Multiple agencies including the Humboldt County Drug Task Force, the California Highway Patrol and the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team, served a search warrant Monday, May 27th, at a hotel in Eureka, after a multi-month investigation.
Evidence was gathered during the lengthy investigation, that two individuals, identified as 39 year old Michael Caleb Reed and 32 year old Pa Cheng were traveling to southern California to purchase large quantities of narcotics, and transport the narcotics back to Humboldt County for the purpose of sales.
Reed, a convicted felon, currently on parole for felony evasion, has a lengthy history of leading law enforcement on highspeed chases throughout the state of California, one of which resulted in a collision where a Eureka Police Officer was severely injured in 2020.
Search warrants were authored During the investigation, for the two individuals social media accounts and after review of the data on Reed’s account, Agents discovered a video of Reed and Cheng having sexual intercourse with a minor under the age of 16. It was also discovered that Reed had distributed the video of him and Cheng having sexual intercourse with the minor, as well as other sexually explicit images/videos of the same minor, to other individuals.
Evidence indicating Reed and Cheng engaging in human trafficking and prostitution was located by Agents reviewing the messages and data on both Reed and Cheng’s social media and the victims observed on the social media accounts are also suspected to potentially be juveniles.
Late Monday afternoon,the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team Operators and Humboldt County Sheriff’s K9 Rex set up in a parking lot of a business located in downtown Eureka ahead of Reed and Cheng’s arrival on the Amtrak Bus.
Both Reed and Cheng were apprehended with Reed in possession of several duffle bags containing two ounces of cocaine, one ounce of heroin, one pound of fentanyl, two pounds of methamphetamine, and a loaded handgun.
After Reed and Cheng were detained, Agents responded to their hotel room where they located a stolen handgun hidden in the wall, and more evidence indicative of human trafficking and prostitution.
Reed was transported to the Humboldt County Jail where he was booked on multiple charges, including showing/sending harmful material to seduce a minor, Statutory rape of a minor, Oral copulation with a minor under the age of 16, Conspiracy, Possession of child pornography,Felon in possession of ammunition, Illegal possession of a firearm, Felon in possession of a firearm, Possession of a firearm with a controlled substance, Transportation of Narcotics, Transportation of narcotics, noncontiguous counties, Possession for sales, narcotics, Transportation of controlled substance, Transportation of controlled substance, noncontiguous counties, and Possession for sales, controlled substance.
Cheng was transported to the Humboldt County Jail where she and booked onr the following charges, including, Oral copulation with a minor under the age of 16, Transportation of narcotics, Transportation of narcotics, noncontiguous counties, Possession for sales, narcotics, Transportation of controlled substance, and Possession for sales, controlled substance.
This is an ongoing investigation and additional charges regarding the stolen firearm located in Reed’s room, human trafficking, pimping, pandering, and distribution of child pornography continue to be investigated.
