Aug 4, 2025

Romanian Catalin-Marius Graur sentenced to 10 Years in federal prison for skimming over 36,000 stolen EBT cards in California and New York

 

Romanian Catalin-Marius Graur sentenced to 10 Years in federal prison for skimming over 36,000 stolen EBT cards in California and New York.

Masokin Sadykov faces felony charges for assaulting federal agents in Philadelphia during arrest and faces deportation to Russia

 



HCSO arrests two repeat offenders for conspiracy and several others charges; third suspect identified, all within hours of responding and investigation

 


On August 1, 2025, Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) patrol deputies initiated an investigation into a theft from a vehicle reported in the 200 block of F Street, Blue Lake, occurring the previous night. The investigation revealed that three suspects used the victim’s stolen credit cards at multiple businesses across Humboldt County. Following a thorough investigation, HCSO deputies identified all three suspects involved. Two individuals have been arrested and charged as follows: 

• Michael Dwayne Vanwert, 41, of Eureka, was arrested for violations of California Penal Code sections 666.1 (petty theft with prior convictions), 484g (fraudulent use of a credit card), 182(a)(1) (conspiracy), and 1203.2 (probation violation). 

• Crystle Dawn Angel, 35, of Eureka, was arrested for violations of California Penal Code sections 487 (grand theft), 459.5 (shoplifting), and 182(a)(1) (conspiracy). 

If these names sound familiar, it is because both individuals were previously arrested for similar crimes just a few months ago. The third suspect has been identified, and efforts to apprehend them are ongoing.  

Besides indulging Curt Davis' insatiable need for attention; what did RHBB second "article" achieve?

 




If you have not read my previous posts on former City of Eureka Deputy City Attorney Curtis Davis, you should. I have consistently reported first and with court records on Davis' abrupt departure. I was also the first to report on the Fusion Smoke and Glass lawsuit.

Both the July 10 and 23 posts go into details why I did not report certain claims by Davis and why I did not report Davis' vague allegations. Davis' consistent, repeated  failure to give me a written response speaks volumes as does the fact that he has still not filed a lawsuit and why he has lost any request for confidentiality.

I chose not to report on an outrageous claim Davis made about City of Eureka Manager Miles Slattery and local businessman Rob Arkley allegedly hanging out together. Davis did not provide any evidence and I have known both of them for for over two decades and seen them in social situations. While I might have believed that Miles was at a certain place; that is not somewhere Rob Arkley would ever go. Davis' claim was so ridiculous, I had to contain my laughter. I have never shied away from valid news or standing up to power but I will not be used and I am not going to publish claims without evidence. 

RHBB and Ryan Hutson did not publish Davis' anecdote about Miles and Rob. They conveniently regurgitated Davis' claims about the City of Eureka because there is zero risk and they know by law, the City of Eureka cannot say much. 

I do know about some of Davis' behavior at City of Eureka including whatat he alluded to and admitted to and claims he apologized for that unfortunately no one is going to go on record due to the law. I reported on the Fusion and Smoke lawsuit which is based on court records; not RHBB regurgitating Davis' claims with no evidence.  RHBB and Ryan Hutson chose to share a court document with a cover page listing a minor and mentioning Eureka Councilmember Renee Contreras- DeLoach . I knew about that lawsuit. I certainly would not cover it for Davis' agenda. It is newsworthy on its own because of Eureka City schools. 

RHBB  irresponsibly chose to print  a minor's name with that one page of a court document which did nothing to help anyone other than Davis' instiable need for attention. What exactly did putting this minor's name out there achieve?

The same holier than thou people who constantly attack me ; will you call RHBB out?  I doubt it. You are hypocrites and petty.  Besides RHBB groupies and Patty Sue, wife of  Security National's Tim Callison who just react to anything involving Miles Slattery; no one cares about why Davis left the City of Eureka. When I reported about his exit from the City of Eureka, people asked me who he was because no one had heard of him.

Davis had no problem using Councilmember's DeLoach's child and having RHBB post about a lawsuit involving a minor child but didn't want me to cover his current divorce case. I told Davis I had no interest in his family law case because it is not news. Should it become newsworthy in the future; I will and that would be based on the same criteria of any other family law case.

There is no other local media that has taken on the establishment and called out entrenched power structures and corruption consistently like I have. At great personal and financial cost.

Curtis Davis was a probationary employee. His whining is much ado about nothing when there is valid news of injustice and abuse of power to cover in Humboldt.

At the No Kings protest, in casual conversation, Davis thanked me for my coverage about him leaving and the jobs it led to. In that same chat, he said he was afraid the City of Eureka would try and tarnish his reputation. The City of Eureka is not doing that; the only one running to Ryan Hutson and RHBB is Davis and his unfortunate handling of this situation is  what is making him look foolish. Davis should spend less time talking to Ryan and update his address on the State Bar of California website.


(Photo from Curtis Davis Law website)

I don't know why Times Standard, North Coast Journal, KRCR or Redwood News did not cover Davis' departure. I do happen to know Lost Coast Outpost looked into it and chose not to do anything.

Obviously the rest of the local media, including myself, will not touch Davis' disastrous handling of his depature from the City of Eureka with a 10 foot pole. I don't know other media's reasons but with me, Davis has lost all credibility and there were red flags from the first conversation.

I have repeatedly told Davis to put his allegations in a lawsuit. Then it gets vetted in a court of law and the City of Eureka can respond. RHBB's "article" is just claims by Davis with no evidence provided. The opinions by other lawyers quoted in  RHBB's "article" based on just Davis' claims are hardly proof and one of the lawyers is from the East Coast. The lawyers said "if" because no attorney is risking their reputation on hearsay from some random person repeating claims from someone else who fired. Why didn't these lawyers RHBB interviewed ask for evidence. In all the word salad of the portion where the layers are quoted, RHBB showed no conflict of interest or wrongdoing.

Davis admitted to RHBB and Ryan Hutson he is a disgruntled employee. Just as he selectively applied standards to what media gets to share his conversations; now he gets to decide what is attorney client confidentiality because Ryan Hutson is printing versions convenient to him?

Ryan knows how to look up court records and court documents. Why didn't see look into Sparks vs Joachim. I provided documents from City of Eureka PRAs as well as court documents.

If this pisses off Davis or Kym or Ryan, they need to look in the mirror. Trust in legacy media is at an all time low and people today are savvy because they can check court records, do PRAs and rely on their own experience about who they can trust.

These two RHBB "articles" on Davis are clickbait and not exposing corruption or abuse of power. If Davis files a lawsuit against the City of Eureka, I'd be glad to report on it; otherwise he is a distraction from real news. RHBB and Davis's poor choices should not reflect on other journalists and lawyers.

Ilegal encampments and trespassing on private property in Redway cause of Wildland fire

 



On July 26, 2025, Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) patrol deputies assisted numerous fire agencies with the “RedFire” which occurred in a wooded area just northeast of the town of Redway. 

Aug 1, 2025

FBI LA arrested Mark Lorenzo Villanueva today for sending 12 payments over five months to ISIS

 


FBI Los Angeles arrested Mark Lorenzo Villanueva today. The U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California provided more  details.

"The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office remains steadfast in its efforts to disrupt the distribution of illicit narcotics, particularly fentanyl, which poses a severe threat to public safety. HCSO notes that under current California law, possession of fentanyl is often classified as a “non-violent” offense, which can result in repeat offenders being released from jail by Superior Court Judges to appear in court at a future date and time. "

HCSO just issued a press release on two arrests.

If Aaron Stott's name sounds familiar, this is from April 2025.

https://johnchiv.blogspot.com/2025/04/15-people-arrested-in-second-search-by.html?m=1

CA DOJ concludes no criminal charges in Riverside County Sheriff's OIS shooting but makes five policy recommendations

 





California Attorney General Rob Bonta's office issued a press release just now on the officer involved shooting in the death of Jay Jackson. The OIS involved an officer from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. The CA DOJ concluded criminal charges were not appropriate in this case but made five policy recommendations.

"On July 22, 2022, shortly after 11:00 AM, Jay Jackson entered an O’Reilly Auto Parts store in Moreno Valley and told employees that he was armed with a gun and planned to kill someone. Store staff locked the doors and called 911. When deputies arrived, Mr. Jackson was pacing in the parking lot with his right hand in his pocket. Law enforcement surrounded Mr. Jackson using patrol vehicles for cover and attempted to de-escalate the situation. They issued numerous commands for him to show his hands and assured him they did not want to hurt him, offering access to mental health and medical services. Mr. Jackson, refused to comply. According to statements, he told deputies he had a gun and shouted things such as “just kill me” and “I’m not going to listen.” He quickly advanced toward a deputy while pulling a shiny metallic object from his pocket and lowering his arms in a threatening motion. One of the deputies fired a single shotgun round, striking Mr. Jackson in the chest. He was transported to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. The object was later determined to be a metallic razor handle without a blade."

This is what law enforcement has to deal with in California and Humboldt. Policies don't help when CA laws & legislators do not support law enforcement or public safety.

Natasha Bussell arrested by HCSO for torture, false imprisonment, aggravated battery and two other charges


Natasha Deanne Bussell was arrested by HCSO yesterday for PC 206 torture , PC 243(d) aggravated battery , PC 236 false imprisonment, PC 148 (a) 1 resisting arrest and PC 591.5 damaging a communication device to prevent someone from calling 911 or for help. Bail is $750,000.

I contacted HCSO Lt. Jesse Taylor and confirmed the location of arrest is Willow Creek. Anyone can google Bussell and see previous Humboldt coverage on family members and Bussell;  whether any of that is connected to this arrest, stay tuned.

Jul 31, 2025

CHP arrests 39 year old Michael Dominic Thomas Lumsden for felonies that are all sex crimes involving a minor

 

(CHP)

According to the Sacramento County Jail Michael Dominic Thomas Lumsden is charged with PC 288 (a) (2), PC 288.4 (a) (1) and PC 288 (a) lewd or lascivious act with a minor under 14. Bail is $500,000.

In researching Lumsden, I had some more questions about the arrest and if it was related to Lumsden's work. I reached out to CHP Media Office. CHP Lt. Matt Gutierrez responded, "Unfortunately, this case is still under investigation, and we are unable to release any further information."

64 year old TSA agent Daniel Meenehan charged with attempted production of child pornography

 

(Cole County jail)


64 year old Daniel P. Meenehan who was employed by the TSA has been charged in federal court with attempted production of child pornography.

"The investigation began on Oct. 29, 2024, when HSI agents in St. Louis, Missouri received information from the Miller County, Missouri Sheriff’s Office regarding a report of a minor victim sending nude photographs to an adult male in exchange for money.  The investigation shows the defendant made over 41 transactions to the minor victims in exchange for nude images for a period of one year."

Jonathan Eisenhard Marcks arrested by EPD for criminal threats, false imprisonment and domestic battery

 


Yesterday, Jonathan Eisenhard Marcks, Jr. was arrested by Eureka Police Department for PC 422 criminal threats, PC 236 false imprisonment and PC 243 (e) (1) domestic battery. Bail is $25,000.

Jul 30, 2025

Despite 5 cases, multiple and frequent arrests, Brian Mitchell has had two cases dismissed and three plea deals with more charges dismissed by the same prosecutor in 2024 and 2025

 


Former Security National employee, former Humboldt Planning Commission member and former County Assessment Appeals Board member Brian Mitchell had his 2024 case dismissed on the day of preliminary hearing. Once again, on the day of his preliminary hearing in 2025, he had four 2025 cases on calendar yesterday. He resolved all the cases and was sentenced by Humboldt Superior Court Judge Kaleb Cockrum. Mitchell was released from custody yesterday.

In CR2501402, Mitchell was placed on 1 year probation after pleading guilty to Count 3, HS11377 (a) possession of meth. Counts 1 and 2 were dismissed. Court minutes say "Conflict Counsel relieved effective after 31 days."

CR2501351 was dismissed by DA with a Harvey reservation.

In CR2501224, placed on 1 year probation. Dismissal Count 1. Guilty Count 2 as a misdemeanor. Can't read court clerk Krista's writing  to tell if it is HS 11779 (a) or HS 11377 (a). It is also an added count so I cannot look up previous charges.

In CR2501322, guilty Count 1, PC 602 (m) trespassing; given 72 days jail but with 36 actual days and 36 conduct credits; it listed as time served. Ordered to stay away from the Terrace Way and Central Avenue addresses and Mickey's Quality Cars which are all in Mckinleyville.

Mitchell's attorney is Humboldy Conflict Counsel Supervising Attorney Meagan O'Connell. The prosecutor in 2024 was Humboldt Deputy District Attorney Brandon Boozari. The prosecutor in 2025 for the four cases is also Mr. Boozari.

Based on Mitchell's frequent and prior arrests, will he be back in custody or has he learned his lesson? As I said in a previous post, Mitchell owes Ms. O'Connell his freedom; this was before he gor rearrested. Now he got most charges dismissed and is out of custody. Maybe, he should add Mr. Boozari to his Christmas card list as well.

I am not going to recap all my previous coverage. Most people read the blog regularly and anyone else can access prior information through links provided. 

U.S. citizen faces federal prosecution after San Diego customs seize 166.18 lbs of meth