530 Crime Watch: Redding police arrest Illinois man suspected in the deaths of two teens

An Illinois man suspected in the death of two 14-year-olds and the wounding of a third was in custody on June 29 after he took law enforcement officials on a chase through downtown Redding, police reported.

At 4:33 p.m. on Thursday, Redding police officers from the department’s bike team reported they saw the driver of a Ford Focus "narrowly miss hitting a pedestrian” with the vehicle at the corner of California and Sacramento streets in downtown Redding.

When officers tried to force him to stop, the driver fled, according to police, leading to a “short vehicle pursuit (that) ended when the driver abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot into a greenbelt area where he hid.”

Officers found the man and he surrendered to police, the report said.

Police booked 21-year-old Draven Webb of Illinois into the Shasta County Jail on suspicion of reckless driving, resisting arrest and reckless evasion.

At that time, Webb gave officers a false name, according to the police report. But fingerprints on file and a records check found a two-year-old arrest warrant issued in Lee County, Illinois for Webb, charging him with vehicular homicide.

According to the warrant, in April, 2021, Webb’s reckless driving in that state resulted in the deaths of two 14-year-old passengers and the injury of a third 14-year-old.

Redding police plan to extradite Webb to Illinois in the next several days, they reported.

Anyone with information about either case is asked to call Redding Police Department Sgt. Jon Sheldon at 530-776-0107.

― Jessica Skropanic

Redding man found guilty in 2013 cold case murder

Thursday, June 22

A jury on Wednesday found a Redding man guilty of murder in a 10-year-old cold case homicide.

Matthew Hartman, 39, faces a possible prison sentence of life without the possibility of parole after a Shasta County Superior Court jury found him guilty of first-degree murder and related charges, according to the district attorney's office.

Hartman shot and killed Charles Sweetwood in his Redding apartment on May 1, 2013. Hartman and an accomplice, Coleen Honaker, were suspects early in the investigation into the shooting, but police were unable to gather enough evidence to arrest them, Redding police said at the time of Hartman's arrest.

After several years the case went cold, but in 2018 retired investigator Rusty Bishop was assigned to the case. Through the "relentless" work of Bishop and Redding police they were able to collect enough evidence to arrest Hartman and Honaker in 2019, the DA's office said.

Honaker, 34, also was charged with murder, but it was unclear Thursday the status of her case. She was still listed Thursday as an inmate at the Shasta County Jail on a murder charge.

― Damon Arthur

Shasta County man arrested after standoff in French Gulch

Wednesday, June 14

A 41-year-old Shasta County man was arrested on weapons and domestic violence charges after a standoff with law enforcement, the sheriff’s office said Wednesday.

At approximately 4 p.m. Tuesday, Shasta County Sheriff’s deputies were attempting to serve an arrest warrant at the 14000 block of French Gulch west of Redding.

Justin Reeder was wanted for felony domestic violence and authorities were told he was at a house in the 14000 block of Trinity Mountain Road, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

Deputies tried to serve the warrant, but Reeder refused to come out of the house, and they also were told that Reeder might be armed with guns, investigators said.

The Shasta County SWAT team and law enforcement negotiators were brought in. The negotiators were able to contact Reeder via text messages and he eventually came out of the house and surrendered, the sheriff's office said.

Reeder was arrested and booked into the Shasta County Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, arson and corporal injury to someone.

— David Benda

Burney man goes to prison for illegally buying and selling guns

Tuesday, June 6

A Burney man was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Sacramento on Tuesday to two years in prison for illegally buying and selling firearms.

Brian Scheckla traveled to gun shows in several western states, including California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon and Idaho, buying and selling guns without a license, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Sacramento.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms ordered Scheckla to stop, but he continued, officials said. However, from March 2016 and February 2019, Scheckla purchased at least 77 guns from federally licensed firearms dealers, officials said, and 10 of those firearms have been recovered by law enforcement agencies throughout California.

He pleaded guilty in federal court in October 2021, officials said.

― Damon Arthur

Report of ATM tampering leads to arrest at downtown Redding bank

Three people were arrested on gun charges in downtown Redding early Monday morning after authorities responded to a report of someone tampering with the ATM machines at the Bank of America on East Street, police said.

Around 2:40 a.m., officers got a call about suspicious activity around the ATM machines by a man wearing a facemask and gloves, the Redding Police Department said.

When officers got to the bank, they found three people in a vehicle. They attempted to leave the bank, but officers were able to block the vehicle, police said.

The driver of the vehicle, Michael Davis, 37, of Redding, refused to cooperate with police, investigators said.

A rifle was found by one of the passengers, Christopher Cook, 27, of Redding, who was sitting in the backseat, which prompted officers to tell Davis and Cook to get out of the vehicle, investigators said.

Officers searched the vehicle and found a loaded handgun under the seat where Davis was sitting, investigators said.

Police said the third person in the vehicle, Patsy Elsey, 37, of Redding, admitted to officers that the guns were hers.

Davis was arrested on suspicion of possessing a loaded firearm, a felon in possession of a gun and other gun charges, police said.

Cook was arrested on suspicion of possessing ammunition, possessing a loaded gun and a felon in possession of a gun, police said.

Elsey was arrested on suspicion of possessing a loaded gun and methamphetamine, police said.

— David Benda

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: 530 Crime Watch: Redding police arrest suspect in deaths of two teens