Suspect back out on the street after arrest for attempted arson at Eureka GOP office
EUREKA, Calif. — A man arrested on a slew of charges, including attempted arson of the Republican Party of Humboldt headquarters, is back out on the street after spending only a day in jail before posting bail.
On Saturday Feb. 8, at about 4:53 a.m., officers with the Eureka Police Department responded to the office on 5th Street for the report of a man smashing the windows. The witness gave a description of the suspect and said he was last seen riding a bicycle toward the bay.
Officers quickly arrived on scene and saw the man on the Boardwalk. They said the suspect fled from them on the bike, but after a short pursuit he was detained. According to the EPD, the suspect was found to be in possession of a “Trump” political flag. His bicycle had a “Bernie” political sticker prominently displayed, police said.
Police said they found the man, later identified as 43-year-old Michael Valls of Eureka, riding his bike near the foot of D Street. Police said Valls tried to flee from officers but was ultimately taken into custody after a brief struggle. He was found to be in possession of items linking him to the vandalism on 5th Street, police said.
Upon investigation, police said they discovered that three large front plate glass windows had been shattered with what appeared to be multiple blows or thrown rocks.
Police also said a “Trump” political flag had been taken from inside one of the shattered windows, which matched the flag found in Valls’ possession.
Inside the building, as if it had been thrown through one of the shattered windows, was a liquid chemical, according to police. Humboldt Bay Fire responded and determined the liquid was flammable, the EPD said. Samples of the liquid were collected, photographs of the scene taken, and possible sources for video surveillance of the incident were identified.
The reporting party was contacted and through an in-field-show-up and she identified Valls as the suspect she saw breaking the windows of the GOP building.
Valls was arrested and booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility for attempted arson, burglary, felony vandalism, resisting arrest and providing a false name.
According to the jail on Saturday, Valls was being held in lieu of $25,000 bail. North Coast News contacted the jail again on Monday, who said Valls bailed out of jail Sunday.
Surveillance video of suspect that appears to show the throwing of rocks into windows:
Surveillance video of suspect that appears to show the pouring of a liquid substance into the building:
This is one of several times the Humboldt GOP headquarters in Eureka has been targeted by suspected vandals.
See previous vandalism from August of 2018:
See previous vandalism from April and May of 2019:
