Fortuna police arrest several on drug, weapon possession suspicions
Two men were arrested on Saturday, January 28th after a traffic stop in the Riverwalk Drive and Kenmar Road area. With assistance from Fortuna Police Officer Matt Moore and K9 Blitz, 52-year-old Mark Stuart Melton of Eureka and 48-year-old John Forrest Mastel of Fortuna were arrested.
Both Melton and Mastel were charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, being a prohibited person in possession of ammunition, carrying a concealed weapon, possession of a controlled substance while armed with a loaded firearm, and possession of a controlled substance.
Another incident which resulted in the arrest of three people and made possible with assistance from K9 Blitz, happened on Thursday, January 26th in the Strongs Creek Plaza area. In this incident officers arrested three people, recovered a loaded stolen Glock 19 semiautomatic pistol, and seized over a half ounce of methamphetamine.
31-year-old Marco Antonia Alverez , and 33-year-old Garret Alexandre Gibbs, both of Fortuna, and 38-year-old Sarah Sue Hopper of Eureka, were arrested.
Alverez was arrested on suspicions of with being a felon in possession of a firearm, being a prohibited person in possession of ammunition, carrying a concealed stolen weapon, being in possession of a controlled substance while armed with a loaded firearm, and possession of a controlled substance.
Gibbs was arrested on suspicions of possession of a controlled substance, and violation of probation, and Hopper was charged with carrying a concealed stolen weapon, possession of a controlled substance while armed with a loaded firearm, and possession of a controlled substance.
“When I got here in 2020, the department had been without a K9 program for almost two years. In short order,” Fortuna Police Chief Casey Day said. “These Fortuna K-9 teams have exceeded my expectations and have been involved with some incredible seizures.”
He said the Department's K9 officers contributed to the largest historic Humboldt County Drug Task Force seizure back in September 2022 and are “continuing to crush it in the field. There is little doubt in my mind,” Day added, “that those involved in trafficking narcotics and crime in general are learning a tough lesson — that they may want to stay out of Humboldt County and especially the Eel River Valley.”
Of the two Fortuna Police Department K9 teams, one is funded through Measure E while the other is supported solely by charitable donations, fundraising and grant money.
“Without our community's generosity, our supportive City Council, and the hard work of our K9 teams, we would not be where we are today,” Day said.