Local Felon Accused in Baseball Bat Beating, Alleged Arson in Eureka, a Child Predator Sting, and a Pedophile Sentenced to 125 Years to Life, all 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.

WEDNESDAY’S ROUND-UP:

IN THE CASE OF: Nathan Lacount — Baseball Bat Assault

[Nathan Lacount 2016 booking photo from Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.]

Nathan Lacount, 47, was arrested by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office on May 15 following the alleged assault. The charging document filed by District Attorney Stacey Eads charges him with a single count of “Assault With A Deadly Weapon” and states that Lacount “did willfully and unlawfully commit an assault upon Daniel Francis Dowd with a deadly weapon, to wit: Baseball bat.” Lacount was arraigned Monday, entering a not-guilty plea. 

Bail was set at $35,000 and he remains in custody at Humboldt County Jail, five days in.

Court records show Lacount has an extensive history in Humboldt County courts. In 2016, following a January incident in which a man was injured in a vehicle accident, he was charged with leaving the scene of an accident and dissuading a witness from reporting a crime. That case evolved over several years and ultimately resulted in a guilty plea in February 2020 — with convictions that included child endangerment with possible great bodily injury and DUI with alcohol and drugs. Lacount was sentenced for that case in October 2020 before Judge Timothy Canning.

Court records also reflect a prior closed felony homicide case from 2016, listed as a conviction by guilty plea in March 2020. Details of that matter are in a closed file.

Lacount is represented by the Public Defender. A bail hearing is scheduled for today, with a preliminary examination set for May 29.

IN THE CASE OF: Tiffany Digiovanni — Three Felonies in Seven Weeks, Including Arson

Unit R at 2941 California Street in Eureka, where Digiovanni allegedly set fire to her own residence on May 17, 2026. A window to the left of the door has been boarded over; a second window to the right appears broken out, and yellow caution tape can be seen to the side of the entryway. Digiovanni was arraigned Wednesday on felony arson charges and remains in custody. [Photo by Ryan Hutson.] 

Tiffany Lynn Digiovanni, 46, also known as Tiffany Lynn Thacker, faces felony charges across three separate cases. The most recent, filed Wednesday, alleges she set fire to a structure at her own address — 2941 California Street — on May 17. She was arraigned the same morning, entering a not-guilty plea. Bail was set at $55,000. She remains in custody at Humboldt County Jail.

The pattern allegedly began May 2, when Digiovanni allegedly threatened to kill her neighbor in terms prosecutors described in the charging document as “so unequivocal, unconditional, immediate and specific” that the victim  was placed in “sustained fear of her safety and the safety of her immediate family.” On the same day, according to a second complaint, Digiovanni smashed the rear window of the victim’s travel trailer. Those charges — criminal threats and felony vandalism — resulted in her first case.

A second vandalism case, filed separately, stems from an earlier incident on April 12, in which Digiovanni is accused of breaking a window belonging to a different person.

After her arrest in the May 2 incidents, a judge granted supervised release on May 8 — placing Digiovanni on a GPS ankle monitor, requiring her to report twice monthly, and ordering her to stay away from the victims. She allegedly lit her own residence on fire nine days later.

All three cases are handled by Conflict Counsel on the defense side. A hearing to determine bail is set for Friday. 

IN THE CASE OF: Derek Barnett — Child Predator Sting

[Darek Barnett, 2019 Booking Photo from California Dept. of Corrections.]

Derek Ryan Barnett, 37, of McKinleyville, was arrested December 23, 2024, following what court documents describe as an undercover operation using a minor decoy. According to the felony complaint signed by Senior Deputy DA Whitney Timm, Barnett arranged a meeting with someone he believed to be a 14-year-old girl “for the purpose of exposing the genitals and pubic and rectal area” of himself and the child — and then showed up at the arranged time and place.

A second charge alleges Barnett distributed harmful sexual material to the decoy between October 21 and December 23, 2024, “with the intent of arousing, appealing to, or gratifying” his own sexual desires and with intent to engage in sexual intercourse. A third count charges him with contacting a minor, believing her to be underage, with intent to commit sexual offenses.

Barnett posted $35,000 bail three days after his arrest in 2024, and was free for months while the case saw a long series of continuances, with defense delays cited multiple times in court minutes. However, according to the Humboldt County Correctional Facility’s inmate roster, he is currently back in custody — heading into this morning’s preliminary hearing from behind bars. 

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for this morning. Barnett is represented by Conflict Counsel. A conviction on any of the charges would require lifetime sex offender registration under California law.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​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: Steve Boudreaux — 125 Years to Life for Child Sex Crimes

An Arcata man who sexually abused two young girls over more than a decade was sentenced Wednesday to 125 years to life in prison – the final chapter in a case that required three separate jury trials to reach resolution.

Judge Kaleb Cockrum sentenced Steve Elliot Boudreaux, 38, following convictions from two separate trials. The crimes against one victim, identified in court records as Doe 1, began in 2011 when she was only six years old. Born in 2005, the victim came forward as a young adult in the summer of 2023 and reported the abuse to the Arcata Police Department. During the investigation, a second victim also came forward.

According to the amended charging document filed by the District Attorney’s office, the abuse against Doe 1 took place over multiple years at residences on Samoa Boulevard and in Arcata. The document describes repeated acts of sexual abuse beginning when the child was in early elementary school and continuing for years. Prosecutors also charged Boudreaux with sexually assaulting Doe 2.

Boudreaux was arrested in January 2024. A jury convicted him of crimes against Doe 2 in the first trial that summer, but could not reach a unanimous verdict on the charges involving Doe 1. A second jury came close – eleven of twelve jurors voted for conviction, but could not agree. 

Senior Deputy DA Whitney Timm took the case to trial a third time in November 2025, and that jury convicted him of crimes against Doe 1.

Additional evidence introduced during the proceedings included cell phone data obtained in 2025 by the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force, according to court records. Investigators reportedly found Boudreaux had been searching for pornographic material depicting sexual interest in incest.

Five of the seven felony counts carried a “One Strike” special allegation under California law – a sentencing enhancement that mandates a minimum of 25 years to life for each qualifying offense. With multiple counts running consecutively, the math produced a sentence that amounts to the rest of Boudreaux’s natural life – a total of 125 years behind bars.

District Attorney Stacey Eads described the outcome Wednesday in a press release, saying the young women’s courage and perseverance through the trauma of abuse and the difficulty of testifying had made accountability possible. “Boudreaux is now held accountable and will spend his remaining years where he belongs,” Eads said.

Prosecution was led by Senior DDA Whitney Timm, with support from DA Investigator Ryan Hill and Victim Witness Advocate Caitlyn LaHaie. The North Coast Rape Crisis Team provided support to the victims. Defense was handled by attorney Casey Russo.

Humboldt County Correctional Facility. [Composite image for Inside Humboldt Courts by Ryan Hutson]

If you know of a case with significant public interest that you would like followed, email us at [email protected].

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