[I’m republishing this article with an additional crime photo obtained from Trinity County Sheriff. AI was used to clean up some printing streaks on that photo.]
There are so many beautiful aspects of the Emerald Triangle—the rivers, little gold mining towns, the forests and Redwoods, the Pacific coast and its quaint Mendocino villages, the Trinity Alps. The night recounted here takes place in Denny, one of the areas not recommended for visitors. When I warn of places NOT to go in the Emerald Triangle, it’s for your own safety.
This story is loaded with characters. I thought laying them out beforehand would make for a more enjoyable reading experience, so here are the leading roles in order of appearance:
Michael “Mike” Smith - Shooter, resident on the Claims side of the river (as in, gold mining claims), 40 years old (4th guy shot, a/k/a Noodle Arms)
Ed Irvin - Resident (victim #1) on the Denny side of the river, 50 years old
Chayne Irvin - Pronounced “Shane”, Ed’s son, 17 years old (victim #2)
Dana Humphrey - Local kid, 18 years old, Chayne’s best friend (victim #3)
Zeke Isaacs - Local neighbor, lived on the Claims side near shooter Mike Smith
Paul Vinanni - Local badass and gold miner who lived an hour from Denny in Salyer, CA
This bit of history in the Emerald Triangle takes us back to February of 1978. It’s one of those true crime stories that deserves to live in infamy. Hella quirky! I’m retelling it based on the memory of a Sheriff’s officer, backed up by archived articles in the Trinity Journal.
This story is cannabis adjacent, setting the tone for what it was like to live in the Emerald Triangle almost 50 years ago…very much the “wild west”. At the time, Denny was filled with Legacy Farmers and Rednecks. This story is about the Rednecks. We’ll get to the Legacy Farmers in future publications, I promise!
Trinity County Sheriff Sergeant, Chuck Sanborn, (now retired) recounts a night in Denny that turned out to be more than anyone bargained for, ending with two men murdered, one critically wounded, and another shot in the hip. Sanborn himself was running on just a couple hours of sleep after a case days prior had kept him awake and too busy for sleep.
The night was dense with fog on the Trinity River. The eight o’clock hour found officers from Trinity and Humboldt County Sheriff Departments strategizing in the dark. Trinity Sheriff’s Office (SO) had received an emergency call around 7:00 that evening reporting a shooting dispute between neighbors in Denny. Knowing the folks involved, and the way the residents in Denny handle business vigilante-style, Trinity law enforcement (LE) had immediately called Humboldt for backup.
Denny is just over the Humboldt/Trinity county line on the Trinity side, about an equal 2-hour drive from the SO for both Humboldt and Trinity deputies. The two law enforcement agencies (a total of 7 officers) met up to huddle and plan prior to entering the town of Denny. Law enforcement had a bad feeling…like, be-prepared-for-a-shoot-out kinda’ bad. They called for multiple ambulances and alerted local hospitals to prepare for casualties.
When all was said and done, it would take 17 law enforcement officers and 3 ambulances to handle the mayhem in Denny that February night.
The whole thing started when notorious local shit disturber, Michael Smith, left his cabin on the Claims side, and crossed the New River (a tributary of the Trinity River) to murder his neighbor and rival, Ed Irvin, who lived on the Denny side. The two had a longstanding feud and Mike Smith was looking to end it once and for all. There was no warning shot, Smith aimed his shotgun at Irvin’s face and pulled the trigger.
Smith then fled by pulling himself across the river to his cabin in a manually operated cable car. Classic mountain getaway! Seriously, what could be slower? So eventually when LE arrived, they would have a crime scene (and victim #1, Ed Irvin) on the Denny side of the river and the suspect in his cabin on the Claims side, with a 60 foot deep (18 meter) river canyon in between.
One of the tactics commonly used by law enforcement to corner a criminal in the mountains is a road block, especially on a route like that to Denny—one way in, one way out. The road block was set up near Highway 299, and SO was awaiting the arrival of the ambulances before heading into such a volatile scene. Sanborn and a couple other deputies headed up to stage closer to Denny while they waited.
Side note: As the War on Drugs heated up in the Emerald Triangle, road blocks would become a bone of contention between locals (who considered them a form of martial law) and SO (who saw them as an effective tactic).
Shortly after the road block was in place, Chayne Irvin, 17, (son of the guy who was shot) and his longtime friend, Dana Humphrey, 18, drove up and were frustrated about the cops preventing them from driving home to Denny.
Chayne had a “wild west” reputation. He’d heard about the incident between Mike Smith and his dad that night and wanted through but, familiar with Chayne, the Deputy in charge of the road block refused their entry.
Obviously these young men knew their way around the area, because Chayne circumnavigated the road block by traveling a rural back road. It took a little over an hour for the men to go around, unbeknownst to the cops. Sergeant Sanborn recalled in our interview that while awaiting the arrival of ambulances near Denny, “the next thing we knew, we heard a bunch of screamin’ and hollerin’ over there across the river”, followed by two distinct gun shots echoing through the canyon and a loud splash, all amplified by the crisp night air.
Without a bridge or any way to cross the river immediately to where the shots originated, officers were in a pinch. The only transportation they could see across the river was another privately owned (and locked) cable car below the one Smith had used in his earlier getaway. This scenario would require further on-the-spot strategizing to avoid being “sitting duck” officers crossing the river.
Sgt. Sanborn reports that Chayne and Dana were both shot by Mike Smith after confronting him. Zeke Isaacs, a local who lived on the Claims side (up river from Smith) had located the two injured young men not far from his mining claim. Chayne was soaked from having been in the river, and Dana was barely moving. Isaacs jumped into action upon hearing the commotion.
Sanborn remembers Isaacs stepping up to help transport the young victims on his own cable car (one that LE didn’t realize was just up river) so that officers could focus on capturing Mike Smith, who was still actively engaging them in a shoot-out down river that would last for hours.
Meanwhile, two ambulances finally arrived on scene, as did the Under Sheriff at the time, Dave Laffranchini, and District Attorney (DA), Bill Neill. Remember, vehicles are parked on the Denny side of the river. One ambulance made its way further up to load Chayne and Dana. Ed Irvin was loaded into the other.
Irvin was still alive but missing half his face and bleeding so much, Sgt. Sanborn reports blood was literally draining out of the open ambulance doors due to the mountain slope. Sanborn said it was like a horror movie, and that moment brought the reality of the night’s events into very grim focus. Needless to say, it wasn’t looking good for the elder Irvin.
In yet another crazy twist, the third ambulance from Redding was making its way up to Denny when some of the town’s vigilantes tried to commandeer it. They had the petrified EMT driver surrounded, guns drawn on him. Sanborn said law enforcement talked them down—not by drawing weapons and aiming back—but by asking logically, “What, you plan to shoot us all?”. After that confrontation, the ambulance was allowed to continue on its mission, none of the vigilantes were arrested.
Remarkably, after being shot in the hip and falling (or diving?) 60 feet into the river, Chayne Irvin (victim #2) survived that night. (In the years to come, Chayne would continue his wild west behavior, eventually being convicted for sexual assault in Humboldt County and sentenced to life in prison.)
At the moment (now just after midnight), cops were closing in on the eye of the storm. Smith was shooting from inside his cabin across the river, and Sgt. Sanborn reports that DA Bill Neill was ducking for cover under a vehicle, terrified. What had he gotten himself into? Law enforcement was still working on a safe tactic to cross the river.
Side note: Mike Smith’s 20-year-old wife was in their cabin where he was holed up and firing at officers from across the river. And, to make things even more interesting, she was pregnant!
Additional backup was on its way, but remember—Denny is two hours from the SO in either direction. Choreography was crucial at this point! When the gunfire stopped for a bit, the two ambulances with three victims (Ed, Dana, and Chayne) were escorted out, while the third ambulance ominously stayed behind for potential victims. Dana Humphrey died en route to Hoopa Hospital. As you may have guessed, Ed Irvin didn’t make it either.
A lull in Smith’s gunfire (the eye of the storm) is when local connections came in real handy! Paul Vinanni was a gold miner on the Trinity River in the town of Salyer (off Highway 299 near where you see the sign for Denny in the pic above). Vinanni was described as a “badass”, who owned the lower (locked) cable car. Being friends with Sheriff Kelly put Vinanni on the short list for vital resources that night. When Kelly called in the favor, the guy actually drove up from Salyer at 1:30 in the morning (arriving around 2:30am) to unlock the lower cable car for SO, solidifying his cred as a local badass.
A couple Humboldt deputies and several Trinity officers quietly maneuvered down below to the unlocked cable car and proceeded across New River, while Sergeant Sanborn and the remaining Trinity officers stayed on the Denny side to cover them…a process requiring diligent patience with a manual cable car. Like a feat on American Ninja Warrior, it’s one tug at a time.
Since the cable car was lower down in the canyon, at the end of the line was a slight incline that required some muscle (especially with several hundred pounds inside) to hoist it up to land. And quietly, so as not to alert Smith.
After deputies landed safely near Smith’s cabin, they identified themselves and quickly infiltrated the residence with tear gas, causing his pregnant wife to surrender out the front door. Smith attempted to exit through the back, furthering the stand-off with his now trademark shotgun greeting, prompting LE to call for backup from officers across the river on the Denny side.
Side note: Imagine deputies on the Denny side of the river responding to that urgent call by manually retrieving the empty cable car back from across the river, while hearing their LE brothers across that canyon in a shoot-out with a raging vigilante. They didn’t teach that shit at the Academy!
Sergeant Sanborn was in the second group of officers to cross the river to Michael Smith’s property by cable car, and when he arrived, Sanborn says that although Smith was still alive, his arms were like wet noodles, just dangling.
Humboldt deputies reported to Sanborn that when they instructed Smith to drop his weapon, instead of doing so, he hid behind a very narrow tree for cover and started shooting. Unfortunately for Mike Smith, the tree was only shielding his body, not his arms. Humboldt deputies shot back, nailing Smith in the arms and shoulders so much, it’s said he was unable to wipe his own ass for a month.
In the coming days, Smith would be transported to a prison hospital in Vacaville, CA, for holding until his trial, which may have been held in Solano County (although I could be wrong), as I was unable to find information about the trial and subsequent conviction of ol’ Noodle Arms anywhere in the Emerald Triangle.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: When visiting the Emerald Triangle, the little town of Willow Creek should not be missed! Calling itself “The Bigfoot Capital of the World”, it straddles Trinity and Humboldt counties, sitting just on the Humboldt side, but feeling more like Trinity due to its mountainous location. Willow Creek has some of the best swimmin’ holes in the Emerald Triangle. Also–beautiful art murals, river rafting, Camp Kimtu (cabins and sites right on a gorgeous bend of the Trinity River), Creekside Cottages, a beer garden, the one and only Big Foot Museum, a lovely dispensary, friendly locals, and great neighborhood bar called Forks Lounge. One day in Willow Creek is not enough, you’ll want to stay overnight.
If you like murder mysteries and podcasts, check out my new Emerald Triangle’s Murder Mystery Podcast on YouTube! Uninterrupted, professional murder mysteries that keep you in suspense until the last scene. Always a twist ending!
NEW EPISODE THIS SUNDAY!
Hi, I’m Kerry Hurley, aka “NorCalWeedGal” (thanks to my lifelong stonership). Thanks for reading! A little about me…I consciously decided to become a regular cannabis consumer at 16 years old. I wrote about that here, if you’re interested to read more.
Anyway, I grew up, and currently live in, the Emerald Triangle. A perfect place to be a teenage stoner! (except the War on Drugs was raging here then) My friends and I, including a retired Sheriff Sergeant from Trinity County, have some wild stories from that time. And in my 6 years of research and interviews, I’ve discovered so much more to share about the dark side…the corruption, scandals, murders. And the inspirational side…the talented innovators, artists, and multi-generational farmers. I hope you’ll subscribe and join me!
Stories from Inside The Emerald Triangle are all true, to the best of any witness recollection. I also do my best to verify information through public records, additional first-hand accounts, photos, archives, and media reports. This isn’t bullshit. It’s 100% human written and human lived! I don’t use AI, even for editing. (as you may notice by the occasional human error)
The purpose of this publication is to document and distribute true history about Mendocino, Humboldt, and Trinity Counties (mostly during the War on Drugs from 1979-1996) in order to preserve it, while at the same time, sharing it to entertain and educate others in a modern context.
I appreciate your interest in this slice of American history, and your kind consideration of upgrading to the paid version (even if just for a month or two) to help me continue this work. It really does help. Thanks so much for reading!
In high regards,
Kerry, NorCalWeedGal
» on Facebook & Instagram, I’m @NorCalWeedGal
GLOSSARY
Cable Car - In the Emerald Triangle, this is a common method to cross a bridgeless area of river. People park their vehicles on one side of the river and use a cable car to haul themselves and goods to their home on the other side. The “cars” are about 3-4 feet (less than 1 meter), and similar to a crude hot air balloon basket, usually made of wood. The car is manually moved from one side of the river to the other via a cable pulley system.
Claims side - The side of the New River, opposite Denny, with gold mining claims
DA - District Attorney (prosecuting attorney for the county in criminal court cases)
Denny, California - A tiny rural town in the Trinity Alps. If the wilderness were to have a version of Compton, (respectfully) Denny could serve as an example. Rugged and raw–both the land and residents. Don’t fuck with them.
Hella - California slang meaning “very”
LE - Law enforcement
New River - A tributary of the Trinity River in Denny, CA
Road Block - Common tactic by law enforcement in rural areas of blocking the main road in/out of a town to catch a suspected criminal
Salyer, CA - Small gold mining town on the Trinity River off Highway 299
SO - Sheriff’s Office (SO is also occasionally used in reference to a Sheriff Officer)
Trinity Alps - A smaller version of the Swiss Alps with trails throughout and lakes at the top, part of the gorgeous Shasta-Trinity National Forest. The highest peak is Sawtooth Mountain at just over 9,000’ elevation (around 2,745 meters).
Trinity River - One of the clearest, most beautiful rivers in NorNorCal. It flows from the Trinity Alps through Humboldt, and into the mighty Klamath River.
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