A previously inaccessible court docket and related records in a case involving journalist Matthew LaFever were made public on February 2.
Included in the records was a request for a special master and a transcript of a discussion relating to “an agreement in principle” between Mendocino County District Attorney David Eyster and LaFever’s defense attorney, Orchid Vaghti.
Six weeks later, no order appointing the special master appears in the court file.
Neither Vaghti nor District Attorney David Eyster responded to a request for comment.
The records were released after Elise Cox, editor of MendoLocal.News, filed a motion to intervene seeking access as a member of the press.
Although Mendocino County Superior Court Judge Keith Faulder stated during a Friday hearing that “nothing has been sealed” in The People of the State of California v. Matthew LaFever, the case had remained entirely inaccessible to the public since it was filed on Dec. 2, 2025. The docket, case number, and filings were visible only to a limited group of courthouse personnel.
Even after the hearing, members of the public were unable to locate the case. A clerk assisting visitors at the Ukiah courthouse searched using both the case number and LaFever’s name and found no record. It was not until Monday afternoon that Court Executive Officer Kim Turner confirmed the file could be accessed from a public terminal.
“I wish I had a good explanation for the confusion around whether the file was sealed, confidential or public, but I do not,” Turner wrote in an email to MendoLocal.News.
Background of the case
LaFever, a working journalist and part-time high school teacher, was arrested by the Ukiah Police Department three months ago for allegedly annoying or molesting a minor (PC 647.6)
The charges followed an investigation, documented in a search warrant and Ramey arrest warrant, into Snapchat messages LaFever allegedly exchanged with a 17-year-old girl he met through the platform. LaFever has not been charged with a crime, and his bail was exonerated last month. LaFever’s lawyer has repeatedly communicated to MendoLocal.News that she and her client will not be commenting on the case.
The case is listed in the court’s online system as a miscellaneous criminal petition. While the caption now reads The People of the State of California v. Matthew LaFever, a Dec. 2 motion seeking appointment of a special master retains its original styling: Matthew LaFever v. the People of the State of California and the Ukiah Police Department — as originally reported by MendoLocal.News.
The motion to intervene
Cox’s motion argued that the U.S. Constitution does not permit criminal proceedings to be closed by default, by custom, or for administrative convenience. “Any closure — particularly one occurring before charges are filed — requires strict, on-the-record justification,” the motion stated.
The filing further asserted that no such justification appeared in the record. There was no written order authorizing closure and no findings showing that constitutional requirements for sealing the case had been met.
Search warrants and journalist protections
LaFever’s motion to appoint a special master, revealed in the newly disclosed documents, cites the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act, California’s shield laws enshrined in the state Constitution, and Evidence Code Section 1070, which protect journalists’ unpublished materials and confidential sources.
Special master requirements are rooted in Penal Code §1524 and related case law and enshrined in the rules of the State Bar of California, Under those rules, when law enforcement serves a search warrant on certain professionals — including attorneys, psychotherapists, and clergy — a special master must be appointed to oversee the search and prevent privileged information from being improperly accessed. The special master is required to accompany officers serving the warrant and is prohibited from allowing law enforcement to participate in the search itself.
Those procedures do not appear to have been followed when Ukiah police seized LaFever’s electronic devices on Oct. 17, 2025, or when he was arrested on a Ramey warrant on Nov. 3, 2025.
Ukiah Police Chief Tom Corning and Ukiah City Manager Sage Sangiacomo declined to comment on whether a special master participated in the LaFever investigation.
The investigation and seizure of devices
According to the Ramey arrest warrant application signed by a Ukiah police detective, police received a complaint from the mother of one of LaFever’s journalism students, who reported that LaFever had said “Oh, damn” while standing behind her daughter with his phone in his hand.
When police interviewed the teen, she allegedly told them about a friend who had engaged in Snapchat conversations with LaFever over the summer using an alias. As alleged in the Ramey warrant, the friend later disclosed her real age and reported that LaFever continued the conversation, made comments about her appearance, and sent shirtless photos of himself while requesting a photo of her in return.
Based on those messages, the detective told Judge Patrick Pekin there was probable cause to believe LaFever had committed the misdemeanor offense of annoying or molesting a minor, which does not require physical contact but does require conduct that would disturb or offend a reasonable person.
The Ukiah detective requested and received a search warrant authorizing seizure of LaFever’s iPhone, Apple Watch, router, SD card, and three laptops.
The 33-page warrant included a request for a “digital forensic search order” and proposed searching devices at the scene to avoid seizing irrelevant equipment. At the same time, the detective sought authorization to transport devices to “a secure location like a forensic lab or the Ukiah Police Department.”
Over the following 16 days, police conducted an extensive forensic examination of LaFever’s digital activity across multiple platforms, based on the press release announcing LaFever’s arrest.
The Ramey warrant and arrest
On Nov. 2, the detective appeared before Judge Faulder and requested a Ramey arrest warrant — a procedure typically used for expediency, often in serious felony cases. Mendocino County Sheriff Matt Kendall said such warrants are most commonly sought in homicide investigations. Misdemeanor suspects are typically sent a letter and asked to surrender voluntarily.
LaFever was arrested the next day at his home on the misdemeanor charge.
Leak allegations and a narrow circle
That same day, former sheriff’s deputy and former Willits police officer Trent James posted a 44-minute YouTube video describing graphic details allegedly drawn from LaFever’s digital devices, including information contained in the then-confidential Ramey arrest warrant.
“There is enough evidence at this point, these cops have this guy dead to rights,” James said in the video, asserting additional allegations not included in court filings or forwarded to prosecutors.
To date, LaFever has not been charged with any crime, and pending the appointment of a special master, the case appears to be stalled.
Ukiah Police Chief Tom Corning said the department conducted an internal affairs investigation after the video was published but “did not identify an individual responsible for leaking information.” Corning did not respond to questions about whether a special master oversaw the search of LaFever’s devices or whether an outside investigator reviewed the leak.
Citing the California Public Records law, MendoLocal.News has asked to review the contract with an outside investigator to conduct the leak investigation, if it exists.
Kristine Lawler, city clerk of Ukiah, responded on February 12, 2026: “After a reasonable inquiry and diligent search, no responsive documents to your request were found.”
In the video, James described friendly relationships with members of the Ukiah Police Department command staff. “I always knew him to be a really good dude,” James said about Chief Tom Corning. “I mean I remember Corn Dog is working on the coast as a deputy. He started about the same time I did. Yeah. And um working with him he was a fantastic deputy so I yeah I have nothing bad to say about Tom Corning.”
In his email to MendoLocal.News, James expressed his longstanding animosity toward LaFever, whom he has publicly accused of biased reporting dating back to the 2022 sheriff’s race. He also objected to a question from MendoLocal.News about any discussions he had regarding the Ukiah Police investigation with a law enforcement colleague he worked with at a previous department.
A festering news article
James ran for sheriff of Mendocino county in 2022 as a write-in candidate. During his campaign, he gave an extensive interview to LaFever. In LaFever’s article, published on May 26, 2022, the journalist questioned James’ residency status, noting that James had told viewers he was in Florida, Texas and on the East Coast, while also claiming to maintain a permanent residence in Mendocino County at a friend’s home, where he rented a room for two months.
James lost the election but received 2,488 votes, equal to 15 percent of the vote for that particular race.
Under California law, knowingly filing a false or forged document with a public office is a felony punishable by up to three years in state prison and fines of up to $10,000. There is no indication James was charged with such an offense.
James declined to provide specific examples from LaFever’s article that were inaccurate, or one-sided, or to name statements that he wasn’t given a chance to address. James has previously cited the article in a YouTube video as an example of LaFever’s allegedly one-sided and biased reporting.
Instruction to restrict access
During a Dec. 17 hearing on appointing a special master, Deputy District Attorney Robert J. Waner told the court that prosecutors and defense counsel had reached an agreement in principle.
“Law enforcement has already been instructed not to access LaFever’s devices pending further court order,” Waner said.
He added that prosecutors would submit a revised warrant incorporating the appointment of a special master.
“We’ll submit the order, you’ll sign it, and we’ll get to work,” Waner said.
Update: The Ukiah city clerk has confirmed that the Ukiah Police Department did not hire an outside investigator to look into the source of the leak of graphic details from LaFever’s data/devices on the day of his arrest to an influencer who boasted of his friendly ties to the department while expressing animosity toward the accused. February 13, 2026 9:26 a.m.
(Mendolocal.news)
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