The following is a press release from the Ukiah Police Department. The information has not been proven in a court of law and any individuals described should be presumed innocent until proven guilty:
On 03/6/2024, the Ukiah Police Department (UPD) was notified of an anonymous letter that was sent to the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors regarding a potential domestic violence incident that occurred on the 500 block of Capps Lane, Ukiah, CA. The letter reported that a Blake Cox had assaulted his wife while having numerous firearms in plain view. The initial investigation concluded that no physical altercation or threats had occurred between Cox and the 20-Year-Old victim.
On 03/21/2024, at approximately 3:46 pm, the investigating UPD officer was re-contacted by the 20-Year-Old victim of this incident. During the investigation, it was reported that Cox pulled the victim off a bed, dragged her by her hair for approximately three feet, and kicked her numerous times while holding their small child. Cox was also reported to have prevented the victim from leaving the scene for a period of time. No firearms were used during the altercation.
During the course of the investigation, an assisting UPD officer located Cox’s vehicle traveling eastbound near Low Gap Road and North Bush Street in Ukiah. A traffic stop was conducted on the vehicle, where Cox was found to be the sole occupant. A legally owned and registered firearm was located inside of Cox’s vehicle during the traffic stop. Cox was interviewed and ultimately arrested at the scene.
The 20-Year-Old victim was provided with Domestic Violence resource paperwork.
Cox was known to possess numerous firearms. A detective with the UPD Detective Bureau authored a search warrant, it was granted by a Mendocino County Judge, and served to obtain the firearms at Cox’s residence. A total of thirty-seven (37) firearms were ultimately located and seized. The firearms included handguns and long guns, twelve (12) of which were determined to be illegal assault weapons due to them donning various characteristics in violation of 30605(a) PC-Possession of assault weapon.
Cox was transported to the Mendocino County Jail and booked on the above-listed violations.
The UPD would like to thank personnel from the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office Investigative Services and the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in this investigation.
As always, our mission at UPD is to make Ukiah as safe a place as possible. If you would like to know more about crime in your neighborhood, you can sign up for telephone, cell phone, and email notifications by clicking the Nixle button on our website; http://www.ukiahpolice.com
Editor’s Note
The alleged actions described in this press release describe domestic abuse. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 10 men experience sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetimes.
The following are domestic violence resources available in Mendocino County and surrounding areas:
- Mendocino County
- Contact a crisis counselor at Project Sanctuary by calling (707)463-4357.
- Humboldt County
- Call Humboldt Domestic Violence Services at (707)443-6042 or at 1-866-668-6543
- Contact WISH Southern Humboldt: Domestic violence shelter and emergency services. 707-223-0043
- Trinity County
- Contact the Human Response Network at (530)623-2024
- Lake County
- Contact the Lake Family Resource Center community crisis line at 1(888)485-7733.
- Sonoma County
- Contact the YWCA Domestic Violence Hotline at (707)546-1234
He does look like a pretty nasty individual
I sure hope the district attorney takes this clown seriously. In possession of an illegal arsenal like that with violent tendencies. This kind of person should be put on lifetime formal probation with routine shakedowns. Relocation for the victim and child through witness protection. This goof is on the road to committing the kind of crime that just happened in Covelo.
I’m surprised the UPD didn’t arrest the wife. The UPD has made some changes in the past couple years, but didn’t realize their M.O. of exploiting victims of DV was evolving…. Way to go, UPD.
Are you going to investigate and report how he is still working at the hospital? The same one his wife will return to once off of maternity leave. Or that UVAH is doing nothing to make the other employees and patients feel safe in the workspace.
I’m glad she was brave enough to call. So many victims of DV don’t, when they should, because they don’t want to ruin their partner’s life and job – they just want to leave. But what often ends up happening is when the abuser realizes they’re making plans to leave – they end up flipping the script and calling and making allegations against the victim in order to gain an advantage in court, and to humiliate and punish the victim for having the audacity to leave. There are some real psycho’s out there who know how to play law enforcement and the courts. They then end up continuing their terror of the victim by proxy via the system. Good on her for reaching out for help and getting out of that situation.
Or the situation escalates when the abusive person realizes they’re being left and have lost control and it goes real bad ….. like in Covelo. The amount of guns this guy had is crazy.
People are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. At least that’s how it’s supposed to work, right? I’m not saying I don’t believe the victim. What I am saying is that we should let the courts determine his guilt or innocence. The thing about small towns is that people can be found guilty in the court of public opinion when we don’t always have all of the facts.
When it comes to DV, the courts will not likely sort out the facts due to a lack of prosecution on the criminal end and the inherent disadvantage facing victims on the family court end. It’s a lose-lose situation for victims, which is exacerbated by the UPD making preposterous mandatory arrests. The cycle through the system begins with law enforcement… UPD: take accountability and stop dismissing bad policing as a matter for the courts to sort out!
Making mullets look bad…