Eureka Man Pleads Guilty to Intent to Distribute Heroin, Possession of Firearms in Futherance of Drug Trafficking

SAN FRANCISCO—Robert Wildman, 31, pleaded guilty in federal court in San Francisco yesterday afternoon to one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin and one count of possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, announced United States Attorney Melinda Haag.

During yesterday’s plea hearing before U.S. District Court Judge Richard Seeborg, Wildman admitted that on August 22, 2012, he was sitting in the driver’s seat of a Jeep Grand Cherokee in a parking lot when he was approached by a Eureka Police Department officer. As the police officer walked towards Wildman’s vehicle, Wildman drove off through the parking lot and then led the officer on a chase through residential streets and onto Highway 101. The chase lasted approximately 30 minutes. Wildman admitted that he ran through red lights and stop signs and also drove into oncoming traffic during the chase. Also during the chase, Wildman threw a loaded M-11 pistol out the window of his vehicle. Wildman was eventually apprehended after he ran over a spike strip that officers had set up on the highway. Wildman admitted that he knowingly possessed the SKS assault rifle and 19.6 grams of heroin that officers located in his vehicle.

Wildman has been in custody since his arrest. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 2 before Judge Richard Seeborg in San Francisco. At sentencing, Wildman will face a minimum mandatory sentence of five years and a maximum sentence of life in prison, a fine of up to $1 million, and a maximum term of life on supervised release.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Luskey with the assistance of Daniel Charlier-Smith. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Eureka Resident Agency and the Eureka Police Department.

A copy of this press release may be found on the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s website at www.usdoj.gov/usao/can.