News Blog
Two murder suspects wanted in Washington state were arrested in Humboldt County on Oct. 10 — one after running out of gas in Redway and the other after reportedly trying to carjack a local car dealership owner at gunpoint during a purported test drive.
According to a Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office news release, Matthew Collett, 37, was arrested on a trail in Samoa after deputies responded to a report of an attempted carjacking just before 6 p.m. Saturday at New Navy Base Road and Vance Avenue.
“Deputies arrived on scene and began searching the area for Collett. During that time, deputies contacted a passerby in the area who had observed Collet and was able to provide updated last known location information,” the release states. “Deputies searched that area and located Collett walking on a trail. Collett was taken into custody without incident.”
A firearm was located later by a deputy and K-9 Yahtzee.
The car dealership owner, Jim Finney of Courtesy Used Cars, told Redheaded Blackbelt that he feels lucky to be alive after the encounter.
“I could just see in his eyes there was a very desperate look on his face,” Finney said in describing how he said Collett raised a gun at him after he pulled over at Vista Point during what was supposed to be a test drive.
Finney said he feared he might be taken to another location and shot and his instincts took over.
“I took my left hand and slammed the gun up against the dashboard. … I grabbed him by the throat … I was able to overpower him. … There was a little camper there and some people got out,” he said.
When another person also drove up, Finney said Collett went running down the railroad tracks.
Collett was booked on suspicion of being a fugitive from justice and the HCSO release states an additional charge of attempted carjacking will be forwarded to the district attorney’s office.
Craig was arrested earlier that same day, just before 1 p.m., after apparently running out of gas in the Redway area. Read more here. The CHP reports her bail was set at $1.5 million.
Find the HCSO and CHP releases below.
According to a Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office news release, Matthew Collett, 37, was arrested on a trail in Samoa after deputies responded to a report of an attempted carjacking just before 6 p.m. Saturday at New Navy Base Road and Vance Avenue.
A firearm was located later by a deputy and K-9 Yahtzee.
Collett and Kylie Kadeen Craig, 28, are suspects in the kidnapping and murder of 31-year-old Rachell Rene Roberts, whose body was located earlier this month off U.S. Forest Service Road 24, near the intersection with Hwy 119, in the Lake Cushman area in Mason County, Washington.
The car dealership owner, Jim Finney of Courtesy Used Cars, told Redheaded Blackbelt that he feels lucky to be alive after the encounter.
“I could just see in his eyes there was a very desperate look on his face,” Finney said in describing how he said Collett raised a gun at him after he pulled over at Vista Point during what was supposed to be a test drive.
Finney said he feared he might be taken to another location and shot and his instincts took over.
“I took my left hand and slammed the gun up against the dashboard. … I grabbed him by the throat … I was able to overpower him. … There was a little camper there and some people got out,” he said.
When another person also drove up, Finney said Collett went running down the railroad tracks.
Collett was booked on suspicion of being a fugitive from justice and the HCSO release states an additional charge of attempted carjacking will be forwarded to the district attorney’s office.
Craig was arrested earlier that same day, just before 1 p.m., after apparently running out of gas in the Redway area. Read more here. The CHP reports her bail was set at $1.5 million.
Find the HCSO and CHP releases below.
On Oct. 10, 2020, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office received information that two fugitives wanted on murder charges out of the state of Washington were possibly staying in Humboldt County.
The two fugitives, 28-year-old Kylie Kadeen Craig and 37-year-old Matthew Collett had reportedly been seen in the county earlier in the week.
On October 10 at about 12:43 p.m., Sheriff’s deputies on patrol in the area of Redwood Drive and West Coast Road in Redway stopped to assist a California Highway Patrol officer with a female motorist who had reportedly run out of gas. Deputies recognized the female as matching the description of fugitive Kylie Craig. The female was later confirmed to be Craig and was taken into custody by the California Highway Patrol. Craig was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of fugitive from justice (PC 1551(A)) in relation to being wanted for murder out of Washington state. Please refer to the California Highway Patrol for more information about this incident.
Later that day, at about 5:54 p.m., the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Communications Center received a 9-1-1 call with the report of an attempted carjacking in the area of New Navy Base Road and Vance Avenue in Samoa. The victim, a local vehicle salesman, told dispatchers that he was on a test drive with a male suspect, later identified a Matthew Collett, when Collett asked the victim, who was driving, to pull the vehicle over near Vance Avenue.
Collet then reportedly exited the vehicle and brandished a firearm at the victim in an attempt to steal the vehicle. The victim refused to give up the vehicle and instead called 9-1-1. Collet then reportedly fled onto nearby train tracks. Deputies arrived on scene and began searching the area for Collet.
During that time, deputies contacted a passerby in the area who had observed Collet and was able to provide updated last known location information. Deputies searched that area and located Collett walking on a trail. Collet was taken into custody without incident.
HCSO K9 Deputy Yahtzee and his handler later located the firearm associated with Collett near New Navy Base Road.
Collett was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of fugitive from justice (PC 1551(A)) in relation to being wanted for murder out of Washington state. Sheriff’s deputies are submitting additional charges of attempted carjacking to the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office for review and prosecution.
On the morning of October 10, 2020, CHP Garberville Area Officers along with other local law enforcement agencies received a be on the lookout (BOLO) for two suspects in connection with a recent homicide that occurred in Mason County, Washington. The BOLO listed suspects Mathew Collett and Kylie Kadeen Craig wanted in connection with the homicide.
On October 10, 2020, at 12:15 PM, a CHP Garberville Area officer stopped to assist an occupied spray painted pink and black disabled sedan with its hazard lights activated on Redwood Drive, just north of West Coast Road, in the community of Redway. The officer contacted the female occupant, who stated that she ran out of gas. The officer discovered that the license plate attached the sedan belonged to a different vehicle.
Upon further investigation, the officer discovered that the sedan, a 2013 Hyundai Elantra, was wanted in connection with the homicide that occurred in Mason County, Washington.
With the assistance of the Humboldt County Sheriff Office, the female occupant was identified as wanted suspect Kylie Kadeen Craig. Craig was booked into the Humboldt County Jail facility in Eureka on a felony arrest warrant for homicide and other related charges, with a bail amount set at $1,500,000. The Hyundai was booked as evidence in connection with the homicide.
Comments