Wade Daniel Harris: Arrested Again…and Again

wade harris 2015

March 2015 booking photo of Wade Harris after he allegedly resisted arrest.

Two days ago, a California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer arrested Wade Daniel Harris for possession of a dagger. Normally, that type of arrest would not be mentioned in the media. However, Harris has repeatedly been rearrested in cases going back to 2010. A look at his case provides a certain perspective on the justice system.

First, the latest arrest.

On April 13, a CHP officer was patrolling the Cutten area in response to what CHP spokesperson Matt Harvey characterized as repeated complaints from residents “of cars frequenting the area that don’t belong.” The officer saw a man sitting in a blue BMW. The officer thought the man was acting suspiciously and called in the plate.

The registration came back to Harris who is on probation. As the officer was checking up on status of Harris’ warrants, the Harris drove his BMW drove by the officer who observed that the vehicle had no front license plate. The officer followed and pulled Harris over. Harris pulled over, Harvey said, but did not turn off his vehicle. After speaking to Harris, the officer told him to shut off the ignition. Instead, Harris “placed his vehicle into drive and accelerated away.”

The officer was able to get in his patrol car and follow. The officer found Harris who was stopped. According to Harvey, the officer asked Harris why he had fled and Harris replied that he had a knife on him that he was afraid he would get in trouble for possessing. Harris told the officer where he had stashed the knife outside the vehicle. At the location indicated, the officer found a 6″ dagger in a plastic sheath.

Harris was placed under arrest. As Officer Harvey said, the man has “a long history of prior arrests and fleeing officers.”

In fact, Mr. Harris has been arrested at least once a month since the start of 2015.

  • January 12 arrested for driving on a suspended license
  • February 13 arrested for probation violation
  • March 3 resisting arrest
  • April 13 possession of a dagger

Harris was also identified by a CHP officer as the driver who fled police on February 12. He allegedly drove at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour and went the wrong way on an offramp evading pursuit. In addition, Harris has had numerous brushes with the law some of the much more serious than the minor violations listed above. At the bottom of this article are media accounts of his other alleged exploits.

Back in 2013, Harris was mentioned in a story by the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation as an example of the failure of Post-Release Community Supervision.

Another Humboldt County man, Wade Daniel Harris, was booked into county jail after brandishing a firearm and being in possession of stolen property while on Post-Release Community Supervision. Both crimes are considered non-serious under Realignment, meaning the most punishment Harris can receive is another short term in county jail. Humboldt County Sheriff Steve Knight called Harris a “problem child,” and cites multiple instances where he has been released from custody and continued to commit crimes in the community.

Harris is not an isolated example. Daniel Fidler is another example of repeated arrests that seem to accomplish little more than to temporarily remove the suspect, and the officer who must process a report of the incident, off the streets. Harris was arrested at 10:02 A.M. and was released at 1:06 P.M.

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Earlier Chapters:

  1. Wade Daniel Harris Arrested in Sonoma after 12 Hour Manhunt
  2. Probation Search in Garberville Yields Meth Plus More
  3. Fortuna Police Arrest Local Motorcyclist for Waving Stolen Pistol at Fellow Driver
  4. Law Enforcement Is Attempting to Locate a Suspected Hit and Run Driver in Shively
  5. Fleeing Cops, Driver Heads Wrong Way Down Safety Corridor, Reaches Speeds of Up To 100 Miles Per Hour
  6. Wade Harris Arrested in Arcata
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G-ma
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G-ma
8 years ago

Hopefully they will keep him behind bars this time.is our county so broke we can’t afford to house them??we have a problem and the folks around here are pretty sick of letting out these dangerous criminals,it’s insanity! !

Jeans
Guest
Jeans
8 years ago
Reply to  G-ma

We’ll be reading about someone he murders soon, then we’ll be reading while the media follows his murder trial.

Seamus
Guest
Seamus
8 years ago

Nice work, maybe if we keep shining a light on these characters something will change.

Groundhog Day
Guest
Groundhog Day
4 years ago
Reply to  Seamus

Ya…not so much! Fast forward to 2020 >>>>… this guy is still at it!

Ernie Branscomb
Guest
8 years ago

So what’s the big deal? Don’t you get to kill somebody before you actually have to go to jail?

When this guy was arrested in Garberville he had a very fit deputy that weighed 220 with 20 lbs of gear on. Wade stood up and walked away with him. I don’t know what he is on, but he seems to be the bad superman.

Uti
Guest
Uti
8 years ago

Reading comments that he must be a slow learner make me giggle. Who’s the real slow-learner? It’s not old Wade because he’s already learned very well there are no consequences for his behavior as long as he never follows through on his threats with weapons and violence and remains a petty thief. As Pogo said,”We have met the enemy and he is us.” We voted a law in that sounded good on the surface without reading the deeper analysis that it would create a revolving door in the jails for low-level habitual criminals.

It’s sort of like anonymous unregistered commenter trolls on blogs who play whack-a-mole with the moderators. If you run a blog with an open comment system the price is the loss of meaningful discussion.

I’m caught between wishing for the return of the pillories out in the town squares, cruel and probably not much of a deterrent, or lock-down mental health facilities for the criminal mentally ill where they’re drugged and pose no further danger to society if they’re untreatable. You have to wonder which is cheaper, the losses from the crimes and the drain on police services, or the cost of incarceration and treatment?

Then we have to consider the risks and costs, both in dollars and emotionally if he eventually hurts or kills someone or gets killed, because the way it’s going the likelihood of that happening grows every minute he’s free. And arguing that him being shot by an officer is no big loss is muddled thinking—everyone pays a price from the officer who takes a life to families to society in general.

SoHum Sun
Guest
SoHum Sun
8 years ago

He has also assaulted people in Garberville in the past year, nearly killing them, and several other criminal/violent acts that are not listed for one reason or another….

BJ
Guest
BJ
8 years ago

Never mind the fact he nearly killed his son by his drugged or crazy driving. Never mind the car that was torched at his rental in Loleta or the pipe bomb placed at the same rental perhaps to off him. His young son or any other child could have picked it up and been seriously injured or worse. Wade Harris needs to be off the streets. Thirty years might be enough?

nines
Guest
8 years ago

I’m not 100% sure because somehow these mugshots make everybody look like the creature from the black lagoon, but… seems this fellow is shrinking with each arrest.

And, seems to me — I know I read about it somewhere years ago — there are pretty good stats from cities that just pay to house and feed their street people, in regular homes and apartments, and regular food deliveries, plus medical. They actually save a lot of money. Also, this gives a lot of habitual offenders the space to finally clean up and make something positive out of their wrecked lives.

Just take the judgment off it. If they’re slobs they’re still human. If they’re stupid they’re still human. If they’re lazy they’re still human. If they’re ugly they’re still human. And yelling at them about it, or deriding them for it, only makes it worse… plus, makes you want to kill yourself when you find yourself in their shoes. Keep humans from such abject desperation, their own fault or ours or both, and suddenly the awfulness is diminished hugely.

Z
Guest
Z
4 years ago
Reply to  nines

Nines: a lovely post & accurate about the financial costs.
Read this article because Harris just got arrested again & slapped with $630,000 bail.

Holly Brown
Guest
Holly Brown
8 years ago

I am sure that however many times he has been arrested he will not change at least not without some kind of change to how we deal with criminals in the revolving door system that is place. Reforming someones behavior cannot be nor should be done by officers on patrol, once he has been arrested he should not only pay for the crime, but have to come up with a plan to change his pattern of not being able to live a normal life… I know many people believe this is what probation is and perhaps it is to a small extent but it is not enough there should be more. Sometimes someone with a record like this may have a hard time finding a job (not necessarily this guy) and see crime as their only way to survive. I just want to be clear I think there is something that must be done to help to fix this messed up system and in no way am I saying this is the sheriffs office or highway patrols fault.

N Judah
Guest
N Judah
8 years ago

How very humane of you to phrase it this way. Down on your luck, bad choices, the hand that the universe has delt you can make a person feel less than human, like sugar on the floor.

Gazoo
Guest
Gazoo
8 years ago
Sam Spade
Guest
Sam Spade
8 years ago

L@@K! There is no reason ridiculous enough that warrants this asshats release. He should be on the frequent flyer bus to San Quentin, with ta LONG TERM reservation a-waitin!

Get a grip, Humboldt! Do an Arpeijo-erect a tent city. You could fill it in a hurry-all of the funk from the Devils Campground will think they’re trespassing and check in. (Remember the roach motel? you can check in but you can’t check out)!

Rdbrat
Guest
Rdbrat
8 years ago

Have you ever thought he might be the cops snitch

Jason
Guest
Jason
8 years ago

This guy should be in jail. It’s just a matter of time before it gets worse, if you don’t think it’s bad enough already!

Ed
Guest
Ed
6 years ago

When does this worthless scum bag get his!!! He took over 180 weapons two generations of firearms HCSO are the real problem!!! The SCSO called told me they had weapons from a a car Wade Harris was driving Buck Sport Sporting Goods was called Greg From Buck Sport told the Sheriff the Rifle had a tag on it that had all the information of the owner. Than after 12 hours he was arrested in Santa Rosa with my weapons was to serve many years? got 4 years out in 16 months!!! I have never seen or met Wade Harris there is a day for everyone and his is card needs punched!!!
[edit]

Mark Olsen
Guest
4 years ago

I. Sure something bad will happened to him because his karma card is full and oh boy I’d hate to be him .now that he is out he should go to Mexico, and not be in humboldt

Levad
Guest
Levad
3 years ago

And now it would appear that his misdeeds have caught up with him. Book closed.

Levad
Guest
Levad
3 years ago

And now it would appear that his misdeeds have caught up with him. Card punched. Book closed.