Sunday, October 21, 2012
Friday, October 19, 2012
More deals: 4 years probation in HSU dorm invasion case
◼ Eureka man gets 4 years probation in HSU dorm invasion case
Jules Aubrey Dawson, 24, appeared in custody in front of Humboldt County Superior Court Judge Christopher Wilson flanked by his public defender Greg Elvine-Kreis. Dawson addressed the court, apologizing for his actions....
Dawson was arrested Jan. 23 by the Eureka Police Department on a $100,000 warrant. He pleaded guilty Sept. 21 to charges of assault likely to produce great bodily injury and grand theft from a person for his role in an HSU dorm invasion. He was on felony probation at the time the crime was committed, according to court records.
The victim in the Dec. 2, 2011, dorm invasion reported that three men broke into his room, bound his arms and legs and stole property. He reported being physically assaulted by the suspects, but no weapons were observed, according to a university press release following the incident. The victim declined medical attention.
Wilson said he considers Dawson's actions to be an extremely serious offense.
”I have no doubt the victim was terrified in this matter,” Wilson said.
He said instead of placing Dawson in prison for four years -- where he'll likely be out quickly and not supervised for very long -- he'd prefer to see him serve that time on probation.
”By putting you on probation, I can monitor you,” Wilson said.
...Dawson is one of four men law enforcement officials believe participated in the invasion and robbery.
Former HSU student Benjamin Beilin is facing charges of robbery, residential burglary, false imprisonment and assault with a weapon for giving the other three suspects his key card, according to his defense attorney Manny Daskal. Beilin's trial is scheduled for Nov. 5.
Participant Eric Schneekluth pleaded guilty to first degree residential burglary in January, and was sentenced to 180 days in jail and three years probation.
Suspect Miles B. Sharp is wanted on a $100,000 felony warrant, and is believed to be in Southern California, according to HSU representatives.
◼ UPDATE: Fourth suspect in dorm invasion arrested; Sharp transported to Humboldt County jail from San Diego - Grant Scott-Goforth/The Times-Standard
The fourth suspect in a December 2011 dorm invasion robbery on the Humboldt State University campus was transferred to the Humboldt County jail Thursday, the same day a Eureka man was sentenced to four years probation for his involvement in the invasion.
Miles B. Sharp was named a suspect in December, and had a $100,000 warrant for his arrest.
A Humboldt County Sheriff's Office transport officer picked Sharp up in Sonoma County on Thursday after arranging for his transfer from San Diego, according to Lt. Steve Knight of the sheriff's office.
University Police Sgt. Joseph Jones said no charges have been filed yet, but that the District Attorney's office is aware of the arrest.
The circumstances and date of his arrest are unclear.
Jules Aubrey Dawson, 24, appeared in custody in front of Humboldt County Superior Court Judge Christopher Wilson flanked by his public defender Greg Elvine-Kreis. Dawson addressed the court, apologizing for his actions....
Dawson was arrested Jan. 23 by the Eureka Police Department on a $100,000 warrant. He pleaded guilty Sept. 21 to charges of assault likely to produce great bodily injury and grand theft from a person for his role in an HSU dorm invasion. He was on felony probation at the time the crime was committed, according to court records.
The victim in the Dec. 2, 2011, dorm invasion reported that three men broke into his room, bound his arms and legs and stole property. He reported being physically assaulted by the suspects, but no weapons were observed, according to a university press release following the incident. The victim declined medical attention.
Wilson said he considers Dawson's actions to be an extremely serious offense.
”I have no doubt the victim was terrified in this matter,” Wilson said.
He said instead of placing Dawson in prison for four years -- where he'll likely be out quickly and not supervised for very long -- he'd prefer to see him serve that time on probation.
”By putting you on probation, I can monitor you,” Wilson said.
...Dawson is one of four men law enforcement officials believe participated in the invasion and robbery.
Former HSU student Benjamin Beilin is facing charges of robbery, residential burglary, false imprisonment and assault with a weapon for giving the other three suspects his key card, according to his defense attorney Manny Daskal. Beilin's trial is scheduled for Nov. 5.
Participant Eric Schneekluth pleaded guilty to first degree residential burglary in January, and was sentenced to 180 days in jail and three years probation.
Suspect Miles B. Sharp is wanted on a $100,000 felony warrant, and is believed to be in Southern California, according to HSU representatives.
◼ UPDATE: Fourth suspect in dorm invasion arrested; Sharp transported to Humboldt County jail from San Diego - Grant Scott-Goforth/The Times-Standard
The fourth suspect in a December 2011 dorm invasion robbery on the Humboldt State University campus was transferred to the Humboldt County jail Thursday, the same day a Eureka man was sentenced to four years probation for his involvement in the invasion.
Miles B. Sharp was named a suspect in December, and had a $100,000 warrant for his arrest.
A Humboldt County Sheriff's Office transport officer picked Sharp up in Sonoma County on Thursday after arranging for his transfer from San Diego, according to Lt. Steve Knight of the sheriff's office.
University Police Sgt. Joseph Jones said no charges have been filed yet, but that the District Attorney's office is aware of the arrest.
The circumstances and date of his arrest are unclear.
A History of Violence, and a history of plea deals that should sicken you
◼ Who is Jason Anthony Warren? - Two Rivers Tribune
All of you who endorsed Paul Gallegos for District Attorney - read it.
All of you who endorsed Paul Gallegos for District Attorney - read it.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Worth noting
"...Warren failed to show up for a Sept. 7 court date after entering into a plea deal to serve six years in prison for assault with a deadly weapon after he was arrested in April for robbery.Zachary Curtis's lamentable remark is cause to point out that Deputy DA's are not supposed to be talking to the Press. For just that reason.
He was released on a Cruz waiver, which is part of a plea agreement that has a defendant agree to have a greater sentence imposed for failing to appear at sentencing. Warren faced nine years for failing to appear.
”He was released prior to sentencing on the Cruz waiver, pursuant to the plea agreement,” said Deputy District Attorney Zachary Curtis in an email. “It is fairly common to release a defendant with something over his head to try to encourage good behavior, usually with probation cases...”
The DA is the office's liaison with the Press, or should be. Gallegos farms it out all the time. Even used to hand it over to his campaign operative, Richard Salzman
The notion that you take some guy who is going away for 6 years for the crime he committed - leaving aside that it's another plea deal - you let him OUT to clean up his business - and then voila! What do you do when he does just that? What? You thought he was gonna just close his bank account and make sure his mail was held?
This is another one that rests on Gallegos's head.
Remember it come next election.
Because this isn't the first and won't be the last.
Tuesday, October 02, 2012
Another plea deal, more death
◼ Hit-and-Run/Hoopa Homicide “Person of Interest” in Custody - Andrew Goff/The Journal
Jason Anthony Warren was arrested late afternoon on the day of the accident on earlier assault charges and is being held without the possibility of bail. Downey said no other suspects are currently being sought in the case.◼ Murder, hit and run 'person of interest' Jason Warren is in custody on warrant - Times-Standard
Warren failed to show up for a Sept. 7 court date after entering into a plea deal to serve six years in prison for assault with a deadly weapon after he was arrested in April for robbery.◼ Suspect Identified In Hit-And-Run & Hoopa Crimes - Humboldt Sentinel
He was released on a Cruz waiver under the condition that he obeyed all laws, returned to court for sentencing and stayed away from the complaining witness in the assault.
”He was released prior to sentencing on the Cruz waiver, pursuant to the plea agreement,” said Deputy District Attorney Zachary Curtis in an email. “It is fairly common to release a defendant with something over his head to try to encourage good behavior, usually with probation cases.”
Warren had a previous felony that counted as a strike on his record. He also has a juvenile criminal record.
After nearly a week of speculation as to a pair of investigations into the untimely deaths of local residents, Sheriff Mike Downey called a press conference this afternoon to clear the air and identify a “person of interest” in the cases.
“I know there’s been a lot of speculation…you got to understand why we’ve been holding back information,” he said.
Downey proceeded to explain that on the same afternoon as the fatal hit-and-run slaying of 40-year-old Bayside resident Suzanne Seemann on Old Arcata Road in Freshwater and the discovery of the body of 47-year-old Dorothy Ulrich of Hoopa in a residence there, law enforcement had taken 28-year-old Jason Anthony Warren into custody.
Warren was inside a home in Eureka at the time of his arrest; the Kia used in the hit-and-run which killed Seemann and injured 50-year-old Terri Vroman-Little and 41-year-old Jessica Hunt was found in Eureka earlier in the day.
_______________
◼ Woman Found Dead In Hoopa - Andrew Goff/The Journal 9/27
◼ Car plows into 3 joggers, kills Bayside woman - Carrie Peyton Dahlberg.The Journal
_______________
◼ A morning jog turns tragic; one woman killed, two others hospitalized in hit and run - Kaci Poor/The Times-Standard 09/28/2012
A 40-year-old mother was killed, and two other women suffered major injuries in a hit and run collision while jogging along Myrtle Avenue shortly before 6 a.m. Thursday.◼ More questions than answers in hit-and-run crash; Source: Person of interest in Hoopa homicide in custody - Grant Scott-Goforth/The Times-Standard 09/29/2012
Eureka residents Jessica Hunt, 41, and Terri Vroman-Little, 50, suffered major injuries and were taken to St. Joseph Hospital. Hospital spokeswoman Leslie Broomall said both women were in stable condition Thursday afternoon.
The Humboldt County Coroner's Office has not released the name of the Bayside resident and mother of two young children who died at the scene....
Officials of the multiple agencies involved in the investigation are releasing few details on the search for the driver of the 2005 Kia Spectra who hit the women. They are also declining to comment on whether the hit-and-run is related to the homicide of Dorothy Ulrich, whose body was discovered in a Hoopa residence Thursday morning.◼ Seemann, Hunt and Vroman-Little: Three women shared a love for running - The Times-Standard 09/29/2012
A source close to the investigations said that a person of interest in the Hoopa homicide is in custody, but it's too early to release the individual's name or further details due to the complexity of the case and to the multiple agencies involved....
◼ CHP: Person of interest ID'd in hit-and-run death; memorial service for Suzanne Seemann set for Saturday - Grant Scott-Goforth/The Times-Standard 10/02/2012
_______________
◼ Three Joggers Down/Coroner Called/Accident in North Eureka - Kym Kemp/Lost Coast Outpost
◼ CHP Investigation Turns Up Dead Body in Hoopa. Connection to This Morning’s Fatal Bayside Hit-and-Run? - Hank Sims/Lost Coast Outpost
Three Joggers Down/Coroner Called/Accident in North Eureka
◼ Arrest Made in Hoopa Suspicious Death — No Word on Connection to Yesterday’s Bayside Tragedy - Hank Sims/Lost Coast Outpost
◼ Sheriff Dept. Releases Name of Suspicious Death in Hoopa—Calls It Homicide - Kym Kemp/Lost Coast Outpost 9/28
◼ Businesses To Support Bayside Hit & Run Victims and Families - Mike Dronkers/Lost Coast Outpost
◼ Sheriff’s Office Names ‘Person of Interest’ in Hoopa/Bayside Cases - Hank Sims/Lost Coast Outpost
Sheriff Mike Downey said the HCSO is leading the investigation and that the CHP, DA’s Office and Eureka Police Dept. are collaborating. Downey said he expects to file charges by the end of the week.
In a hastily called press conference this afternoon, Downey said that he was disclosing preliminary information in order to tamp down rumors and speculation on various online fora, much of it wildly inaccurate.
“Our sole purpose in holding back information, and coming forward, was to solidify our case and making a strong nexus between the two cases,” Downey said today. “We wanted to ensure that we could bring a strong case before the District Attorney’s Office.”
He made clear that no suspect is in custody, but that Warren is being investigated in connection with the Myrtle Avenue incident as well as the homicide of Dorothy Ulrich in Hoopa that same day. Downey said he knew of no personal relationship between Warren and Ulrich.
◼ Person of Interest Named in Hoopa Homicide and Fatal Hit and Run - Two Rivers Tribune
◼ Woman Found Dead in Hoopa Home - Two Rivers Tribune
ABSOLUTELY PREDICTABLE. How many more?
UPDATES:
◼ Humboldt County public defender to represent man accused of killing jogger, Hoopa woman; Warren could face the death penalty - Kaci Poor/The Times-Standard
◼ Letter regarding Gag Order/Protective Order, from Public Defender's Office - Arcata Eye
◼ Warren pleads not guilty to deaths of Humboldt State University instructor, Hoopa woman; judge grants gag order prohibiting attorneys, law enforcement from discussing case - Kaci Poor/The Times-Standard
◼ The man accused of killing a Hoopa woman and then later purposely running down three joggers on Old Arcata Road -- killing a Humboldt State University instructor and severely injuring two others -- has been charged with two counts of murder - Grant Scott-Goforth and Kaci Poor/The Times-Standard
◼ In the face of death: Special allegations change how a defendant should be represented - Kaci Poor/The Times-Standard
◼ CHP to DA: Jogger’s Death Was Murder - Heidi Walters/The Journal
◼ CHP requesting murder, attempted murder, animal cruelty charges in hit-and-run deaths - From the CHP via Times Standard
◼ CHP Recommends Murder Charge In Seeman Death - Arcata Eye
◼ District attorney's office opposing Cruz waivers following hit-and-run, homicide case; Experts: Move could harm ability to get pleas - Grant Scott-Goforth/The Times-Standard
◼ Who is Jason Anthony Warren? - Two Rivers Tribune
Monday, September 10, 2012
"When he looks across Humboldt County, District Attorney Paul Gallegos can't say he's surprised with the proliferation of marijuana growing operations or with the environmental damage they bring."
◼ Push for pot regulation; amid federal activity, many still support oversight, regulation of pot industry - Thadeus Greenson/The Times-Standard
When he looks across Humboldt County, District Attorney Paul Gallegos can't say he's surprised with the proliferation of marijuana growing operations or with the environmental damage they bring.
”It's the same sort of thing you would get if you suddenly deregulated any other commercial endeavor,” Gallegos said. “If we had fishing without limits, there'd be no fish in the ocean. Imagine what the forests would look like if we had timber harvesting without oversight or regulation.
”With marijuana, we have an illegal industry running parallel with a putatively legal industry -- all totally unregulated,” Gallegos continued. “The natural result of this is you have complete adverse environmental impacts and adverse social impacts. That's what we're dealing with.”
The Humboldt County Sheriff's Office is teaming up with federal agencies to target some of the largest grow operations in the county, with Sheriff Mike Downey saying that cracking down on illicit grows is his top priority for the year. But the effort makes for some unlikely bedfellows, as some of those very same federal agencies have worked to block local and state efforts to regulate medical marijuana....
Randy Wagner, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency's special agent in charge of Northern California operations, said Downey has been great to work with. Wagner wouldn't specify how targets are being chosen for raids and search warrants, but said his department isn't interested in going after “the sick and the dying.”
Wagner also made clear it that, in his department's eyes, there is no such thing as legal marijuana sales or cultivation.
”We don't target medical marijuana, but we target drug traffickers and drug trafficking organizations. Period,” he said. “Our priorities and mission haven't changed. We're always targeting groups or individuals who are cultivating or producing and distributing large amounts of drugs.”
Targeting the “biggest and the baddest,” as Wagner put it, is a good thing, according to Gallegos. But, he said, it really only addresses part of the issue. No law enforcement agency, individually or collectively, has the resources to go after everyone, he said. Regulation would be a huge step in bringing the grows that are in compliance with Proposition 215 under some type of monitoring, diminishing abuses of the law and ensuring the environment isn't being destroyed.
”The two options I see are the federal government needs to change the stance it's taken with California's government's ability to regulate, or the state has to simply say, 'We accept your challenge, and we will move forward,'” Gallegos said. “At some point, the community needs to be able to step in and say, 'This is an act we have legalized and now, as with every other legal activity of humanity, there need to be rules and regulations associated with it.”
”It's time to bring it out of the hills, into the open and permit it, and let our regulatory agencies go in and inspect it, just like they would with any other type of agricultural product,” he said.
When he looks across Humboldt County, District Attorney Paul Gallegos can't say he's surprised with the proliferation of marijuana growing operations or with the environmental damage they bring.
”It's the same sort of thing you would get if you suddenly deregulated any other commercial endeavor,” Gallegos said. “If we had fishing without limits, there'd be no fish in the ocean. Imagine what the forests would look like if we had timber harvesting without oversight or regulation.
”With marijuana, we have an illegal industry running parallel with a putatively legal industry -- all totally unregulated,” Gallegos continued. “The natural result of this is you have complete adverse environmental impacts and adverse social impacts. That's what we're dealing with.”
The Humboldt County Sheriff's Office is teaming up with federal agencies to target some of the largest grow operations in the county, with Sheriff Mike Downey saying that cracking down on illicit grows is his top priority for the year. But the effort makes for some unlikely bedfellows, as some of those very same federal agencies have worked to block local and state efforts to regulate medical marijuana....
Randy Wagner, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency's special agent in charge of Northern California operations, said Downey has been great to work with. Wagner wouldn't specify how targets are being chosen for raids and search warrants, but said his department isn't interested in going after “the sick and the dying.”
Wagner also made clear it that, in his department's eyes, there is no such thing as legal marijuana sales or cultivation.
”We don't target medical marijuana, but we target drug traffickers and drug trafficking organizations. Period,” he said. “Our priorities and mission haven't changed. We're always targeting groups or individuals who are cultivating or producing and distributing large amounts of drugs.”
Targeting the “biggest and the baddest,” as Wagner put it, is a good thing, according to Gallegos. But, he said, it really only addresses part of the issue. No law enforcement agency, individually or collectively, has the resources to go after everyone, he said. Regulation would be a huge step in bringing the grows that are in compliance with Proposition 215 under some type of monitoring, diminishing abuses of the law and ensuring the environment isn't being destroyed.
”The two options I see are the federal government needs to change the stance it's taken with California's government's ability to regulate, or the state has to simply say, 'We accept your challenge, and we will move forward,'” Gallegos said. “At some point, the community needs to be able to step in and say, 'This is an act we have legalized and now, as with every other legal activity of humanity, there need to be rules and regulations associated with it.”
”It's time to bring it out of the hills, into the open and permit it, and let our regulatory agencies go in and inspect it, just like they would with any other type of agricultural product,” he said.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Cold comfort
◼ Salas guilty of murder - Grant Scott-Goforth/The Times-Standard
Ryan Anthony Salas showed little emotion, shaking his head softly at times, as a jury Friday found him guilty of the 2010 shotgun slaying of Jack Dale Sovereign.
Salas -- also convicted Friday on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm, conspiracy to commit burglary, and conspiracy to commit robbery -- was one of four defendants implicated in Sovereign's death.
Prosecutors alleged that Salas, Nathan Nix, Katrina Inong and Sonia Hunsucker conspired to commit a home invasion robbery targeting a safe at a Santa Clara Street home on the outskirts of Eureka. The robbery attempt was thwarted, according to prosecutors, when the four arrived to find Sovereign sitting in a pickup truck in the home's driveway.
At that point, witness accounts seem to vary, but prosecutors have stated their belief that Nix, Inong and Hunsucker were abandoning the robbery attempt when Salas, armed with a shotgun, approached Sovereign and shot him in the face.
...Inong pleaded guilty to a voluntary manslaughter charge in December 2010.
...Hunsucker had agreed to testify as part of a deal with prosecutors, but after pleading guilty to an unrelated killing -- the second degree murder of Darrell Hanger in Willow Creek in 2011 -- and receiving a sentence of 15 years to life in prison, Hunsucker refused to testify.
...Nix ...reached a plea agreement... faces a maximum sentence of 11 years in prison for the voluntary manslaughter charge.
_______
And so justice is done.
Ryan Anthony Salas showed little emotion, shaking his head softly at times, as a jury Friday found him guilty of the 2010 shotgun slaying of Jack Dale Sovereign.
Salas -- also convicted Friday on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm, conspiracy to commit burglary, and conspiracy to commit robbery -- was one of four defendants implicated in Sovereign's death.
Prosecutors alleged that Salas, Nathan Nix, Katrina Inong and Sonia Hunsucker conspired to commit a home invasion robbery targeting a safe at a Santa Clara Street home on the outskirts of Eureka. The robbery attempt was thwarted, according to prosecutors, when the four arrived to find Sovereign sitting in a pickup truck in the home's driveway.
At that point, witness accounts seem to vary, but prosecutors have stated their belief that Nix, Inong and Hunsucker were abandoning the robbery attempt when Salas, armed with a shotgun, approached Sovereign and shot him in the face.
...Inong pleaded guilty to a voluntary manslaughter charge in December 2010.
...Hunsucker had agreed to testify as part of a deal with prosecutors, but after pleading guilty to an unrelated killing -- the second degree murder of Darrell Hanger in Willow Creek in 2011 -- and receiving a sentence of 15 years to life in prison, Hunsucker refused to testify.
...Nix ...reached a plea agreement... faces a maximum sentence of 11 years in prison for the voluntary manslaughter charge.
_______
And so justice is done.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
In the 'YOU JUST DON'T GET IT' File.
◼ Humboldt's funding of prosecutions doesn't add up - Times-Standard editorial
...We understand that these are tough economic times. Tough times require tough decisions, and the Board of Supervisors will have to make them. If Humboldt County wants murders prosecuted, it's time to pay up. The county should find money to hire more prosecutors over more PIOs.
__________________
It isn't the money. It's the chaos, stupid.
There's a reason Gallegos has "lost" all our senior prosecutors, and why he can't attract new talent. You should hear from people who come up here to interview.
Fix the real problem before you throw any money at it. You NEED A NEW DA.
He should be swimming in money anyway, will all the unfilled positions - but then there's the mismanaged grants, no?
Who wrote this thing? Thadeus?
Updated: So, Thadeus, dig a little. How many times has "Doing less for more" Gallegos gone before the Board of Supervisors to discuss this? So, what, he's taking his case to the media, is that it? Do your homework. What's going on with the grants? Most of them all you have to do is fill out the forms properly and get them in on time, so what happened? I know his "we've got to WEAN ourselves off these grants" spiel was before your time, but man you should have heard it. Your editorial matches it almost word-for-word.
Kimberly, make him do his job, and look back at the history of this.
PS: What's he doing with all his Asset Forfeiture winnings? What's the value of all the unfilled positions? 'Cause that's money he has available, no? C'mon guys - ASK THE QUESTIONS! They just roll right off your tongue, there's so many.
Remember the Bridgeville SWAT raid he staged? How much did that little charade cost? A couple hundred thou? What'd he get out of it?
Remember, Channel 3's coverage of the grant fiasco? The Arcata Eye and McKinleyville Press have been covering it - where's the Times-Stamdard? Don't ignore real reporting.
...We understand that these are tough economic times. Tough times require tough decisions, and the Board of Supervisors will have to make them. If Humboldt County wants murders prosecuted, it's time to pay up. The county should find money to hire more prosecutors over more PIOs.
It isn't the money. It's the chaos, stupid.
There's a reason Gallegos has "lost" all our senior prosecutors, and why he can't attract new talent. You should hear from people who come up here to interview.
Fix the real problem before you throw any money at it. You NEED A NEW DA.
He should be swimming in money anyway, will all the unfilled positions - but then there's the mismanaged grants, no?
Who wrote this thing? Thadeus?
Updated: So, Thadeus, dig a little. How many times has "Doing less for more" Gallegos gone before the Board of Supervisors to discuss this? So, what, he's taking his case to the media, is that it? Do your homework. What's going on with the grants? Most of them all you have to do is fill out the forms properly and get them in on time, so what happened? I know his "we've got to WEAN ourselves off these grants" spiel was before your time, but man you should have heard it. Your editorial matches it almost word-for-word.
Kimberly, make him do his job, and look back at the history of this.
PS: What's he doing with all his Asset Forfeiture winnings? What's the value of all the unfilled positions? 'Cause that's money he has available, no? C'mon guys - ASK THE QUESTIONS! They just roll right off your tongue, there's so many.
Remember the Bridgeville SWAT raid he staged? How much did that little charade cost? A couple hundred thou? What'd he get out of it?
Remember, Channel 3's coverage of the grant fiasco? The Arcata Eye and McKinleyville Press have been covering it - where's the Times-Stamdard? Don't ignore real reporting.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Eureka man who pleaded guilty to helping his son dispose of a murder victim's body was released from jail Friday and given probation.
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....
◼ Father receives probation for helping son cover up murder; Donald Steele released from custody, given suspended sentence - Thadeus Greenson/The Times-Standard
Fifty-two-year-old Donald Steele was given a suspended sentence and three years probation Friday for his role in helping his son, 23-year-old Jacob Steele, dig Jerry George's body up from a shallow grave in Fieldbrook to toss him into the waters at the mouth of the Eel River.
Donald Steele pleaded guilty to a charge of being an accessory to a crime after the fact just days after seeing a jury convict his son of second degree murder for George's killing. He faced up to one year in jail under the deal and was free on his own recognizance pending sentencing.
...While the other people who helped Jacob Steele cover up the murder all reached plea agreements with law enforcement last year -- under which they received probation in exchange for testifying against Jacob Steele -- Donald Steele reportedly refused to cooperate or take a deal.
Ultimately, after his son was convicted of murder, Donald Steele pleaded guilty as charged in his case to avoid trial.
_________________
Is there anyone who ISN'T getting plea deals these days?
◼ 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....
◼ Father receives probation for helping son cover up murder; Donald Steele released from custody, given suspended sentence - Thadeus Greenson/The Times-Standard
Fifty-two-year-old Donald Steele was given a suspended sentence and three years probation Friday for his role in helping his son, 23-year-old Jacob Steele, dig Jerry George's body up from a shallow grave in Fieldbrook to toss him into the waters at the mouth of the Eel River.
Donald Steele pleaded guilty to a charge of being an accessory to a crime after the fact just days after seeing a jury convict his son of second degree murder for George's killing. He faced up to one year in jail under the deal and was free on his own recognizance pending sentencing.
...While the other people who helped Jacob Steele cover up the murder all reached plea agreements with law enforcement last year -- under which they received probation in exchange for testifying against Jacob Steele -- Donald Steele reportedly refused to cooperate or take a deal.
Ultimately, after his son was convicted of murder, Donald Steele pleaded guilty as charged in his case to avoid trial.
Is there anyone who ISN'T getting plea deals these days?
Saturday, August 04, 2012
While Gallegos said he expects Inong to be able to continue her testimony in the case, if she is medically unable to retake the stand, it could pose a large problem. ”That could be a mistrial,” Gallegos said.
◼ Murder trial disrupted by medical emergency; if seizure prevents witness from testifying, mistrial could be in order
◼ Murder trial disrupted by medical emergency; if seizure prevents witness from testifying, mistrial could be in order - eus Greenson/The Times-Standard
◼ Murder trial disrupted by medical emergency; if seizure prevents witness from testifying, mistrial could be in order - eus Greenson/The Times-Standard
Friday, August 03, 2012
Hunsucker refusing to testify in Sovereign murder trial; DA's office had agreed to not prosecute if she testified
◼ The Humboldt County District Attorney's Office agreed not to prosecute Hunsucker in the case and to dismiss a possession of stolen property case against her in exchange for her testifying honestly in the prosecutions of Inong, Salas and Nathan Nix, who were all accused of being involved in Sovereign's shooting. - Grant Scott-Goforth/The Times-Standard
Nix and Inong have pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in relation to the case and are awaiting sentencing. Both face up to 11 years in prison.
Hunsucker has since pleaded guilty to an unrelated killing -- the second degree murder of Darrell Hanger in Willow Creek in 2011 -- and was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.
Hunsucker is being held in the county jail on contempt charges for her refusal to testify, and District Attorney Paul Gallegos, who is prosecuting the Salas trial, said that he will call her as a witness every morning until his case rests.
”It's my position that her refusal to testify constitutes a breach,” Gallegos said.
He said that the court ruled Hunsucker “made herself unavailable,” and her prior sworn testimony will be admissible in court.
◼ A 'nightmare in this community'; Sonia Hunsucker was allegedly involved in two homicides and a violent robbery in 12 months. Did prosecutors miss a chance to keep her behind bars? - Thadeus Greenson/The Times-Standard
...Humboldt County District Attorney Paul Gallegos called Hunsucker a “nightmare
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in this community,” telling jurors that she had helped plan the robbery after noticing a safe in the Santa Clara Street home a couple of days before. Further, Gallegos said, Hunsucker went with one of the defendants and another woman -- Katrina Inong, who has pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the case -- to procure the shotgun used to gun down Sovereign.
While prosecutors allege it was Salas who pulled the trigger that morning, Gallegos told jurors that Inong, Nix and Hunsucker were all willing participants in the botched robbery.
”They are all a part of this,” Gallegos said.
But not all of them are on trial. Gallegos' office agreed not to prosecute Hunsucker in the case and to dismiss the possession of stolen property case against her in exchange for her testifying honestly in the prosecutions of Inong, Salas and Nix.
At the time of Sovereign's killing, Hunsucker was no stranger to law enforcement. In fact, she'd just been released from state prison 65 days earlier, on March 28, 2010, according to California Department of Corrections spokeswoman Ashley Caldwell....
The events raise questions about whether Darrell Hanger's death could have possibly been prevented if Hunsucker had been charged with Sovereign's murder. Conceivably, she would still be sitting in jail, just now standing trial with Salas and Nix. Would that have changed anything? She apparently didn't fire the bullets that killed Darrell Hanger, and testimony in the murder trial hasn't claimed she was the instigator or mastermind of the botched burglary that led to the shootout. But, would Surber -- the apparent shooter -- have been at Ryan Hanger's house that night if Hunsucker, his girlfriend, weren't there?
The questions are unanswerable.
Speaking generally, Gallegos said his office takes the decisions associated with handling these types of prosecutions very seriously but doesn't have the luxury of seeing into the future.
”Unfortunately, we don't have a crystal ball when we're making decisions -- we have to make these decisions with the information we currently have,” he said. “We have to make a decision based on the immediate threat -- which is having a murderer on the street and trying to get enough evidence to charge that murderer and get them off the streets. The costs associated with that are what you see.
”... Sometimes we make decisions that go terribly wrong, or tragically wrong, but at the time we are not operating with a crystal ball that allows us to look into the future,” he said.
Nix and Inong have pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in relation to the case and are awaiting sentencing. Both face up to 11 years in prison.
Hunsucker has since pleaded guilty to an unrelated killing -- the second degree murder of Darrell Hanger in Willow Creek in 2011 -- and was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.
Hunsucker is being held in the county jail on contempt charges for her refusal to testify, and District Attorney Paul Gallegos, who is prosecuting the Salas trial, said that he will call her as a witness every morning until his case rests.
”It's my position that her refusal to testify constitutes a breach,” Gallegos said.
He said that the court ruled Hunsucker “made herself unavailable,” and her prior sworn testimony will be admissible in court.
◼ A 'nightmare in this community'; Sonia Hunsucker was allegedly involved in two homicides and a violent robbery in 12 months. Did prosecutors miss a chance to keep her behind bars? - Thadeus Greenson/The Times-Standard
...Humboldt County District Attorney Paul Gallegos called Hunsucker a “nightmare
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in this community,” telling jurors that she had helped plan the robbery after noticing a safe in the Santa Clara Street home a couple of days before. Further, Gallegos said, Hunsucker went with one of the defendants and another woman -- Katrina Inong, who has pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the case -- to procure the shotgun used to gun down Sovereign.
While prosecutors allege it was Salas who pulled the trigger that morning, Gallegos told jurors that Inong, Nix and Hunsucker were all willing participants in the botched robbery.
”They are all a part of this,” Gallegos said.
But not all of them are on trial. Gallegos' office agreed not to prosecute Hunsucker in the case and to dismiss the possession of stolen property case against her in exchange for her testifying honestly in the prosecutions of Inong, Salas and Nix.
At the time of Sovereign's killing, Hunsucker was no stranger to law enforcement. In fact, she'd just been released from state prison 65 days earlier, on March 28, 2010, according to California Department of Corrections spokeswoman Ashley Caldwell....
The events raise questions about whether Darrell Hanger's death could have possibly been prevented if Hunsucker had been charged with Sovereign's murder. Conceivably, she would still be sitting in jail, just now standing trial with Salas and Nix. Would that have changed anything? She apparently didn't fire the bullets that killed Darrell Hanger, and testimony in the murder trial hasn't claimed she was the instigator or mastermind of the botched burglary that led to the shootout. But, would Surber -- the apparent shooter -- have been at Ryan Hanger's house that night if Hunsucker, his girlfriend, weren't there?
The questions are unanswerable.
Speaking generally, Gallegos said his office takes the decisions associated with handling these types of prosecutions very seriously but doesn't have the luxury of seeing into the future.
”Unfortunately, we don't have a crystal ball when we're making decisions -- we have to make these decisions with the information we currently have,” he said. “We have to make a decision based on the immediate threat -- which is having a murderer on the street and trying to get enough evidence to charge that murderer and get them off the streets. The costs associated with that are what you see.
”... Sometimes we make decisions that go terribly wrong, or tragically wrong, but at the time we are not operating with a crystal ball that allows us to look into the future,” he said.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
"In 2003, Gallegos' office had 17 prosecutors." - You're halfway there.
◼ Unsustainable workload?; DA to continue prosecuting misdemeanors, says employees are overworked - Thadeus Greenson/The Times-Standard
Humboldt County District Attorney Paul Gallegos said his office will continue prosecuting most misdemeanor cases, though he warned his prosecutors' workloads are completely unsustainable with current staffing levels.
Back in May, Gallegos told local law enforcement chiefs that his office might not be able to continue prosecuting nonviolent misdemeanor cases for charges like drunk in public, driving without a license and disturbing the peace due to what he deemed an unmanageable caseload and an ever tightening budget. But Gallegos said recently that he's decided to stay the course and to continue prosecuting the low-level offenses.
”We'll keep doing it as long as we can,” he said. “And that's for two reasons: First, my attorneys are dedicated to this community, and they want to keep doing them. Second, this community expects it of us.”
Attorneys in the district attorney's office are carrying heavy workloads compared to some neighboring counties and national caseload recommendations put forward by the American Bar Association.
In 2009, the last year for which Department of Justice statistics are available, local law enforcement agencies sought criminal complaints from the district attorney's office for 1,980 felony arrests and 5,506 misdemeanor arrests. Those cases were ultimately reviewed and tried by the 11 attorneys in the district attorney's office, a number that includes Gallegos and Assistant District Attorney Kelly Neel, who have a host of duties in addition to prosecuting cases.
Even if the caseload was divided equally among the 11 attorneys, the numbers far outpace the American Bar Associations recommendation that prosecutors handle no more than 150 felony cases or 300 misdemeanor cases in a year, with each Humboldt County prosecutor handling 180 felony cases and 500 misdemeanor cases....
With Gallegos and Neel spending most of their time outside the courtroom -- Gallegos handling administrative duties and Neel handling all the office's charging decisions -- that leaves six prosecutors. Two of those handle all the office's 5,000 or so misdemeanor cases a year. The remaining four handle almost all of the office's felony cases -- almost 2,000 a year.
”Everyone's overworked,” Gallegos said, adding that he and his attorneys don't have the luxury of a 40-hour workweek and that everyone brings cases home to prepare on nights and weekends.
_________
What's missing, Thadeus, is the WHY. What happened to the county's top, experienced prosecutors? WHY are they missing?
Why? Because Gallegos "lost," fired, or drove them away.
And the grants? What happened to the grants?
◼ Question, really, is "Who's left?" w/update
Humboldt County District Attorney Paul Gallegos said his office will continue prosecuting most misdemeanor cases, though he warned his prosecutors' workloads are completely unsustainable with current staffing levels.
Back in May, Gallegos told local law enforcement chiefs that his office might not be able to continue prosecuting nonviolent misdemeanor cases for charges like drunk in public, driving without a license and disturbing the peace due to what he deemed an unmanageable caseload and an ever tightening budget. But Gallegos said recently that he's decided to stay the course and to continue prosecuting the low-level offenses.
”We'll keep doing it as long as we can,” he said. “And that's for two reasons: First, my attorneys are dedicated to this community, and they want to keep doing them. Second, this community expects it of us.”
Attorneys in the district attorney's office are carrying heavy workloads compared to some neighboring counties and national caseload recommendations put forward by the American Bar Association.
In 2009, the last year for which Department of Justice statistics are available, local law enforcement agencies sought criminal complaints from the district attorney's office for 1,980 felony arrests and 5,506 misdemeanor arrests. Those cases were ultimately reviewed and tried by the 11 attorneys in the district attorney's office, a number that includes Gallegos and Assistant District Attorney Kelly Neel, who have a host of duties in addition to prosecuting cases.
Even if the caseload was divided equally among the 11 attorneys, the numbers far outpace the American Bar Associations recommendation that prosecutors handle no more than 150 felony cases or 300 misdemeanor cases in a year, with each Humboldt County prosecutor handling 180 felony cases and 500 misdemeanor cases....
With Gallegos and Neel spending most of their time outside the courtroom -- Gallegos handling administrative duties and Neel handling all the office's charging decisions -- that leaves six prosecutors. Two of those handle all the office's 5,000 or so misdemeanor cases a year. The remaining four handle almost all of the office's felony cases -- almost 2,000 a year.
”Everyone's overworked,” Gallegos said, adding that he and his attorneys don't have the luxury of a 40-hour workweek and that everyone brings cases home to prepare on nights and weekends.
_________
What's missing, Thadeus, is the WHY. What happened to the county's top, experienced prosecutors? WHY are they missing?
Why? Because Gallegos "lost," fired, or drove them away.
And the grants? What happened to the grants?
◼ Question, really, is "Who's left?" w/update
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Evidence presented in Willow Creek murder case; prosecution witness shows jury guns, bullets from crime scene
◼ Evidence presented in Willow Creek murder case; prosecution witness shows jury guns, bullets from crime scene - Thadeus Greenson/The Times-Standard
◼ Willow Creek murder trial begins; defense argues shooting was self defense 7/13/2012
◼ Hoopa woman Sonia Hunsucker pleads to murder in Willow Creek shooting - The Times-Standard 7/06/2012
◼ Charges dropped on Hunsucker and Machado - The Times-Standard 11/11/2011
◼ link - The Times-Standard 8/02/2011
◼ Willow Creek murder trial begins; defense argues shooting was self defense 7/13/2012
◼ Hoopa woman Sonia Hunsucker pleads to murder in Willow Creek shooting - The Times-Standard 7/06/2012
◼ Charges dropped on Hunsucker and Machado - The Times-Standard 11/11/2011
◼ link - The Times-Standard 8/02/2011
Pot farm poison; study find marijuana grows likely responsible for mammal deaths
◼ Potent rat poisons used on large-scale illegal marijuana farms sprinkled through forest lands throughout the state may be killing off a rare forest carnivore, according to a groundbreaking study released Friday. - Thadeus Greenson/The Times-Standard
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