Eureka Man Among Two Found Dead in Butte County Burned Vehicle
Samuel Ashley and Wesley Evans [Photos provided by the Butte County Sheriff’s Department]
The two Humboldt County men arrested on Monday, February 10, have now been identified as suspected of murdering a Eureka man and another victim whose bodies were found inside a burned vehicle in Butte County late last month. Investigators say Juan Daniel Arreola-Solano, 26, of Eureka, and Esequiel Valle-Arellano, 22, of San Diego, were shot and killed before their vehicle was set on fire in a remote area near Oroville on January 30.
According to the Butte County Sheriff’s Office, forensic analysis determined both men had been shot before their vehicle was set on fire. They said that their investigation, with help from CAL FIRE law enforcement personnel, linked two Humboldt County residents—Wesley Lavern Evans, 45, of Rio Dell, and Samuel Terry Ashley, 43, of Ferndale—to the crime.
Detectives uncovered evidence that Arreola-Solano and Valle-Arellano had traveled from Humboldt County to Oroville the morning of January 30. Evans and Ashley allegedly traveled with them, and at least one of the victims became involved in a dispute with Ashley over a recent gun and drug transaction. Shortly after, the two victims were killed, and their vehicle was set ablaze.
Evans and Ashley reportedly fled the scene and returned to Humboldt County, where they were arrested on February 10 by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) SWAT Team, with assistance from Butte County investigators and CAL FIRE law enforcement. Search warrants were served at both men’s residences. The suspects were then transported to the Butte County Jail on February 14 and are scheduled to be arraigned in Butte County Superior Court on February 18.
Unusually, Butte County authorities withheld key details about the arrests for eight days, including the identities of the victims and the location of the crime. As previously reported by Redheaded Blackbelt, on the day of the arrests, HCSO assisted in executing out-of-county warrants, using its armored BearCat vehicle to support the operation. Evans was taken into custody in Rio Dell at 11:22 a.m., while Ashley was arrested at 2:21 p.m. on Price Creek Road in Ferndale.
At the time, Butte County officials declined to provide basic public records information, stating only that they would release details “when it’s safe and available.”
A commenter on Redheaded Blackbelt, going by the name Juan Pablo, had early on linked the case to a January 30 vehicle fire in Butte County, where two bodies were discovered after CAL FIRE crews extinguished the flames. That fire was reported around 10:30 a.m. on Condor Road in the Cherokee area of Butte County.
Both suspects have prior encounters with law enforcement. Ashley has a history of arrests in Butte County, while Evans was previously taken into custody in connection with a 2020 theft and pursuit in Salmon Creek among other arrests.
This case is still under investigation and, as always, being suspected of a crime, does not mean that one is guilty.
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Thank God butte county has police that can properly investigate a murder. Take notes humboldt. Humboldt police are WAY below average in solving murder. Humboldt police are a joke.
I agree with you, Humboldt law enforcement is a joke. They scrape the bottom of the barrel for their hires. Basically if you have a pulse, apply. If you can’t get hired elsewhere, apply.
Really Humboldt co. Law enforcement get up every day, go out to protect and serve you and me, leaving the safety of there homes, not knowing for sure they’ll return home. They do this day after day, and there may be some that need improvement, but the vast majority lay there lives on the line everyday, day after day for you and me. I for one appreciate that they do this, cops aren’t perfect, there names aren’t Jesus or God, there human beings that choose to do job, a dangerous job, a very stress full job, a job many would not choose because of these very things. Every time I see an officer at events or the grocery store I make it a point to say thank you and let them know I appreciate what they do. In case your wondering Iam not an officer or work in law enforcement, I have in the past been a temporary resident at the humbolt hilton in the past, because of actions I either did or failed to do, I make every effort these days not to break the law, my encounters with law enforcement these days are medically related like when they show up to offer assistances with an emergency 911 call related to my health. I for one appreciate everything they do day in and day out. Talking crap about the people who choose this line of work, is pretty lame, the vast majority of officers work there butts off, working lots of overtime, with little appreciation. At the very least THEY DESERVE OUR RESPECT and APPRECIATION. Thank you and God bless, Humbolt Co. Law Enforcement, the majority of the residents of Humboldt do appreciate all that you do.
There are good and bad people in every environment, but respect is earned and never deserved. Just sayin’
You must be getting paid by the word.
bla bla bla. the proof is in the pie. Look at the unsolved murder and unresolved missing person cases. Look at the murder mountian case they wouldnt investigate, make on arrest on, becuase theyd been shamed by the neighborhood up there.
and if youve ever been to rancho, youd know that only adds to the clicks on the belt in favor of finding us a new sheriff who can at least reel his own rod when he goes fishing.
And that murderer from Murder Mountain is still free. Walking around. Who else is he killing?
It is very evident from your writing that you are uneducated. You should know that the job of LEO is not even in the top ten most dangerous. Don’t be a copsucking bootlicker.
They’re so good at their jobs that they play tit-for-tat games with the public. the people who pay them. Then when someone tags up some cars on their property they ask for the publics help. We have an adversarial legal system, and the police are more than happy to be an arm of it, rather than actually serving and protecting.
I agtee
As Sheriff Honsal said; join up or shut up. I’d bet a paycheck you’ve never even joined the Cub Scouts. Typical cop hater
And yet they got arrested here. I seem to recall a similar murder/fire out on the Shelter Cove road. Solved and prosecuted. Maybe you can apply your sleuthing skills to a cold case and teach these guys how to do it.
So they are and were all criminals? Well sounds like there are no victims.
Wow Kyle you must be a Humboldt co. Cop ,it’s that kind of thinking that people have the opinions we do, you basically sit on your butts don’t do anything and cry “ there all criminals” was it a court that sentenced them to death by gun shot. Cops like you are the problem buddy, you give the really hard working cops of Humboldt a bad reputation cause. Your lame lazy we need to purge the force of all the deadbeats like yourself
This did not convey the message I was trying to convey
Trumpsters…all 4 of them…even worse!
Trumpsters would have gotten away with it,Must definitely Jackass Harris supports
Did you read the article? It seems unlikely any of the four voted. It’s still only speculation how the two arrested would have voted…despite that look.
Binturongs Rock.
A sketchy Butte county fugitive used to hide out in Fieldbrook until he got busted by HCSO on a traffic stop in Glendale. That didn’t make the news but the Humboldt Sheriff’s made Fieldbrook a safer place that night. Many thanks to that lone deputy.
The sheriffs helped me greatly in dealing with a tweaker neighbor over the years in Manila. I still feel gratitude towards all the deputies that responded.