John Chiv: Finally DA charges former court mediator with secretly videotaping 4 women

Mar 29, 2023

Finally DA charges former court mediator with secretly videotaping 4 women

Finally, after months of checking regularly and often daily, charges have been filed by the DA against former Humboldt Superior court mediator and former CWS employee Joe Hale. He was arrested on June 29, 2022.

Four misdemeanor counts of PC 647 (j) (2) known as criminal invasion of privacy or disorderly conduct by secretly videotaping or photographing the body or undergarments of another person. There are four alleged victims, all women.

For a first time offender, the sentence is six months in jail and a fine of $1,000. California law makes this charge a misdemeanor.

I previously reported he is being represented by Mr. Paul Gallegos. That was confirmed in the recusal documents filed by every single Humboldt Superior Court Judge.

Arraignment is scheduled for 4/28. E court lists that on 3/27 there was general appearance of counsel but no name is listed for an attorney and there has been no hearing. On 3/28 a waiver of personal appearance was filed for Hale. This means he does not even have to show up for arraignment. Hale is out of custody.

I previously reported that someone at the Courthouse was grateful there were no photographs of her. There is no preliminary hearing for misdemeanors? Will this case even go to trial? Will we ever find out where these recordings were allegedly filmed? Did it include the Courthouse, women's bathrooms? You think after all those years at the Courthouse, Hale doesn't have information he can use to negotiate?

Would charges have been filed if I had not consistently kept following up with the DA's office and reporting on this case despite crickets from Humboldt Superior Court? If you follow my blog regularly, especially my exclusive coverage on Hale, Humboldt Superior Court and the lawsuit against Judge Gregory Kreis, current Public Defender Luke Brownfield and former Public Defender Marek Reavis, you would be naive to think there wasn't pressure on the DA's office about this case.

The media and public do not have access to the investigator's report while a case is currently in the system. If there is no trial, there will be no additional information about these charges.

The arraignment letter has Humboldt District Attorney Stacey Eads name but it also says by Mendocino Assistant Deputy Attorney Dale Trigg. He was formerly Del Norte County DA. I contacted DA Eads. Mr. Trigg will be prosecuting the Hale case.

Read my related posts and previous coverage on the Hale case which include references to what Humboldt Court Superior Court CEO Kim Bartleson, Humboldt Superior Court administration may have known. A second court mediator, Velda Gooden was let go. You think Humboldt Judge Kreis did not know about the complaints against Hale? He is the Presiding Judge and was a judge in family law court for years and is in juvenile court now. Bartleson has been on leave. Humboldt Court administration never responded to me whether it was personal or administrative. Bartleson did not respond either. She is not expected to return according to more than one source.

I received this from a regular reader in February. I have spoken with other women who have cases in the family law system as well as others in the community. There were complaints about Hale for years.

"I did speak with a knowledgeable person in this Court System who said a State agency reported that they had many 'red flags' concerning Joe Hale prior to his termination, but in my opinion because most of the complaints were filed in the Superior Court (see the complaint form in the HC Superior Court Rules) and went to Bartleson, she most likely put them in the 'circular file' as there were hundreds of complaints over the past 10 years and no one ever did anything about Joe. You only had to listen to him for 15 minutes to know he has serious mental health issues - condescending, rude, self-absorbed, self-righteous, and an alleged pervert on top of all that."

You heard it here first. I let Nazy Javid and Kym Kemp know. Respect, credit and professional courtesy begets the same.