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5 days ago
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'Your actions affect others': Kidnap hoaxer Sherri Papini's restraining order dismissed
Sherri Papini on Wednesday agreed to withdraw a temporary restraining order against a woman who claimed the convicted kidnapping hoaxer stole her longtime boyfriend from her and left her and her 11-year-old daughter homeless. Papini, who lives in Shingletown, said in her restraining order request that she was being stalked and harassed by another Shingletown woman, Katherine Parrick, who allegedly made defamatory statements about her online. During Wednesday's Shasta County Superior Court hearing, Papini, Parrick and their attorneys appeared before Commissioner John Berglund. After meeting with the attorneys in the judge's chambers, Berglund came into the courtroom and announced the restraining order was being dismissed. Berglund also admonished Papini and Parrick to get along. "Both of you live in a small town and it is important for both of you to remember how your actions affect others," he said. Papini has been in the news nationwide since she disappeared after she went for a jog near her north Redding home in early November 2016. She reappeared 22 days later on a remote road in Yolo County, claiming she was kidnapped, held against her will and physically abused by two Hispanic women. The news of her abduction and return home went viral worldwide, but in 2022 she was accused by the FBI and the Shasta County Sheriff's Office of making up the entire story. That same year she pleaded guilty to wire fraud and lying to the FBI. She was sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to repay some $309,000 to federal, state and local governments. She admitted to authorities that during the time was missing she was voluntarily staying at a former boyfriend's house in Costa Mesa. But she has recently appeared in a documentary in which she claims she really was abducted. But in the documentary she says it was the ex-boyfriend in Costa Mesa who held her against her will and physically abused her. Dig deeper: Prior to Sherri Papini's arrest, these were the major events in her 'kidnapping' case In addition to recently recasting her past troubles, Papini has also become involved in at least two court issues. In the request for a temporary restraining order, Papini says that Parrick has driven by her home and taken photos outside a gate to the house. She also claimed Parrick posted online defamatory statements about her. "From December 2024 to current, Ms Parrick has stalked my home. Attached (to the restraining order) is her confirmation of behavior on a recent post made on 4/26/25. Ms Parrick has now posted several hate, slander and defamatory statements via Gofundme and other social media sites," Papini wrote in court documents filed on April 29. "As a result, my current partner (Anthony Bickel) was assaulted on 4/27/2025, on 4/28/25 I began receiving threats left on my answering machine, and I am afraid of my safety," Papini said. The restraining order request, which was initially granted, did not indicate who made the threats against Papini or who assaulted Bickel. Parrick's attorney, Jacob Levin of Redding, said his client did not stalk or harass Papini. He also said Parrick stands by her statements made on a GoFundMe page set up to raise funds for her and her daughter. Parrick said she was left homeless and destitute after Bickel left her for Papini in October. "I wasn't threatening her. I wasn't even harassing her, by the loosest definition of the word, and I certainly wasn't defaming her. I've been very careful when I wrote online to only write what I knew was true, and I waited six months before I started sharing my story with anyone. I tried to handle this gracefully for a long time," Parrick said outside court Wednesday. "I was simply telling my story, and I think she wanted me to shut the heck up, because she's trying to portray a new image to the world, and by me telling the truth, it shows that her image is false," Parrick said. Parrick said she was happy the restraining order was dismissed, but said she is still struggling to make ends meet since her 16-year relationship with Bickel ended. Levin said his client was concerned that Bickel was possibly taking the couple's daughter to Papini's house because Papini has limited access to both of her own children. Papini's attorney, Chase Kinney of Redding, said her client filed the restraining order "because she wanted the harassment and exploitation of her name — and that of a minor child — to stop. With the agreement that Ms. Parrick will remove all related social media and fundraising posts and refrain from any further harassment or commentary, Ms. Papini has now achieved that purpose. "By dismissing the restraining order, Ms. Papini avoids further feeding into unnecessary drama and preserves her energy for what truly matters: her children and her future," Kinney said. Levin, however, said that Parrick is not required to remove any online statements she has made about Papini. The temporary restraining order is not the only legal issue Papini has become involved in recently. She is due in court again Friday, as her former boyfriend Shawn Hibdon has filed an eviction proceeding to have her removed from a home he owns in Shingletown. In a declaration filed in the eviction case, Papini says she had made arrangements to purchase the home from Hibdon, who lives in Orland. But after their relationship ended he sent her an eviction notice in January ordering her to leave the residence. Hibdon is using the eviction as an opportunity to publicly shame her, Papini said in her declaration. "The plaintiff (Hibdon) has made threats both implied and explicit ― that unless I purchase the home under specific, unfavorable terms, I will be evicted, publicly humiliated or face further harm to my personal financial well-being," she wrote in the declaration. Hibdon's attorney, Elizabeth Elizondo of Redding, said Papini's claims were not true. She and Hibdon tried to resolve the dispute before going to court and attempted to avoid going public with the disagreement. "Additionally, we had to break our silence and issue a statement because defendant's side threatened to involve the media if settlement negotiations were not pursued under her terms. There were also threats to release potentially embarrassing messages involving the plaintiff," Elizondo said in a statement. "These actions appear to be aimed at publicly humiliating the plaintiff (Hibdon) — the very thing she has accused us of doing to her. We feel it is important to acknowledge these threats so that, if any information is released, it can be viewed in the proper context," Elizondo said. Reporter Damon Arthur welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834, by email at Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today! This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Sherri Papini's restraining order against woman dismissed from court
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Yahoo
Missing California mom's family digs for homicide ‘cover-up or cleanup' as police eye persons of interest
The sisters of a Northern California mother of four are seeking answers after her disappearance was recently ruled a homicide. Nikki Cheng Saelee-McCain was a 39-year-old mother of four from Shasta County who vanished on May 17, 2024. Her disappearance has since been reclassified as a homicide by the Shasta County Sheriff's Office. In an emotional interview, Kaye Ford and Chloe Saelee opened up to Fox News Digital about the heartbreaking disappearance of their older sister. "When we initially first had a feeling that she was missing, I just knew right away in my heart something wasn't right, and I knew something bad had happened to her," Saelee said. California Mom's Disappearance Now A Homicide Case As Detective Eye Persons Of Interest Ford said that the Northern California family is extremely close, calling and texting each other on a nearly daily basis. After their sister failed to participate in the family's active group chats, they knew something was awry. Read On The Fox News App "We, as a family, knew it wasn't her running off or her just not communicating with the family," Ford said. "We definitely knew that something probably really bad had happened to her. And we definitely knew that time was in the essence as far as evidence and clues as to what may have happened to her." Saelee-McCain's last contact with her family was on May 18, 2024, when she sent a text message to her family around 12:35 a.m. After the message, she was not heard from again. Her vehicle, a 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche, was found abandoned on May 25, 2024, in western Tehama County. SIGN UP TO GET True Crime Newsletter On March 25, 2025, the family's worst nightmare became a reality when the sheriff's office announced that they had identified "persons of interest" in Saelee-McCain's homicide investigation. "I'm hopeful that the people who have information will step up," Ford said. "They may or may not be involved in the actual homicide. They may be involved in a cover-up or the cleanup, whatever else it might be." Missing Wisconsin Teen Found More Than 2 Months After Disappearance The sisters said that they want any involved parties to come forward so they "have a clean conscience." "We're working really hard to apply the pressure," Ford said. "Law enforcement has been very diligently working on the case. We don't see most of their work since a lot of their work is behind the scenes." Nearly 10 months after his wife disappeared, Tyler McCain spoke publicly during a press conference on March 10, 2025. At the event, which was organized by the Shasta County Sheriff's Office, McCain expressed remorse for prior domestic abuse allegations and his lack of public involvement in the search for his missing wife. Follow The Fox True Crime Team On X "I apologize to everyone, especially my children, my wife's family, mine as well," he said. "I'm just here in support, so anything that I can do, I want to do that." McCain was charged in December 2023 with multiple felony counts, including corporal injury to a spouse, false imprisonment, criminal threats and assault. The case was dropped in July last year due to Saelee-McCain's disappearance and the fact that she could not testify against her husband, according to KRCR. Authorities have not accused McCain of any wrongdoing in his wife's disappearance. Have A News Tip? Click Here Authorities are seeking information about a red truck whose driver may have picked up a man in the area of Highway 36 in western Tehama County near the R Wild Horse Ranch or the Beegum Gorge Bridge between May 18 and May 25, 2024. A combined reward of up to $30,000 is offered for information leading to Saelee-McCain's location. GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE True Crime Hub Fox News Digital has reached out to McCain's attorney, the Shasta County Sheriff's Office and Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA-01) for article source: Missing California mom's family digs for homicide 'cover-up or cleanup' as police eye persons of interest
Fox News
07-04-2025
- Fox News
Missing California mom's family digs for homicide ‘cover-up or cleanup' as police eye persons of interest
The sisters of a Northern California mother of four are seeking answers after her disappearance was recently ruled a homicide. Nikki Cheng Saelee-McCain was a 39-year-old mother of four from Shasta County who vanished on May 17, 2024. Her disappearance has since been reclassified as a homicide by the Shasta County Sheriff's Office. In an emotional interview, Kaye Ford and Chloe Saelee opened up to Fox News Digital about the heartbreaking disappearance of their older sister. "When we initially first had a feeling that she was missing, I just knew right away in my heart something wasn't right, and I knew something bad had happened to her," Saelee said. Ford said that the Northern California family is extremely close, calling and texting each other on a nearly daily basis. After their sister failed to participate in the family's active group chats, they knew something was awry. "We, as a family, knew it wasn't her running off or her just not communicating with the family," Ford said. "We definitely knew that something probably really bad had happened to her. And we definitely knew that time was in the essence as far as evidence and clues as to what may have happened to her." Saelee-McCain's last contact with her family was on May 18, 2024, when she sent a text message to her family around 12:35 a.m. After the message, she was not heard from again. Her vehicle, a 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche, was found abandoned on May 25, 2024, in western Tehama County. SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER On March 25, 2025, the family's worst nightmare became a reality when the sheriff's office announced that they had identified "persons of interest" in Saelee-McCain's homicide investigation. "I'm hopeful that the people who have information will step up," Ford said. "They may or may not be involved in the actual homicide. They may be involved in a cover-up or the cleanup, whatever else it might be." The sisters said that they want any involved parties to come forward so they "have a clean conscience." "We're working really hard to apply the pressure," Ford said. "Law enforcement has been very diligently working on the case. We don't see most of their work since a lot of their work is behind the scenes." Nearly 10 months after his wife disappeared, Tyler McCain spoke publicly during a press conference on March 10, 2025. At the event, which was organized by the Shasta County Sheriff's Office, McCain expressed remorse for prior domestic abuse allegations and his lack of public involvement in the search for his missing wife. "I apologize to everyone, especially my children, my wife's family, mine as well," he said. "I'm just here in support, so anything that I can do, I want to do that." McCain was charged in December 2023 with multiple felony counts, including corporal injury to a spouse, false imprisonment, criminal threats and assault. The case was dropped in July last year due to Saelee-McCain's disappearance and the fact that she could not testify against her husband, according to KRCR. Authorities have not accused McCain of any wrongdoing in his wife's disappearance. Authorities are seeking information about a red truck whose driver may have picked up a man in the area of Highway 36 in western Tehama County near the R Wild Horse Ranch or the Beegum Gorge Bridge between May 18 and May 25, 2024. A combined reward of up to $30,000 is offered for information leading to Saelee-McCain's location. GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB Fox News Digital has reached out to McCain's attorney, the Shasta County Sheriff's Office and Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA-01) for comment.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Yahoo
Shasta County sheriff's deputy's vehicle crash remains shrouded in mystery
Law enforcement officials are releasing little information about a vehicle crash last month involving an off-duty Shasta County sheriff's deputy, even though Sheriff Michael Johnson said he is "committed to transparency and accountability" regarding his department and the incident. Johnson published a news release Monday, expressing frustration about what he said were reports on social media of false and unsubstantiated details of the crash. "I became aware of some social media posts circulating that share unsubstantiated details surrounding the collision. The post included false allegations that sheriff's office personnel hindered the investigative efforts of allied agencies at the scene. These statements are egregious and baseless and are a product of a faceless allegation," the sheriff said. "I am frustrated with the cowardliness and repeated attacks on law enforcement and on the integrity of the Shasta County Sheriff's Office," Johnson said. The news release said the deputy crashed a vehicle in the Palo Cedro area on March 16, and the officer was taken to the hospital following the incident. But the statement did not name the officer, where the crash occurred, the time, the number of vehicles involved, what led to the crash and whether the deputy was impaired by alcohol or drugs. Because the deputy is an employee of the department, Johnson said he is restricted by privacy laws from releasing information to the public. Asked in an email whether the sheriff wanted to provide accurate details about the crash to correct the record, department spokesman Tim Mapes declined and referred questions to the California Highway Patrol office in Redding. CHP Sgt. Jose Tabarez, who works out of the Redding office, initially referred questions about the incident to the sheriff's office. When a reporter told him the sheriff's office referred the Record Searchlight to the CHP, Tabarez said he could only say the crash occurred at 3:16 a.m. on March 16. He said he could not release further details, including the name of the driver because the incident was under investigation. Later in the interview, he said the incident happened at Deschutes Road and Hillside Drive in Palo Cedro. The CHP and other law enforcement agencies typically issue news releases that include the names of motorists and passengers involved in vehicle crashes. The location, number of vehicles involved and the events that led to a crash is also information included, even before investigations are complete. Law enforcement and the CHP also typically say whether the driver was allegedly impaired by alcohol or drugs. News releases also include information when a person is arrested or when an agency is searching for a wanted individual. On Tuesday, the CHP issued a news release that included the details of a fatal crash on Interstate 5 at Balls Ferry Road in Anderson. The release included the names and ages of those involved in the crash, where it happened, the date and time and the circumstances that led to the crash and whether drugs or alcohol were a factor in the incident. The CHP also listed the severity of injuries of those involved in the crash. As is typical, the name of the person killed in the crash was not included because that person's family had not yet been notified of the death. The news release also said the I-5 crash in Anderson was still under investigation. But none of that is being released in connection to the deputy crash on March 16. David Loy, legal director for the First Amendment Coalition, said law enforcement agencies are generally not required to divulge documents when they are conducting a criminal investigation. The exemption from disclosing information under the California Public Records Act covers 'only those investigations undertaken for the purpose of determining whether a violation of law may occur or has occurred," according to the coalition. A snippet of the March 16, 911 call to emergency dispatchers was available on a computer application that records 911 calls. Only 1 minute and 1 second of radio traffic associated with the incident involving the deputy was available. In the call, a dispatcher said the information was referred to the CHP by the Shasta Area Safety Communications Agency (SHASCOM), which handles calls for ambulance, police, fire and the sheriff's office in Shasta County. SHASCOM was automatically notified by iPhone that the vehicle was in a crash, and it was determined a vehicle hit a tree, according to the dispatcher. The driver also was unconscious, according to the dispatcher. The name of the registered owner of the vehicle was confidential, the dispatcher said. On the ground at the northeast corner of Deschutes Road and Hillside Drive on Tuesday, there was a damaged metal fence lying crumpled on the ground and an oak tree that had been pushed over. A stop sign was on the ground near the oak tree, as well as parts of a vehicle and ruts from tire tracks in the mud alongside the road. The vehicle parts appeared to be blue in color. Some of the vehicle parts appeared to be either headlight or taillight lenses and one of them had a tag that indicated it was off a 2022 Chevrolet Silverado pickup. Reporter Damon Arthur welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834, by email at and on Twitter at @damonarthur_RS. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today! This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Shasta County sheriff's deputy's vehicle crash shrouded in mystery
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Yahoo
Impaired driving checkpoint in Shasta County results in zero DUI arrests
( — The Shasta County Sheriff's Office had a driving under the influence and driver license checkpoint in the City of Shasta Lake on Saturday. • Video above: Sacramento Police Set Up DUI Checkpoint on Cinco de Mayo According to SCSO, the deputy conducted this checkpoint in an effort to reduce the number of impaired drivers on the road. Due to the checkpoint, about 544 vehicles were checked. SCSO said that DUI Saturation Patrols were also conducted in the surrounding area which led to six traffic stops being made,11 were evaluated for DUI, and two were cited for other violations. No DUI arrest was made during the checkpoint. 'The Shasta County Sheriff's Office would like to remind the public that impaired driving is not just from alcohol. Some prescription medications and over-the-counter medications can interfere with your ability to safely operate a motor vehicle and ultimately result in a DUI,' said SCSO. 'Additionally, while medicinal and recreational marijuana use is legal to use and possess in the State of California, driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal.' California's new plan for developmental services aims to reduce barriers for people with intellectual disabilities SCSO stated that if you plan to drink, use cannabis, or take any medications that can have an impact on your ability to drive just stay home. Drivers charged with a first-time DUI can face an average of $13,500 in fines and penalties as well as have their license suspended. 'The Shasta County Sheriff's Office reminds citizens to always report suspected impaired drivers on the road,' according to SCSO. 'The Shasta County Sheriff's Office is committed to reducing the number of dangerous and drunk drivers on the road, and these checkpoints are just one of the ways we are working to keep Shasta County safe.' SCSO stated that the funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Highway Patrol Cannabis Tax Fund Grant Program. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
