Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Sonoma County Completes Its Investigation Into Ex-Ukiah Police Chief Noble Waidelich—Forwards Findings to Mendo DA

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Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Juan Valencia told us today that his agency’s investigation into the alleged criminal conduct of the former Ukiah Police Chief Noble Waidelich has concluded and the findings have been forwarded to the Mendocino County District Attorney. 

This news comes nearly two and a half months after the City of Ukiah announced Waidelich was fired. A press release from the city at the time quoted City Manager Sage Sangiacomo as saying, “Recent events have transpired, illuminating the fact that this individual is not a good fit for the City. Our community deserves better; the good men and women who do this work every day with integrity deserve better.”

In June, Mendocino County Sheriff Matt Kendall told us he was informed of circumstances that warranted investigation and requested SCSO take over the investigation for transparency and conflict of interest purposes. 

We have reached out to Mendocino County District Attorney David Eyster for comment and any clarity he could provide regarding these criminal charges. As of publication, he has yet to respond. 

This criminal investigation is a separate matter from the civil lawsuit filed five years ago by Waidelich’s ex-fiancé Amanda Carley alleging a conspiracy between multiple Mendocino County agencies to protect Waidelich after he physically abused her. 

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8 COMMENTS

  1. Who cares? The DA has proven that transparency nor due justice applys to our civil servants. I presume there’s enough room under the rug for both this & the Murphy case.

  2. Who cares? The DA has already told us that transparency nor due justice applies to our civil servants. There’s plenty of room under the rug next to the Murphy case.

  3. So why do the news agencies put in the statement, like, “We have reached out to Mendocino County District Attorney David Eyster for comment and any clarity he could provide regarding these criminal charges. As of publication, he has yet to respond.” They know the agency is not allowed to make statements about ongoing investigations and issues involving personnel. issues. Every news agency does this and it just gives the impression that the legal agency is trying to hide something.

    • Wait – I thought the investigation was complete, per the Sonoma County Sheriff. Mendocino County’s Sheriff Kendall, for his own reasons, has stated that he cannot investigate due to conflict of interest. Since the sheriff’s office in Sonoma County has finished, that signals that it is OVER and the results should be forthcoming. There has been way too much hush hush in the Mendocino County legal system lately. Feels like they are pulling one over on us. That does not help shore up the public’s steeply declining confidence in Mendocino County law enforcement.

  4. Isn’t it interesting that the rapist Murray case was done in-house but the abuser Wadelich’s case was sent out of the county? All cases involving LE should be sent out of the county for transparency alone. The reason it didn’t happen…controlling the narrative. The DAs office should be under examination by the AG’s Office for gross prosecutorial misconduct and the bench should be under investigation for judicial misconduct.

    Hey Sage, why don’t you get control of your police department? Clean it up, it is your job and the taxpayers that pay your salary should be demanding of it. For most people, the writing on the wall has been clear, but through your lack of leadership, the promotion of bad cops, and the vilification of their victims, it has become more clear to all. You are giving all cops a burden they should not have to carry, take care of the bad actors quickly and harshly, and let the community build back their trust in their officers. Shameful, just shameful. You and your ‘team’ are ruining this community. I hope you all get voted out and the city can start anew with actual leadership, or redeem yourself and step down.

    Your officers deserve better than this! Your constituents deserve better than this.

    It won’t be long before the fire is hot enough under Eyster the Terrible and he will bow out and go off into his sweet retirement like others have done.

    Wake up taxpayers, you are paying for incompetence and criminal behavior.

    • My case was not sent out of county for prosecution consideration. I started in superior court and only after the judge ruled Eyster has broad immunity i appealed the case in federal court. David Eyster should have never touched the case against Waidelich-there we’re too many conflicts.

  5. Eyster, “Yo, Judge. I got another one of ours that needs some help, Wadeleich.”
    Moorman, “No sweat. We can slime any recent victims like we did his ex. Have him call Kevin and get those Santa Rosa dudes signed on. Oh by the way, I got a weird call from the State Attorney General yesterday….”

  6. Repeating what I said in a prior post:

    Hmm in my checked past I was hired to investigate law enforcement for cities, counties and twice by the state (funny thing technically I was not a P.I.). It seems there is a lot more bubbling under the pot with this, more than just the law enforcement branch. Other branches of this country government seem to be entangled in this current web and other past allegations dealing with police practices. Failure in Ukiah to maintain an effective police chief is a big and seemingly repeated failure. Unfortunately where a grand jury investigation is needed, locally the one who picks the grand jury seems to have been tainted in this mess and others per press reports. The amount of drugs, money, combined with illegal and legal drug production makes it tempting to go to the dark side, for police and politicians both.

    District attorneys are more likely to use the grand jury indictment process in complex case(s) like this where corruption suggestions rears its ugly head, but District Attorneys do pick, choose and lead the Grand Jury through the process. Is Mendocino County District Attorney David Eyster up for this process is the question or a flunkie …. while he maintains silence (and I can see reasons for him to maintain silence that may not be nefarious).

    I have seen Bay area news reports that suggest that it may be common practice for law enforcement here to liberate drugs from buyers then send them on their way (drugs get resold to who, homeless? Schoolchildren?). Not good nor the catch and release of the Willits shoot em up video rap violence for some cheap bail and confiscated cash. Not a real confidence builder in police, court practices here.

    Perhaps a letter campaign to the State Attorney General office to look into this is in order, unfortunately I am too old to lead that battle, but you young folks with gumption get together, organise and do it! You will need a smart honest attorney probably to help, that is your needle in a haystack.

    Just remember the vast majority of police are clean, look out for citizens and need your support in the dangerous job they do. They need good leadership and that is your job as a voter. You need to press good level headed citizens to stand up, run, then clean up the problem whether it is big or blown up by the press small. You don’t want Mendocino to be a Cartel style town, then fix it now while you still can.

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Matt LaFever
Matt LaFeverhttps://mendofever.com/
For the past seven years, Matt LaFever has covered the North Coast of California in both print and radio news. A Humboldt State graduate, he has lived in the Emerald Triangle for nearly 20 years. His reporting spans local issues like crime and wildfires. When not writing, Matt is an avid outdoorsman, exploring Northern California’s rugged landscapes. Reach out to him at matthewplafever@gmail.com.

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