...Liberal Jon...

You keep your blog until the election formally begins, i.e.: when you actually file your papers and pay your fees. No need to tear it down until then. And even then, if it serves as your campaign website, you might choose to keep it.

"We expect a prosecutor to know the law." comment about former DA Paul Gallegos (UPDATED)

◼ "We expect a prosecutor to know the law." comment about former DA Paul Gallegos on the Timothy Littlefield case currently before the Court of Appeals - John Chiv/Words Worth

(Allan Dollison): ...This was the case, where a man was convicted of Multiple Lewd Acts on a Child. Over 9 months later he brought a Motion for New Trial with an affidavit from a juror attached who expressed an opinion that the "defense didn't prove their case." Purportedly the declaration was written by a defense investigator after a discussion with the juror. In our system of justice, the defense does not have to prove anything of course. The legal dispute will center around the admissibility of that declaration....

On the waiver and admissibility of the evidence, at one point, one of the Justices said, "We expect a prosecutor to know the law." Shortly when the opinion is issued we shall find out what the law is. One thing is clear and it went unsaid in the oral argument hearing. It is not the job of a judge to make the objections for the prosecutor, or even the defense attorney if the shoe was on the other foot.

UPDATE:
◼ Two Years After Molestation Conviction, Littlefield Waits to Hear Fate - Thaddeus Greenson/North Coast Journal

The question that’s currently before the appellate court justices is fairly straightforward, and has nothing to do with Littlefield’s guilt or innocence: Should Feeney have accepted the juror’s declaration as evidence?

...Based on their questions and comments, it seems clear the justices weren’t impressed with either Gallegos or Feeney’s handling of the motion for a mistrial in Littlefield’s case. One justice quipped in the oral arguments that the court expects state prosecutors to know the law.

“Or,” another justice chimes in, “he might have thought the judge would know the law of California well enough to say those declarations aren’t worth the paper they’re on.”

Why does it matter? You will soon see.

KNOWING Warren's history, Paul Gallegos let him out on a Cruz waiver.

He'd stabbed a cab driver. ran down a bicyclist. Even if you can argue Cruz waivers are reasonable, it certainly is NOT in this case.

So he let him out. To 'get his affairs in order' - and he kills - stabs and runs down more people, killing two.

WHY?

Nov 19, 2015

◼ People rest in Warren case, last witness is neurosurgeon testifying about victims' brain injuries - John Chiv/Words Worth Nov 19, 2015
◼ t/k - Ryan Burns/Lost Coast Outpost Nov 19, 2015

Nov 18, 2015

◼ CHP MAIT Team leader testifies that based on his investigation Jason Warren did not even attempt to brake or avoid hitting joggers on Myrtle Avenue - John Chiv/Words Worth Nov 18, 2015
◼ "Yeah, he stabbed me in the chest and arm and I tried to get out" - John Chiv/Words Worth Nov 18, 2015

Cid Miller is the City Cab driver who Jason Warren stabbed in 2001. Warren was a juvenile at the time and he was convicted for the crime.

Miller testified this morning that Warren stabbed twice in the chest, twice in the back, once in the shoulder before he managed to jump out of the moving cab.

There was no warning, no argument, just a surprise attack.

◼ Eddie Koch who absconded from testifying in Warren trial, arrested, cuffed and beligerently resumes testimony - John Chiv/Words Worth Nov 18, 2015
◼ Warren Trial, Day Nine: Murders Foreshadowed by Similar Crimes a Decade Earlier - Ryan Burns/Lost Coast Outpost Nov 18, 2015

On April 10, 2001, following the brutal stabbing, the assailant stole the cab and took a back road toward Arcata....

On April 10, 2001, another witness testified, he and a friend were riding their bikes on the shoulder of the road when they were struck from behind by the stolen cab, which swerved into the bike lane, sped up just before impact and then fled the scene....

Nov 17, 2015

◼ Jason Warren's wife says it is traumatic to hear attack on Ulrich, ids Warren but not definitively this time - John Chiv/Words Worth Nov 17, 2015
◼ DOJ DNA specialist testfies that blood on Jason Warren's shoe and DNA from KIA matches victims - John Chiv/Words Worth Nov 17, 2015
◼ Jason Warren trial expected to finish early, deliberations expected to end by end of November, beginning of December - John Chiv/Words Worth Nov 17, 2015
◼ Jason Warren trial "significantly ahead of schedule" - John Chiv/Words Worth Nov 17, 2015
◼ link - Paul Mann/Mad River Union Nov 17, 2015
◼ Warren Trial, Day Eight: The DNA Matches, But Warren’s Wife Stops Short of Positive ID - Ryan Burns/Lost Coast Outpost Nov 17, 2015

Nov 16, 2015

◼ Evidence continues to build against Jason Warren with Department of Justice's senior criminalist's testimony - John Chiv/Words Worth Nov 16, 2015
◼ Forensic pathologist testifies that Dorothy Ulrich tried to protect herself from the attack that took her life, family members left courtroom as detailed testimony was given on Seemann and Ulrich autopsies - John Chiv/Words Worth Nov 16, 2015

◼ Warren Trial, Day Seven: The Autopsies - Ryan Burns/Lost Coast Outpost Nov 16, 2015

◼ EARLIER

The cases that don't really make headlines

...but are nonetheless important (and often interesting):

◼ David Lockhart arraignment for vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence causing the death of Hannah Baker - John Chiv/Words Worth

◼ Kristopher Jett who is awaiting placement to be committed, has order for anti psychotic medication assaults HCSO Correctional Deputy - John Chiv/Words Worth

Kristopher Jett who is awaiting placement in a mental health facility and had an order signed for psychotropic medication and is charged with assault adds to his criminal charges. Criminal proceedings have been suspended in his case. He was arrested for an assault near the Courthouse Market.

◼ "Mr. Hillegeist understands he's now going to pay his debt to society. I honestly believe that he will avail himself of every positive opportunity while in the Department of Corrections, as he has in county jail, and emerge as a man who can contribute to society in a positive way." - John Chiv/Words Worth

Hillegeist was looking " at well north of 50-life," his attorney Mr. Ben McLaughlin told me.The matter resolved and now he will serve "12 years, @85%.

◼ Resolution expected in case for former Miss Hoopa charged with four counts of alleged abuse including abnormal sexual interest in children - John Chiv/Words Worth

Mr. McLaughlin told Judge Joyce Hinrichs that "I am fairly certain there will be a resolution."

DDA Bennett agreed that there is an anticipated plea and said she had spoken with the victim and the victim's family last night.

"I will counsel my client to accept the offer," said Mr. McLaughlin.

◼ No bail for woman who gives law enforcement false name and is arrested for meth and marijuana - John Chiv/Words Worth

A little good news...

◼ County to provide additional money towards Reentry Resource Center which will cost 21.5 million - John Chiv/Words Worth 11/12/15
◼ Humboldt County gets twenty million to build the Humboldt County Corrections Reentry Resource Center - John Chiv/Words Worth 11/12/15

Gruesome. No other word for it.

The testimony in the Warren case, gruesome. And EVERYBODY is covering this one. Read the accounts by John Chiv, and Ryan Burns...

11/12/15

◼ "We pulled over the DMV area and were swarmed by a bunch of cops" - John Chiv/Words Worth 11/12/15
◼ Brutal attack on Dorothy Ulrich captured on audio minutes before Jason Warren is identified by law enforcement leaving her house on surveillance camera - John Chiv/Words Worth 11/12/15
◼ Double-murder case against Warren overwhelming - Paul Mann/Mad River Union

Sequeira combed through this direct evidence last week with a series of law enforcement witnesses. He sought to give the seven men and five women jurors, plus five alternates, “a big picture” of the case against Warren, 31, who has a 14 year criminal record dating to his teens. He is on trial for two counts of first degree murder and two counts of attempted murder in the violent deaths within an hour of each other of a Hoopa mother and a Bayside mother in 2012.

Two other local women could have been killed in the second murderous assault with a motor vehicle.

◼ Warren Trial, Day Six: The Evidence Mounts - Ryan Burns/Lost Coast Outpost 11/12/15

The evidence against Jason Anthony Warren piled up during the sixth day of his trial for two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder. The evidence presented today in court included extensive security camera footage placing Warren at the scene of one of those murders, plus an audio recording of one victim crying out the name “Jason” as she was killed and a sheriff’s investigator testifying that she recognized Warren on camera leaving immediately afterwards with a large sword in his hand.

◼ Investigator testifies to Warren’s presence at victim’s Hoopa home - Jesse Faulkner/Times-Standard 11/12/15

11/10/15

◼ Warren jury sees still image and video of Ulrich's front porch with a man leaving with a long stick like object - John Chiv/Words Worth 11/10/15
◼ Dorothy Ulrich's mother leaves courtroom, many family and supporters cover eyes as graphic bloody photos of Hoopa crime scene are shown to Warren jury - John Chiv/Words Worth 11/10/15
◼ "OMG she's bloody, OMG, she's dead", Blood curdling screams heard as friend and sister law discover Dorothy Ulrich's body - John Chiv/Words Worth 11/10/15
◼ Warren Trial, Day Five: ‘The Type of Scream You Hear in a Horror Movie’ - Ryan Burns/Lost Coast Outpost 11/10/15

11/9/15

◼ "She wasn't moving. I don't want to describe what I seen." - John Chiv/Words Worth 11/9/15
◼ Jason Warren's best friend whose house he was hanging out before arrested is MIA, testimony is on hold - John Chiv/Words Worth 11/9/15
◼ Warren's attorney surprises Dorothy Ulrich's husband with, "Do you know why your wife would have Jason Warren fix the camera that looks out on the backyard?" - John Chiv/Words Worth 11/9/15
◼ Jury sees security video of the last time Dorothy Ulrich was seen alive with Jason Warren - John Chiv/Words Worth 11/9/15
◼ Warren Trial, Day Four: Security Footage, Samurai Swords and a Vanishing Witness - Ryan Burns/Lost Coast Outpost 11/9/15

11/5/15

◼ "I suspected it to be blood", Jury in Warren case sees surveilance video from storage facility, hears testimony from EPD officer about blood and damage on abandoned KIA - John Chiv/Words Worth 11/5/15
◼ No defects found by NTSB in Kia Jason Warren was driving, today's testimony builds on details in prosecution's case - John Chiv/Words Worth 11/5/15
◼ Jury Sees Photos of Battered, Blood-Smeared Kia on Day Three of Warren Trial - Ryan Burns/Lost Coast Outpost 11/5/15

11/4/15

◼ Warren jury trial recessed for the day due to him being ill - John Chiv/Words Worth 11/4/15
◼ Testimony in Day 2 has been paused twice due to Jason Warren needing a break - John Chiv/Words Worth 11/4/15
◼ "I remember lying in the emergency room and someone trying to take my wedding rings, I remember I didn't want to give them up." - John Chiv/Words Worth 11/4/15
◼ "Beaten, stabbed, chopped, murdered." - John Chiv/Words Worth 11/4/15

Mendocino Assistant District Attorney Paul Sequeira, who is prosecuting the Jason Warren case for Humboldt County started his opening remarks, "Dorothy Evelyn Ulrich, 47 years old, married, husband Tim Ulrich Sr, homemaker from Hoopa, three adult children. Suzanne Seemann, married, husband Hank, two children. These Humboldt County women didn't know each other and had no connection in life. In the early morning hours of September 27, they would be horribly connected in death."

"You are going to take the journey how law enforcement came to investigate this case."

◼ Jury hears graphic audio of Dorothy Ulrichs last words as Jason Warren tells her to be quiet while whacking sounds are heard - John Chiv/Words Worth 11/4/15

"The video IDs him as the killer, the audio IDs him as the killer, the fibers ID him as the killer, the glass IDs him as the killer, the DNA IDs him as the killer."

Mendocino Assistant DA Paul Sequeira presented a very powerful opening statement this morning. After Judge Timothy Cissna had read the charges, Mr. Sequeira started off with the morning of September 27, 2012, the discovery of the bodies of Suzanne Seemann and injured bodies of Jessica Hunt and Terri Vroman Little detailing events how investigation led to Jason Warren's arrest later that day around 5 p.m.

◼ Attorneys Spar Over Evidence Before Warren’s Health Forces Early Recess in Double-Murder Case - Ryan Burns/Lost Coast Outpost 11/4/15

11/3/15

◼ Jury Hears Audio of Dorothy Ulrich’s Violent Death on First Day of Warren Trial - Ryan Burns/Lost Coast Outpost 11/3/15

11/2/15

◼ Jury selection in Warren complete, opening statements tomorrow morning - John Chiv/Words Worth 11/2/15
◼ Jury Selection Wraps Up in Warren Case; Opening Arguments Set for Tuesday Morning - Ryan Burns/Lost Coast Outpost 11/2/15

10/29/15

◼ Jason Warren’s Attorney Takes Exhaustive Approach in Jury Selection Process - Ryan Burns/Lost Coast Outpost 10/29/15

10/27/15

◼ Judge Warns Potential Jurors About ‘Graphic, Disturbing Evidence’ in Jason Warren Case - Ryan Burns/Lost Coast Outpost 10/27/15

◼ Jury selection in Warren complete, opening statements tomorrow morning

9/30/15 (and earlier):

◼ Jury Selection in Warren Case Reveals That Many Presume Guilt - Ryan Burns/Lost Coast Outpost Sept. 30, 2015
◼ Guilty until proven innocent? Potential juror mentions (Chiv's) post as TS article - John Chiv/Words Worth
◼ ...jurors questioned for hardship in Warren jury trial - John Chiv/Words Worth

◼ Jason Warren trial starts, to go full days, jury selection starts this afternoon - John Chiv/Words Worth Sep 28, 2015

◼ Jason Warren Trial Begins (September 28), Could Run Into First Week of December - Ryan Burns/Lost Coast Outpost

◼ Two Double-Murder Trials Begin - Thadeus Greenson/The Journal

For the first time in recent memory, the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office is in the process of simultaneously trying separate double-murder cases.

Prosecutors gave opening arguments Sept. 24 in the case against Jason Michael Arreaga, the 30-year-old Lucerne man with a violent past who stands accused of gunning down Harley Hammers and Angel Tully in front of a Fieldbrook home last fall. Then, four days later, special prosecutor Paul Sequeira began the process of selecting a jury to hear the case against Jason Anthony Warren, who is accused of murdering Dorothy Ulrich and Suzanne Seemann in 2012.

Jury selection may take awhile in the Warren case, which will see full days of trial testimony and is expected to stretch into December. Meanwhile, the Arreaga case, which is being handled by Deputy District Attorney Zach Curtis, is expected to conclude by early November.

ANOTHER SHOOTING (UPDATED)

◼ Steven Upton and victim knew each other, victim's injuries are not life threatening - John Chiv/Words Worth 11/13/15 11:07

This was not a random act of violence. Upton and the victim know each other, however the exact motive for the shooting is still unknown.

The victim was treated at St. Joseph Hospital for two gunshot wounds. One to the leg and one to her hand. She was flown to an out of the area hospital due to her injuries. Her injuries are not expected to be life threatening.

◼ Steven Upton arrested early hours this morning, located in Trinity County - John Chiv/Words Worth 11/13/15 9:25
◼ Steven Upton in custody for E Street shooting last night - John Chiv/Words Worth
◼ E Street Shooting Suspect in Custody, Eureka Police Say - Lost Coast Outpost
◼ Woman Shot Multiple Times on E Street in Eureka; Suspect Remains At Large - Ryan Burns/Lost Coast Outpost

Eureka Police Captain Brian Stephens says officers responded to reports of multiple shots fired and arrived to find a female with multiple gunshot wounds. She was conscious and speaking when emergency personnel arrived. She was transported to St. Joseph Hospital. Her condition is unknown at this time.

The suspect in the shooting has been identified as Steven Nicholas Upton, a white male age 26 who was last seen running south on foot.

◼ Steven Upton being sought in E street shooting same guy who refused to testify in the Bodhi Tree case - John Chiv/Words Worth

◼ A woman is taken away by ambulance at a reported shooting on E Street in Eureka tonight. - Times-Standard

Six counts, three felonies and three misdemeanors are alleged in this case for each co-defendant

◼ Roscoe Littlefield and Timothy Littlefield charged in a seven co-defendant case involving marijuana cultivation, timber operations without a license and 4 other counts - John Chiv/Words Worth

...Littlefield Sr, has been featured on Pot Cops.... He also lost a lawsuit against Humboldt County and the Court of appeals ruled that the seizure and destruction of over1,500 pounds of marijuana was lawful....

At least we won't have to waste money on a trial

◼ Autopsy conducted at 1 p.m. for Killian Shane O'Quinn, suspect involved in Nov 1 shooting of CHP officer - John Chiv/Words Worth

The suspect, who died after shooting CHP officer Steve Curtis, is 20 years old, had a 45 caliber semi-automatic Springfield Armory pistol...

Chief Mills said the green sedan involved in the November 1 incident was driving erratically, forcing people off the road. Officer Curtis recognized the five occupants in the green sedan. After the car "rested on the curb", Officer Curtis walked over and talked to O'Quinn. Asked him to step out of the vehicle, which is standard procedure, said Chief Mills. "O'Quinn pivoted his feet to the ground and mumbled something like, I'm about to have a bad day." Chief Mills said Officer Curtis had to tell him to step out of the car three or four times. O'Quinn pulled a gun out of his waistband, "broke away from the Officer's grip" and shot the officer in the upper right thigh.

◼ Officer, Deceased Suspect From Sunday Afternoon Eureka Shootout Named in Press Conference This Afternoon - LoCo

The deceased, Killian O’Quinn, 20, of Eureka, is believed to have suddenly opened fire on the CHP officer following a routine traffic stop near the intersection. After he was shot in the leg, the officer was able to draw his own gun and return fire, killing his attacker. He then held four other people in the car at gunpoint until backup arrived.