Mercer-Fraser Allegedly Violates Conservation Terms, Defendant Takes Stand in Combs Murder Retrial, and More Inside Humboldt Courts
Humboldt County Superior Court handles a steady flow of criminal cases each day, but most proceedings pass without much public notice unless they result in major developments.
In this column, Redheaded Blackbelt provides a regular look at what’s moving through the local courts- tracking hearings, trials, and filings in cases that are either well known or warrant closer public attention. As always, any individuals described should be presumed innocent until proven guilty.
MONDAY’S ROUND-UP:
IN THE CASE OF: Trinidad Gomez – Sex Crimes in McKinleyville
A McKinleyville man facing two felony counts of lewd acts on a child was set to begin jury trial in Courtroom Three Monday morning, but the case hit a procedural snag when his defense attorney filed a disqualification against the presiding judge, effectively halting proceedings before they could begin.
Defense attorney Owen Tipps filed the DQ (disqualification) against Judge Steven Steward today under California Penal Code section 170.6, a motion that allows either party to disqualify a judge without cause, prior to that judge having issued an order in the case.
Trinidad Cortez Gomez, 46, of McKinleyville has been held in Humboldt County Jail without bail since July 6, 2025. He has pleaded not guilty to both felony counts. The charges allege that Gomez committed lewd acts upon a child under the age of 14, with alleged incidents occurring at a McKinleyville residence and in a vehicle, spanning from 2020 through 2024. The alleged victim, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, was born in 2010.
Redheaded Blackbelt reported on the case’s background, including a public payroll record indicating a person with the same name previously worked as a custodian for McKinleyville Union Elementary School District in 2019.
The case has now been assigned to Judge Lawrence Killoran, who is expected to handle the Intervention Hearing, set for this afternoon, followed by a Jury Trial on May 14.
In Humboldt County Superior Court, intervention hearings are convened when both sides have attempted to resolve a case but reached an impasse – and the judge steps in to facilitate discussions between parties.
NOTE: Because independent courtroom reporting is expensive and time-intensive work, portions of this update are based on official court minutes and records rather than full in-person courtroom coverage. Reader support helps fund more firsthand reporting from inside Humboldt County courtrooms.
IN THE CASE OF: CA Dept. of Forestry vs. Mercer-Fraser – A Land Stewardship Failure
California’s Attorney General sued Humboldt County’s largest road-construction company, Mercer-Fraser, over what state prosecutors describe as a sustained campaign of environmental destruction on protected conservation land near Bridgeville. The Attorney General’s office cites instances of driving heavy equipment through salmon habitat, bulldozing oak trees, tearing out erosion controls, and dumping sediment directly into creek crossings, all on forestland the state spent $3.1 million in public funds to protect.
The suit was filed on behalf of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection — the state agency known as CAL FIRE — which holds a conservation easement over the property at issue.
The lawsuit, filed May 6 in Humboldt County Superior Court, centers on Chalk Mountain Ranch – a family-owned ranch and forestland half a mile southwest of Bridgeville that has been in the Barnwell family since 1884. The property sits between two of the three largest salmonid-spawning tributaries to the Eel River system and is home to Coho and Chinook salmon, steelhead trout, peregrine falcons, mountain lions, spotted owls, and Pacific fishers. A peregrine nest at Chalk Rock has produced fledglings every year since 1994 at the remote, eastern Humboldt property.
In 2009, the state paid the Barnwell family $3.1 million for a conservation easement over 3,268 acres of the ranch – a legally binding, perpetual restriction prohibiting commercial vehicle use, road construction, tree removal, and any activity that would harm the property’s riparian corridors or water quality. That easement was recorded with the Humboldt County Clerk in January 2010.
Mercer-Fraser operates a rock quarry on adjacent land. According to the complaint, the company began using a private road across the protected property – with initial, limited permission from the ranch – to haul rock commercially. That limited tolerance ended badly.
The complaint alleges that over the past year and a half, Mercer-Fraser has “recklessly driven heavy commercial vehicles carrying rock through sensitive riparian corridors on the Property during wet winter conditions” and repeatedly conducted unauthorized construction it had no legal right to perform. The company “has disclosed in sworn statements that it intends to conduct more construction without regard to the Easement’s terms,” the complaint states.
The most detailed damage occurred in August 2025, when Mercer-Fraser crews – without consent from the ranch or from CAL FIRE – used excavators and bulldozers to widen a road through the property’s riparian buffer zone along Hoagland Creek. That work was not authorized.
According to the complaint, the work widened the road by five to ten feet, removed approximately 480 cubic yards of soil, uprooted a mature Oregon white oak, and damaged the root systems of eight additional oaks – all within the easement’s 150-foot protected riparian corridor.
One exhibit included in the filings showed a culvert showing an “obstruction” on the property.
Regional Water Board engineer Joelle Geppert, who inspected the property in October and December 2024, documented conditions, noting that multiple culverts were failing or had already failed. One crossing was described as “a total failure”. Inspectors found excavator tracks on steep slopes above salmon-bearing Class II watercourses. Road runoff was discharging sediment directly into stream crossings with no erosion controls in place.
Among the more striking findings, the complaint alleges that Mercer-Fraser had partially blocked a culvert with plywood to create a deeper pool for water drafting – drawing water from the creek for quarry operations – with two pumps present at the site, one of which appeared to be a permanent installation. Neither a water diversion permit nor a streambed alteration agreement could be located with any state agency, according to the court records. Pacific Giant salamanders – a species at risk of habitat loss due to “sedimentation” of streams and decline of old growth forests – were observed at the drafting site.
The Water Board’s December 2024 inspection memo also disclosed that the quarry access road had originally been built by Mercer Fraser approximately 15 years ago under what was described as a “handshake agreement” with the Barnwell family – with no recorded permits for the culvert installations. Times have changed.
In December of 2024, the Water Board issued a formal Notice of Violation to Mercer-Fraser, Goat Rock Ranch, and Chalk Mountain Ranch, warning that administrative civil liabilities could reach $5,000 per day per violation, and flagging potential referral to the California Attorney General’s office. That letter – and the ultimatum presented – is the smoking gun in this civil case, and a piece of evidence that the Attorney General’s office has leveraged.
Chalk Mountain Ranch responded to that letter by denying Mercer-Fraser road access and installing drainage improvements on the property. In January 2026, Mercer-Fraser came back anyway, despite the warning issued by the Water Board. According to the complaint, the company “regained access to Road A and, over the course of several days, conducted another round of unauthorized construction that effectively undid the remediation” – removing a waterbar over Johnson Creek, a designated riparian corridor, and resuming commercial rock hauling with heavy vehicles.
Several maps are included in the filed complaint, including MAP 2B, which shows the property in question.
CAL FIRE and Water Board inspectors returned in February 2026 and documented fresh damage. On April 1, the Water Board issued a second Notice of Violation, and then on May 5, CAL FIRE issued its own easement violation notice. The following day, California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office filed suit in Humboldt County against Mercer-Fraser.
The company’s CEO, Justin Zabel – who heads both Mercer-Fraser and Goat Rock Ranch LLC – had already stated in a sworn declaration filed in a related Humboldt County lawsuit that Mercer-Fraser intended to conduct further road construction on the property. CAL FIRE is now using that declaration against the company, calling the sworn statements “judicial admissions” that support the easement violation claims.
State forestry officials are seeking a preliminary injunction that would immediately stop Mercer-Fraser from operating any vehicles or conducting any construction on the protected ranch property while the case proceeds. They are also seeking a permanent order requiring the company to restore the land to its pre-violation condition – or pay for CAL FIRE to do it – along with damages for harm to conservation values that cannot be restored.
On May 8, Judge Kelly Neel signed an Order to Show Cause following a Zoom hearing in which Mercer-Fraser’s attorneys appeared and opposed the proposed schedule. The judge signed that order anyway. Mercer-Fraser must appear before the court on June 12 to explain why an order demanding a stop to their activities should not be issued.
Mercer-Fraser has not yet filed a response to the complaint.
IN THE CASE OF: Jake Combs – The Alderpoint Murder Retrial
Law enforcement looking for the shooter – Jake Combs. [Photo provided by Wes Robelen]
On Day 10 of the jury retrial, Friday May 8, the prosecution called witnesses Elias Antunez, identified as the resident of the rural home in Alderpoint where the shooting occurred, and Andrew Campbell. Both were subject to extensive cross-examination by defense attorneys, and jurors submitted written questions for both witnesses. By the end of the day Friday, the People rested their case.
When court recessed Friday, Judge Kaleb Cockrum informed Combs on the record of his right to testify. Combs indicated he intended to do so.
Combs took the stand Monday and offered a striking account, according to one observer in the gallery – he does not dispute that he shot Earley, but instead, asserts that the shooting was justified. His stated reasoning – that Earley had threatened to kill his dog after being bitten in the face, and that he shot Earley to protect the dog from that threat.
Combs has been held in Humboldt County Jail without bail since July 17, 2025. His original 2023 conviction was reversed by the First District Court of Appeal in May 2025 after the appellate court found that video of a jailhouse assault had been improperly admitted at trial.
The retrial continues in Courtroom One.
[Composite image for Inside Humboldt Courts by Ryan Hutson]
If you know of a case that has significant public interest that you would like followed, email us at [email protected]
EARLIER:
- Chop Shop Felon Heads to Prison, Alleged Would-Be Cop Killer Awaits Trial, Combs Murder Retrial Continues: Inside Humboldt Courts
- Inside Humboldt Courts: Combs Retrial Continues; Cal Poly Peeping Tom Back in Court; Elder Abuse Alleged at Arcata Drug House
- Inside Humboldt Courts: Murder Retrial Opens in Jake Combs Case as Jury Hears Graphic Testimony; Judge Denies New Trial in Child Abuse Conviction
- Inside Humboldt Courts: Murder Retrial Advances, Nordic Case Nears Settlement, and Double Homicide Defendants Sentencing Set
- Inside Humboldt Courts: Trials Pending, Healthcare Scrutinized, Alleged Pedophilia & More
- Inside Humboldt Courts: Courthouse Arsonist Deemed Incompetent, Disbarred Attorney No-Show, and a WinCo Robbery Trial Heads to June
- Inside Humboldt Courts: Trials Move Forward in Several
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Mercer fraiser sucks. And they shouldn’t be allowed to continue work on highway 36, or anything else. Just another good ol boy working for the county. These good ol boys are dumb as rocks.
Mercer-Fraiser always wins. That is why they can be so blatant about disregarding a local judge’s order. It literally means nothing to them. They’re Mercer-Fraiser for goodness sake.
They’re Masons.
They’ve been around for 150 years and one of the largest civil engineering and construction companies in the state. They’re not going anywhere and our opinions don’t matter. I wouldn’t say they’re dumb as the rocks they dig, unless you hold a PhD yourself. But they have a lot of clout and money to fight lawsuits, not just here, but statewide. $5000 a day in fines is peanuts to them. That’s maybe an hour’s rates for the equipment on a big job.
Correct. One of the last holdouts of the good ole boys of the area. The only prosperity Mercer Frazier wanted was for themselves. It snot the end for them, but some hefty environmental penalties will make them consider actions in the future.
Hmmm…all those paved hiking/ bike paths…Mercer-Fraser is in on that right?
Mercer-Fraser has been doing whatever it wants for a long time around here, environment be damned. No more government contracts for the MF’s!
Stories about MF exploiting small businesses and ranchers are well known. A quick check on public records shows the owner has a bunch of tax liens. The owner brags he has more money and Sacramento attorneys on speed dial which he uses to exploit the little guy and environmental laws. I think the state of California has more money than MF. Maybe the owner should just start playing by the rules instead of relying on political allies.
They’re Masons.
So? I know people that have been Masons for decades. Here and other places. That doesn’t make them part of some cult or conspiracy.
I know…I know….
……not a secret society, just a society with secrets.
this county is so corrupt. Omg. Everything is good ol boy connections. Still. It’s sick and it’s just been “how they do things” for as long as the white man has been here.
Yeah, it’s just Humboldt County. sheesh.
Poking The Bear True That!
What the article does not address is that this parcel is only one of several areas impacted by the Grizzly Creek Slide Removal and Repair project, which directly caused this environmental degradation. We have not even begun to examine Redwood House Road, the slide area itself with the in‑stream work that occurred within the Van Duzen during the winter time, or the watersheds affected by the road and quarry operations. Sedimentation went all the way down these tributaries effecting spawning all the way down to the river. The damage starts at the slide, and if you follow the routes used by the gravel trucks and the locations where the slide material was deposited, it becomes clear that the work was carried out with no meaningful environmental protections in mind. Why we didn’t declare a State of Emergency when we had the chance to and get proper resources on the ground is beyond me.
This is upstream of the slide quite a distance.
what a bunch of propaganda. Of coarse Mercer should have gotten a more formal agreement and there are probably some violations but this is a terribly biased written article. Naming all the animals and fish? Why? Propaganda! Operating in an area with a Perigan Falcon? Oh my! How terrible! Culverts that needs to be replaced? Big deal. The issue here is dragging the Barnwells into this- they did nothing wrong. The correct response from the government should be to pay a fine, repair what they can, exclude the road from the conservation easement. But don’t force them out of a rock pit. We don’t have enough of them as it is. And why all the drama in writing the article? As if it effected fish in any way which it doesn’t
Propaganda? Wahoo. 🤣.
Mercer Fraser can afford any fines levied. Time to abate Merser Fraser?
Mercer-Fraser Company – Owners and Operators of a Rock Quarry located in Trinidad, CA, have been polluting the local waterways and subsequently, the once historically pristine, Trinidad, CA, beaches and surrounding ocean waters for decades.
On Thu, May 31, 2018 at 2:37 PM, I sent an email along with a video explaining and exposing this situation to the fifth district supervisor, Steve Madrone. Whom responded, on 05/31/18, with a simple “Well done.” I would like to know what he has done to stop this? For that matter I would like to know why nobody, that has the authority to do so, has done ANYTHING to stop this obvious environmental abomination.
How has the Mercer-Fraser Company not only been allowed to continue to pollute the waterways of Trinidad, CA, since it was brought to the attention of the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors official back in 2018. Mostly when it was pointed out that Mercer-Fraser‘s operations had literally block clear creeks, diverted these creeks and filled these creeks with silt and byproducts of their mining operations.
In addition to contaminating the waterways, they are also compromising the air quality for the entire neighborhood. Pulverizing rocks into dust, most likely filled with asbestos, even according to their own signs.
While large amounts of asbestos settled into which eventually became a lake, of their own making. They diverted this water into the local waterways that flow unfiltered into the ocean. In addition to literally blocking the creeks entirely with their slag pile.
The pristine clear creeks that flow from above the Mercer-Fraser Rock Quarry’s property and through it, have been destroyed. Even after this was brought to the attention of those that should care and have the authority to make a difference have done absolutely nothing.
In addition to no one stopping Mercer-Fraser Company for environmental pollution, I continue to question the legitimacy of their permits. At the time, the original video I produced was made, it was pointed out that their permits had been expired. In addition, their original permits falsely claim that there is no water flowing through their operations. Perhaps this was true at the time of their original permit filings, this is no longer accurate as they have blown up a HUGE rock and hillside into a literal lake with freshwater flowing into it. Exposing springs that have been uncovered through these mining actions.
Mercer-Fraser has actually ramped up their production exponentially since the original video I produced exposing them, in order to provide rock for major road construction, paid for by Humboldt County, CA. Therefore the constituents and taxpayers of Humboldt County, CA, theoretically have been paying for this abomination and pollution of their most cherished beaches and oceans surrounding and expanding from Trinidad, California.
The blowing up of hillsides, extraction of rock and polarizing it into usable size has almost seemed to increase by tenfold over the past few years. Due to the HUGE contracts that Mercer-Frase won the bid for. Doing extensive work on the major highways and freeways and roads of Humboldt County, CA.
How refreshing to the see the California’s Attorney General is FINALLY holding Mercer-Fraser Company accountable for the actions they have taken in connection to compromising ANOTHER protected waterway within the Humboldt County, CA, jurisdiction. While ironically working on a project funded by Humboldt County, CA. Most likely compromising the local salmon and salmon runs of this regions iconic and most precious fish. A fish that has been an essential food historically for thousands of years for the Native Americans and now for all of the locals that are into subsistent fishing. In addition to compromising one of the last industries that the county is hoping to cash in on, tourism.
Even though the video I made was distributed amongst the higher-ups within the county and water boards back in 2018 and nothing has been done to stop the pollution of the waterways in Trinidad, CA. It is nice to see attention is finally being brought to the environmental derogation that Mercer-Fraser Company has been doing for decades, if not the past century in Humboldt County, CA. Ironically for polluting and compromising a different waterway in the same county. The lawsuit involving Humboldt County, California and Mercer-Fraser is just the tip of the iceberg.
California’s Attorney General sued Humboldt County’s largest road-construction company, Mercer-Fraser, over what state prosecutors describe as a sustained campaign of environmental destruction on protected conservation land near Bridgeville. The Attorney General’s office cites instances of driving heavy equipment through salmon habitat, bulldozing oak trees, tearing out erosion controls, and dumping sediment directly into creek crossings, all on forestland the state spent $3.1 million in public funds to protect.
The suit was filed on behalf of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection — the state agency known as CAL FIRE — which holds a conservation easement over the property at issue.
If you have the patience to watch a 15 minute video that was produced more for a legal and informative audience with details, you can click the following link below to see the video that was originally sent to Humboldt County’s fifth district Board of Supervisors, representative Steve Madrone. Soon there will be a more refined, straight to the point, more entertaining video for an audience with less of an attention span. Stay tuned.
Environmental Pollution in Ocean and Creeks in Trinidad, CA: Mercer-Fraser Company, Rock Quarry
https://youtu.be/F9jl2Rp_q0Q?si=cramYiSBERaIWL8H
#environmental #water #ocean #creeks #pollution #quarry #Mercer #Fraser #asbestos
This is what happens when a wealthy man gives a kid a construction company! Ted thought Justin was a deserving kid and bought him a construction company!