Eureka police make consecutive DUI arrests, child injured in crash

A 5-year-old child was injured and two Eureka drivers were arrested for DUI in back-to-back crashes, putting a sharp spotlight on impaired driving risk on city streets from H Street to Spring Street. The arrests came one day apart and ended with one driver booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility and another facing felony child endangerment.

Eureka police first responded at about 7 p.m. June 6 to a non-injury collision at H Street and Harris Street. During the investigation, officers said Shea Black, 41, of Eureka, showed signs of intoxication. Police arrested Black on suspicion of misdemeanor driving under the influence and failure to provide proof of insurance, then booked him into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility at 826 4th Street in Eureka.

The next day at about 2 p.m., officers were called to the 2500 block of Spring Street after reports that a moving vehicle had struck two parked cars and that the driver could not maintain lane position. Police identified the driver as Rosemary Jarboe, 46, of Eureka. Officers determined Jarboe was driving under the influence and arrested her for misdemeanor DUI and felony child endangerment.

A 5-year-old child passenger in Jarboe’s vehicle sustained minor injuries and was taken to a local hospital for evaluation and treatment. The injury turned a routine collision call into a far more serious case, one that raises the stakes well beyond a traffic stop or property damage report. It also underscored the risk children face when impaired driving puts them in the back seat.

The Eureka Police Department said impaired driving remains one of the leading causes of preventable traffic collisions and injuries, and urged drivers to plan ahead with a designated driver, rideshare, public transportation or another safe option. The warning lands amid broader statewide concern: the California Office of Traffic Safety says impaired driving accounts for 32 percent of all traffic deaths in California, and its 2024 Impaired Driving Plan says alcohol-related crash deaths in the state increased 16 percent from 2020 to 2021.

California Highway Patrol guidance adds another layer to the Spring Street case, saying children under 8 must be secured in a car seat or booster seat in the back seat. Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office jail reports are posted daily, and the county correctional facility continues to serve as the booking point for DUI arrests made in Eureka, where police are again confronting the human cost of impaired driving on familiar city corridors.