Man Faces up to 13 years in Heroin Case

Allen Ray Walter Yochum, 46, of Eureka, pleaded guilty today to transportation of heroin for sale in one case and possession of heroin for sale in another.  He also admitted a prior drug sales conviction and admitted four prior prison terms.  He agreed to a 13 year sentence in the California Department of Corrections.  
On February 21, 2011, Eureka POP officers were investigating reports of heroin sales at the Patriot Gas Station in Eureka when they observed Yochum drive up in a silver Mercury station wagon and make contact with two males.
Officers approached the men and the two males admitted their intent to purchase heroin. Yochum was also contacted and because he was on parole and subject to searches at any time, officers searched him and his vehicle. In Yochum’s pocket, officers found $330 in currency, thirty 1x1 empty baggies stamped with “stay high”, and a small digital scale with suspected heroin residue. In the vehicle, officers found two baggies stamped “stay high” containing heroin with a combined weight of 2.8 grams.
Yochum was arrested and booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility. While Yochum was in custody, officers received reports that Yochum possessed heroin. On Feb 25, 2011, facility staff searched Yochum and his belongings and discovered a bag containing 16.1 grams of heroin in Yochum’s mattress.
Yochum is scheduled to be sentenced to the stipulated term, subject to approval from the court, on June 6, 2011 by the Honorable Superior Court Judge Timothy Cissna.
I commend the Eureka Police Department’s POP team and Deputy District Attorney Ben McLaughlin for their outstanding work,” said Humboldt County District Attorney Paul Gallegos. “However, without meaningful heroin treatment, like the methadone treatment center that our community has historically opposed, we will continue to see demand for heroin and people willing to provide it.