Social Services Intervene After Drug Seizure; Child Removed from Suspect’s Home 10-Year-Old Boy Taken Into Protective Custody – original story— 19-year-old Woman Abducted at Gunpoint and Sexually Assaulted in Fort Bragg; Officers Respond Quickly and Arrest Two Suspects Near Fire Station
Update: The Police have issued a third press release in this case.
FORT BRAGG
POLICE DEPARTMENT
250 Cypress Street
Fort Bragg, CA 95437-5437
Eric Swift (707) 961-2800
Chief of Police Fax: (707) 961-2806
UPDATED MEDIA RELEASE
(Previous releases 10/21/25 & 10/22/25)
Search Warrant Results in Seizure of Zip Gun and Home-Made Suppressor
10/24/2025
On October 23, 2025, officers of the Fort Bragg Police Department partnered with the
Mendocino County Major Crimes Task Force to serve a search warrant on a storage unit in the
18000 block of SR-1. This warrant was the result of an ongoing investigation related to case
number FG2500920.
A search of this location resulted in the seizure of an improvised shotgun “Zip Gun”, a modified
22 caliber firearm, ammunition, and an improvised suppressor.
Additional charges of: PC 33600 Possession of a Zip Gun, PC 30305 (A)(1) Prohibited Person in
Possession of Ammunition, PC 1203.2 (A) violation of probation, PC 29800 Prohibited Person
in Possession of Firearm, PC 33215 (A) Possession of a short-barreled Rifle, and PC 33410
Possession of Suppressor, will be forwarded to the District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
Please refer to the previous releases dated October 21, 2025, and October 22, 2025, for
additional details. Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact
Sergeant Frank at (707)961-2800 ext. 223 or email jfrank@fortbraggca.gov.
This information is being released by Commander Jonathan McLaughlin. For media inquiries,
please reach out to him directly at jmclaughlin@fortbraggca.gov.
Update- the police have issued a second press relase after the residence of one of the kidnapping suspects was searched:
At this point, police don’t have any other cases that can be tied to these suspects but are investigating.
Since the California Judicial Council and the Mendocino County Court system have locked the press out of court files, we’re left with no option but to publish press releases—and we’re doing that. It’s a terrible situation. From what we can gather, Fort Bragg Police made a swift arrest in a horrific case. But beyond that, we’ll only know what’s spoon-fed to us.
Thanks to the California Judicial Council—for prioritizing secrecy over public accountability.
We were deep into a data and case analysis of sexual assault reports on the Coast—pulling every court file we could find, talking to survivors who’d come forward. Early findings showed a stronger police and DA response than some allege. But we can’t confirm that. Halfway through, the California Judicial Council locked us out of the court files. The county followed suit, closing access for over a week.
Since then, we’ve made five courthouse trips. We haven’t been able to use the new (often broken) court computer, and the court’s hours and closures are a maze. One day, the judge was out of town—everything shut down. It closes early, and to finish this search would cost thousands. Just to look at a file costs money. To look. And 90% of what you find doesn’t fit the criteria anyway. That’s how statistical analysis works.
Justice system? LOL. Don’t call me for jury duty to a courthouse I can’t access. I never thought I’d say this, but I have zero confidence in it. If a government is above review, criticism, and independent voices, it’s not American in any way. “Just trust us”—because they say so? That’s not justice. That’s a shutdown.
