Category Archives: Law

Articles, Community News, Law

State Scolds Former Del Norte County Judge Robert Cochran For Making Demeaning Comments to a Domestic Violence Victim

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Former Del Norte County Superior Court Judge Robert Cochran received a public reprimand from the California Commission on Judicial Performance for making demeaning comments to a domestic violence victim. | Photo by Paul Critz

A retired Del Norte County judge received a public reprimand from the California Commission on Judicial Performance for making demeaning comments to a domestic violence victim during hearings in 2023.

The commission found that former Del Norte County Superior Court Judge Robert Cochran “conveyed the appearance of embroilment and bias and exhibited discourtesy” toward the victim at a domestic violence restraining order hearing in May 2023 and later at a change of plea hearing in October 2023 after her partner was convicted for his actions.

The Commission on Judicial Performance concluded that Cochran’s treatment of the victim “constituted serious misconduct,” according to its decision and order imposing public admonishment published Wednesday. Cochran, the commission stated, “did not appear to fully appreciate the impropriety of his comments.”

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Articles, Community News, Crescent City, Law

DNSO Releases Name Of Surf Apartments Resident Killed In Officer-Involved Shooting

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The Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office has released the name of a Surf Apartments resident who was killed in an officer-involved shooting on Monday.

The deceased is 67-year-old John Spencer, Sheriff Garrett Scott told Redwood Voice Community News on Wednesday. Spencer’s next of kin has been notified, Scott said, and the incident is still under investigation. According to Scott, the CHP from the Southern Division is heading the investigation.

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Activism, Alerts, Humboldt, In Media Res, Law, Local Government

Automated License-Plate Reading Cameras Are Back on the Table

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Thumbnail photo courtesy of AS Photography, which has been edited.

The Eureka City Council will be voting today at 6pm on whether or not to install 21 automated license-plate reading (ALPR) cameras throughout the city. There are also considerations to introduce these cameras into Arcata, Fortuna, and on the Cal Poly Humboldt campus, according to an article from the Lost Coast Outpost’s Isabella Vanderheiden.

These ALPR cameras are provided by Flock Technology, a private company specializing in AI-based visual surveillance systems. According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to defending civil liberties in the digital world, ALPR cameras can capture license plate numbers as well as identifying details of any passing vehicle, such as make, model, color, physical damage, bumper stickers, and more—so-called “vehicle fingerprints” that enable easier tracking. It does this, Flock claims, in order to compare license plate numbers against stolen vehicles or individuals wanted on criminal charges.

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Articles, Community News, Law, Prison

Inmate Attack At Pelican Bay Leaves Corrections Officer Hospitalized

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Above: Inmates Jose Gonzalez (left), Richard Wilson (center) and Luis Torres (right) are accused of attacking a Pelican Bay State Prison corrections officer in the dining hall on Thursday. | Photos courtesy of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

A Pelican Bay State Prison corrections officer is in the hospital after three inmates attacked him in a dining hall at about 7:15 a.m. Thursday.

Anthony Rivera is being treated for multiple injuries and is in the intensive care unit, according to a GoFundMe campaign created to support his family.

According to a news release from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Rivera sustained a laceration and puncture wounds. Prison staff used OC pepper spray to halt the attack and found an inmate-manufactured weapon at the scene. The inmates allegedly involved, Jose Gonzalez, Richard Wilson and Luis Torres were transferred to another institution to be placed in restrictive housing, according to the news release.

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Articles, Community News, Curry, Law, Local Government

Curry County Commissioners Seek Legal Help To End Dispute With Sheriff

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Thumbnail: Curry County Sheriff’s seal. Right: Curry County’s seal.

Curry County commissioners are seeking help from a judge to reopen communications with Sheriff John Ward.

The Board of Commissioners filed a declaratory judgment suit against the sheriff in Curry County Circuit Court on Jan. 13, the county announced Wednesday. Officials say they hope to “resolve long-standing disagreements” with the sheriff about their roles and responsibilities.

“Filing suit was an option of last resort that was taken after the Board and county legal counsel made multiple requests for cooperation, information and records from the sheriff’s office that were not satisfactorily fulfilled,” the county stated in its press release.

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Articles, Community News, Law, Local Government

DNSO’s New & Improved Online Database Goes Live

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Screenshot of the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office new online information system.

Del Norte County’s online jail inmate database is available to the public once again following an upgrade that took nearly three months to complete.

The new system went live on Tuesday and features a mapping tool that allows users to track calls for service. As the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office gets more use out of it, people will be able to track police activity within specific time frames, Lt. Kyle Stevens told Redwood Voice Community News.

“We switched over, I believe, towards the end of October so it’s only got about two to three months worth of information,” he said, referring to the public-facing portion of the system. “As the year goes on, it’ll get more and more robust.”

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Articles, Community News, Law, Youth

CCPD’s Volunteer K9 Team Brings Eclectic Skill Set To Del Norte; Juno’s Recovery Continues

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Thumbnail: Cain, a member of Crescent City Police Department’s volunteer K9 team, works on his human remains detection skills at the Lake Earl Wildlife Area. Above: The human members of the K9 crew, Cathy Schneider, Jenna Phillips and Gloria Bobertz pose with their canine counterparts. | Photos courtesy of Gloria Bobertz

Cathy Schneider and Gloria Bobertz began working with canines for different reasons, but they have the same philosophy in mind — a good dog never wants to stop.

They don’t have to instill this maxim in their 16-year-old colleague Jenna Phillips. Her dog, Juno, is still going despite being struck by a car last month.

“She’s starting to get up on her own,” Jenna said. “She can take a bunch of steps and she goes back down. The swelling has gone down a bunch. The bruises are gone. The infection in her belly is gone, and she’s more playful.”

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Alerts, Articles, Community News, Crescent City, Law

CCPD Are Searching For An Alleged Carjacking Suspect

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A man whose “possible first name” is Andrew is wanted after allegedly brandishing a firearm and stealing a car at the Safeway parking lot, according to CCPD Chief Richard Griffin. | Photo courtesy CCPD

Crescent City police are searching for a man they brandished a firearm in the Safeway parking lot before encountering police this morning and then stealing a vehicle with an 18-year-old man inside of it.

The vehicle and 18-year-old was later found at Foursquare Church, according to Crescent City Police Chief Richard Griffin. He said the incident took place just after 8 a.m. on Wednesday.

The suspect’s possible first name is Andrew, Griffin said. According to the police chief, the suspect had fled west on Macken Avenue after abandoning the stolen vehicle. The suspect is considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached.

Police are urging the public to call dispatch at (707) 464-4191 to report any sightings.

Articles, Community News, Law, Youth

Del Norte Juvenile Offenders Can Be Housed in Mendocino, Supervisors Say

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Four Del Norte County supervisors on Tuesday green lit a proposal to house juvenile offenders in Mendocino County. But they urged Chief Probation Officer Lonnie Reyman to use that option as a last resort, with District 1 Supervisor Darrin Short stating that “there’s probably more gang activity prevalent” in Mendocino than in Shasta County.

Del Norte County maintains agreements with Humboldt and Shasta counties to house wards in their juvenile detention facilities. Humboldt is the first option and Shasta is currently the second, though there are times when probation officials there have declined to hold Del Norte youth as well, according to Reyman.

Two Del Norte County youth are being detained, Reyman told Redwood Voice Community News on Tuesday. One is at the Humboldt County Juvenile Hall in Eureka and the other is at the Shasta County Juvenile Rehabilitation Facility in Redding, he said.

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Articles, Community News, Curry, Law

Curry County Law Enforcement Levy Proponents Say It’ll Free Up General Fund Dollars, Commissioners, Staff Still Have Questions

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The spokesperson for a Curry County citizens’ group behind a proposed law enforcement levy broke the numbers down for elected officials on Monday, stating if voters approve the measure, $1.2 million could go back into the general fund.

But commissioners were no closer to supporting a levy than they were at last Thursday’s regular meeting when they said they were uncertain about how many patrol deputies it would fund.

On Monday, commissioners, staff and the few residents who showed up to the workshop had more questions for Georgia Cockerham, who spoke along with Sheriff’s Lt. Jeremy Krohn, in favor of the levy. They asked if they would consider using the levy to fund correctional deputies or if they thought about paying for a detective who could follow up on cases patrol deputies initially respond to.

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