Arcata Police Arrest Kason Severe After Snapchat Gun Post; Ruger-57, Drugs Seized

Arcata police arrested Kason Severe after an anonymous tip led investigators to a Snapchat post offering a Ruger-57 semiautomatic pistol, and a Feb. 19 search of his residence in the 100 block of Samoa Boulevard recovered the pistol along with a large-capacity magazine, ammunition and multiple prescription medications. Severe was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility.

“On February 12, 2026, the Arcata Police Department received an anonymous tip through its online reporting system alleging that Kason Severe was attempting to sell an illegal firearm on Snapchat and was in possession of controlled substances,” the Arcata Police Department said in a press release. Investigators reviewed the Snapchat images and “confirmed that a Ruger-57 semiautomatic pistol equipped with a large capacity magazine and accompanying ammunition was being offered for sale via Severe’s Snapchat account.” Investigators also “determined that Severe is prohibited from owning or possessing firearms.”

“On February 19, 2026, investigators served a search warrant at Severe’s residence in the 100 block of Samoa Boulevard,” the APD press release states. “During the search, officers located the Ruger-57 pistol depicted in the Snapchat images, a large capacity magazine, ammunition, and multiple prescription medications without valid prescriptions, including alprazolam, gabapentin, Adderall, buprenorphine, and clonazepam.” The press release confirms the sequence from the Feb. 12 tip to the Feb. 19 warrant and recovery of the items listed.

The Arcata Police Department said the following charges will be requested: PC 23900 - Obliteration of Identification Marks on a Firearm; PC 23920(a) - Possession of a Firearm with Obliterated Identification Marks; PC 32310(a) - Offering a Large Capacity Magazine for Sale; BP 4060 - Possession of Prescription Drugs Without a Prescription; and PC 1203.2 - Probation Violation. The press release supplies ACOT Officer Chris Rogers at the Arcata Police Department as a contact for tips at 707-822-2424.

Local blog coverage described the arrest with additional wording: the John Chiv blog called Severe a “repeat offender” in a Feb. 20, 2026 headline and lede. That characterization appears in that blog’s copy; the Arcata Police Department press release itself does not use the term “repeat offender.” The APD press release also includes a legal notice: “This is a press release from the Arcata Police Department. The information has not been proven in a court of law and any individuals described should be presumed innocent unless proven guilty.”

Arcata detectives said charges will be requested and the case will proceed through the county booking and charging process; further details such as formal filings, arraignment dates or the legal basis for the firearm prohibition were not specified in the press release. Anyone with information related to the case is encouraged to contact ACOT Officer Chris Rogers at the Arcata Police Department, 707-822-2424.