FBPD federal case ends with $12,500 settlement – In separate developments, two sergeants depart and former Chief Naulty files a claim against the city
Editor’s note: This story covers several unrelated developments involving the Fort Bragg Police Department. These events are not connected except by their association with the FBPD.
A federal civil rights lawsuit filed by Daniel Kisliuk, a then‑homeless Fort Bragg man who initially sought $2.7 million in punitive and actual damages, received a final order of dismissal on Wednesday, May 6. The suit named the Fort Bragg Police Department, the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office, county prosecutors, and former Judge Clay Brennan.
The lawsuit alleged that Capt. Thomas O’Neal and FBPD Officer Tyler Baker used a ruse in 2023 to impound Kisliuk’s car and have him jailed on charges he claimed were false. Nothing was ever proven or disproven, as the case never advanced to that stage.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert Illman, based in Eureka, had already dismissed the county, the judge, a prosecutor, and several other defendants from the lawsuit as the case progressed.
There were settlement negotiations involving the city, and Kisliuk agreed last year to accept $12,500. He later objected to the agreement, claiming he had been mistreated during the negotiation process. Magistrate Judge Illman heard Kisliuk’s objections earlier this year and ruled against them on May 4, with judgment entered on May 6. Federal civil cases are costly for public agencies to defend, and this one had been ongoing for two years before the settlement was reached.
The structure of the Fort Bragg Police Department has shifted over the past year. Former Chief Neil Cervenka retired last year, and Eric Swift now leads the department. Capt. O’Neal is reportedly out on medical leave, and Sgt. Anthony Welter reportedly recently left the agency. We plan to profile the department’s current direction and future outlook in an upcoming story.
Jared Frank, perhaps the most well‑known—and at times controversial—officer in Fort Bragg, left the department last year. According to online records, he began working as a sheriff’s deputy in El Dorado County in January 2026 after departing Fort Bragg.
Frank received the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) California DUI Award for removing 44 impaired drivers from the roadway in 2023.
Frank’s prominence — and notoriety — stemmed from consistently ranking among the top DUI‑arresting officers in California. Most of the other officers in the statewide top ten worked in much larger jurisdictions or on dedicated DUI task forces. Frank was publicly criticized by some of the people he arrested and others for his methods, but no criticism was ever substantiated to us or in a lawsuit or formal complaint. We learned of his departure last year but were unable to secure an interview or confirmation at the time.
Editor’s note: The personnel updates involving Sgts. Frank and Welter are unrelated to the Kisliuk lawsuit. They are included here only to reflect broader recent changes within the Fort Bragg Police Department.
We have included screenshots of the relevant federal court documents in the Kisliuk case.
The $12,500 settlement figure comes from court filings submitted by Kisliuk. This information is part of the public record, and we will be confirming the amount.
MendocinoCoast.news encourages input from anyone with direct knowledge of any government agency’s actions, whether commendable or concerning. Tips or information can be sent to frankhartzell@gmail.com. We welcome hearing from any of the parties in this case, as well as others with firsthand knowledge.
MendocinoCoast.news has reached out to the parties involved in the case and will update the story if responses are received. Attached court documents outline the claims made by the defendant.
A magistrate judge performs many of the same functions as a federal judge and is appointed by district judges to handle certain matters, often including preliminary proceedings and lower‑level civil or criminal motions. Magistrates are not Article III federal judges, who are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, but they do preside over a wide range of federal court actions.
In an unrelated matter involving the Fort Bragg Police Department, the Fort Bragg City Council will hold a special closed session on Monday, May 11, regarding an anticipated legal claim by former Police Chief John Naulty. The public notice provides no additional details. Naulty served as chief from 2020 to 2022 and was also the officer who exchanged gunfire with the spree killer who fatally shot Mendocino County Sheriff’s Lt. Ricky Del Fiorentino in Cleone on March 19, 2014.
Naulty served nearly 40 years as a police officer, mostly locally. His final day on duty (before returning as interim chief) came in 2014, when Mendocino County Sheriff’s Lt. Ricky Del Fiorentino was shot and killed while confronting a gunman in Cleone. Naulty ended the rampage by exchanging gunfire with the shooter, who did not survive. (As noted earlier, Naulty is not connected to any of the other individuals or cases mentioned in this story.)
In a town this size, the distance between people is measured in footsteps, not miles. Officers and residents cross paths as neighbors, parents, coaches, and friends. That closeness is our strength — but it also means accountability matters even more. A community stays healthy when its people stay informed, when they watch their institutions with care, and when they speak up not out of suspicion, but out of commitment to one another. Trust is built in the open. Respect is earned in daylight. And a safe, welcoming Fort Bragg is something we create together, step by step, story by story.
