Another suspect in the murder of Laytonville pot grower Jeffrey Settler was taken into custody on Friday, this time in the state of Virginia.
Authorities with the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office say the agency received a call at around 10 p.m. Friday from another sheriff’s office in Willliamsburg, Virginia notifying them they had arrested 27-year-old suspect Frederick Gaestel.
Specific details weren’t released but officials said the deputies received a tip that Gaestel was hiding out in a vacant house. Once the warrant was confirmed, law enforcement surrounded the house and reportedly got the suspect from Illinois to surrender peacefully.
With the suspect in custody, Mendocino County is currently working to get him extradited back here so he can stand trial for the November murder of Settler. If he tries to challenge extradition, officials say the process could take several months.
In the meantime, two other suspects, Gary Blank III and Jesse Wells, remain at large and are believed to have fled the state. Any persons with information on their whereabouts are encouraged to call the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Investigative Services Unit at 707-463-4421.
The four other suspects in the case are due back in court on March 2nd for a plea hearing.