and other organizations who believe that Humboldt County is capable of providing a better future for us, our kids and our grandkids.

A new "group" to use you as cover. Who can foretell how he will finagle it to affect the upcoming elections.

Diversity = Ann Lindsay, Larry Evans, Clif Clendenen, Kaitlin Sopoci-Belknap ....

Just look at that beautiful rhetoric about creating prosperity. Man, it almost makes ya believe it.

Bradshaw Murder Update

Authorities believe they have found the body of missing McKinleyville woman
Thadeus Greenson reports: Authorities believe they have recovered the body of Monica Bradshaw, a 53-year-old McKinleyville woman whose husband of 30 years stands accused of her murder.

Chief Investigator Mike Hislop of the Humboldt County District Attorney's Office said a joint recovery effort by his office and the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office on Thursday in a wooded area outside McKinleyville was fruitful, and that investigators unearthed a body believed to be Bradshaw.

”I would say that the search was very successful,” Hislop said. “The DA's Office worked hand-in-hand with Sheriff's Office personnel in a coordinated effort. It was a team effort and it went very well.”...

...District Attorney Paul Gallegos said shortly after Robin Bradshaw's arrest that he believed there was enough evidence to try him even without a body.

”His wife is a missing person, and we believe that the compelling evidence we have indicates that she is missing because she is dead, and that Mr. Bradshaw buried her at some currently undisclosed location,” Gallegos said at the time.

Authorities now believe that location was a forested area on Fieldbrook Road, just outside McKinleyville. Late Thursday, a gate on the north side of the street was marked with police tape, and a number of vehicles were parked by the roadway. The site is less than three miles from where the couple lived.

Hislop declined to discuss the details of the search, but said more information would likely be made available in the coming days....

Court documents also state that two people close to Robin Bradshaw have told authorities that he made confessions to them about the crime, and that he said it was an act of self-defense.

One of the individuals told investigators that Robin Bradshaw said his wife attacked him with a crowbar. Robin Bradshaw reportedly then told the person that he was able to wrestle the crowbar away from his wife, and then hit her over the head with it, causing her to fall into the bathtub. According to the affidavit, Robin Bradshaw reportedly said he then hit his wife twice more, once in the head and once in the shoulder.

The person further told investigators, according to the affidavit, that Robin Bradshaw confessed to first burying his wife in a shallow grave in the backyard of his home, only to later dig her body up and bury it on an undeveloped Danco subdivision off of Fieldbrook Road in McKinleyville.


***

PREVIOUSLY:
DA's office (Paul Gallegos) still undecided in Bradshaw case; Gallegos to talk to pathologist next week May 28, 2010
Bradshaw sentencing postponed, Gallegos "weighing" decision May 5, 2010
...Humboldt County District Attorney Paul Gallegos received Super's report last week, but has yet to decide how to proceed with the case. At Tuesday's hearing, Bradshaw's attorney, Peter Martin, said Gallegos had contacted him asking that the sentencing hearing be postponed.

”He wants more time, I believe, to review the medical report and to request supporting materials from the medical examiner,” Martin said....

”It's going to be something Paul's going to have to think about.” April 27, 2010
-- Bradshaw autopsy report with Humboldt County DA; indicates blunt force trauma as cause of death
Autopsy report coming in Bradshaw case; plea agreement hinges on results for McKinleyville man accused of wife's murder APRIL 24, 2010
Bradshaw positively identified; full autopsy report pending more test results FEBRUARY 01, 2010
Autopsy set for Sunday in Bradshaw case JANUARY 23, 2010
ANOTHER PLEA DEAL - Bradshaw agreed to give location of body in plea deal JANUARY 09, 2010
Robin Stuart Bradshaw entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors last month, agreeing to disclose the location of his wife's body and plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter, court records show.
Authorities believe they have found the body of missing McKinleyville woman JANUARY 08, 2010
The person further told investigators, according to the affidavit, that Robin Bradshaw confessed to first burying his wife in a shallow grave in the backyard of his home, only to later dig her body up and bury it on an undeveloped Danco subdivision off of Fieldbrook Road in McKinleyville.
Hearing for McKinleyville murder case continued NOVEMBER 05, 2009
Bradshaw Prelim continued to Nov. 5 SEPTEMBER 30, 2009
Prelim for Robin Stuart Bradshaw JULY 07, 2009
Bradshaw pleads not guilty to murdering wife June 16, 2009
Robin Stuart Bradshaw, arrested JUNE 16, 2009
Second search warrant issued in missing woman case - and a request to seal documents January 29, 2009
Monica Bradshaw: MISSING January 27, 2009

More arrested in ongoing burglary investigation

More arrested in ongoing burglary investigation
Two more arrests were made in an ongoing burglary investigation that saw its first arrests in December.

The Humboldt County Sheriff's Office said deputies served two warrants Tuesday in connection to Douglas and Ruth Boltzen, who were arrested on Dec. 15 when allegedly stolen property was found at their Rio Dell home and in a storage unit they rented.

The first warrant was served in the Dinsmore area where deputies found what they believe are stolen items -- generators, a portable chipper and a new aluminum trailer that was reported stolen from a dealership in Fortuna. At this location, they also found a skid loader that was allegedly taken from the Centerville Beach area in September.

The second warrant was served on the 6000 block of Crooked Prairie Road in the China Creek area. There, deputies found 625 marijuana plants and three loaded guns....

Frederick Richard Hoss, 41, and Ligeia Hassell, 39, both of Ettersburg, were arrested at the China Creek property and booked into the Humboldt County jail.

Hoss was booked on suspicion of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, possessing a firearm while committing a felony, illegally possessing ammunition, cultivating marijuana, possessing marijuana, providing a place for the cultivation of marijuana and possessing controlled substance paraphernalia.

Hassell was booked on suspicion of possession of a firearm while committing a felony, cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana and possession of controlled substance paraphernalia.

The U.S. Marshals Service, the California Highway Patrol, the Humboldt County Drug Task Force, the Humboldt County District Attorney's Office and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation assisted in serving the warrants.
Douglas Boltzen remains in custody and the Sheriff's Office said it will be seeking more charges against him related to Tuesday's warrants....

PG can raise $100k for a primary plus more if a runoff occurs

That's a comment at SoHum Parlance.

He'll have a hard time raising a hundred grand this time around.

What're you buying? He failed you with the Palco suit. The justices laughed at him. They don't generally do that.

He failed in the Douglas and Zanotti case - FAILED to do his job, and present possibly exonerating evidence, and in fact he tried to stack the deck. That was also tossed out of court.

He went after the toddler wanderer's Dad - with the full weight of the law. It took the jury a couple of minutes to throw that one out.... Then he plea bargains every hard case, the killers, and child rapists. Always because of some perceived reason he might fail.

If it is a slam dunk he takes it so it can be in his win column, and if it isn't he sloughs it off on an overworked, inexperienced, newly hired DDA - sending them into court unprepared and uninformed.

He has failed to fill the positions vacated by his losing or firing the County's experienced prosecutors, and his "Help Wanted" ad is a standing joke at the State level.

And that's the short list.

Thursday, January 07, 2010

Surprise

27 Documents, linked in the sidebar - the Galleogs files - 14,753 Reads.
Down in flames! Palco suit ORDER SUSTAINING DEMURRER WITHOUT LEAVE TO AMEND - Reads: 4945

Election RoundUp

Downey campaign announces endorsements

And I'm keeping a running list of who's announced/campaign news
HERE with a quick link in the left sidebar.

We're going to miss you

Another loss to the blogosphere
http://www.tsblogs.com/cheaperthantherapy/
Sorry to see you go.

Johanna Rodoni and Mari Wilson

Assessor candidates announce their bids

Arrest made in Van Alstine killing

Arrest made in Van Alstine killing
Detectives investigating the November killing of Robert Van Alstine arrested a man Wednesday who was already in jail on unrelated charges.

The Humboldt County Sheriff's Office said Johnny Lindel Lewis, 28, of Eureka, was booked on suspicion of murder in the stabbing death of Van Alstine, 30, on Nov. 18.

Van Alstine arrived at the front door of a business around 4:30 a.m. the day he was killed, banging on the door and asking for help. He had been stabbed once.


Second arrest made in Van Alstine killing
A second person has been arrested in connection to the November stabbing death of Robert Van Alstine while the first suspect made his first court appearance to face a murder charge on Friday.
The Humboldt County Sheriff's Office said Andrea Janette Marr, 24, of Eureka, turned herself in around 5 p.m. Thursday after Eureka police officers, who know her, spread the word around her known haunts that she had a murder warrant.

Wednesday, January 06, 2010

”I have every intention on announcing when the time gets closer,” Gallegos said.

DA race begins to take shape Updated complete story
She said her decision to run came after she and other local attorneys had discussions about who was going to run against Gallegos.

”And no one came forward,” Bryson said.


Even the defense attorneys and public defenders know that Gallegos is a disaster.

One of Bryson's criticisms was Gallegos' handling of high-profile cases, including the recent prosecution of two men who killed 9-year-old Nicole Quigley while street racing on State Route 299 in October 2008.

”The Whitmill case is what lit a fire under me,” Bryson said.

Nicole's father Ken Quigley was very public about his frustrations with the process, which seemed to resonate with the community. At the case's conclusion, Ken Quigley was critical of how Gallegos handled the case, saying the family was not made aware of the plea agreements until the last minute.

Bryson said she will be wearing pink, because it was Nicole Quigley's favorite color, and that pink will be on her campaign signs, which will have the slogan “Justice for all” on them.

The Quigley family said they had not spoken with Bryson.

”I think it's inappropriate for anyone to use Nicole, my daughter's name, in any campaign unless they talked to us, her parents, first,” Ken Quigley said.

Bryson said in a later interview that the story of Nicole Quigley, who her daughter played soccer with, had an impact on many people in the county who don't personally know the family.

”It would be inappropriate to approach Ken because he's grieving,” Bryson said.

She said that the District Attorney's Office should be run more like a business and that the district attorney should not get wrapped up in trying to prosecute time-consuming cases.

”The district attorney is an administrator,” Bryson said. “Why on earth does Paul Gallegos put himself in a felony trial?”

Gallegos said it would be a disservice to the community if he did not help out with the case load in the office.

”People demand more, not less, work from government these days,” Gallegos wrote in an e-mail. “So, in actuality I have to administer this office, train and oversee staff, direct and guide the office toward where we want this office to be and try cases as well. Fortunately, I am assisted in fulfilling my duties of making sure this office is running effectively and efficiently by many outstanding people.”

Bryson said that law enforcement members she has talked to are frustrated with the DA.

”Law enforcement has about had it with Paul,” Bryson said.

Gallegos said that was a “false” and “irrelevant” claim.

”I work for the People of the State of California,” Gallegos wrote. “As such, I cannot work to curry favor in any one group or groups but must represent all.”

But, Bryson said she liked Gallegos while she worked for him.

”I was grateful for my job,” Bryson said.

She said that if she wins there won't be any major personnel changes in the office.

”Not a single deputy will be laid off unless they choose to leave,” Bryson said.

She said she wanted to hear from the community before discussing any possible changes to the medical marijuana guidelines in the county, but that she understands marijuana plays a large role.

”We keep it criminal and we keep it dangerous,” Bryson said. “We have to be very careful on how we regulate it.”

Bryson is in the process of hiring a campaign manager.

”I've got a lot of ground to cover in the next six months,” Bryson said. “I plan on wearing out a lot of tennis shoes.”

She makes some good points.

The reporter mentions Ken Quigley's frustration with the process, and leaves it at not being contacted regarding the plea deal. In fact, his frustration is much deeper than that, and has been detailed in an ongoing series of unbearably poignant Letters To The Editor. It is most certainly a case of one man trying very hard to let people know what is wrong with the DA. He is not the only victim/family member to articulate the exact same kind of treatment over the years.

Gallegos' record is sure to come out this time. He doesn't have Palco to hide behind anymore, and all the spin in the world is not going to disguise his true nature.

Statements about him being back up by outstanding people are nice, and certainly the staff by and large is outstanding, but it isn't what it once was, he lost or fired virtually all of the County's experienced prosecutors, and he remains unable to fill those positions. trials are being handled by inexperienced and overloaded staff.

It's high time someone took a long, hard, serious look at the facts.

Tuesday, January 05, 2010

Kathleen Bryson throws hat in the ring for DA



Local attorney throws hat in the ring for DA
DA race begins to take shape Updated complete story
A local defense attorney who worked for District Attorney Paul Gallegos for nearly a year and a half announced her candidacy for the position today.

”You can complain or you can try to do something to change things,” Kathleen Bryson said in an interview.

Her decision to run came after she and other local attorneys had discussions on who was going to run against Gallegos.
”And no one came forward,” Bryson said.

She said issues like the treatment of victims, prosecuting big cases and the office's relationship with police were a few of her motivating factors.

”Law enforcement has about had it with Paul,” Bryson said.

Bryson grew up in the Palo Alto area, went to the University of California at Santa Cruz and graduated from Tulane University in 1992.

She practiced corporate law for an English firm and lived in England and Ireland.

She's married to the St. Bernard's School Director of Facilities Gary Bryson and lives in Cutten. Her two daughters are 16 and almost 10.

After time at the DA's office as a deputy district attorney, she worked for the law office of Manny Daskal before recently starting her own practice.

At Daskal's office she defended a number of marijuana cases, which, she said, has given her experience with the one of the county's top issues.

”We keep it criminal and we keep it dangerous,” Bryson said. “We have to be very careful on how we regulate it.”


Photo: Josh Jackson/The Times-Standard Kathleen Bryson announced her run for Humboldt County District Attorney during an interview at the Mity Nice Bakery in Eureka on Tuesday. (Allison White)

Gallegos Challenger Announces The Journal
The Times-Standard writes that former Deputy DA Kathleen Bryson will run against current DA Paul Gallegos in June 2010. ”Law enforcement has about had it with Paul,” Bryson told the T-S. No word yet from former environmental crimes prosecutor Paul Hagen, a widely rumored candidate.
First Gallegos challenger steps up heraldo
Totally nutso chick uses dead child as campaign prop
Gallegos to face a reelection challenge

Hislop officially running


Hislop officially enters Sheriff's race
The chief investigator of the Humboldt County District Attorney's Office is looking to become the county's top cop.
”It's my extreme pleasure to introduce Mike Hislop, our next sheriff of Humboldt County,” District Attorney Paul Gallegos said Monday at the Humboldt Bay Inn, introducing Hislop to a group of several dozen supporters.

Despite budget restrictions, Hislop said he was able to revamp the investigations unit, part by outfitting investigators with new equipment, uniformsin and crime-scene re-enactment technology, all without impacting the department's budget, by helping to secure about $750,000 in grant funding for the department from a variety of sources.


Related: ◼ Gallegos' Assault Team Blog entries being what they are, start at the bottom, and read your way up.

Hislop's Supporters

Monday, January 04, 2010

An update - Reepaul Singh Rana Murder suspect arrested in Washington

Murder suspect arrested in Washington
The Humboldt County Sheriff's Office this morning announced that a suspect has been arrested for the 2008 murder of Reepaul Singh Rana whose body was found Sept. 13, 2008, north of Alderpoint.

The 35-year-old San Francisco man was shot to death. His SAAB sedan was found burning on a back road along Big Lagoon on Sept. 10, 2008. Three days later, Rana's body was discovered, dumped in the area of Dyerville Loop Road, north of Alderpoint Road -- more than 100 miles from his vehicle.

The Sheriff's Office reported the body appeared to have been dumped four or five days before it was discovered.


Man suspected in 2008 killing has first court date in Washington


The man believed by law enforcement to have killed a San Francisco man and dumped his body in Southern Humboldt County in 2008 made his first appearance in a Washington court Wednesday.

The King County Prosecutor's Office charged Ryan Christopher Carroll, 29, with being a fugitive from justice.

”The purpose of that charge is to hold him pending his return to California,” said King County Prosecutor's Office Spokesman Dan Donohoe.

Saturday, January 02, 2010

Uh Oh!

Patrick vs. Patrick

This is going to be fascinating. Higgins appears to be off the reservation (the Heraldo reservation) and it's looking like he is going to get the John Wooley/Richard Marks treatment. What will the HCDCC do? Has there been a split in the heraldo faction? The circle seems to be getting smaller.

Seems Higgins is good enough to carry the water, as long as he is doing what he's supposed to on the Harbor Commission, but nope, not good enough for Supervisor. That spot has been reserved for Patrick Cleary. There'll be big tribal backing, the HCAOG seat is on the line. Poor Higgins is just a pawn in the game.

Higgins has every right to run. Wouldn’t be my choice by any stretch of the imagination, but I hope he sticks to his guns and stands up to the machine which is surely telling him to withdraw.

*****
Side note: Funny, we have a Pat vs Pat race and a Mike vs Mike.
Update: and a Paul vs Paul

Friday, January 01, 2010

"He was pretty much a monster"

Greg Allen Hawkins and James Jay Keefer/Peoria Police Dept photo
'Person of interest' in Arizona homicide kills himself in Humboldt Hill Home
Detective Mark Lankford of the Glendale Police Department said Greg Hawkins was the person of interest and that he was found in his mother's home around 10 p.m. Wednesday.

Hawkins' mother and a man who is under hospice care were also in the home.

Glendale police wanted to talk to Hawkins, officially listing him late Wednesday night as a person of interest in the killing of Cynthia Langrall, 57.

Langrall was killed in the early morning hours of Dec. 21, shot in the head while out for a run.

Arizona media reports state that neighbors heard two gunshots and that she was about a block from her home when she was shot. Langrall died at a hospital later the same day.

Glendale woman shot and killed while jogging


Peoria man tied to murder of Glendale jogger kills himself
Hawkins went missing about that time with James Jay Keefer, 55, whom Glendale police said was his roommate.

Keefer, 55, told friends he was going to an area northeast of Kingman, to go exploring. Family and friends have not heard from him since then, and all attempts to contact him have failed. Police later learned that he was with Hawkins.

The white 2005 Chrysler Sebring with a black top and Arizona license 1MSGT2U that the two men were driving was found at the California residence where Hawkins died.

Keefer, who is diabetic and may be without medication, is still missing.

He is described as 5 feet 7 inches tall, 210 pounds, with blue eyes and receding light brown hair.

Anyone with information regarding this incident or the whereabouts of Keefer is asked to call the Glendale Police Department's Detective Sergei Droban at 623-930-3310 or Silent Witness at 480-948-6377.


Man From Eureka Standoff Identified The Journal
http://kiem-tv.com/newscast Newscast of 12/31/09 quotes his brother as saying he's sad and not surprised "{Greg} was a loner as a child, he had different interests from kids his own age... he would do minor torture, and hold us down and make us do things against our will... so he'd box our ears and slap us, one time when we were kids for instance, he got a rope, tied the rope around a cat's tail, swung the cat around, and then threw the cat over a wire like a telephone wire and then ran down the street as the cat dangled from the wire, ran down the street smiling and laughing all the while..." adding his heart goes out to the victim's family, and offers his sincere condolences, "we're talking about Greg here and Greg is pretty much a monster"

How did he become a person of interest?
Two POI’s Sought in the Murder of Cynthia Langrall crimeshadowsnews.com
On December 21, at about 5:45 AM, shots were heard in the area of 7300 W. Donald Avenue in Glendale, Arizona. Only seconds earlier, a resident's surveillance camera captured the image of a car passing through the area. A shocked neighbor found the body of a woman who would later be identified as 57-year-old Cynthia Ann Powell –a woman who regularly jogged in the area. Langrall was found lying in the street. She was taken to John C. Lincoln Hospital in critical condition. She did not survive. Langrall had been shot in the head.
Police seek information in homicide of jogger
1 of 2 men sought by police, takes own life
Keefer's family now fears he could be a victim.
His daughter Donna can hardly bring herself to look at pictures of her father.

She says she knew something was very wrong on Christmas day.

“Christmas, at 2 o’clock when my dad didn’t show. He would have been there. There’s no doubt in my mind,” said Donna.

Police originally believed Keefer and Hawkins were out exploring in Mohave County, something his family and friends say wouldn’t have been out of character for Keefer.

But they say all of the gear he would have needed was still inside his Peoria home.

Keefer’s best friend, James Ronje, says he knew something was off about Hawkins.

“I always had my suspicions of him,” said Ronje.

When they found out Hawkins was a “person of interest” in a murder investigation they became even more fearful something terrible had happened to Keefer.

Hawkins step-brother Scott Hawkins says he was a disturbed man.

“Greg is a strange character. I wouldn’t have expected him to go kill anybody. I’ll be just as curious as anybody to see what the circumstances were behind that,” said Scott.

For now Donna says she continues to try and make contact with her missing father.

“I text my Dad every night that I miss him and I love him,” said Donna.

Glendale police say they still hold out hope that James Keefer could be alive. The family hopes Valley residents will help with the search.