Ukiah Journalism Student Accuses Teacher Of Sending Inappropriate Snapchat Messages …

Mendocino Court released a redacted 33-page search warrant Wednesday. The teenager whose interview with Ukiah police led to the arrest of Ukiah High School teacher Matthew LaFever on November 3 was a student in his journalism class, according to a search warrant submitted by Detective Zhonghao Chen and approved by Superior Court Judge Patrick Pekin at 6:54 p.m. Oct. 16, 2025. LaFever was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of knowingly annoying and/or molesting a minor. Ukiah police also said they collected evidence suggesting LaFever was reaching out to other minors in Mendocino and Sonoma counties using various social media platforms. LaFever has not responded to repeated attempts by Mendo Local to contact him. Dan Dougherty, communications and community engagement officer at the Ukiah Unified School District, said LaFever was working part-time and teaching three classes: work experience, journalism and advanced journalism. The 33-page search warrant was filed in Superior Court this week and released in redacted form on Wednesday. Mendo Local reviewed the warrant at the Ukiah courthouse. According to the warrant, the teenager told officers she created a Snapchat account under an alias and was added by LaFever, whose phone number she had saved in her contacts. During their
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