Sheriff’s Deputy Grabs ANC Publisher’s Arms and Cell Phone, Shoves Her From Board Chambers

The deputy on the right used a hand motion to direct the deputy on the left to deal with A News Cafe publisher Doni Chamberlain. Photo by Doni Chamberlain.

Editor’s update: This morning ANC received a copy of a letter from the First Amendment Coalition to the Shasta County Board of Supervisors and Shasta County Sheriff regarding violations of the Brown Act committed when press and the public were removed from the board chambers during Thursday’s Board of Supervisors meeting. Click here to read the letter. 

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It’s taken me a few days to collect my thoughts and process what happened during an unplanned recess in Thursday’s Shasta County Board of Supervisors meeting. I still feel rattled.

Trouble began after District 1 Chair Supervisor Kevin Crye called for a recess to deal with Jenny O’Connell-Nowain. She’d sat down in front of the board dais in protest against District 4 Supervisor Patrick Jones, and in support of Assistant Registrar of Voters Joanna Francescut, the county employee Jones has repeatedly and openly said he’d like to fire.

O’Connell-Nowain was soon joined by her husband Benjamin Nowain. (Disclosure: Nowain is a contract video reporter whose North State Breakdown episodes appear on A News Cafe.)

A News Cafe’s Barbara Rice already thoroughly reported what happened while the meeting was in session. No sense rehashing all that.

Today I’m reporting what happened during the recess, and eventually, what transpired inside the board chambers that went dark moments after several Shasta County Sheriff’s Department deputies arrived and took control of the room.

This is the second time O’Connell-Nowain has staged a sit-in protest during a supervisors meeting. The first time was about four months ago. She refused to stand, so deputies carried her from the chambers and out the back door where they deposited her on the parking lot’s asphalt where she received a citation for disrupting a public meeting.

A Shasta County Sheriff’s deputy presents Jenny O’Connell-Nowain with a citation for disrupting a public meeting. Photo by Doni Chamberlain.

Then, I was among a few members of the local press who remained inside the board chambers to record everything, from start to finish. Even so, initially, County Counsel Joseph Larmour, along with a few security guards, told the press to leave, but were methodically schooled with our justifications that the press had a First Amendment right to be there. So we remained inside the board chambers.

This time was different, in several ways. The last time media was allowed to stay. This time media was ordered to leave. The last time the lights were turned off inside the chambers, but because it was a daytime meeting, there was enough light streaming through the front windows to see and record. This time, it was a night meeting, so when the lights were turned off, the room went pitch black, with the exception of some light leaking from a side hallway.

Early on, an Ardent Security guard told me to leave. When I tried to record Benjamin and Jenny, he body-blocked me to prevent me from filming.

He asked if I wanted “the same thing” to happen to me as what would happen to O’Connell-Nowain. I told the guard I knew he was doing his job, but so was I. We went back and forth like that for a while.

At first, I was sitting in the front row doing a Facebook Live post. Each time the security guard told me to leave, I explained that as a journalist, I had a First Amendment right to remain in the room as long as the story was there. In this particular case, O’Connell-Nowain was the story. I needed to see and report what happened, observe how law enforcement dealt with her, and how the CEO and County Counsel behaved. I was also aware that O’Connell-Nowain has a seizure disorder, which added another level of uncertainty to the situation.

All the while CEO David Rickert and County Counsel Joseph Larmour scurried to and fro across the room, sometimes together, sometimes apart, often deep in respective cell-phone conversations.

From left, Shasta County CEO David Rickert and Shasta County Counsel Joseph Larmour talk during the Thursday meeting recess.

I was reminded of the story of the gullible Gingerbread man who hitches a ride across the river upon a fox’s back and is tricked into moving closer and closer to the fox’s mouth, where he was finally eaten. Thursday night, the security guards and one particular Shasta County Sheriff’s deputy kept ordering media to move incrementally further back in the room. I walked toward the door with the bright green EXIT sign above it, but under my breath said, “I’m not leaving.”

Soon, we media were closer to the glass doors at the rear of the chambers, and further from O’Connell. By then, Benjamin Nowain had left to check in with the couple’s teenager.

The board chambers were so dark, and crowd outside was so loud, that from my skimpy vantage point near the last row of chairs, it was soon impossible to hear or see what was going on with O’Connell-Nowain. For one fleeting instance, a small beam from one of the deputy’s flashlights briefly illuminated the front of the chambers enough to show that O’Connell-Nowain had been handcuffed with her hands behind her back.

In the background, from the foyer, social media creator Nathan Pinkney could be heard shouting about O’Connell-Nowain, “You’re going to arrest her in the dark! This doesn’t feel right.”

He also appealed to the deputies regarding their treatment of O’Connell-Nowain, “Please don’t hurt her!”

Things turned extra tense when Shasta County Sheriff’s Deputy McDaniel suddenly strode back to where he’d previously allowed me and another reporter to remain quietly within the open door, where we could continue our futile attempts to record what was happening with O’Connell-Nowain. McDaniel had revised orders, and claims about a potential safety issue and an “ongoing investigation” that required he completely clear the room. We tried reasoning with him, to no avail.

Eventually, I was the only media person still standing within the open doorway, and when Deputy McDaniel ordered me into the foyer, I refused, on grounds that press had a First Amendment right to remain on the premises and observe what was happening, as long as O’Connell-Nowain was inside the board chambers. Members of the press were not in the way. We were being quiet.

No matter. Things progressed quickly from there. Deputy McDaniel looked over to Deputy Meredith beside him, and motioned with his hand in “go ahead” gesture toward me. Meredith responded swiftly. He first grabbed my cell phone, which was recording on Facebook Live, which caused the video to go black.

Then he let go of my cell phone, and roughly grabbed both of my upper arms. Holding onto my arms, he pushed me from the board chambers into the foyer, and quickly shut the door behind me.

Here’s a video compilation of various views of my interactions with first the security guards, followed by deputies. Most of the video is mine. One final clip at the end is from another reporter.

The video begins with me at the front of the board chambers when the lights were still on, and concludes with me at the back of the room, in the dark, being assaulted by a deputy.

This is my second time to be assaulted while working as a journalist. The first time was in July of 2023. Thursday was the second time. Although there are no bruises on my upper arms, they’re both sore from where Meredith grabbed me.

Post-assault

After I was shoved from the board chambers, I attempted to take photos through the back window, but failed to see anything except County Counsel Larmour standing inside the board chambers that supposedly had safety issues. He didn’t look worried.

Finally, with my phone pressed against the glass, I could barely decipher a group of deputies around O’Connell-Nowain, who appeared to be walking slowly, with her hands behind her back.

Once again, O’Connell-Nowain was escorted by deputies out the back door to the parking structure. This time, she was placed in a Shasta County Sheriff’s SUV, and driven to the Shasta County Jail. She was booked and placed in a cell with another woman for a few hours.

The moment O’Connell-Nowain had left the building, Counsel Larmour opened the doors and allowed the public to return. In total, the entire incident lasted about 45 minutes.

Later, during open public comment time, several speakers expressed their outrage that Nowain’s sit-in disrupted the meeting, and that they were left outside for so long. A few suggested O’Connell-Nowain be banned from future board of supervisors meetings.

But that’s all covered in Barbara Rice’s Board of Supervisors report.

Militia service call

One thing that wasn’t covered in Rice’s report, because it wasn’t part of the official meeting, was the fact that at some point, several militia members converged upon the board chambers, where they stood against the back wall. Most wore baseball caps. It’s a fair assumption they carried concealed weapons. After all, as Woody Clenenden, Cottonwood Militia co-founder, is fond of saying, the only time he’s without a loaded weapon is when he’s in the shower.

A variety of male militia members showed up and lined the back wall during Thursday’s Shasta County Board of Supervisors meeting. Photo source: Facebook.

Among those recognized were Greg Walker, Carlos Zapata, Jesse Lane, Ian Smart, Michael Kamfolt and Lani Bangay.

One county insider says the militia members responded to a group message that asked them to show up, ostensibly because of a rumor regarding the presence of presumptive Antifa member outside the board chambers during the recess. According to the insider, it turned out to be a case of mistaken identity, because the man who was thought to be an Antifa member was someone dressed in colorful clothing, who also wore a balaclava that covered his mouth, protection because of the man’s compromised immune system. No Antifa, just a man trying to prevent himself from contracting something contagious.

Either way, what a troubling turn of events at an already stressful evening to see a strong militia presence during a board meeting. So many questions: Who called for them? What were their intentions? Would Chair Crye ever consider their presence an intimidating disruption, call for a recess, and ask for their removal from the board chambers?

We know the answer to that last one.

County talks tough

Meanwhile, late Thursday night following the day’s dramatic events at the Shasta County Board of Supervisors meeting, District 2 Supervisor Tim Garman posted an open message of apology regarding how members of the press were forced from the board chambers.

Thank you, Supervisor Garman. Much appreciated.

Conversely, the following day there were two press releases sent to media pertaining to the O’Connell-Nowain incident. Neither was posted on A News Cafe, but you can see them here today.

One press release was from the County:

” Disruption during Board of Supervisors Meeting

Shasta County, CA – At the November 7, 2024, Board of Supervisors meeting, a disruption occurred by attendees that necessitated county staff requesting assistance from law enforcement officers to restore order and to allow for the resumption of the meeting.

The procedure that was followed was the product of a protocol that has been in place for more than a year. This protocol was crafted in cooperation with the Board of Supervisors, the County Administrative Office, County Counsel, the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office, and the Shasta County District Attorney’s Office.

This agreed upon process was established with the safety of the general public and county staff in mind, so that all involved parties have a consistent method to restore order following a disruption and recess by the Board of Supervisors.

All parties worked together to follow the established protocol during this incident and the meeting was allowed to continue as planned.

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Another press release was from the Shasta County Sheriff:

“Board of Supervisors Meeting Disrupted, Individual Arrested

On Thursday, November 7, 2024, at 7:13 p.m., Shasta County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the Shasta County Board of Supervisors Chambers at 1450 Court Street, Redding, to a report of an individual sitting on the floor of the Board chambers refusing to leave and disrupting the meeting.

Arriving deputies cleared the Board Chambers for safety and located a 40-year-old Jennifer Lynn O’Connell-Nowain seated on the floor of the chambers. O’Connell-Nowain was given numerous orders to exit the chambers but would not comply.

O’Connell-Nowain was arrested and booked into the Shasta County Jail on charges of 403 PC Disturbing a Public Meeting.

This incident remains under investigation and other individuals who failed to obey lawful orders to exit the chambers may also face charges.”

Of special interest to me was the final sentence:

“This incident remains under investigation and other individuals who failed to obey lawful orders to exit the chambers may also face charges.”

Stay tuned for how that plays out. I’m as curious as the next individual.

Jenny and Benjamin get the last word

Finally, during the recess, while the lights were still on, and before deputies arrived and took over, Benjamin and Jenny both said a few words about their acts of civil disobedience, to let people know what drove them to take such seemingly extreme measures.

These two following videos share statements made by Jenny O’Connell-Nowain and Benjamin Nowain Thursday night, providing insights about why they believe civil disobedience is a crucial part of democracy.

Jenny O’Connell-Nowain

Benjamin Nowain.

Benjamin Nowain, who had stellar work evaluations, was recently fired from his county job as an analyst. For many years, he and his wife have shown up and spoken out at board meetings, keeping their comments to 3 minutes or less.

They also helped on the Recall Kevin Crye committee. We know of a blatant instance when Crye ensured that a Recall Kevin Crye member was robbed of her volunteer public health advisory board position.

Is it out of the realm of possibility that Crye grew weary of Nowain’s unrelenting criticisms of Crye, and had a hand in Nowain’s firing? We’ll probably never know.

Hold your nose, attend the meetings

Thursday’s incident is just one reason why I’d rather attend the board of supervisors meetings in person. Yes, of course, I’d rather stay home in sweats and slippers and watch the live streaming version online while deadheading roses.

But it’s too risky for those who rely upon the county’s live streaming video to tell the whole story. All it takes is one perceived disruption for the chair to call for a recess, which would kill the live streaming video, plunging online viewers in the dark, unable to know what’s going on.

Just like Shasta County’s press.

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