On Nov. 17, 2021, at about 2:49 a.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies on patrol in the Garberville area observed a man removing items from a parked vehicle on the side of the road.

Due to the time of day and suspicious nature of this activity, the deputy stopped and contacted the individual, later identified as 32-year-old Raymond Joseph Smith. While investigating, deputies learned that the vehicle had been reported stolen out of the Fortuna area. Additionally, deputies learned that Smith was currently out of compliance with his PC 290 registration.

Smith was arrested and booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of possession of a stolen vehicle (PC 496d(a)) and failure to register as a sex offender (PC 290(g)(1)).

Anyone with information about this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.

Raymond Joseph Smith Booking Photo | Humboldt County Sheriff's Office