New opinion page ............................ A4
CR athletes shine ..... A9
SERVING DEL NORTE COUNTY SINCE 1879 www.triplicate.com
FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2022
Crescent City, CA
Crescent City man jailed for child porn By Daniel Schmidt Editor
Crescent City Police, with the assistance other law enforcement agencies, arrested Walter Neeley, age 70, for sending child pornography to other adults via Facebook Messenger. Neeley was arrested at his res-
idence in the 1000 block of 6th Street in Crescent City following the execution of a search warrant that was focused on child pornography. Other agencies assisting the investigation were the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Pelican Bay CRT and K9 Units.
Police Chief Richard Griffin stated police received an investigation request from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force regarding Neeley sending child pornography to other adults via Facebook Messenger. Officer Alex Pearson was assigned to conduct follow up investigation and obtained a search
warrant for Neeley’s residence on March 28. During the search warrant, Neeley was located inside his garage and was interviewed. Chief Griffin stated Neeley admitted to possessing and distributing child pornography. Neeley was then booked in the Del Norte County Jail for a vio-
lation of 311.11 of the California Penal Code. The investigation is ongoing. CCPD will be conducting a forensic examination of the devices seized from Neeley’s residence and will be forwarding the investigation to the Del Norte County District Attorney’s Office for review.
New details emerge in sheriff prosecution Board,
council unable to agree on tobacco regulations By Daniel Schmidt Editor
Del Norte County Clerk-Registrar Alissia Northrup said she verifies the residency of voter registrants, and that a candidate is “living in the district they are running for by the time they bring their papers back.” When former Sheriff Randy Waltz registered to vote on February 8 using the 16855 Highway 101, Smith River address, Northrup verified that he had already been registered to vote in Del Norte County at a different county address, Northrup said. She would not disclose the previous address. Waltz submitted his declaration of candidacy for Sheriff on February 14, and paid the $1,048.47 filing fee. However, “he withdrew his candidacy and did not submit the rest of the papers,” said Northrup. Papers not submitted included other nomination documents and signatures, as well as a statement attesting to his professional qualifications to hold the office of sheriff, required under Government Code section 24004.3. Northrup noted that a voter can have multiple residences. Some local voters have residences in other counties, even in other states, she said. They might live in Arizona for six months of the year before they return to Del Norte County.
The Del Norte County Board of Supervisors and Crescent City Council failed Tuesday night to reach a consensus on how to proceed with a proposal to ban flavored tobacco products and enact a tobacco retail licensing requirement. The joint meeting was held at the Wastewater Treatment Facility before a standing room only audience that included health officials, community leaders and perhaps two dozen Del Norte High School students, many who addressed the local government officials during public comments portion of the meeting. The board of supervisors and the city council were each strongly divided on how to locally address what had been described as the tobacco industry’s clever attempt to get young people addicted to nicotine by the wide availability of flavored tobacco and vaping products. Such products are sold locally in gasoline service stations, liquor stores, smoke shops and pharmacies. Although current laws prohibit the sale to minors, teenagers often obtain the tobacco products from family members and others who purchase the products legally. Del Norte County Counsel Joel Campbell-Blair presented a Tobacco Retail License Model Ordinance that could have been used as a template to tailor a local ordinance agreeable to both the city and county. The model ordinance proposed a density limitation on tobacco retailers, either by limiting the number of retail tobacco licenses issued based on population, and/ or by requiring tobacco retailers to be located away from schools, playgrounds and other places where youth congregate, similar to local cannabis dispensary regulations. The model ordinance also proposed advertising and store display restrictions. The inability for either governing body to reach its own consensus on any plan to limit tobacco sales meant that further action was stalled. Board and council members were sharply divided within their own membership. Council members and supervisors on one side supported an increase in local control, a ban on the sale of flavored tobacco and vaping products, and limiting the retail sale of tobacco to businesses licensed for such sales. Council
Please see Analysis, Page A2
Please see Tobacco, Page A2
Photos by Daniel Schmidt/The Triplicate
After former Sheriff Randy Waltz rented this residence in Smith River and changed his voter registration form, he was charged with three charges related to perjury. The home was long rented as a short-term rental before the owners changed it to longer-term rentals earlier this year. Below, Younan Dawood points out the unit Waltz still rents.
Landlord stunned Waltz being prosecuted over rental B D S Analysis y aniel Editor
chmidt
Former Sheriff Randy Waltz will formally face three felony charges at an arraignment that has been postponed from March 29 to May 3 at 1:30 p.m. in Department 2 of the Del Norte County Courthouse. The delay was necessary because both Del Norte County superior court judges declared a conflict in the matter. Another judge will be assigned to preside over the case. The complaint, filed March 9, alleges three violations: perjury by declaration on a voter registration application, false voter registration, and false declaration of candidacy. The alleged perjury arises from Waltz’s claim that he resided in the County of Del Norte at 16855 U.S. Highway, Unit 2, Smith River. The location is just one half mile south of the California-Oregon state line. The property at that address is a four-unit apartment building that, until early this year, was marketed as a short-term vacation rental destination listed with AirBnB and VRBO. The owners, Younan and Sandra Dawood, withdrew their property from the short-term vacation rental market in order to accommodate longer term tenants, such as visiting nurses, who often stay for several months. The Dawoods stated that Waltz contacted them in January to rent a furnished apartment on a “long, long, long term’ basis. Following that contact, he mailed a $1,500 check to hold and rent the apartment. The check was dated January 23, 2022, and postmarked the next day. In the envelope along with the check was a note that said, “Sandra & Younan – It was very Please see Waltz, Page A2
Confusion over voter residence and domicile By Daniel Schmidt Editor
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