Police & Courts

Fort Bragg man arrested, booked on escape and DUI charges for Jackson Forest caper

Photo of Frank Hartzell Frank Hartzell Send an email May 9, 2026
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The Drones found nothing.

Drones came and participated in an all night search for a Fort Bragg man who ran away from the CHP after being pulled over and handcuffed. They found nada.

Paul Garvin, 53, was found at home and then booked at county jail on charges of escape and DUI. He was booked on misdemeanor, not felony charges.

Asking for a friend?

The CHP log shows a Paul Garvin called in during the chase and said a friend of his had made a mistake and panicked and run away from the CHP and now he was asking for that friend how he could turn himself in. Read the log below, its a light moment in a crime story and apparently he surrendered at his home in Fort Bragg. Although initially reported in Caspar, the incident began when a vehicle, allegedly went off road 408 near Highway 20. The CHP had the suspect cuffed and he ran off into the woods, triggering an all night search during which time Garvin walked home, if he is indeed the person. He matches the height of 6-4 but was a bit younger than described and there is another person who fit the description in this weird case. Searchers got lost in the woods (more driving than on foot) trying to use computer mapping programs and GPS, which we on the Coast know does not work. Also, the crews were hampered by non working cell phones, another reality to most of us.

Screenshot

Detail Information
9:39 AM28[121] PER COAST HOSPITAL NEG WALKINS FROM TC [Shared]
9:27 AM27[116] LM FOR CAM GOODELL TO 97 AT TC SCENE [Shared]
9:25 AM26[114] [Appended, 09:25:42] [20] 18-1 REQ CONTACT RP TO TC SCENE
9:23 AM25[113] [Appended, 09:25:42] [19] ** A19526 TRAINING 20660** RP CALLED IN AND ADVISED HIS FRIEND PAUL GARVIN CALLED HIM USING A PASSING MOTERISTS PHONE AND ADVISED HE WANTED TO KNOW HOW TO TURN HIMSELF IN. HE ADVISED HE WAS AT AN UNKNOWN LOCATION NEAR THE TC SITE AND WAS POSSIBLY WALKING. HE STATED HIS FRIEND CAMPED IN THE FOREST OVERNIGHT. HE STATED HIS FRIEND MADE A MISTAKE AND HAD A PANIC ATTACK AND RAN. RP WAS HESITANT TO ANSWER QUESTIONS AND IT SOUND LIKE HE WAS WISPERING TO SOMEONE IN THE BACKGROUND. ABOVE 1020 IS CALLERS RRR
6:27 AM24[86] 18-1 CONFIRMED LN 21 IS THE SUBJ THAT’S OUTSTANDING

11:39 PM23[81] 1039 – 18-C / CPY LN80
10:48 PM22[78] B18-023 18-R9 AND I ARE PARTNERED UP WILL BE HEDING TO RD 500 WITH CF
10:47 PM21[76] B18-023 ENRT TO RD 500 WILL BE ON FOOT WILL NOT HAVE CELL SERVICE WILL TRY THE RADIO / MINE HAVING ISSUES
10:37 PM20[73] EIP ON AT 2235 HRS
Detail Information
10:19 PM18[66] 1039 CDF
9:50 PM17[59] 1039 REDDING CC NEG K9 WOULD BE A C/O FRM COTTONWOOD
9:49 PM16[58] 1039 WPD NEG K9
9:48 PM15[57] 1039 FBPD NEG K9
9:48 PM14[56] 1039 MSO NEG K9
9:44 PM13[54] 1039 AIR
9:19 PM12[47] 18-R9 MSO 97 DROVE DOWN TO THE END OF THE RD 20 SUBJ STILL IN THE AREA
8:59 PM11[44] 18-R9 1185 IS DRIVING UP THE RD
8:58 PM10[43] 1039 CDF FOR DRONE
8:55 PM9[38] 1039 WPD NEG DRONE
8:55 PM8[37] 1039 FBPD NEG DRONE
8:49 PM7[31] 1039 MSO
8:47 PM6[29] 18-R9 1015 GOT OO VEH LS TOWARD HWY 20 HE IS HANDCUFFED HE HAS A 63 GRY HARI
7:50 PM5[18] [Rotation Request Comment] 1039 FT Bragg Tow 707-964-2009
7:48 PM4[17] 1039 CDF
7:48 PM3[16] 18-R9 1185 AND 1141 C2 TK IS HALFWAY OFF A HILL AND THE RD TO GET THERE IS NARROW
7:19 PM2[14] [Notification] [CHP]-Problem changed from 1183-Trfc Collision-Unkn Inj to 1182-Trfc Collision-No Inj by CHP
7:14 PM1[4] UNK IF ITS A TC OR NOT
Unit Information
9:53 PM15Unit At Scene
9:53 PM14Unit Enroute
9:53 PM13Unit Assigned
10:01 PM12Unit At Scene
9:06 PM11Unit Enroute
9:06 PM10Unit Assigned
9:30 PM9Unit At Scene
8:48 PM8Unit Enroute
8:48 PM7Unit Assigned
9:29 PM6Unit At Scene
8:48 PM5Unit Enroute
8:48 PM4Unit Assigned
7:40 PM3Unit At Scene
7:40 PM2Unit Enroute
7:19 PM1Unit Assigned

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Photo of Frank Hartzell Frank Hartzell Send an email May 9, 2026
0 2,825 3 minutes read
Photo of Frank Hartzell

Frank Hartzell

Frank Hartzell has spent his lifetime as a curious anthropologist in a reporter's fedora. His first news job was chasing news on the streets of Houston with high school buddy and photographer James Mason, back in 1986. Then Frank graduated from Humboldt State and went to Great Gridley as a reporter, where he bonded with 1000 people and told about 3000 of their stories. In Marysville at the Appeal Democrat, the sheltered Frank got to see both the chilling depths and amazing heights of humanity. From there, he worked at the Sacramento Bee covering Yuba-Sutter and then owned the Business Journal in Yuba City, which sold 5000 subscriptions to a free newspaper. Frank then got a prestigious Kiplinger Investigative Reporting fellowship and was city editor of the Newark Ohio, Advocate and then came back to California for 4 years as managing editor of the Napa Valley Register before working as a Dominican University professor, then coming to Fort Bragg to be with his aging mom, Betty Lou Hartzell, and working for the Fort Bragg Advocate News. Frank paid the bills during that decade + with a successful book business. He has worked for over 50 publications as a freelance writer, including the Mendocino Voice and Anderson Valley Advertiser, along with construction and engineering publications. He has had the thrill of learning every day while writing. Frank is now living his dream running MendocinoCoast.News with wife, Linda Hartzell, and web developer, Marty McGee, reporting from Fort Bragg, California.

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