TS - Rolling Stoen?

Rolling Stoen? Special prosecutor seeks Mendocino County post
By James Faulk The Times-Standard
Article Last Updated: Friday, May 13, 2005 - 6:15:25 AM PST

EUREKA -- Tim Stoen, for the last two years the right-hand man to District Attorney Paul Gallegos, is looking to become county counsel for Mendocino County.

Gallegos said Stoen told him of his intent to seek the position -- one he's had before -- and Gallegos gave him his blessing.

"He is seeking that post," Gallegos told the Times-Standard Thursday.

Stoen has been handling a number of high profile cases for Gallegos, including the controversial suit against Pacific Lumber Co. and the case against Fortuna Councilwoman Debi August. Since coming on board, he has attracted loads of criticism for the cases he's taken on.

This second chance to serve Mendocino County came out of the blue, Stoen said.

Stoen recently got a recruitment call from a former boss and decided to slip his name into contention. The job, however, is far from a lock. He has some notable competition for the position and for Mendocino County, hiring him would mean taking on a person who has an obvious talent for drawing fire.

The last time Stoen filled that role was in the 1970s, around the same time that Stoen was a rising lieutenant in the church of Jim Jones, who would later kill almost a thousand people -- including Tim Stoen's son -- in South America.

Stoen said he was successful as county counsel at the time and would like to do it again.

Living and working in Humboldt County is a joy, Stoen said, but as a Christian he believes his life is guided by God. Since several factors -- including a seemingly random phone call -- pushed him to seek the job, he decided to move ahead.

The six years he spent as county counsel there in the past were his happiest professionally, Stoen said.

"My temperament is to be an agent of reconciliation," he said.

Stoen's rather long list of enemies in Humboldt County see it otherwise.

Odell Shelton, Fortuna city councilman and outspoken supporter of Pacific Lumber Co., said good riddance.

"That would be great," he said. "What has he done that's positive for the county since he's been here?"

Shelton pointed to the pending suits against Palco and August as examples of his divisiveness.

Stoen said a condition of his taking the job in Mendocino County would be to continue working on the Palco case.

"He's still got that bone in his teeth no matter what," Shelton said.

For that to happen, Stoen said he would have to be deputized out of the Humboldt County District Attorney's office. With Arcata attorney Steven Schectman as a partner on the case, Stoen believes he could come in for short bursts and ultimately the trial to get the job done. Stoen said he crafted the case narrowly, which will help.

The case was actually narrowed for him by a judge.

In May 2004, Humboldt County Judge Christopher Wilson -- who has since recused himself from the case -- issued a split decision in a motion by Palco to have the case thrown out. In doing so, he tossed out Stoen's motion for an injunction on the company's logging and another to make it pay about $300 million in restitution.

In his ruling, Wilson called Stoen's unfair competition vehicle "a rather prodigious stretch." Wilson kept the suit alive, but his instructions to Stoen prompted a significant revision and narrowing of the case.

Regardless, Schectman believes the case could be handled as Stoen described.

"I'm a team player," he said. "If that's how we do it, then great."

The county counsel position could be filled within the next two months. Mendocino County is reportedly looking to find a top administrator before conducting interviews. Even then, the job is still far from being Stoen's.

"It's so iffy," Stoen said.

Gallegos said that the recent promotion of Wes Keat to assistant district attorney had nothing to do with Stoen's application in Mendocino County.

Gallegos said Stoen's leaving would create a hardship, but nothing the department couldn't overcome.

"Truthfully, we don't have the luxury of not getting the job done," Gallegos said.