Repeat Child‑Porn Offender, Arsonist, Gang Tagger, Wrong‑Way Driver: The Arrests No Other Local Media Will Tell You About — And Why That Matters

Most Crime in Our County Never Reaches the Public. 

A Review of All Booked Arrests From April 6–12

We took a snapshot of crime in Mendocino County over the seven days of April 6–12, and we found some doozies — the kind you’d never hear about unless you also read the booking log.

Across that week, 62 arrests by the California Highway Patrol, the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office and county probation, Fort Bragg Police, Ukiah Police, and Willits Police resulted in a jail booking. We didn’t find any arrests during that period by other peace‑officer agencies operating in the county, such as California State Parks or the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

And remember: this list covers only arrests that led to someone being booked into jail. There are far more citations issued, and far, far more calls that end in de‑escalation, mediation, or simple assistance rather than arrest. The public rarely sees that part of the work — or the volume of cases that never make it into the news

We pulled a few cases and ordered them by how disturbing the charges Sound on paper — not by guilt, danger, or moral judgment. It’s simply a way to give readers a clear sense of what’s moving through our local system, especially because most of it never reaches the public at all.

Luis David Rojaserostico

We do this out of fairness and out of frustration. In Mendocino County, most meaningful news simply never gets reported — not in science, not in farming, not in culture, not anywhere. What does make it into print is too often rushed, surface‑level, and stripped of context. Everyone is racing to be first, but almost no one is trying to be thorough. Real reporting takes time, curiosity, and a willingness to look at everything — not just the stories that arrive pre‑packaged.

Our local news media tend to post law‑enforcement press releases exactly as they arrive — no questions asked, no facts checked, no follow‑ups, and no effort to look at the other cases happening at the same time. To be clear, law enforcement does a solid job issuing press releases about arrests. But those releases cover only a fraction of what actually happens. They leave out most cases that develop after investigations, and many serious incidents that occur at times or in places where no press release is ever written.

We aren’t saying it’s the job of law enforcement to issue a press release for every case. In the past, newsrooms read jail logs and police blotters, requested redacted police reports, and called the press officer with questions. That ecosystem collapsed with the death of local newspapers. Once reporters stopped asking for crime information, departments learned to get the word out through press releases instead.

The problem is what happened next: the laziest outlets began treating those releases as the entire story. No jail logs, no reports, no questions. And once that became the norm, police no longer needed to answer anything at all.

Pick up an Advocate News, a Ukiah Daily Journal, or almost any small‑town paper from 1930, 1950, or 1970 and you’ll see it immediately: hundreds of locally generated stories on every imaginable subject. Staff reporters filled those pages with real reporting — no automation, minimal spin, and a wide range of voices. Today, that breadth is gone. Most content is produced far from here, and the diversity of thought that once came from a dozen reporters chasing different leads has collapsed into a handful of outside feeds.

So we did what newspapers used to do — and what modern media very rarely does. We looked at every criminal arrest that resulted in a jail booking over a seven‑day period ending with the partial day of Sunday, April 12.

What we found was stark: roughly 90 percent of the cases involved drugs or alcohol, and likely more than that, though the charges only explicitly show it in about 90 percent. Covelo was the county’s crime center for the week — but not for the reasons people might assume. The bulk of cases there were domestic‑violence related.

We don’t plan to report DUIs, drunk‑in‑public cases, disorderly conduct, or simple drug possession. But we do plan to name and report those accused of domestic violence, felony burglary and other property crimes, arson, and the kinds of disturbingly creepy offenses that have real community impact. We would welcome a volunteer court reporter who can be objective and follow these cases through the system.

This work is never easy. It’s often heartbreaking. We know some of the people involved, and we wish them better futures. But accountability and transparency matter — and someone has to look.

Some of the names on this list are people we’ve known for years. One is a beautiful, smart, talented young woman now completely lost to booze and pills. Another is a man who, as a child, suffered devastating injuries to his hands after a fireworks accident. Neither did anything that belongs on a list like this, and we wish there were something we could do — some way to help so many of the people who end up here.

Two other things stood out this week. First, two people were arrested for illegal burning. Fire season is coming, and the crackdown is justified. Get your permits. Second, it’s striking how many people arrested are the same ones who are vicious toward others online — the loudest “law and order” voices when someone else is in trouble. Running these names against social media is an education in itself, and one of the few moments of dark humor in a story that otherwise has none.

Worst Unpublicized Case of the Week — Repeat Child‑Pornography and Domestic‑Violence Offender

Christopher Jacob Carter, 25, of Covelo, was arrested on April 8 on two felony charges: possession of more than 600 images of a minor engaged in sexual acts, and possession of obscene materials. He was also booked on probation violations and an enhancement for having a prior felony conviction.

It’s important to note that there are multiple individuals named Christopher Carter, including one the same age with the same middle initial. They are not the same person. This section refers only to Christopher Jacob Carter of Covelo, as listed in the Mendocino County booking log.

Public access to older criminal files has been sharply restricted in recent years, so we could not view the details of earlier cases. What we can confirm is that his first felony case was filed when he was 18, and the records indicate he was already on probation at that age — suggesting earlier juvenile involvement that is not publicly accessible. His adult record shows multiple convictions, including a 2020 conviction for inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant, and a 2023 arrest on serious child‑pornography possession charges involving prior offenses.

This man has faced or served time for criminal charges of some sort every year through his entire adult life, based on the docket entries that remain visible.

While everyone is presumed innocent on the new charges, this individual has been convicted multiple times in the past. Despite that, very little information about him has ever been made public and we could not find any record of a press release on him.

The Week’s Second Most Serious Unreported Case — Allegations of Rape, False Imprisonment, and Injury to a Child in Ukiah

Luis David Rojaserostico, 25, of Ukiah, was arrested on April 7 by Ukiah Police on a set of serious charges. According to the booking log, he was booked on six felonies: kidnapping, rape of a person unable to give consent, cruelty to a child causing injury, assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm, domestic battery, and false imprisonment with injury. He was also charged with misdemeanor drug possession.

His bond was set at $100,000, and records indicate he posted bail within two days.

Given the severity of the allegations — and the number of felony counts — this case is one that we would expect it to appear in a press release. It did not.

Third Unpublicized Case — Arson Arrest Inside Ukiah City Limits

Jestin Bo Gott, 42, of Ukiah, was arrested by Ukiah Police on April 10 on a felony arson charge. His bail was set at $50,000.

We will continue trying to obtain basic facts about the case, even though the court system now makes it extremely difficult for the public — or the press — to read court files that were once openly accessible. Arson can cover a wide range of conduct, from a dangerous campfire to an attempt to set a structure on fire. A campfire would not be a felony, thought. At this point, we do not know where this case falls on that spectrum.

Cruelty to a Child & Abuse of a Cohabitant in Willits — Fourth Interesting Case of the Week

Duncan Lloyd Charles, 28, of Ukiah, was arrested on April 6 by Willits Police on felony charges of cruelty to a child causing injury and inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant. His bail was set at $50,000.

These are among the most serious domestic‑violence‑related charges filed in the county this week. “Cruelty to a child” is a broad felony category under California law, covering situations where a child is placed in danger or suffers injury. The companion charge — inflicting injury on a spouse or cohabitant — typically indicates violence inside the home. As with many of the week’s most serious arrests, this case did not appear in any press release, and the public would not have known about it without reviewing the booking log.

Fifth Case of the Week — Burglary Arrest of Sacramento Man

Daniel Exavier Goodwin, 25, of Sacramento, was arrested on April 7 by the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office on four burglary‑related felony charges. His bail was set at $30,000.

Goodwin’s arrest stands out because it involves a non‑local suspect booked on multiple felony counts — the kind of case that typically generates at least a brief press release. Plus, with burglaries, it usually helps to get the word out so people can find their stuff. None was issued as far as we know. As with many of the week’s more serious arrests, the only public record of this case appears in the booking log, with no additional details available through the court system’s increasingly restricted files.

Sixth Most Serious Case of the Week — Former Cannabis Purveyor Arrested for Elder Abuse

Jodi Marie Dutra, 51, of Ukiah, was arrested on four felony charges and one misdemeanor alleging elder abuse, grand theft, misuse of another person’s credit or credit card, and possession of a controlled substance with two or more prior convictions. She was taken into custody by the Mendocino County Probation Department. No bond amount was listed in the booking log.

The allegations combine financial exploitation, elder abuse, and drug‑related priors. Dutra has appeared in local news before: a decade ago she was the subject of a dramatic cannabis‑raid operation that drew widespread attention and was later lampooned in the Anderson Valley Advertiser. Her current charges, however, are unrelated to that earlier case.

As with many of the week’s most serious arrests, the public would not have known about this one without reviewing the booking log, given the ongoing restrictions on access to court files.

 A Power Lunch In Calpella – Anderson Valley Advertiser

Seventh Most Serious Case of the Week — 23‑Year‑Old Woman Arrested for Domestic Violence

Maya Dejesus Valasco, 23, of Ukiah, was arrested on April 11 by the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office on a felony domestic‑battery charge. Her bail was set at $50,000.

Domestic‑violence cases involving felony‑level injury are among the more serious arrests logged each week, but they rarely receive public notice.

Eighth Case of the Week — Laytonville Man Arrested for Wrong‑Way Driving, Evading Officers, and Driving Without a License

Maique Isaac Westcolvin, 27, of Laytonville, was arrested on April 10 by the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office on a list of driving‑related offenses that included evading officers, driving the wrong way on the highway, leaving the scene of an accident, and driving without a license. His bail was set at $25,000.

Wrong‑way driving combined with evasion and an alleged hit‑and‑run places this case among the week’s more dangerous incidents on county roads.

Ninth Most Serious Unpublicized Case — Fort Bragg Man Booked on Gang Charges

Javier Almazannaal, 19, of Fort Bragg, was arrested by Fort Bragg Police on April 10 on gang‑related, firearm, and vandalism/tagging charges. According to the booking log, the firearm allegations involve pointing a gun at someone while he was allegedly in a vehicle. At just 19, Almazannaal is already a convicted felon, and he was additionally booked on a felon‑in‑possession of a firearm charge. No bond or bail amount was listed.

The combination of gang‑related charges, a firearm allegation involving a victim, and vandalism typically results in at least a brief public statement from law enforcement. None was issued.

Tenth Case of the Week — Ukiah Man Arrested for Domestic Violence

David Leroy Ballinger, 54, of Ukiah, was arrested by Ukiah Police on April 11 on charges of domestic violence and false imprisonment. He was also booked on a misdemeanor trespassing charge. No bail amount was listed in the booking log.

The combination of domestic‑violence and false‑imprisonment charges places this case among the more serious incidents reported this week, though it did not receive a public release from police.

Eleventh Case of the Week — Ukiah Woman Arrested on Weapons Charge and Making Threats

Molly McLoud, 49, was arrested April 11 by Ukiah Police on charges of threatening a crime with intent to terrorize (felony) and brandishing or exhibiting a deadly weapon other than a gun in a threatening, rude, or angry manner (misdemeanor).

Prior arrest history (context only, not tied to this case)

Public booking records show McLoud, who has lived in Fort Bragg, Albion and Lakeport as well has been arrested multiple times over the years on unrelated charges, including:

• Intoxicated in public (2025, 2024, 2022)
• Vandalism
• Possession of controlled substances
• Assault with a deadly weapon / corporal injury (2017)
• Theft‑related charges

This history is not part of the current case but provides context for her prior interactions with law enforcement.

Do People Want Real News?

So here’s the real question at the end of a week like this: do people actually want news that affects their community, or have we all gotten too used to the soft‑focus version? The one where the worst stories never make it past a press release, and the rest disappear into the booking log like they never happened.

Because the truth is sharp: a community gets the journalism it demands.  

If people settle for less, they get less.

If they stop asking questions, the answers stop coming.

But here’s the hopeful part — and it’s real, not sentimental: every time someone reads a story like this, every time someone shares it, every time someone says “why didn’t we hear about this sooner?” — that’s the beginning of a different kind of local media. One that isn’t afraid to name what’s happening. One that doesn’t wait for permission. One that treats the public like adults who deserve the full picture.

This county has never lacked for drama, danger, courage, or chaos. What it lacks is a consistent appetite for the truth about it. But appetites can change. Expectations can rise. Communities can wake up.

If Mendocino County wants better news, it can have it.

If it wants real reporting, it can support it.

If it wants accountability, it can demand it.

And if it does, the silence that has settled over so many of these cases won’t stand a chance.