[UPDATE 5:45 p.m.: BOLO From Fortuna Police Gives More Information] Attempted Kidnapping of Newborn in Fortuna Reported; High Speed Pursuit Continues Even After Crash
A high speed pursuit is ongoing from Hwy 101 onto Hwy 36 after the report of a highly intoxicated male attempting to take a newborn came into law enforcement about 2:30 p.m., according to talk between an officer and a dispatcher over the scanner.
The incident began in Fortuna. The suspect headed south on 101 at speeds of up to 100 then turned east onto Hwy 36 and continued at speeds up to 80 miles per hour, the officer relayed to the dispatcher.
The officer and dispatcher are still trying to ascertain if the newborn was taken by the suspect.
The officer requested an ambulance for another vehicle that was in some sort of traffic accident near Rohnerville related to the suspect. But the suspect vehicle continued eastbound even though reportedly heavily damaged and smoking.
The suspect rammed a gate. Subject is heading northbound through a field as of 2:43 p.m. The officer is continuing pursuit northbound through the field.
Please remember that information gathered from initial reports is subject to revision as more facts become available.
UPDATE 2:56 p.m.: The suspect vehicle has been lost by the officers but may have been spotted by a citizen, according to the dispatcher.
She also reports that the juvenile has been ascertained to be with the mother.
Another officer reported over the scanner that the occupants of the passing vehicle that was in an accident with the suspect vehicle appear to be uninjured.
UPDATE 3 p.m.: The other officer reported that two people in the accident were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
The Fortuna Police have terminated the pursuit of the suspect.
UPDATE 5:45 p.m.: Officers are looking for Benjamin North who was driving a black extended cab Toyota Tacoma License plate# 69849W1. Below is a recording of the BOLO.
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Yikes. Thank god the baby was with the mother. Whoever the suspect is in relation to the mother and baby, they’re certainly better off with him in jail.
The Fortuna Police, (if their report is accurate) over-reacted to a domestic squabble.
The drunk (alleged) guy mouthed-off to the kids mother. They both got mad. The guy leaves by driving recklessly. Somebody fingers the guy as being a kidnapper. Well, of course LEOs responded to an unsubstantiated dangerous situation.
Cause and effect.
The effect is horrible, innocents could have been killed. The guy wasn’t too drunk because he drove better than the LEO. The baby was with it’s mother the whole time.
This is a serious problem for every one EXCEPT the mother. She cried wolf when hugs and love sharing would have served everybody best. Was the guy the baby’s father?
I agree.
Listen guy why down play it to a domestic “squabble”. The guy out ran the Police and hit another car. Of which the people had to be taken to the hospital. Someone could have been killed and your blaming the Police for doing their jobs. As well as blaming the Mother for not hugging the Man to stop his bad behavior is ridiculous.
Yea he hit my car there were 2 kids in the car and then he just floored it in reverse and got away. The look on his face was such an angry one it truly scares me.
Chris, I’m so sorry that you had to deal with this. What a horrible experience. I hope you and all involved are recovering.
where was christian are the boys ok
Thank you!
Hit another vehicle, yep awesome driving skills, maybe work on ones self control skills.
So she should have waited until he hit her or the baby before calling the police? If the guy was drunk enough to drive drunk, that recklessly, hurt other people, do you really think it wouldn’t of escalated pretty quickly. He obviously is not a good guy or a smart one.
You don’t know him, he is a good guy.
He is the father
If you’re correct, what was the problem?
Not the baby. Was Dad drunk as alleged by whomever?, Who said Dad was a kidnapper? Would LEO have responded without the false kidnapping allegation?
This false witness by the Mother or her agent was the crime. Dad seeking his child was (so far) legally normal behavior.
The LEO chase following the false report was not started by the Dad, it was Mom’s call. She knew that Dad would need to run from the law because of his previous record.
OH YEAH MAN, I like your sperm but not you. Explain that to the child 12 years from now.
Thank you. Glad to see that real people still exist. Yes, it was a false alarm, dad was trying to spend time with his precious little daughter when her mother decided rather to cause a huge scene, spit on him once he puts on his seatbelt then her [edit] neighbor [edit] calls the cops making all kinds of false reports. The mother of the child immediately took off in her car to find the boyfriend after seeing what she caused so the [edit] took story time into her own hands. First of all, a disagreement like this is none of the nosy neighbors business and next time [edit] calls the cops to make false reports causing this man who just bought a 5 bedroom house for the mother and their child, plus her 4 other kids to go to jail, she should be dealt with accordingly. Then you have the cop who shouldve never been called, run the man right into a busy intersection on wet pavement causing a wreck because you have [edit] stop their car in the middle of the road causing the father to hit them. [edit] Luckily you all were on camera trying to “save the day”. Moral of the story; the police shouldnt be called especially by a [edit], false reports should not be told just to cause a good man problems. If the mother had been there she would have set that straight. They got into a fight and she wanted to try to piss an already irrate man off more by grabbing his baby out of his truck and running down the street in her towel getting the attention of [edit]. Just because she gets mad at him gives her no right to think she can all of the sudden decide he can’t spend time with his daughter, or spit on him once hes in his rig trying to get away from her.
No. Dad wasnt drunk at all. Dad had been clean and doesnt even drink at all… Again [edit] should not be allowed to make any kind of reports
Regardless of what occurred, he could have stayed and cleared the whole mess up, instead he runs….and just missed hitting me in my car as he speeded down 12st entering the on ramp to 101 South, he raced around me on the right side next to guard rail….. and the cops a few feet behind him…. stupid move…
Rod. Are you the kidnapper? They’re coming bud
Kym I can’t wait to see who the drunk father was. I assume the police knew the baby was home with the mother soon after the Father sped off. I have doubts about the officers and the dispatcher’s version. They don’t tell time accurately. … Or honestly give the truth. I believe the officers may have decided to tell all the baby was in the car. To explain why they let the drunk outrun them. Obviously the Father outran the police. As you know, I don’t drink, I don’t prefer drunks. and I think truth does matter. This man is now a dead man deemed so by Head Honsal in charge. .
If the officer knew that the baby was with the mother, he certainly behaved oddly. He asked more than once for the dispatcher to recall the woman and find out if the infant was with her. The dispatcher reported trying to reach the mother–saying once that the number would only ring once but no one picked up.
Wait? So if a drunk guy takes a kid, and it’s unknown if he is the father…Police are expected to let him go? Or would be then be mad at the police for not catching him. If you haven’t seen, Fortuna has some of the oldest cop cars in the county, if he is running through fields how would they have a chance to catch him?
Thanks for Mansplaining that it’s the Mother’s fault.
Makes perfect sense.
Can you explain, what is “Mansplaining”? I’ve heard this twice today, and have no idea.
Online dictionary: “the explanation of something by a man, typically to a woman, in a manner regarded as condescending or patronizing.”
Keeerhyst.
I figure that condescension now comes in all sizes, shapes, sexes, and directions. Is there any way to pass off/recieve information that is solely that? Or does every exchange of data now need to include a barb, or retort?
BTW
Thank you for fulfilling an honest request with no spite(s.)
Great example of how to be a great example!!
What? You asked a question and I found the answer and pasted in for you. I thought I was being helpful. Damn, this is not my day.
No ma’am!!
I meant what i said with no sarcasm intended.
Thank you for an informative reply with no added salt.
Even though i figger that “mansplaining” may have a somewhat negative tint towards the “mansplainer”, i meant nothing but thanks for your reply.
For serious!
🙂
Old Skool smileys n’everystuffs!
Whew! Sorry for misreading you. Navigating tone is hard in real life–even harder on a website.
Maybe the guy shouldve walked away instead of driving drunk or evading police. Had he pulled over they would have found out no baby but no he ran like a idiot obviously he probably already had a drunk driving or warrant maybe. Just pull over idiots running from problems makes it worse.
This guy hit my car with my two children in it. He then proceeded to take off very recklessly. He saw the children in the backseat but took no notice. This man could have killed us, he hit us at about 30-45 miles per hour.
Every time there’s drunk driving idiocy on here, a bunch of people chime in with “it could happen to anyone!” and otherwise try to pretend drunk driving is perfectly OK. Even when they actually do kill people.
Yeah, that really does suck. Especially when the alcoholic apologists try to say, well, he wasn’t LOOKING for trouble, he was just shit-faced and people got in his way or said somethin’. Uh huh. Right. All this dude had to do if he was so righteous was to wait around and talk to the police. Period. No harm, no foul, and a lot less trouble and danger for everybody,
Him and his brother are worthless couple spoiled little bitches glad you and your kids ok
I’m really glad you and your family weren’t hurt.
Glad the kids and you are alright. This is the most important thing.
Actually he has been to prison at least twice and jailed in Eureka after breaking Windows in the mother’s home with a bat and broke at least one light in car. He got detoxed and released a couple of weeks ago. He has been trouble in Hydesville for years before his last visit to the pen. [edit]
There was a possible oil spill in the area on the road with a delayed response prior. Could have been a factor in the crash. Maybe just a coincidence. Oil on the road in the rain is bad news. Or it soon will be…
Alcohol, if involved, wouldn’t help…
Also, shouldn’t there have been an “alleged” somewhere in the original news release?
Misunderstandings happen. Or should I say miscommunication. Doesn’t sound like it was really a kidnapping of a newborn.
Big difference.
When I say “reported” that’s the same as alleged. Someone is reporting that x is so but they may be incorrect.
The update has his name
Sounds like to me he was headed west on Fisher Road to his parents house.
Kym,
I found your version accurate. Incidents get blown out of proportion. The alleged part can come after the reported part and can be a total misinterpretation.
“Allegedly” has fewer connotations. And seems to be the industry standard.
My comment was not directed towards you. Guess I should have made that clear.
You are doing a great job. Thank you.
Rob [edit] The entire thing could have been avoided if the guy didn’t flea. I was on 36 when this was happening and the driver was totally reckless and could have killed more people. As it is he injured several people. WTF is wrong with you? Blaming the mother. 🤦♀️ I guess it is probably her fault he’s a drunk [edit] running from the cops.
What’s wrong with me?
Dad was good enough to be Mom’s choice of procreator. Now she wants him back in jail. She can have his child all to herself with public financial support.
Mom chose Dad to father her child. Should Dad not love and desire his own child? Does Dad need Mom’s permission to be the child’s Father?
No, Mom is in fear. She made a series of mistakes that could’ve gotten innocents killed. I’m hoping Mom can improve her life skills.
Making some assumptions? Or do you have information we don’t have?
No assumptions just facts, right/wrong, based on the article and comments.
I don’t know these people and don’t expect to. I know life and how Fatherhood is used as an extortion by some young mothers. The mother isn’t automatically correct any more than the father is automatically in the wrong.
Maybe the assumptions are in question from the motherly side?
Surely, others than myself, do see that the mother called the LEO on the baby’s father. Nobody has even asked why Dad was seeking time with his child.
I just want to point out that you are making assumptions that I didn’t state. You are assuming the call alleged that the man was trying to kidnap a child from its mother. I’m not even sure the person reporting was the mother. It might be but I didn’t hear proof of that.
Nope.
“A high speed pursuit is ongoing from Hwy 101 onto Hwy 36 after the report of a highly intoxicated male attempting to take a newborn came into law enforcement about 2:30 p.m., according to talk between an officer and a dispatcher over the scanner.”
Aren’t those your own words?
Nobody has heard proof of anything, pure speculation from everyone.
I said the “mother or her agent.”
No, you said, “do see that the mother called the LEO on the baby’s father.”
Rod, maybe you need to behave yourself before you sit and try to defend a guy with a known violent history. You are looking foolish by asking people to just accept the bad-dad behavior. That is YOUR job: be the dad that doesn’t act like this because you’re feeling inadequate. Or drunk. Nobody wins, but you will lose more.
Leaving out a few things like drinking, reckless driving, evading the police, injuring other drivers. None of that has anything to do with loving a child nor can the mother be blamed for his driving.
To the people trying to blame the fmother. Unless you know Benjamin North, do not comment on his behalf. He has been in and out of jail/prison/juvenile hall since he was a young teenager. He is a thief, liar, druggy and a violently aggressive person. If he did not do anything wrong there was no reason to run. Yes, a father should be able to see their child. Obviously the mother felt threatened, but why should she wait for him to assault her or the baby before calling the police? ÷
He’s made headlines before.
https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2011/dec/24/thrifty-theif-wont-be-home-christmas/
https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2016/jun/3/hydesville-man-drives-past-truck-loaded-his-own-st/
That was me that called and got him arrested before Christmas. About 4 months prior he had stolen a tool from me that cost over $1600 and the cops and DA did nothing about it even though i had pictures of him with it at the pawnshop hours after it was stolen. I knew what he drove and always had my eye out for him. I saw him as I was leaving Costco that day and I called the cops and followed him to Les Schwab parking lot and informed EPD thats wheres he was. He was nodding off after shooting up when the cops got there to arrest him.
And now he’ll get even more probation!
Male?
Erratic driving?
Evading law enforcement?
Highyway 36?
Intoxicated?
In Humboldt?
Ah. Yeah. Well. Whatever. Yawn.
🕯🌳Were they at home when this happened? Could it have been another family member that called the police with the wrong information? In all the first baby and mother is alright. Second, the asshole caused an accident with other kids involved and could have gotten people killed. Find him.
Have you ever been compelled to run for your life? I have.
LEO used a spark to inflame a known Wildman. His pursuit was bad and nearly got some fine people killed. Over what?
He was driving drunk and speeding BEFORE were involved. How is running from the cops because you’re driving drunk “running for your life?” You pull over, you go to jail. You die only if you decide to get in a high speed and crash, as this moron has done.
He wasn’t running for his life. Where are you getting this nonsense?
🕯🌳This wouldn’t haven’t to be connected to that puppy being grabbed out of the mother going to see the newborn baby at Redwood recently would it?👁⚖
I’m kind of curious as to how anyone was unsure of the location of the newborn. When i had a newborn, he or she was pretty much physically attached to me for months. I think i would have known whether or not someone drove off with the baby–baby would be missing from my arms. One of those matters of foggy post-partum thinking maybe…”Oh now where did i set that baby. Under the table? In a dresser drawer? Maybe i accidentally left her in the carseat?… i just can’t remember whether or not he had her when he left!”
Not to blame only the mother–in this case, there’s plenty of blame to go around. Cops chasing a car at speeds of up to 100 mph when they claim to believe there’s a newborn baby in it isn’t very admirable, considering how often high-speed police pursuits lead to deadly crashes; so they’re not off the hook, either.
Need i mention the main jerk? Of course not–but just to keep things balanced–yeah, that idiot obviously takes the brunt of the blame.
From what Kym said above, it sounds like the mother knew exactly where the baby was, but the police did not – and the mother was refusing to talk to them when they repeatedly tried reaching her to find out.
With the one ring, I’d guess the woman was simply on a call to someone else which would be a natural response to call someone after a stressful experience. But that is just a guess not anything I know.
No my phone is just a piece of garbage and although it may have rang on their end 2,3,4 times it only half rang on my end and they’d hang up. Blame Metro for their shitty cellular service and FPD for their inpatients.
Did the FOPD catch him yet? Hopefully they did/do before he lashes out at the mother again.
Thank you!
An exemplary dude proving he’d make a great dad. Not!
High speed chases so often turn out badly for the “innocent by-standers”. They should be initiated only for very good reason. In my opinion, police policy allows them to happen far too frequently. They are seldom justified.
As if drunk speeders don’t kill innocent people without being chased at all. And as if the police always have the same luxury of time and information in the moment that Monday morning quarterbacks do. Maybe a report of drunk taking off at high speed with an infant was a good reason until the allegation was eliminated.
LEO overreacting to a false kidnapping report needs to be scrutinized.
That’s an interesting concept- overacting to a false report. Are the police supposed to know it was false by osmosis?
The LEO was supposed to act on his best judgement. He acted before he had ample information. Dad’s record was used against him by the Mom and accepted incorrectly by the LEO.
I’m sure Mom will have some explaining to do.
You sure are determined to absolve this guy of responsibility. He was driving drunk BEFORE the cops got involved. He ATTEMPTED to drive drunk with a child.
I just want to point out that he allegedly was driving intoxicated.
Don’t know what all he was on but f***ked up irregardless. I am the one that called after he socked her in the head and turned and grabbed me all I could do was hold my breath and brace for impact. Another neighbor intervened verbally and he let me go grabbed baby in baby’s car seat thrust her over to her mother and peeled out…the chase began… He’s a POS and she’s mad at me for calling but I really don’t care that she’s mad. Small price to pay for her and her babies safety and well being. I love them all and tried to like him but I just couldn’t and don’t like him at all.
That sounds like a incredibly awful experience. Thank you for telling us what you saw.
Friend,
I agree. Your admitting that you don’t like the guy at all, plus acted counter to the mother’s wishes, explains much.
Rod…if Friend is telling the truth, the guy you are defending “socked [the mother] in the head and turned and grabbed me all I could do was hold my breath and brace for impact. Another neighbor intervened verbally.”
You okay with that?
‘Cause you aren’t arguing it isn’t true. You’re apparently saying that not liking the suspect is itself bad…IF the statement is true, I’m not so wild about a guy socking any one either let alone the mother of his child in front of his child either.
No, Kym I’m not endorsing (alleged) violence. That’s bad, anyway we look at it. The report didn’t state violence.
Not liking the guy at all, her words, predisposed her report to the dispatcher. The kidnapping was a part of the report, it never happened.
Admitted false witnesses aren’t good people. They’re working a personal agenda of revenge, retaliation and causing bodily harm to innocents.
As it stands at this moment, we’re short of facts.
I did request more info from the Fortuna Police but haven’t gotten any yet.
Thanks, another day then.
As a side note … I never defended the (alleged) drunk’s behavior. I and most other people don’t tolerate this stuff.
I advocated for Fatherhood. My own words.
The baby is a newborn, why not allow him some love with his child?
In reply to Rod Gass: ATTEMPTED kidnap report! And why run if he was not guilty of “something”? Would you let someone who was drunk or high on heroin physically assault you then allow him to drive off with “your” child? Is that being a responsible parent? Had she allowed him to take the child when he was obviously intoxicated or high and something happened to the child, whose fault would that be…? Regardless of whether his sperm was good enough, regardless of whether he loves his child…handing a child over to an addict, alcoholic, physically abusive, forcibly aggressive person is negligent by any means! [edit]
Well said.
@Rod Glass
Are you speculating wildly, or are you the father of this man?
Here’s some speculation, the father came to the mothers home, where the baby was, made some kind of move or threat to take the baby, and was drunk and belligerent. Mom grabs phone to call 9-11 and he takes off, without the baby, but when mom calls 9-11, she’s hysterical and tells them he tried to kidnap the baby.
Hence, the police chase and all the rest. Jesus, man, is this really the hill you want to die on while defending? Does this man mean something to you, or do all women make you think they are the villains when they are in harm’s way? There was a baby here, NO ONE knows if this was a false kidnapping report, for you to keep saying that it was is despicable.
The fact that he was so insane in his evasion including hitting other cars shows this is not a man to defend , and he certainly wasn’t at that home to simply visit his baby. Jesus.
His baby is Jesus?
Or, are you signing your post Jesus?