530 Crime Watch in February 2021: Man arrested on suspicion of arson
An Anderson man was arrested Sunday morning on suspicion of arson, after police received a report of a man with a knife setting fires near the Tractor Supply store in Anderson.
Anderson police were notified of "an agitated man" with a knife setting fires near the store, which is in the 1900 block of Marx Way, according to the Anderson Police Department.
When officers and Anderson firefighters arrived they found a man beside a small fire with miscellaneous items, police said. Officers arrested Christopher Kelly, 26, of Anderson on suspicion of arson and booked him into Shasta County Jail.
Kelly was on probation due to a felony arson conviction in 2020 and he had warrants for his arrest, police said.
— Damon Arthur, Record Searchlight
Police ID man suspected of stealing donations for veterans wall
Saturday, Feb. 27
A man accused of stealing a collection jar that held donations for the Anderson Veterans Walk of Honor has been identified, the Anderson Police Department said Saturday.
Police had posted a notice with a surveillance photo on Facebook in mid-February asking the public for help in identifying the man who took the jar of money.
No arrest has been made yet but police said they're working on the case.
"Additional details regarding their identity will only be publicly released upon arrest or the formal filing of criminal charges by the District Attorney's Office," police said. "The Anderson Police Department would like to thank the public for their assistance in this case."
The theft occurred Feb. 15 at the Anderson Grocery Outlet in the 1900 block of Highway 273.
The Anderson's Veterans Walk of Honor is a memorial to honor past and present members of the U.S. armed forces and is located on East Center Street between the Fire House Lounge and Allen & Dahl.
Plaques were unveiled Feb. 7 at the Walk of Honor on behalf of founder James Yarbrough and founding committee member Larry Mower, the group said on its Facebook page.
— Mike Chapman
Police arrest pair after finding fentanyl
Friday Feb. 26
A man and woman were arrested this month on suspicion of distributing fentanyl, Redding police said on Friday.
Officers with the Neighborhood Police Unit arrested Brandon Douglas Roades, 32, and Ashley Lin Myers, 31, both of Redding, on Feb. 11.
The arrests came after the police unit received information the pair were picking up quantities of the powerful drug from the Bay Area and bringing it back to Redding, police said in a post on their Facebook page.
On the morning of Feb. 11, the police unit stopped Roades and Myers as they drove in a car in the area of Cypress and Parkview avenues. Inside the car, officers served a search warrant said they found 2 ounces of fentanyl.
"This is a significant amount of fentanyl, as a very small amount is needed to feel the effects of the drug. Fentanyl can be extremely deadly, as shown with recent overdoses and deaths in our community," Redding police said.
Sgt. Timothy Renault said his department did not immediately release information about the arrests so as to not compromise other investigations.
Roades and Myers were booked into Shasta County Jail on suspicion of transporting and possessing controlled substances for sale across county lines. Police also will submit the case to the Shasta County District Attorney's Office for investigation of transporting a controlled substance and conspiracy to commit a crime.
Fentanyl is a powerful painkiller up to 100 times more potent than morphine. The drug has been linked to several overdoses, and four people died in Northern California last month as a result.
— Ethan Hanson
Redding man indicted on firearm possession charges
Thursday Feb. 25
A Redding man charged on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm was indicted by a federal grand jury on Thursday in Sacramento.
The jury returned a two-count indictment against Tyson Farrell, 26, U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott said in an announcement.
According to court documents, Farrell — who has multiple felony convictions and may not legally possess firearms — was arrested twice in five months. Both times he was charged with possession of a firearm.
- On Sept. 16, 2020, Farrell was arrested after a law enforcement officer stopped him on suspicion of having a broken brake light, according to the announcement. Officers reported they found a partially dismantled Ruger model 77/17 in the back seat of the vehicle.
- On Jan. 10, 2021, a police officer stopped a car in which Farrell was a passenger, according to the announcement. Police reported they found a Colt .38-caliber revolver in a laundry bag in the back seat where Farrell was sitting.
If convicted, Farrell faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The Redding Police Department, the Shasta County District Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney James Conolly is prosecuting the case.
- Jessica Skropanic
Redding man gets 5 years in prison for human trafficking of teen
Friday, Feb. 19
A Redding man accused of recruiting a 17-year-old girl to have sex with others for money was sentenced to five years in prison this week.
Zachary Ryan Taylor, 24, will also be required to register as a sex offender for life, according to the Redding Police Department.
Taylor got in touch with the teen in fall 2020 over the Whisper app. From there, they met in person and he encouraged her to engage in sex acts for money, according to the Shasta County District Attorney’s office.
Taylor took photos of the girl and set up an online profile for her. He then arranged appointments and drove her to different places to engage in the acts, taking a portion of the money, according to the DA’s office.
“(Taylor) also rented a hotel room where multiple men came to have sex with the victim for money,” the DA’s office wrote in a news release.
Police said Taylor was having sex with the girl herself. They also said he screened potential customers for the victim and told her which ones to have sex with, according to an RPD news release.
On Feb. 5, police arrested Taylor and interviewed him. There, police said he confessed to the allegations and was booked into jail, according to a news release.
Taylor originally faced five felony charges but was sentenced on the charge of causing a minor to engage in a commercial sex act, according to the DA’s office.
— Matt Brannon
Sheriff: One 'dangerous' felon arrested with another on the loose
Thursday, Feb. 18
Shasta County sheriff's deputies arrested two people Thursday that law enforcement had been looking for, including one who is considered an "armed and dangerous" felon.
Deputies went to a residence on Snowbird Lane in Lakehead shortly before 9 a.m. to serve a civil order on Lucas David Childs, 37, who is on parole and wanted in connection to weapons charges, sheriff's officials said.
Childs was not at the Snowbird Lane residence, however, so they checked out an RV on nearby Big Oak Lane, where Childs also was reportedly staying at, officials said.
As deputies approached the trailer, they contacted Camren James Taylor, 25, of Anderson, who saw the deputies and began to run away. Officials said that Taylor stopped running after he heard the deputies order him to stop and K-9 Fritz start barking at him.
Deputies then arrested Taylor, who was wanted on several criminal charges including carjacking, brandishing a firearm and assault with a deadly weapon, according to previous reports in December from Redding police.
Deputies also arrested Lisa Marie Deaton, 28, of Anderson on suspicion of providing a false name to officers. Sheriff's officials said she also had outstanding arrest warrants.
Shasta County court records indicate Deaton had been charged last year with vehicle theft and receiving a stolen vehicle. She pleaded no contest to vehicle theft in November, according to court records.
However, records indicate she did not show up for a court appearance in January and a judge issued a warrant for her arrest.
Sheriff's officials said they are still looking for Childs and plan to seek charges against him that include felon in possession of a firearm. Court records indicate Childs also was charged last year with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
If convicted, he could be facing a third strike and life in prison, according to court records.
Sheriff's officials are asking anyone with information about Childs to call 245-6540. He is also considered by sheriff's officials as armed and dangerous.
— Damon Arthur
Sheriff: Homicide suspect captured in Dunsmuir
Thursday, Feb. 18
Authorities in Siskiyou County have captured a man wanted for a deadly stabbing in Dunsmuir, the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies were looking for Christopher Michael Castillo, 25, who investigators said was wanted for a stabbing that occurred on Thursday.
Castillo left his vehicle behind and investigators believed he was trying leave the area, either by hitchhiking, by bus or train. Castillo was considered armed and dangerous.
The sheriff’s office Facebook post did not say where Castillo was found, nor did it give more details about the stabbing.
Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue did not immediately return a phone call for comment.
Man arrested, accused of attempting to stab family member
Friday, Feb. 12
A 23-year-old Redding man was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon after police said he threatened to kill a family member.
The incident occurred around 8 p.m. Wednesday in the 2900 block of Lanning Avenue.
Police responded to a report that Khalil Hadley had attempted to stab a family member while threatening to kill him, investigator said.
Officers were told that Hadley had allegedly threatened other family members and a neighbor and was armed with a large butcher knife.
Police found Hadley nearby and were able to convince him to surrender without further incident. Officers found the butcher knife hidden in his waistband, investigators said.
Hadley also was arrested on suspicion of criminal threats and brandishing and concealing a weapon.
He already was on parole for assault with a deadly weapon.
— David Benda
Police: Man arrested with loaded AR-15 rifle on bus
Tuesday, Feb. 9
Redding police said they confiscated a loaded AR-15 semi-automatic rifle from a passenger on a RABA bus Tuesday morning.
Officers received a report about 10:30 a.m. of a suspicious subject who was at the bus stop at Twin View Boulevard and Caterpillar Road. Police detained 21-year-old Anthony Jair Demedeiros not long after he got on the bus.
A search of Demedeiros’ property uncovered the loaded rifle, which police said was recently reported stolen in a residential burglary in Trinity County.
The police department credited two officers for removing a gun off Redding streets.
“Their actions undoubtedly prevented future criminal activity. The Redding Police Department would like to remind gun owners to keep their firearms secure or locked in a safe,” a press release said.
Demedeiros is on post-release community supervision for a prior conviction of being a felon in possession of a firearm, police said.
The suspect’s latest arrest came on Jan. 4, 2021, as a felon having a firearm.
Police said they don’t know what Demedeiros was doing with the rifle because he didn’t have any explanations.
— Mike Chapman
Tehama County authorities make arrest after two shootings at mobile home park
Thursday, Feb. 4
A Tehama County man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder in connection with two separate shootings at the Homewood Mobile Home Park in Red Bluff.
Jerry Julian Anaya, 29, of Red Bluff, was taken into custody on Wednesday, the Tehama County Sheriff’s Office said.
Investigators said Anaya shot Luis Mercado Montalvo, 22, of Orland, in the leg on Jan. 23 while Montalvo was parked in front of the mobile home park on Bell Mill Road around 11:30 p.m.
Montalvo was able to drive to the hospital where he was treated and released for his injury, authorities said.
Then on Jan. 26, sheriff’s deputies went to the mobile home park around 7:30 p.m. for a reported shooting. When they arrived, deputies found Dana Brown, 38, of Red Bluff, who they say had been shot in the head. It was later determined that Anaya had shot Brown, investigators said.
Brown was taken to the hospital, the sheriff’s office said.
Sheriff’s Detective Rob Bakken said the early investigation suggests the shootings are gang related.
“The suspect (Anaya) is known to be a Norteño street gang member,” Bakken told the Record Searchlight.
Investigators do not know if Anaya knew the two shooting victims, Bakken said.
“Mr. Brown is still in the hospital in stable condition, so we are trying to work with getting a good statement out of him to see if we can connect anything there,” he said.
— David Benda
Update: No charges for Trinity County man; homicide was justified, officials say
Update; Thursday, Nov. 4:
A Trinity County man arrested on suspicion of homicide earlier this week has been released from jail without any pending charges because he was justified in the incident, according to a determination from the District Attorney announced on the sheriff's Facebook page.
The man released was identified as Kyle Adamson. The man who died was identified as Adam Heck.
— Matt Brannon
Original story; Tuesday Nov. 2: A 35-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of homicide after deputies found a dead body at a marijuana farm in the Douglas City area, the Trinity County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday.
Deputies arrested Kyle Adamson as a suspect in the homicide following their investigation, which they said remains ongoing.
Deputies said they went to a local hospital after receiving a report at 9:20 p.m. Monday about a man who was there suffering from several gunshot wounds.
Deputies contacted the wounded man, identified as Adamson, and learned he had been in an altercation with 34-year-old Adam Heck.
The officers went to the scene on the outskirts of Douglas City where they found a marijuana farm and Heck's body, which had several gunshot wounds.
Deputies collected evidence at the scene after serving a search warrant.
"This matter appears to have been an isolated incident and the sheriff’s office does not believe there is any danger to the public," according to a press release.
— Mike Chapman