Investigation into fired Ukiah police chief forwarded to state Attorney General

The Mendocino County District Attorney's Office has forwarded a case involving possible criminal wrongdoing by former Ukiah Police Chief Noble Waidelich to the state Attorney General's Office.

Assistant District Attorney Dale Trigg reported Thursday that an investigation completed earlier this year by the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office had been sent to the office of California Attorney General Rob Banta on Sept. 29.

A representative from Banta's office responded to a request for more information on the case with an email stating: "We can confirm we're reviewing the District Attorney's request. Beyond that, no updates on our end at this point in time."

When previously asked for further details regarding the nature of the potential case against Waidelich, Mendocino County DA David Eyster said his "office policy doesn't allow comment on reports pre-filing, and then even pre-conviction."

When Waidelich was placed on administrative leave on June 14, only several months into his new role as chief, the city of Ukiah described the move as "pending an ongoing criminal investigation led by (the) Sonoma County Sheriff's Office. Because this is both a pending personnel and criminal matter, no further information may be disclosed by the city at this time."

When contacted for more information regarding the case at the time, SCSO spokesperson Sgt. Juan Valencia released this statement: "On June 13, 2022, an allegation of criminal conduct involving Ukiah Police Chief Noble Waidelich was reported to the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office. Due to the close working relationship between the MCSO and the UPD, Mendocino County Sheriff (Matt) Kendall requested the SCSO conduct the investigation for transparency purposes."

The statement concluded: "We understand this case will have increased public interest. The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office cannot release additional information due to the active status of this investigation and to protect the integrity of this case."

UPD Capt. Cedric Crook has been serving as interim chief since the departure of Waidelich. When asked this week for an update on the city's search for a permanent UPD chief, Deputy City Manager Shannon Riley said in an email that the city had "hired a professional recruitment firm, Mosaic Public Partners, and created a stakeholder group that represents various diverse demographics in the community. Mosaic is currently in the process of gathering input from those stakeholders; that input will be used to inform the candidate profile for recruitment. While the position has not yet been fully developed or announced yet, there are some individuals who have expressed interest in filling it; any inquiries have been and will continue to be forwarded to Mosaic to be included in their regular process. When we reach the interview stage, the stakeholder group will again be engaged to be a collaborative part of that process.

"We are still in the information-gathering stage," Riley continued. "As we move through the process, we will provide updates at the public City Council meetings. Our goal in filling this important position is to be as inclusive and transparent as possible. We feel like that's worth the extra time it will take."