Office of the District Attorney - Maggie Fleming, District Attorney
News Release
November 24, 2015
Today a jury found 25-year-old Michael Wayne Ayer guilty of receiving stolen property, a felony. The jury also found the defendant guilty of possessing heroin and methamphetamine, both misdemeanors, as well as displaying a false license plate, an infraction. The jury was not able to reach a verdict on the charge of burglary in the first degree, a felony.
The charges arose from two separate incidents: On June 9, 2015, a deputy from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office made contact with the defendant near the intersection of Jackson Ranch Road and Old Samoa Road. The defendant was found to be in possession of property that had recently been obtained in the burglary of a nearby Eureka residence. In a second incident in the early morning of June 1, 2015, officers from the Eureka Police Department contacted the defendant outside of his car in the parking lot of a closed business. The defendant’s car was displaying a false license plate, and he was found to be in possession of heroin and methamphetamine.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Whitney Barnes, with assistance from District Attorney Investigator Gary Cooper. Judge Dale Reinholtsen presided over the trial.