First he lies about Del Norte shooting to EPD, did he reveal the November bust?

Just checked with EPD, no new updates on yesterday's shooting.

Same Billy Rutherford? That is what I think. His name seemed familiar to me.

Update yesterday:

The camouflage shotgun used in the shooting has been identified as a firearm stolen from a Eureka residence on 6/18/2014.


Previous press release:

On November 19, 2014, at about 9:49 a.m., Eureka Police Department officers were dispatched to the foot of West Del Norte Street on the report of shots fired and a male subject with a gunshot wound.  Responding officers located the victim in the greenbelt area a few hundred yards south of West Del Norte Street.  Officers confirmed the victim had sustained a significant gunshot wound to his leg.  He was transported by ambulance to a local hospital where he is currently undergoing treatment.

The victim told officers he was walking with a female companion on a path in the greenbelt northwest of Vigo Street when he was suddenly shot in the leg by an unknown assailant shooting from an unknown location.

During the subsequent investigation, including a sweep of the greenbelt, EPD detectives determined the victim lied and the shooting occurred at an illegal transient camp. The involved shotgun was located concealed in a tent a short distance from where the victim was found.  Other uninvolved guns were also found to be concealed inside the tent.

Detectives believe the victim was accidentally shot by another subject, Billy Joe Rutherford (44 of Arcata), while the two men were handling a semi-automatic 12 gauge shotgun inside a tent.

This incident is still under investigation. Detectives are in the process of determining whether or not the firearms are stolen property and illegally possessed by the subjects.  No arrests have been made at this time.  However, a criminal case will be forwarded to the District Attorney’s Office for review upon completion of the investigation.

November press release from Arcata Police Department:

On Sunday at about 9:20p.m., an officer with the Arcata Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in the 1600 block of G Street, based upon the registered owner of the vehicle having a warrant for his arrest for brandishing a weapon and assault and battery.
The officer confirmed that the driver of the vehicle was the registered owner, Arcata resident Billy Joe Rutherford, 44.

During a search of Rutherford incident to his arrest, a small amount of methamphetamine in a plastic baggie was located in his pocket. A search of his vehicle yielded over one ounce of methamphetamine packaged for sales, a glass methamphetamine pipe, approximately 5.5 ounces of concentrated cannabis and a large amount of cash monies.
The methamphetamine has an approximate street value of $1,250.
Billy Joe Rutherford was arrested on the following charges and booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility:
H&S 11378 - Possession of a Controlled Substance for Sales
H&S 11379 - Transportation of a Controlled Substance
H&S 11357(a) - Possession of Concentrated Cannabis
H&S 11364.1(a) - Possession of Paraphernalia