EPD arrested Von Hawley Butterfield on drug charges, vehicle code violations including driving on a suspended or revoked license due to DUI

 

(This google photo is old. He has a shaved head now and stubble in the 2026 booking photo)

(The 2021 Facebook photo is closer to the booking photo without the suit and glasses)

67 year old Von Hawley Butterfield was arrested by Eureka Police Department yesterday for HS 11364(a) possession of drug paraphernalia, HS 11350(a) possession of controlled substance, VC 24252(a) headlight violation, VC 16028(a) failure to provide proof of financial responsibility, VC 22107 lane change violation , VC 23109(c) accelerating or driving a vehicle at a dangerous speed and VC 14601.2(a) driving with license suspended or revoked for DUI.  These are all misdemeanor charges. Released on O.R.

I contacted EPD to see if they can release basic information like location of arrest. Police Operations Analyst Rachel Sollom responded, "Per our records it was near the intersection of 4th and E."

Butterfield was represented by local attorney Ben Okin in his 2008 DUI case. He has three convictions. One in the DUI case, two in 2018 and 2025 traffic cases for speeding. I did not check the tort case and two family law cases. Two of those cases are from the 1990s.

EPD issued a press release on Butterfield on May 1 after my post and original reporting. 

EPD Press Release (May 1):

On April 29, 2026, at approximately 7:30 p.m., an officer with the Eureka Police Department (EPD) conducted a traffic stop near the intersection of Fourth and F Streets for multiple vehicle code violations, including

speeding, breaking traction, unsafe lane changes without signaling, and an inoperable tail lamp.

The driver was identified as Von Butterfield, 67, of Eureka. A records check revealed Butterfield was driving on a suspended license, and he was taken into custody at the scene.

During a search conducted at the Humboldt County Correctional Facility, approximately 1.55 grams of cocaine and drug paraphernalia were located on Butterfield’s person.

Butterfield was booked on charges including driving on a suspended license, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, speeding, unsafe turning movements, and operating a vehicle

without required lighting