EPD Release:
On 07/21/15 at about 3:54 p.m., Officers with the Eureka Police Department conducted a routine traffic stop at the 1000 block of Broadway. The two occupants were quickly identified as known serial thieves, James Cunha 43, and Rebecca Hamline 32, both of Eureka.
Cunha and Hamline were taken into custody for active wants based on probable cause for recent theft and vandalism cases. At the time of the traffic stop, Cunha was also a suspect in a pending call for service regarding check fraud.
Cunha and Hamline were transported and booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility for conspiracy to commit burglary, felony vandalism, and possession of burglary tools. A bail enhancement was sought and obtained for $250,000 each.
Additionally, the District Attorney’s Office is compiling a master case encompassing dozens of crimes throughout the county committed by Cunha and Hamline. They were arrested on some of those charges on 07/08/15 and booked into Del Norte County Jail. They were released on their own recognizance.
Cunha and Hamline both have prior convictions for conspiring together to commit burglary, theft, forgery, and fraud and have both served time in prison.
Both of these individuals have been toiling in the local criminal justice system for quite sometime. There is an old axiom that criminals tend to stay in the same line of work. There are defendants who abuse drugs. There are those who sell drugs. Violent crimes and even sex felonies tend to be committed by the same class of criminals. It is rare they branch out. Both of these individuals are just typical thieves. Cunha likes to commit check crimes. I sent Hamline to Prison for breaking into cars at beaches and BLM parking sites. She served 10 years in state prison, at half. That was ariund 2007-2008. I sent Cunha away for writing fake checks, some of which were stolen from mailboxes. That was in 2010, I believe maybe in 2008. I believe it was for 4 years. All of this was in a pre-realignment world where repeated constant property theft crimes like this could still land you in prison. Not any more. I am sure they are justly aware of the weakened punishment system now and they feel they can commit crimes without reproach. There is no deterrent for these types of criminals today.
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