John Chiv: As expected, there is a last minute motion to continue terroristic and criminals threat suspect Daryl Jones preliminary hearing

Jul 18, 2025

As expected, there is a last minute motion to continue terroristic and criminals threat suspect Daryl Jones preliminary hearing

(Oklahoma booking photo)

Terroristic and criminals threat suspect Daryl Jones two cases were on calendar for preliminary hearing this morning. I reported on July 8 that criminal proceedings were reinstated. An oral motion to continue will be made by attorneys, which I expected. Between courtroom availability, court scheduling, court staffing, I knew this would happen.

Judge Kaleb Cockrum recused himself but he can rule on a motion to continue. It was set in Courtroom 1 and got moved to Courtroom 5 at 10:30 but first judge has to meet with attorneys

All EPD officers, CHP, Cal Poly Humboldt and other law enforcement officers are here because these last minute motions are not filed and they will probably be ordered back.

I was the only one to submit a media request which was granted and am allowed to take a photo of Jones today. Hopefully, if he is in court, I can take a photo today. I will be adding it.

This is the media order granted. I have included the letter which I attached to my media request.

After two tries, the third l time I wrote a letter why. Thank you Assistant Presiding Judge Timothy Canning. No other media has submitted a request as of 10:08 this morning.

Conflict Counsel Supervising Attorney Meagan O'Connell is Jones Attorney. Deputy District Attorney Trent Timm was in court for the People. He just got handed the case yesterday. Previously, Deputy DA Roger Rees appeared on the case for the People.

Ms. Joanne Carter represents one of the alleged victims. She was not here earlier today in Courtroom 1. She appeared via Zoom in Courtroom 5 and that information was stated on record when Zoom users were admitted one by one after verifying who they were.

11:04 p.m. We are still waiting for the courtroom to open. I saw HCSO Sgt. Comer talk with Deputy DA Trent Timm earlier with my media order, now he took the local rules about photography inside.

My media request was for the preliminary hearing. That did not happen today. There was a motion to continue by Ms. O'Connell who took advantage of a Visiting Judge hearing the motion to continue who would defer to local rules.". I am not a First Amendment lawyer but I know how to research and I have access to such experts all over California and I will consult with them.

My media request being denied for a reason that is not my fault and has never been brought up before stinks. It is not my job to notify the attorneys, that is court staff's job. I cannot address the judge directly which is unfair when the reason for denial.

And I am not singling court staff out because this week has been extremely busy and chaotic. This case was moved around last minute this morning and the Judicial Secretary even sent a copy to the court this morning.

I was not in the courtroom for the private discussion but despite on the record, Judge Carter saying that attorneys agree is just diplomacy on Judge Carter and Mr. Timm's part; I am pretty sure it was Ms. O'Connell objecting.

This is deja vu of sexually violent predator Joshua Cooley again and Ms. O'Connell's vigorous defense of convicted Cooley over the public safety which dragged things out for months. Defense and defendants are not the only ones with rights. Why was there a private discussion about my media request instead of an open courtroom?

She knows how busy court has been, especially this week; she knows that reporters do not provide media orders to attorneys. Was this personal? I doubt it. We will find out depending on what happens next.

The more likely reason is Ms. O'Connell is using the chaos of Humboldt Superior Court to prevent public access and impeding First Amendment rights and media and public from seeing a current photo of her client. I don't have an issue with Judge Carter's ruling because she was put in a difficult position. Let's see if Ms. O'Connell now uses this delay to file a motion against all future media requests. Call it a hunch because I know how this local court operates and every single player in this chess game.

There have been issues with this case with media access that have never seen in 11 years with any other case. I spoke with KAEF reporter Veonna King who was the only other local media reporter in court after the hearing and she plans to submit a media request. I do too but not before doing some research on the law.

Humboldt County Sheriff's Office hands are tied about the booking photo because of the Ninth Circuit ruling but they could release a photo because there is a public safety exception. Oklahoma is not covered by the Ninth Circuit ruling. Finally, it looks like Jones' Facebook page was taken down.

Preliminary rescheduled to August 25. The reason given for the delay was discovery by Ms. O'Connell. Again, while this maybe technically correct, would Ms. O'Connell have been ready today? I doubt it. This is a case in which defense should have filed a motion to continue. To say the DA "forced the defense to file a motion to continue" is BS. Ms. O'Connell's unremorseful, manipulative client should have entered a time waiver at the last hearing when criminal proceedings were reinstated. This gaming the system may work on someone not familiar with how Humboldt courts work, how defense attorneys and defendants play the system.

This is not anything personal against Ms. O'Connell but everyone involved with the courts is short staffed, overworked, there is a backlog. Law enforcement wasted hours this morning; I wasted hours instead of taking care of more urgent issues like my health, work that actually pays my bills and other cases. I don't have the luxury of a government paycheck like Ms. O' Connell or staff to assist me.

Now, what should have been a post done by 10:30 or 10:45 has been delayed unnecessarily.

There were asecurity measures to admit unknown Zoom users because of the idiot who pulled a stunt earlier this week. Not mentioned in court today but inferred is what I reported on Monday. An unknown user "Zoom bombed" Courtroom 1 interrupted a sentencing on another case demanding the release of sexually violent predator Richard Stobaugh and played pornographic material that was visible in the courtroom.

Witness names and more details later. I have included court minutes.

Conflict Counsel is funded by taxpayer dollars. This case is of interest to the community. This case is about public safety.

I cannot be the only one spending time fighting the system and local obstacles even when I follow the rules. If the community wants a current booking photo, time for the community to support me and speak up for me for a change.