Eight arrested in Eureka drug-house sweep after neighborhood complaints

Repeated complaints from neighbors on Silva Avenue led Eureka deputies to a house where eight people were arrested and about an ounce of methamphetamine was seized. The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office said the June 10 warrant near the 500 block of Silva Avenue came after a month-long investigation into suspicious drug activity at the residence.

Deputies from the Sheriff’s Office Problem Oriented Policing Team, with help from the Humboldt County Drug Task Force, served the warrant and found eight people inside. All eight were booked, and the sheriff’s office identified each as a Eureka resident.

Tessa Bennett, 47, was booked on multiple misdemeanor warrants and Health and Safety Code 11365(a), visiting a drug residence. Renee Norman, 42, was booked on the same drug-house charge. Liesel Norman, 41, was booked on visiting a drug residence and a formal probation violation under Penal Code 1203.3. Marcie Harris, 56, and Jonathan David, 51, were also booked on Health and Safety Code 11365(a). Jeffrey Thomsen, 47, was booked on a felony warrant and the same drug-house charge.

Two of the arrests carried more serious allegations tied to the property itself. Aaron Nelson, 63, was booked on Health and Safety Code 11378, possession of methamphetamine for sales, and Health and Safety Code 11366, maintaining a drug residence. Kerry Duggan, 61, was booked on maintaining a drug residence.

Deputies said they recovered about an ounce of methamphetamine, along with scales and a large quantity of drug paraphernalia. In a neighborhood where residents had already reported enough suspicious activity to trigger an investigation, the seizure suggested the house was being used for more than casual use.

The Silva Avenue warrant fits a broader pattern of complaint-driven drug enforcement in Humboldt County. In April, the sheriff’s office said a similar month-long investigation in Arcata led to a warrant on Baldwin Street and 11 arrests. Around the same time, deputies said a Blue Lake warrant tied to drug complaints turned up 60 grams of fentanyl. In March, the POP Team and Drug Task Force carried out a countywide run of search warrants and probation compliance checks that produced multiple arrests and seizures.

For Silva Avenue neighbors, the immediate result is a house cleared out and eight arrests on the books. Whether the disruption lasts will depend on what happens next at the property and whether complaints keep coming in. The sheriff’s office said anyone with information can call 707-445-7251 or the Crime Tip line at 707-268-2539.