Toddler Victim in New Sex Crime Case; Eureka Drive-By Shooting Suspect Faces Sex Crimes Charges Separately; and Another Shooter Found Guilty Could Avoid a Life Sentence — Inside Humboldt Courts

Thursday, 25 June 2026, 12:06 am Kym Kemp Leave a comment

Eureka Police taped off a residential block in Eureka to investigate the shooting that occurred on June 1, resulting in the arrest of Anthony Ramirez. [Photo by Ryan Hutson]

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.

IN THE CASE OF: Anthony Ramirez — Out on Bail for Sex Crimes When Eureka Shooting Occurred

Eureka Police investigate the vehicle to vehicle shooting that occurred on June 1 in Eureka. [Photo by Ryan Hutson]

On a sunny Monday afternoon this June 1, gunshots rang out near Wabash Avenue and Lowell Street in Eureka. The shots were later determined to have been fired from a vehicle at another vehicle.

Around 1:00 p.m., Eureka Police responded to the area after reports of two vehicles traveling at high speed and the occupants possibly firing weapons. Officers found multiple spent shell casings in the roadway, but the vehicles reportedly involved were no longer there.

Lowell Street between Wabash Avenue and Watson Street was cordoned off with crime scene tape while detectives worked the scene, interviewing neighbors and piecing together what had occurred.

According to EPD, surveillance video and witness statements indicated a white Porsche SUV had been stopped at a stop sign when an occupant of a black Mercedes-Benz SUV fired approximately six to eight rounds at the Porsche. The Porsche fled at high speed, with the black SUV appearing to give chase, according to the account provided by HCSO. Neither vehicle was located that day, and it was unknown at the time whether anyone had been injured.

On scene, EPD’s Sgt. Arminio informed this reporter, “We got reports around …1 o’clock in the afternoon of a shooting and reckless driving in the vicinity.” He then added, “It’s an isolated incident. There’s no danger to the public at this time.”

The investigation moved quickly. Two days later, detectives located the black Mercedes-Benz parked near 9th and N Streets in Eureka and seized it for evidence.

The white Porsche was found June 11 near Sonoma and C Street and also seized.

Then, on June 16, detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Anthony Ramirez, 22, of Eureka, on three counts of attempted murder and one count of shooting from a vehicle. He was taken into custody without incident the following day and booked into the Humboldt County jail.

What wasn’t in the press release — but is now in shown records — is that Ramirez was already facing serious felony charges when the June 1 shooting allegedly occurred.

In February 2026, Ramirez had been charged with multiple counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a teenage girl, child pornography possession, furnishing nitrous oxide to a minor, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. A special allegation of great bodily injury was attached to the most serious count.

On February 10, Ramirez posted $125,000 bail in that case — and was free on that bond when the Lowell Street shooting happened — nearly four months later, on June 1.

At his arraignment on the attempted murder charges June 22, the District Attorney successfully argued for a no bail hold. Now, Ramirez remains behind bars.

A bail review hearing was scheduled for this week, with a preliminary hearing in the new case set for July 2.

Additionally, the pre-existing sex offense case has a preliminary hearing set for July 30.

Ramirez is represented by the Public Defender’s office in both matters. The new case — the attempted murder case — is being prosecuted by the District Attorney’s office under DA Myers, while the sex offense case is handled by DA Jimm.

Previously:

Drive-By Shooting Investigated in Eureka Neighborhood; Involved Vehicles Fled – June 1, 2026
22-YEAR-OLD EUREKA MAN BOOKED ON ATTEMPTED MURDER CHARGES FOLLOWING VEHICLE SHOOTING – June 17, 2026

IN THE CASE OF: Kaiden Cerise — Baby Suffers Alleged Torture

A Manila man is facing some of the most serious charges the Humboldt County court system can bring — allegations of violent sexual assault against a baby.

Among the charges leveled by the District Attorney’s office are multiple accounts of sodomy, sexual intercourse, oral copulation, lewd acts, and possession of child pornography.

Kaiden Uriah Cerise, 18, was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on June 18 and has been ordered held without the possibility of bail.

Among the seven charges against him, the special allegation of torture is listed alongside counts one and two – both of which detail acts of sodomy against the young child – according to the charging information.

The felony complaint, filed by Senior Deputy District Attorney Whitney Timm, alleges that Cerise committed multiple acts of sexual violence against an infant born in 2025 — a baby who was just 16 months old at the time of the alleged offenses.

The charges span a period from May 9 through June 11, 2026. The DA’s complaint includes multiple counts of sodomy by force, as well as charges specific to victims ten years old or younger — among the most serious categories of sex crime under California law.

The alleged special circumstances of torture, if proven, would trigger what is known as California’s One Strike law — a mandatory sentence of 25 years to life.

The case was investigated by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, before being forwarded to the DA’s office for prosecution. Cerise is represented by the Public Defender’s office.

No bail was allowed, and Cerise made his first appearance in court Tuesday. If Cerise is ultimately found guilty, he will. E required to register as a sex offender.

The case is in its earliest stages, and we will continue to follow it.

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: James Atkins Jr. — Guilty on All Counts

James Clayton Atkins [2023 Booking photo from Eureka Police Department]

After more than three years in jail and 13 days of trial, a local jury has found a man guilty on eight counts and deadlocked on a ninth, stemming from a targeted shooting that left two people wounded on a Eureka street in May 2023.

According to early reporting by Redheaded Blackbelt, “The suspect had reportedly shot out the window of a PT Cruiser about 12:30 a.m. at California and West Wabash after an argument.”

Speeds during that early morning pursuit reached 95 mph, according to law enforcement heard over the scanner speaking to dispatchers. “At one point, an officer said that the suspect’s vehicle nearly struck his,” during the chase.

“Officers were prepared to put out spike strips several times during the pursuit,” wrote Redheaded Blackbelt at the time.

James Clayton Atkins Jr., 42, was convicted June 17 of two counts of attempted murder — one targeting a man, another targeting a woman involved in the 2023 incident.

The jury found Atkins guilty on eight counts but deadlocked on a ninth — the most serious charge of premeditated attempted murder targeting a female victim — leading the judge to declare a mistrial on that count alone.

Even without the life sentence count, Atkins is almost certainly headed to prison for a very long time. The firearm enhancement on the first attempted murder conviction alone carries a mandatory 20 years, before a judge has even begun to consider the remaining eight counts.

According to court records, the jury convicted Atkins on two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, one count of shooting at an occupied vehicle, three counts of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, and one misdemeanor count of drug possession.

Also, the jury found true a special allegation that Atkins “personally and intentionally discharged a firearm” during the attempted murders — an enhancement that carries a mandatory 20 additional years in prison under California law.

On the first attempted murder count, jurors convicted Atkins but stopped short of finding that the act was premeditated and deliberate — making it second degree rather than first. On the second attempted murder count, jurors could not reach agreement at all, and Judge Steward declared a mistrial after jurors reported they were hopelessly deadlocked.

That charge — the more serious ‘life count’ — remains unresolved, with prosecutors indicating they intend to retry it.

But, Senior Deputy DA Roger Rees has also extended an offer — if Atkins accepts a nine-year “upper term” sentence on the first attempted murder count and waives his right to appeal, the People would walk away from the retrial on the more serious life in prison count.

That offer will be on the table when Atkins returns to court July 1, when a judge will also take up the question of Atkins’ prior criminal history — a separate proceeding that could add significant time to any sentence he ultimately receives.

Atkins has been held in the Humboldt County jail since the day of the shooting — more than three years ago.

Prosecution has been handled by DA Rees, with defense attorney Anthony Tall representing Atkins throughout the trial.

Prior coverage:

Law Enforcement Pursued Suspect in a Vehicle Shooting – May 11, 2023

Attempted Murder Trial Begins After Three Years in Jail — Inside Humboldt Courts – May 27, 2026

IN THE CASE OF: Edward Neagu — Preliminary Hearing Delayed Again

A Eureka man accused of sexually abusing a teenage boy on multiple occasions earlier this year remains in the pretrial phase, as his case continues to work through procedural steps before reaching a preliminary hearing.

Edward Neagu, 34, was held to answer for the alleged sex crimes in May. Those alleged crimes include eight felony counts including sodomy, oral copulation, and lewd acts involving a victim who was 14 to 15 years old at the time.

The incidents are alleged to have occurred in March of this year. Neagu entered a not guilty plea at his arraignment.

Most recently, the court granted a motion to continue the case to yesterday morning before Judge Steven Steward.

A preliminary hearing — the proceeding where a judge determines whether there is sufficient evidence for the case to move to trial — is now set for July 10.

The case is being prosecuted by the Eureka Police Department and the District Attorney’s office, and Neagu is being held without bail.

Prior Coverage:

EUREKA MAN ARRESTED ON CHILD SEX ASSAULT CHARGES FOLLOWING SEARCH WARRANT – May 18, 2026
ATTEMPTED MURDER TRIAL BEGINS AFTER THREE YEARS IN JAIL; HOOPA UNCLE STABBING REACHES COURT; NEW CHILD SEX ABUSE CASE; AND MORE – INSIDE HUMBOLDT COURTS – May 27, 2026

Humboldt County Correctional Facility by Ryan Hutson.

This column is mostly based on court records and daily calendars but may include a reporter in the courtroom. This reporting is intended to give readers a clearer sense of how criminal or civil cases progress over time. When court hearings produce significant new information, those developments may be covered separately in a more thorough news article. As with all criminal matters, individuals named here are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

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

EARLIER: